


Usurpation of the Darkness

by VigoGrimborne



Series: The IHTR Universe [3]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Drama, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sequel, Series, Tags Are Neutered To Prevent Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 77
Words: 665,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24629134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VigoGrimborne/pseuds/VigoGrimborne
Summary: Daughter of the alpha by one of his mates, the oldest child of Claw. Lily is a Light Fury, one of many. Her world is small, safe, and normal. Or so she thinks. Her disillusionment is brutally thorough, but she isn't one to give up. M for the subject matter and semi-explicit scenes. Set in the IHTR universe, and comes after When Nothing Remains.
Relationships: Plenty of relationships but I am not spoiling which kinds or who
Series: The IHTR Universe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779493
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Critical

_**Author's Note:** _ **Welcome, readers new and old, to my latest work,** _**Usurpation of the Darkness.** _ **A few notes, as necessary.**

**This is my first M-rated story, and it has earned the distinction. I do not, as a personal choice, write detailed explicit scenes, but what I danced around in When Nothing Remains cannot be avoided here, as it is interwoven through the main plot, and there may be some vaguely explicit scenes (though I am uncomfortable with even those, so rest assured they will appear only when necessary).**

**This story will update weekly as all of mine do, and will do so on Saturdays. AO3 readers, this applies to you too, this story is very much in-progress, not just being ported over like a lot of my other ones.**

**Also, I should thank my new beta reader for this story, _Deadly-Bagel,_ for helping me hammer out the various little imperfections in this story. He's been a great help.**

**And finally, this story is truly more than one book, a total of three acts that I kept in one entry because they fit, and they all focus on Lily, our protagonist. There are very few non-OC characters, and none at all in the first part... but if you stick around, they might make appearances eventually. With that said, I'd hope that this is interesting enough to combat the lack of known characters.**

**It is only fitting we begin as we do, here in this first chapter. With someone who is already broken, and someone who knows nothing, innocent in her ignorance.**

_**Usurpation of the Darkness** _

**Part 1**

A strangled whine emanated from the cavern, its origin obscured by darkness. Even pure white scales could not be seen from here, the light of day outside blinding her to the darkness.

Lily was wishing she had not come along, though her Dam seemed glad she was here, in some strange way. She did not like to hear this. It scared her, and she did not understand.

"Dam?" She asked quietly, almost going unheard over the lamenting from the cavern in front of them. "Why is he crying?"

Her Dam looked down at her. "He deserves far more than this." She looked up, her expression one Lily did not yet have a name for, and called out to the occupant. "Your fault!"

A particularly pained groan, and then silence. Good, the noise had stopped.

"Well?!" Her Dam growled. "Admit it!"

After a moment of silence, there was another whine. "Yes."

The crying began again, quieter and yet more piercing, a keening now.

Lily wished she were anywhere else, but she had asked to come along. She did not like the crying. It hurt her ears.

O-O-O-O-O

That morning had begun as many others did. Lily woke, a strange mix of grogginess and hunger clashing in her small body, a fuzzy mind contesting with a growling stomach. She stretched, her wings bumping a few older dragons in the way.

"Grass, it is your turn to tend to her," her Dam groaned. "Get to it."

Lily growled quietly. Grass was strict. Pina was better, though she was no fun either. Then again, it was not her choice, and her Dam wasn't even awake enough to be pleaded with.

Lily squeaked in pain as she was picked up by the scruff of her neck. Being handled as such hurt, because she was almost half the length and weight of an adult. Grass was the only one to still carry her as such, if one could even call it carrying. It was more akin to being dragged, really.

Grass took Lily out of the side cavern and dropped her in the corridor directly connecting to it. "You should wake up later."

"But Pina and Dam make me go to sleep early," Lily protested, her voice pleading. "And sleep is boring." As long as she had a good reason, Grass couldn't make her do anything different.

Grass shook her head, her green glint a dull discoloration in the dark cave. "Not for the rest of us. You are too energetic."

Lily darted toward another side-cavern, her mind seizing on an idea-

Only to be caught, again, by Grass.

"I wanna play with someone," she protested. So close.

"They are all asleep," Grass growled around her current mouthful of Lily's scruff, "and you know the other Dams will not be happy with you for waking them."

"Yes, Grass," Lily capitulated, hanging her head. Who cared if they did not like it? She wanted to play.

Grass began quickly trotting towards the main exit. "Besides, Claw visited that side-cavern last night."

Was that supposed to make her not want to go in there? She never really got to play with her Sire. "I wanna play with Sire."

Grass laughed, a muffled rumble of amusement. "It was their turn to 'play with Sire.' He has more entertaining things to do than deal with one of his many empty-minded offspring."

Lily didn't really understand that, but when Grass laughed, it meant she was not going to understand, most of the time. "Okay."

That, Dam had taught her. _"Listen to your sleeping-cavern-dams, and to all the dams in the caves."_ It was how things worked. They knew better than she did.

Maybe in two or so season-cycles, when she became an adult, she would get to know better herself, and tell the other fledglings things that made no sense.

She blinked as the light from outside washed over her and Grass. With it came a renewed struggle. "Let me down!"

"If I do, you will run off." Grass chuckled again. "No, not happening."

Lily did plan on doing her best to escape Grass's gaze if she could get free. The valley was safe, and she knew some fledglings her age, the ones she only rarely got to play with. They were not boring yet, because she did not really know them. They were fun, even. Not like Grass, or Pina, or Dam.

But Grass wasn't giving her a chance to do so. She hung there, slightly uncomfortable, while Grass waited. Looking around, she could see the sun just rising over one of the mountains. The day was short in the valley, she had been told, because fledglings needed a reminder to go to sleep early, and get up late.

From behind her, a grunt sounded. "She is up early." A splatter, the sound of fish hitting the ground. Food.

Flapping. "I would not expect anything less from her," a different voice commented. Both had been male, and both left quickly. This unseen process continued for a few minutes.

"Can I eat before they all get here?" Lily asked plaintively.

"You know that is not how this works," Grass scolded. "They bring tribute for Claw, and we get what he leaves for us."

"But he always takes nothing!" Lily had held this argument before, but continued to speak because she had never gotten an answer that made sense.

"It is his gift to us," Grass growled. "He could choose to take much, and make us fish ourselves."

That would be new. "Fun."

"Not fun." Grass groaned. "Of all the groups to be stuck in, I was paired with the first female to get an egg from him. Lucky me."

"Dam says I am special," Lily objected.

"Especially annoying. At least most of Claw's other offspring are not old enough to ask questions." The grip of toothless gums on Lily's scruff loosened slightly.

She squirmed, and it immediately tightened. Oh well. "Dam says I am better than the others."

"Sure, sure," Grass agreed absently. "I guess, in a way, you are. His first-hatched would be."

A scuffling of claws on rock echoed behind them. Grass relaxed slightly. "Claw," she greeted warmly, warbling despite her current handicap to speech.

"Grass," he purred back. "I have not seen you in a while."

Lily couldn't even see him. Grass should turn so that she could. But she knew better than to whine in Claw's presence. He was important, someone to impress.

"Yes..." Grass purred. "Will you make the rounds to our cavern tonight?"

Claw warbled pleasantly. "Sadly, your group is not next. It is... four days? Six?"

"Too long," Grass complained, something in her voice telling Lily that she was not as sad as she sounded. "Could you arrange for something sooner?"

"Maybe... for you, my dear." Claw laughed, a throaty sound deeper than anything Lily thought she could replicate. "Today, in the shaded side?"

"Now?" There was a hint of something else Lily did not understand in Grass's voice, though she heard that unknown thing more often than most things she did not yet understand.

"Drop the fledgling, and we can go right now," Claw said happily. "We could probably do it here, if no one else wakes up early, but the shaded side of the valley is close anyway."

Lily purred as Grass let her go. "Yay!"

"Go find Pina," Grass said absently. "Or your Dam. I do not really care which." She nodded to Claw. "Now?"

Lily snagged a small fish and trotted off, completely ignoring Grass's instructions, eating as she made her escape. The boulders that littered their valley rose high in all directions, making the already large place even larger, to her eyes, as she could not see it all at once. Other dragons, the lessers of the pack, were even now waking up as she walked between the rocks, following the moving line of the sun as it cleared the mountain.

Dam called them lesser, all of these dragons. Dam must be right, though Lily could not see anything so different about them now. She would see it when she grew up, like everything else, so she could at least practice now by pretending she knew why they were not as good.

But that was not fun. She kept moving, seeking out someone new or someone fun. Crystal, a fellow fledgling, must be around somewhere. Maybe if she got more chances to just wander around she would already know where Crystal was, but Dam and Pina and Grass kept her inside, most days.

A curious growl resounded from her left. Lily turned, purring. Someone new! She didn't recognize this fledgling, red eyes and red glint matching.

The fledgling hopped down from the rock, purring. "Hi."

"Hi," Lily greeted happily. "Who are you?"

"I am Pearl," the other fledgling said proudly. "Are you a boy?"

Lily froze, confused. "No?" What made Pearl think that?

"Oh." Pearl's ears and wings drooped. "Too bad."

"What?!" Now she was mad. "What makes boys better?"

"I do not know," Pearl admitted sadly. "Dam never lets me play with them, so there must be something."

"There is not," Lily huffed. "They are just like girls." This fledgling was strange. That was interesting, but also annoying.

"Well..." Pearl looked back at the rock she had left. "Where are you going?"

Wanting to go off on her own before her Dam woke? Lily understood that. But she didn't know if she wanted this one to follow her. Pearl was weird. "Nowhere."

Pearl heard the lack of enthusiasm and wilted. "Okay." Without another word, she hopped back onto the rock and disappeared from sight.

Good. Lily trotted on, still looking for someone fun. Pearl was not that fun. Maybe that was why she and everyone else out here weren't as good?

But the other fledgling and hatchlings in the caves weren't fun anymore either. She knew them, or at least knew what they liked and how they reacted to things. They were like rocks, boring and not at all mysterious.

Maybe she should go back to the caves. Grass had said she should find Pina or Dam.

No, that wasn't fun either. What would be fun? Better yet, what would be fun and doable that she wouldn't need to look for? She was getting tired of searching out others. It was a waste of time.

Well... spying on people was fun, even if she was caught far too often for her liking. Maybe she could figure out something she did not yet know if she could overhear or see something no one wanted her to yet.

Yes, that would be fun. She stopped in the middle of the valley and listened to the growls, warbles, and croons that surrounded her, and the words those sounds formed. She had begun to not hear the sounds so much as the words recently, which was strange. She liked the sounds better, really, but the words told her things. Sometimes, useful things.

"Good morning, dear." A sappy, weak voice. A male, by the pitch.

"Your turn to get fish," another replied, her voice happy if sleepy. "And good morning."

Why say anything? It wasn't like saying that made the morning better. She had never heard it in the caves, so it clearly wasn't worth saying. She turned her focus to another set of voices.

"...He never gets into trouble." That was accompanied by a proud warble.

"And why do you think that is?" a strangely-pitched voice replied. "At least my son has some fight in him. Yours is spineless."

"Gold is _careful,_ " was the hissing reply. "He might actually see sense."

"Ah, now I understand. You cannot stand to lose another one." The other voice was sadder, now. That, at least, was an emotion Lily knew.

Somewhat more interesting, though she did not know who Gold was, or why the other had gone from some unidentifiable emotion to sad. This wasn't enough. She wanted to know things she did not yet, and to understand.

Maybe Claw, her Sire, had something she could learn. But he was with Grass, in the shaded side of the valley. Grass didn't want her with them.

Lily purred, turning around and heading in that direction. If Grass didn't want her around, then there had to be something to see. She sometimes felt like Grass did not want her to understand. Disobeying one of her cavern-dams was fun, and it could be informative.

The shaded side of the valley was in the ever-present shadow of the mountains, a place where the sun never quite reached, and was therefore undesirable... for some reason. Lily wasn't sure why the sun mattered, as she herself lived in a cave where the sun never could even attempt to reach. Maybe if she was lesser, like everyone out here, she would understand.

The sun was nice and warm... there was that. Maybe that was it.

Lily warbled happily, nearing the place where the shade really began. She had already figured something out today! That was good.

A strange grunting got her attention. Was that Claw? She considered how to best spy on whatever was going on.

The rocks were high, but she could climb... or she could sneak around between them and hope to peek around a corner. Climbing would be more fun.

Lily eyed the rocks around her, looking for a good way up. The one in front of her was too smooth. She moved closer to the grunting and found a jagged rock. Climbing up this would be easy, but she wanted to be quiet. She would learn nothing if they caught her.

She placed a paw on a ledge, and pulled herself up carefully, her small claws digging in. It was a struggle, but she made it in the end. The grunting was still going on, so she had not been noticed.

She didn't even bother to try and guess what that sound meant. Maybe when she saw, she would understand. It was close.

She kept her stomach flat to the rock, keeping a low profile, and crept across the rocks, leaping from the top of one to another, getting closer with every quiet movement.

Then she poked her head over the edge of one and saw her goal. Perfect!

Now, what was going on?

Well, there was her Sire, moving slowly and grunting every once in a while. Under him was Grass, who was on her back, with an odd expression on her face.

That was it. Her Sire wasn't even going anywhere, just moving back and forth. What was the point in that? From here, all she could see was his back and Grass's tail, laid out behind him, his tail on top of hers, and Grass's head.

Lily held in a sigh of frustration. What was the point in having her sent away for _this?_ So much for seeing something new and exciting. Even the fledglings' wrestles in the cave were more entertaining than this.

She turned away after a few moments, knowing that there was nothing more to see. Now what?

A muted roar resounded from behind her, and the grunting stopped. Oh, they were done with... whatever that was. Maybe now they would say something interesting. She crouched on top of the rock, listening carefully.

"Better?" Grass asked, her voice breathless. "I hear Clover screeches and squirms to make it 'more interesting' for you." More than a hint of disdain colored that observation. Lily knew disdain, and knew it well.

"That she does," Claw agreed. "And there is something to be said for it, to be sure. But there is no need for you to imitate her."

"I will be myself," was the growled reply. "Can we do this again tomorrow?"

"Eager for an egg?"

"If I am stuck watching Cressa's daughter, I would like to have one of my own for Cressa to deal with sooner or later," Grass purred. "As is, she is getting the better end of the arrangement."

"Well, we cannot do this too often," Claw cautioned. "I would rather not have you lay an egg before I get around to officially visiting your group. After that, every day. We can... up the odds."

"Good," Grass warbled.

Lily, still unseen on the rock, understood... some of that. Cressa was her Dam, and Clover one of the other cavern-dams, one with no fledglings or eggs of her own. One of the four in the cavern her Sire had apparently visited the night before.

She knew who, but not what, or why. Since when did Clover 'screech and squirm?' Seeing an adult act like that might be entertaining, sure... but why?

So much she did not know and did not understand. Maybe if she followed her Sire, she would learn more.

Well, it wasn't like she had anything better to do. But neither Grass nor her Sire had left yet.

"Again?" Grass asked with a soft growl.

"No time, I think," Lily's Sire replied, sounding sincerely apologetic. "I might be missed, and this is supposed to be secret."

"So? No one will care."

"No one, aside from the half-dozen females of mine who are clingy and want an egg as soon as possible," Claw growled. "I pick, not them, but if they find out that I can be persuaded..."

"Only by someone good at... persuasion."

"Fine, one more time." Claw rumbled happily.

Oh, great, the grunting again. Lily peeked over long enough to confirm that it was the same as before, and then proceeded to slowly and quietly leap away, moving from rock to rock like before. There was nothing of interest here.

Now what? She had nothing to do except to search for things she did not yet know, or to find someone to play with. Neither really seemed fun now. She was tired of looking for new things and finding nothing. No one ever explained anything.

A few minutes later, just as she was nearing the edge of the shaded part of the valley, a force dropped on her from above and grabbed her. She squealed, startled, and looked up to see...

Grass. Oh, she had been caught. But Grass looked really angry.

"You were watching," Grass growled, setting Lily down on a rock deeper in the shaded side of the valley, cornering her above a short fall. Lily backed up.

Grass would not fall for a tantrum, so Lily didn't bother. "So?"

Grass barked in surprise, taken aback by Lily's answer. "So? What do you mean, so?"

"It is not like you were doing anything interesting," Lily grumbled. "No one is any fun."

Grass relaxed slightly. "Sure, nothing interesting. Not interesting enough to talk about."

Something was odd about that. Lily spoke impulsively, just to see what would happen. "Maybe I should talk about it."

That elicited a snarl. "Fledglings do not tell tales about their elders." Grass turned to the side and lashed out with her tail, wrapping it around the base of Lily's tail. "Or they get punished." She lifted Lily, pulling her off the rock and into the air.

Lily helplessly scrabbled at the air, whining. It hurt to be held upside-down by her tail. "Put me down!"

"No." Grass took an awkward step forward. "Now, what have you done wrong?" Her ears and frills were down, her eyes narrow, angry slits. Lily knew all of those signs; Grass was very angry.

Lily glanced down, seeing that she was being held over a dark crevice, a place between rocks that was deep and scary. Surely Grass wouldn't drop her?

"I will not talk about it," Lily pleaded, not willing to risk being dropped.

"No," Grass growled, "you will not." She loosened her grip, and Lily slid down a few claw-lengths. "Never."

"Never," Lily gasped, now totally petrified, afraid Grass would drop her at the slightest struggle. This was not how cavern-dams were supposed to act!

"Good," Grass purred, and pulled Lily in, sheltering her under her wings. Lily quivered with fear.

"Let me go?" Lily requested weakly, wanting nothing more than to run away from Grass.

"No," Grass said quietly. "You were bad, and I punished you. Now it is over." She nuzzled Lily. "You understand, right?"

So it was just... a punishment? That scary dangling over a dark place, the pain she felt in the base of her tail even now? Lily whimpered, unsure of whether or not that made sense. "You scared me."

"You are like a daughter to me," Grass whined sadly. "I would never hurt you."

That sounded right, exactly what she wanted to hear... but... Lily shook her head slowly, confused, as was so often the case. "Oh... Okay."

"Good!" Grass removed her wings. "Now we should go find your Dam. You have wandered around enough for one day."

Lily, still feeling strangely disoriented, followed obediently after Grass as she moved back towards the caverns. Something wasn't right, but Grass was one of her cavern-dams, so she knew best...

The trip back to the caverns was quick, and not interesting at all. Lily followed along without complaint, taking some small comfort in returning to these well-known caves. She still felt unsettled for some reason, though Grass had assured her that all was well.

They ran into Pina before even reaching their side-cavern. Grass gestured to Lily. "Can you take her?"

Pina purred at Lily, before fixing Grass with a level stare. "It is your day."

"I will cover one of your days," Grass bargained. "Right now, I think it would be better if someone else watches her."

"Ask her Dam," Pina grumbled, stretching her wings in the somewhat enclosed space. "I want to fly for a few hours, and Lily can barely get off the ground."

Lily squirmed in embarrassment. She knew how to fly... kind of. But she rarely practiced, spending most of her time here in the cave. It did not seem to have any real purpose, anyway. Her life was on the ground. What was there for her in the sky?

"Fine, I will find Cressa," Grass growled. "Come on, Lily."

They passed several other dams in the caverns, and a few other, younger fledglings. Lily nodded to those few she liked and ignored the others. She was the oldest fledgling in the cave anyway, so she was the most important.

Her Dam was pacing in the side-cavern, looking... angry? Why would she be angry?

Grass didn't seem to care. "You need to watch her. I will make up for it some other day." With that, she was gone.

Lily sat on her hind legs and watched her Dam, who hadn't even acknowledged the change. After a moment, she voiced her thoughts. "What is wrong?"

Her Dam jumped, almost hitting her head on the ceiling of the cave, and seemed to actually notice Lily for the first time. "Lily?"

"What is wrong?" She repeated herself, now a little worried.

"Oh... nothing." Her Dam seemed to steel herself as if preparing to do something unpleasant. "Just something I need to do. Stay here."

"I do not want to." She did not want to be stuck in the cave, alone, possibly for the rest of the day. "Let me come?"

"No..." A warble of indecision. "Well..."

"Please?" She whined, knowing that her Dam was one of the few who always caved to a tantrum. "I wanna come!"

And her Dam knew it as well. "Fine. Do not throw a fit." She sighed. "This is going to be difficult enough, even if he does deserve it. He loves to make me feel guilty."

Of course, Lily did not understand that. All she cared about was that she was getting to come along.

O-O-O-O-O

Now, listening to the painfully piercing whine, Lily regretted joining her Dam. They had walked out of the valley, up the side of one of the mountains, here to this cave. She had never even known this place existed... but if all it held was a crying male, maybe there was no reason to know about it.

"How long?!" Her Dam was roaring in anger again. "Answer me."

"Leave," the male requested, his voice sad. The keening had stopped, at least. "I am wretched, but that is not an excuse to torment me."

"Wrong. On this day you should be tormented." Her Dam growled, raging now. "You deserve it."

"Not by the voice of my own daughter," the male whined quietly.

Daughter... Lily understood that word but had never heard it applied to her Dam before. But of course her Dam had a Dam, and a Sire... this one was her Dam's Sire? That made no sense. None of this made sense. Just like every other part of the world she knew.

"I am _not_ your daughter," her Dam growled. "You are too cowardly for any female to love, so how could I be?"

A gasp of utter pain from the cave, as if the occupant had been cut open. Lily flinched, the sound was so laden with pain. This felt... wrong, almost. But her Dam... knew best. This had to be right, no matter how Lily felt about it.

"And," her Dam continued, abruptly pulling Lily into view of the cave, "my daughter has no Sire of her Dam."

No response. Lily glanced fearfully into the cavern, seeing nothing. It was quiet.

After a few moments, her Dam put a wing between Lily and the cavern. "Rot in your own regret, Coward."

"I loved her, and you," was the heartbroken reply. "I still do."

"Come on," her Dam muttered, shepherding Lily away from the cavern, and back down the path to the valley. "I should not have brought you."

Lily almost agreed with that... but now she had a new mystery, one she knew how to get to. There would be no searching for this dragon who cried for no reason she knew. She knew where to find him, the next time she got some time to do as she pleased. This was one mystery she could actually work at.

"Why is he crying?" She asked, trying to get an idea as to what the reason was.

"Because he is a coward, and a failure," her Dam growled. "Today, of all days, he should be crying."

"What is today?" Lily was not aware of anything special today.

Her Dam looked up. "Tonight will be the first full moon of the hottest season."

"So?" Lily knew that. Why did it matter?

"Put him out of your mind. He is no one." Her Dam growled. "Not worth knowing."

If her Dam said that... but no, Lily could not accept that. This one thing she would discover for herself, even if she only found that her Dam was always right, as she had been told.


	2. Insensitive

Lily was not one to let a mystery remain unsolved, not one as obvious and simple as this. The male light wing in the isolated little cave was a mystery she could talk to or spy on without repercussion. If she could only get some time to herself, but annoyingly, her normal schedule involved no such thing. So she played with the other boring fledglings of the caves, slept, and waited.

Then, a day came in which her watcher, Pina, seemed distracted, and her other cavern-Dams were absent. That was an opportunity. Pina was nice.

With that in mind, Lily let her ears droop and sat in a corner of the cavern, ignoring the other fledglings. It only took Pina a few moments to notice something was wrong.

"Lily?" Pina left the small group of Dams she was talking to and came over. "What is it?" She looked around warily as if seeking some physical cause of Lily's feigned distress.

"I want to go outside." Lily moved towards Pina, nosing at her caretaker's front paws in a show of sad pleading. "Please? Just for a little while?"

Pina melted, her face softening. "Of course. Anything, in particular, you want to do?" Even as she asked, she led the way to the exit. Lily, of course, already knew where it was, but there was no way she would have gotten out without an adult with her.

Pina was boring and predictable, she liked Lily so it was as easy as acting sad.

"So?" Pina looked down at Lily, who made a big deal of looking around with wide eyes, happy to be out in the open.

"I wanna play hunting prey," Lily specified with a small purr. "Give me a lot of time to hide," she added, and darted off before Pina could stop her. As long as she could say she was hiding, Pina had no reason to complain. Lily laughed as she ran. It was good to be outside anyway; that much she had not needed to fake.

The path was somewhat hidden, a slope that began between two boulders and wound up the side of one of the mountains, invisible unless one knew what to look for... and deeply cut into the rock, deep enough that Lily would not be seen from the valley as she ascended.

It was good that there was such an easy path up here; Lily did not fly, not well. She practically pranced up to the cave, happy to be getting away with something as it didn't happen often.

But when she reached that final clearing, the one she and her Dam had stood in a few days prior, she stopped. The old male was lying on his side in the clearing, but there was something terribly wrong with him, something that made her unhappy.

What was it? Why did her heart feel pained at this? It was not her who lay, alone in the sun... like that. It was not her, so she did not care.

Like that. It hurt to see it, to wonder what had happened to him. She turned, no longer interested. She could find some other secret that would be more fun to unravel, more fun to know.

But then he shifted and turned to look at her, staring with dark red eyes. Somehow, he had sensed her there, though she had been quiet and his back had been to her.

She froze, unable to make herself move.

"Here to hurt me like my daughter?" It was a sad, resigned voice, and she noticed his frills drooped in a way that said they had been forgotten long ago. "Go ahead. I'd rather suffer than have another feel her frustration, and if you are here, it is because she sent you."

Lily shook her head slowly. "I... I came on my own."

That seemed to shake off some of the apathy this dragon wore like his own scales. "Why?"

Sensing an escape, Lily shrugged. "No reason. I want to go now." She turned somewhat, somehow unwilling to take her eyes off of the male.

"If... you must..." The male almost faded in front of her eyes. "This was still the best conversation I've had with another, since..."

Lily gasped quietly, feeling terrible and not knowing why. How was he doing this? Making her hurt without touching her, without scolding? She did not understand this. Nothing was wrong with her life, and she only felt this way when things were going badly for her.

"Well?" The male shrugged, his terribly _wrong_ wings holding her eyes. "Will you stay, or will you leave me to rot?"

Lily whined, unhappy and confused. "How do you do this?"

The male nodded. "Come closer and I will tell you." He seemed to understand.

She crept closer, entranced. This was a terrible secret, to make another hurt without any outward effort. She had to understand-

He pounced, his apathy gone in an instant and paws pinning her to the ground. She shrieked, struggling wildly with incoherent roars, but he did not move any further. His paws, one across her tail and the other across her back, were heavy but not quite painful.

She quickly realised that roaring was pointless. Nobody was coming because nobody knew she was up here, and nobody could hear her. Her heart was still pounding as if it would break free of her body in pure shock.

She stopped squirming. Maybe he would let up if she did not struggle.

Then, for the first time, she took in what he was doing. His head was across her wings, between his paws, and by turning she saw that his eyes were closed.

She was not yet very good at reading expressions aside from the easy ones. This was not happiness, and it was not sadness, but rather some terrible blend of the two.

"Why?" It was not what she wanted to say, but it was all she managed in the turmoil that was her mind.

He purred softly. "Hate me for this, if you must, but I have not so much as touched another person for too long. Not even to hold my own child..." His purring turned to a sharp whine, one that pierced her ears at such close range. "Never that again."

He was doing it again. "You are hurting me," she whined back.

He eased up slightly. "I'm sorry, I was trying not to."

Maybe she could wiggle free now... but that would not stop this other pain in her chest. "Not that. You hurt me inside. How?"

Now he stared at her, his large eyes meeting her small ones. "What?"

"You make me sad," she complained almost petulantly. "I am not supposed to feel sad. I am fine."

His face fell. "I make you hurt inside... and this is new..."

"Yes," she growled. "No one else does that."

"Do others have pains and problems of their own?" He seemed curious.

"Of course," Lily replied, thinking of Pearl, who had not seemed happy, though that was unimportant. "They are not me, so I do not care. But you hurt me..." She could not think of how to word it right. "Like you are me."

He whined sadly. "So selfish... only one so terribly wretched as I am can even stir your heart from its self-absorption."

"I do not understand." She growled. "I never do. No one explains!"

"No one explains..." he quietly mused. "If you will let me hold you as I wish I could have held my daughter, so long ago, I will tell you many things."

That... was a deal she could make. "I will."

He eased up, and she crawled out from under him.

"Some other day." With that, she bolted, tearing down the path in some terrible mix of fear and stymied curiosity.

Fear, because he had tricked her; because she did not understand him.

Curiosity, because she did not understand him; because he had promised to tell her things for almost nothing. Because he had power over her, power not even her Sire or Dam held.

She wandered the valley in a daze until Pina found her, scolded her for running off, and continued the game. Pina did not know. Could not know.

Because Lily was going back the next chance she got, and Pina was not going to stop her.

O-O-O-O-O

Five more days, and another game of hide-and-seek with Pina later, Lily was loitering at the base of the path up to the old male who scared and intrigued her. Should she go?

On the one paw, he was scary, and he had trapped her.

On the other... he did not want to hurt her, and he had promised to tell her things. No more hiding, able to ask questions. She could actually get answers.

That was what made her move forward and up the long path. She wanted to _know_. Anything and everything.

When she reached that clearing, the male was there, as before, his terrible wings clearly visible in the sun. She was not sure if she wanted to ask about that. He could make her hurt inside, and even thinking about those wings was enough to hurt her now. She needed to know how to stop him from hurting her with them first.

He was asleep. She approached and prodded his side warily. If he did not wake, she would leave.

But he stirred, rumbling as he did, and eventually raised his head to see her. She was confused by the look of total shock.

"You came back?" He sounded as if it was not possible.

"I said some other day," Lily complained, unhappy that he thought her a liar. She was, but he did not know that. "Why not?"

"I..." He shook his head. "No matter. You wish to know things?"

"Yes." She came closer. "Answer my questions?"

"Come here," he requested quietly, shifting so that he was lying on his stomach. "Our deal, little one." His voice was sad, yet held a hopeful rise. That was an emotion she only knew from many hours of arguing with the other fledglings of the cave, a lilt she knew meant they both believed her and liked what she proposed. It made them easy to manipulate, and it would make this male just as easy. Good.

"How?" She wasn't sure what he wanted.

He spread his front paws and nodded to the three sides his paws and broad chest formed. "Sit here."

"Okay." She cautiously approached him and sat down, curling up to fit in the space he had created, her tail against one paw, and her head on the other. "Like this?"

He whined sadly. "This is how… Never mind. Yes, exactly like this." It was strange to hear a soft purr from his chest instead of his mouth. "This is good."

She could look him in the eye from here if she tilted her head. "Answers?"

"To almost anything you ask," he agreed.

"No." That wasn't part of the deal. "To anything. You promised."

He winced. "...in time." It seemed as if he did not like even that.

"What will you not tell me?" She would find a way around it if she knew what direction she could not ask.

"My past," was the immediate reply. "I... I cannot. Not yet, maybe not ever, and you would not want to know anyway."

Oh. Well, at least she didn't have to ask about his wings. "Okay."

He set his head down lightly on her back. "So? You must have great questions, to drive you here once more."

She almost laughed at that. He sounded... happy. She was not hurting inside anymore.

Where to start? "How do you hurt me?"

He paused, not answering for a moment. "I... how do I explain that? It isn't something I do... it's normal."

"Normal?" That made no sense. "To hurt for no reason? I do not understand."

He groaned. "This will be very, very hard to explain right now. But I have promised to try. Do you see others in your life who are not happy?"

He had asked her this before. "Of course."

"And they do not make you hurt as I do?"

"No." She felt as if he was talking around and around, and saying nothing. "Tell me how to stop it from working."

A sad whine. "How to stop from feeling the pain of others?"

"Yes."

"I..." He was not happy, she could tell. "It is... not a bad thing."

"It hurts. That is bad." Now she was intrigued.

"Yes... but it is bad that they hurt, not that you feel it." He rumbled consideringly. "You are selfish."

Why would she care about anyone else? "Yes."

He laughed hollowly. "And you do not even know enough to be ashamed."

"I care about myself. Why should I be ashamed?" Shame was for when she had done something wrong.

"This may be a bigger task than I thought." A brief moment of quiet. "It will take me time to teach you this."

"And when you are done I will not hurt?"

"When I am done, you will know how to stop the pain," he agreed. "Today, I cannot tell you much, but I can tell you what you need to do."

"What?" She would do as he said, for he had promised to show her how to stop the pain. He was not one to break his word. She could just tell.

"When you go home, I want you to spend a day watching someone who has their own problems," he purred quietly. "Follow them, and observe very carefully. As you do, imagine that you are them, and try to think of how they might feel."

"Weird," she complained. "But I am good at spying on people."

"Good!" He laughed, a sound that felt real, or at least more real than previous laughs. "When you return from that, we can continue this line of questioning. For now, are there any other, less difficult, questions you have?"

Well... 'Why does my Dam hate you' wasn't allowed, as it was something from his past. She really didn't know how to put her curiosity into words.

"I cannot decide," she grumbled crossly.

"Oh, good," he replied. "Then I shall tell you a story instead, and next time you can come back with more questions. Okay?"

A story wasn't really part of their deal, but why not? "Sure."

His head rested on her back a little more firmly, as if he was relaxing. "A short story, today. Do you know what we are?"

"Dragons." It was a word that meant her, this male, and everyone else she knew.

"Yes, and no." He chuffed happily. "We are one kind of dragon, known as light wings. There are many, many other kinds, more than the claws on all of your paws."

Lily looked down at her paws in disbelief. "Different kinds? What makes them different?"

"Many things," was the reply. "Some are big, some are small. Some eat rocks and are like rocks themselves, fat and misshapen."

Lily gasped at that almost scary but definitely amusing image.

"Some have more than one head!" he continued happily. "They argue with themself, sometimes, like two people stuck in the same body, and at others act as one person."

That was too much. "You are lying."

"I do not lie," he sighed. "I have known many of those, over the years. And they are not the strangest. There are dragons who breathe water and do not fly, or dragons who fly through the ground, eating it and carving new caves."

Lily was entranced. "Why are none here?"

"We are here because we wanted to be alone." The male shifted slightly. "We are alone here because no other dragons see a reason to live here. Maybe. I think that is why they did not leave..."

"Why did we want to be alone?"

He stiffened. "That... that I cannot tell you. My past..."

Oh, right. "Sorry," she whined.

"No, no," he nuzzled her gently. "Do not be sorry, it is a good question. I am at fault for not being able to answer."

That was not how this was supposed to work. "You are not supposed to do that."

"Do what?" He looked at her oddly. "Tell you it is my fault?"

"Yes, that is not how... not how it works."

"With me," he said softly, "you will have to learn anew how things work. I do not blame others for accidents."

"Okay..." She did not understand him at all, but if he didn't want to blame her for her own mistakes, that was fine.

"So there are many, many kinds of dragon," he continued. "I will speak of one kind, in particular, the stubby-winged-rock-eater. That kind of dragons eats rocks-"

"Obviously," Lily muttered.

"And you are rude, too, it seems." The male purred at her. "That is not good, but I think you are not scared of me anymore. Am I right?"

Lily thought about it for a few moments and then nodded. It was true, this male did not scare her. He made no sense, but that was not the same thing as fear.

"So..." The male seemed to realize something. "Does anyone know you are here?"

Lily snorted. "Of course not."

He stood abruptly. "Then you should not stay too long. I can finish this story some other day. Come back once you have spent a day following one with their own problems, and imagining that you are them." He purred at her. "Please, do it quickly, if you can."

She stood, somewhat resenting that he was no longer sheltering her from the cold wind, and nodded firmly. "I will."

"Good." He gestured towards the path down. "If you wish to return, it might be best..."

"To say nothing to anyone of this," she finished without a pause. "Dam would never let me come here."

He stared at her. "How old are you?"

"Three season-cycles," she chirped proudly.

"In many ways, you feel both much older..."

She purred...

"... and much younger," he finished. "Strange."

Well, that wasn't so nice. She trotted down the path, away from him, without another word.

O-O-O-O-O

Back in the valley, Lily wandered aimlessly, knowing Pina was still looking for her. What did her cavern-dam think of her sudden success in hiding? As long as Pina did not suspect what she was doing, it would be fine.

While she walked, Lily pondered the odd task the male had set her. To watch and follow someone would be easy, but to do it all day was harder... and she needed to do it with someone who had their own problems.

Her mind went to Pearl, but she was not going to be able to follow Pearl all day. This short trip to visit the old male, less than an hour all told, was as long as she could do without Pina getting really suspicious.

So someone in the caverns. That would be much easier. She considered following her Sire, but he had no problems, and often went places she was not allowed to follow.

Maybe one of the other fledglings. She would decide tomorrow morning. For now-

Ah, there she was. Pina was peering around the rocks, ears twitching with worry. Well, she did not have the same ability the male was going to teach Lily to ignore, so it was of no consequence.

Lily decided to cut to the end of the game and happily pranced out from behind a rock, directly into Pina's line of sight. Pina immediately pounced.

Lily looked up at her caretaker innocently. "That was fun!"

Pina growled softly. "You are... very good at hiding. I am not sure if I like this game anymore."

That was bad. "But it lets me be outside," Lily complained, unsure of how to ensure she got to come back.

"Then just ask to be outside," Pina scolded. "You are old enough to be out here if you are with other fledglings."

That was... new. "I am?"

"If you can avoid me for this long, I would say so," Pina grumbled. "We should play something different now."

O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, her Dam was watching her. As usual, however, watching really seemed to mean talking to the other Dams while Lily and some of the other fledglings entertained themselves in one of the larger central caverns.

That meant she could follow one of the other fledglings freely. But who? Lily scanned the area, ignoring the littlest ones. They were too little and stupid to have problems. The issue was that she was the oldest fledgling in the cavern, and only older dragons had problems.

Lily caught sight of one specific fledgling, and remembered something else. She was not the oldest by much. Granite, a fledgling with yellow eyes and a light red tint, was the same season-cycle in age as her, if slightly younger, having hatched later in the season. He looked suitably unhappy.

The cavern was open, but that wasn't really a problem. Lily slunk behind one of the few stone spires that held up the ceiling and watched Granite discreetly. Everyone knew not to approach her if she didn't want to talk, so no one bothered her.

So she had to watch Granite... and imagine what it would be like to be him? Strange, but not all that difficult.

He spent a long time sitting in the cavern, looking around for some reason. She tried to imagine why. Was he bored?

No, a look on his face said otherwise, a sad disappointment. But what was he seeing?

A bunch of little ones playing, a ball of slightly older fledglings wrestling, and nothing else. There was almost no one his age here.

Actually, she was the only one even close, but she did not like him. It made sense that he would have no one to play with.

Oh well, he was not...

But that was not what the old male had wanted her to do. He wanted her to pretend that she was him, for a day. How would...

Lily felt a slight pang in her heart. He was lonely. If she was Granite, she would be unhappy, bored, lonely. That hurt and was not a common feeling. She could always go to her Dam for something to do.

After a while, he did so, as if hearing her thoughts. She perked up, no longer dismayed. It was odd, that she had felt pain for him, but now that would not happen. She slunk closer, watching.

"Dam," he asked quietly, "can we play?"

His Dam looked away from the other Dams and growled. "Son, you need friends. We play all the time. Entertain yourself for once."

And just like that, Granite walked away, just as unhappy as before. His Dam turned back to her conversation, visibly dismissing her son.

That didn't make Lily feel better at all. She sighed. This was not fun. She should do something else.

But then the old male would be disappointed. She did not want to disappoint him, not when he was trying to help her. Somehow.

So, she kept watching and tried to ignore the growing pain in her heart, though it did her no good. The more she watched Granite and put herself in his place, the more she hurt.

By the time the day was over, and the final meal of fish gone, Lily felt sick to her stomach and went to sleep early with no fuss whatsoever. She had done it... and she felt awful, even after doing her best to forget that pained loneliness. What was this supposed to show her? Hopefully, the old male would explain when she got back to him.

Hopefully, he would tell her how to not feel the pain-

Wait. Why was Granite able to do it too now? It did not come as easily, and she could almost ignore it, but now he could hurt her. Had the old male taught him, somehow?

That incredulous thought faded as she fell asleep.

O-O-O-O-O

Two days later, when it was Pina's turn to watch her, Lily took her caretaker up on her promise.

"But who will you be with?" Pina did not seem unhappy to let Lily go off on her own, which was good. "I will come to pick you up before sunset, so I need to know where you will be."

"Can you take me to Crystal?" Lily had picked Crystal for two reasons. The other fledgling was agreeable, and not Pearl, who was strange. Lily was dealing with enough strangeness as it was.

"Yes, I can." Pina led her through the rocks and eventually dropped her off in front of one of the further boulders, after explaining to Crystal's Dam what was going on.

Lily and Crystal didn't stick around to listen, darting off without so much as exchanging greetings with each other first. Being let off on their own, legitimately, was a new and fun privilege.

But after an hour or so of playing with Crystal, Lily recalled her purpose. "Crystal."

"Yes?" Crystal's tail was swaying playfully in the air.

"I need to do something, and I need you to tell anyone who asks that I was with you all day," Lily specified. "We can meet back here later."

Crystal warbled curiously. "What do you need to do?"

"I should not say," Lily replied quickly. "Can you do that for me?"

"Sure!" Crystal looked around. "Here?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I will go play with Honey or Pearl for a while." Crystal darted off, her mind on finding new playmates.

That was well. Lily encountered no issues in making her way back to the hidden entrance and up the long slope. Maybe she should fly up here one day...

No, there was no reason to. Walking was easier, and she wasn't good at flying. There was no point.

Today, something was different. The old male was not in the small clearing outside his cave, and after a quick peek inside, Lily confirmed that he wasn't around at all. But where could he go?

She decided to sit in the clearing and wait. There was time, and it was not as if she had anything better to do.

After a few minutes of boredom, a chuff broke the silence from behind her. Lily whirled to see the old male walking towards her, traveling another smooth path she had not noticed before, one that wound around to the other side of the mountain and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Back so soon?" The male purred quietly. "I do not mind, of course."

"I did it," Lily declared, moving to resume the honestly quite comfortable position the male had for some reason requested she sit in, speaking as she did. "I watched Granite all day."

"And does he have problems?" The male sounded as if he knew the answer. He settled down around her, his chest against her side, as before.

"Yes," Lily answered shortly. "Why did you teach him to hurt me? And how?"

"I taught him nothing," was the maddeningly confusing reply. "I doubt I have ever even seen him."

"Then how?!" Lily growled, kneading at the side of the paw in front of her with her own, smaller paws. "He did not hurt me before."

"So," the male continued, as if unaware of Lily's frustration, "what did you feel?"

"Lonely, and ignored," Lily griped. "I am not ignored, but he was, and you said to imagine being him. Why?"

"So that you would feel bad."

"But I want to not feel bad! You said I will not hurt!"

"I said you would know how to stop it," the male calmly corrected her. "And to do that, you must first understand what this is. Your selfish heart does not understand empathy, I see."

That was a new word. "Em... pathy?"

"It is the word for why you are hurt by the pain of others." The male sighed. "It is good, and natural. Not having it is far worse than the pain it brings."

"But not hurting is better than hurting," Lily objected. That was a fact.

"Only if you consider yourself, and yourself alone," the male countered. "If you had not watched him and felt his pain, would Granite have still felt bad that day?"

"Yes, but he is not me."

"And why does that matter?" A low growl. "What did you do to stop him from feeling bad?"

What? "Nothing."

"So you let him hurt?" His tone was not scolding, simply curious. "Was there something you _could_ have done?"

Lily thought about it. Granite was lonely, but she had avoided him and watched, instead of talking to him or playing with him. "Maybe..."

"And why did you not?"

"I was spying on him," she objected half-heartedly.

"And if you were hurting, and someone was spying on you, able to help, would you want them to help, or to watch?"

This was getting complicated, but Lily's mind flashed to Grass dangling her above that dark place. If someone, say this male, had been watching, unseen, what would she prefer? That he save her, or that he just keep watching?

That was an easy question, but it made her feel guilty, a rare feeling. "I would want to be helped," she whispered sadly.

"And if you had helped him, how would he feel then?" An encouraging croon.

Lily was glad now that he was holding her, as she now felt in need of comforting. "He would be happy."

"And you would not be hurt by his pain," the male concluded. "That is one way to stop being hurt by the pain of others. By fixing it."

By fixing it... "But what if I do not know how, or just cannot?"

"In the first case, you figure it out, and in the second, you help them all you can." He sighed. "If they are hurting and you cannot fix it, you can help them in other ways. Are they sad because they lost someone? You cannot fix that, but..."

He paused.

"You can spend time with them, and help them forget, for a time, who they lost, and why."

Lily thought about that, and about this male. Something small made sense now. "I am helping... you?"

She received no answer for a long time. But then the male nuzzled her sadly.

"Yes. Somehow, yes. A little. More than anything else in my life right now." He admitted it so quietly that she almost didn't hear him.

That felt... good. Somehow. After a moment of indecision, she lifted her head and nuzzled him back, as she saw other fledglings doing to their Dam or in the case of those in the valley, their Sire.

He stiffened for a moment, his eyes closed. Then he purred. "Thank you."

"I make you feel good..." She admitted what she was noticing. "And it makes me happy. Why?"

He laughed. "That is the good side of empathy, the part that makes it worth it. You are happy when others are, sometimes, because you know why, and know how they feel."

"But..." She was beginning to have more questions, ones she could voice now. "Does everyone feel this? Why did I not? Are there other ways to be happy when I feel unhappy because of other people?" A flood of questions.

He huffed. "There is more. There always is. But today, can we stop here? With you happy, and me happy, and nothing more to say?"

"I do not know everything." She pouted for a moment.

"And that," he answered wearily, "is why I wish to savor this moment. When you do understand all, this simple feeling is very hard to come by."

That was a new thing, one she did not like at all. "But knowing is good."

"It is good," he agreed. "And it is terrible, and it hurts. But you cannot fix anything you do not understand, and you cannot understand what you do not know. Knowing is great and horrible and _necessary_."

"I want to be happy," Lily whispered. "Like just now, but all the time."

"So savor this moment," he whispered back, holding her close. "For a little while, before you grow up."

"I..." Her protest about growing up being good felt so very hollow and pointless, speaking to such an old and clearly unhappy dragon. She instead took his advice and did not speak, enjoying the simplicity and happiness of the moment.

Maybe he was right, and this would not happen again for a long time. She wanted to be able to remember it if that was so. But her questions would be answered, soon. She still needed to know, to understand, and he was going to allow her that.

"What is your name?" She asked tentatively, feeling that it was disrespectful not to know.

"For the longest time, I had almost forgotten," he answered quietly, staring out over the valley. "I am known as Coward to the few who remember me now, and that is all I ever hear."

"I do not like that," Lily complained. "Did you have another name?"

"Yes..." He whined. "But it hurts to hear because it is tied to another time, one long gone."

She considered that. "I will not say it if it hurts, but what was it?" She needed a name to refer to him in her head, if nowhere else.

"It was..." He wavered, uncertain, likely of whether he wanted Lily to know. "... No. This was not my name, not then, but you can call me Pyre."

Pyre. She didn't know if that had meaning or not, but that didn't matter. "I can call you that out loud?"

"And in your head, and wherever you want, as long as no one knows that name means me." A comforting croon. "I am Pyre, to you. And you are?"

"Lily." She was glad he knew her name now too. "I am Lily."

They sat there for a while more without speaking. Lily knew that soon Pyre would begin to answer her questions and that he had said knowing would make things difficult, different. But she needed to know. It was who she was.

Maybe... maybe making people feel good, helping them, might become a new part of who she was, in time, once Pyre had explained all. She liked that feeling.


	3. Ignorant

The wind whistled through and around the sharp edges of rock that made up much of the mountain, rushing over and past an old, faded Light Fury with a younger fledgling curled up against his chest, shielding her from the unusually cold weather. For the moment, silence ruled.

Neither dragon wanted to break the silence. Lily ended up doing so, knowing that the time she had given herself before meeting Crystal was falling away. "I must leave eventually," she commented.

"I know." Pyre sighed. "But you did have other questions to ask first, right?"

"Why did I not feel this pain, em-pathy," Lily sounded out, "before, if it is natural and good?"

"I don't know," Pyre responded sadly. "Because you were taught to care about no one but yourself?"

"Maybe," Lily agreed. "Dam does not talk about it."

"She doesn't understand it, and never will," Pyre groaned. "I think she takes pleasure from causing pain. That is not natural."

"What is natural?" Lily wanted a definition, a way to know without asking.

"Well..." Pyre chuffed. "I spoke inaccurately. Something is natural for a person if they feel the need to do it. This varies from dragon to dragon, and natural does not mean good."

Lily nodded, showing that she understood. And she did, to a point. Natural was what one did or wanted with no real reason aside from the want. Eating when she was hungry was natural.

"Good, on the other hand, is what does not harm other good people," Pyre continued. "Good can harm those who are not good. Evil harms anyone without remorse."

"So things are either good or evil?" She didn't feel like that was right.

"No," Pyre corrected. "Those are the extremes. Between are things that are neither, or one or the other depending upon why they are done."

"So how can I tell?" Lily didn't like how difficult this seemed.

"That is hard." Pyre hesitated. "If the one being affected by the action is unhappy, it may not be good. If they do not want whatever it is, it is bad... most of the time."

"But not all the time?"

"There are no absolutes," Pyre said sadly. "But usually, if one person does something that hurts another, that is bad of them. If they help another, that is good. Why they do these things may shine a different light on the actions, but that is how you begin to decide."

"Okay..." She thought she understood that. "What do bad things look like?"

Pyre gave her a strange look. "Many things. Maybe if you give me examples, I can help you decide whether things you have already seen are bad or good, as practice."

She liked that. "Me hiding from and ignoring Granite was bad," she began, knowing the answer.

"A little, but you didn't know any better." Pyre nudged her. "If you continue to hide from him when he is lonely, that will be worse."

"Okay." She had determined as much for herself. It was good to have someone telling her that her thinking was right. "There is a fledgling, named Pearl. Her Dam does not let her play with boys. Is that bad?"

Pyre hesitated before answering. "We do not know enough to say yet. It is only bad if that Dam has a bad motivation or bad reasoning."

That was a bit less helpful. Maybe Lily could find out, sooner or later. "What about when Grass punished me for spying on her?"

Pyre chuckled. "A little swat is not bad if you did something wrong."

"She did not swat me," Lily corrected. "She picked me up by my tail and held me over a scary deep hole between rocks."

Pyre tensed, his entire body going stiff. "Did she?"

Now Lily wasn't sure if she should continue. "She said it was okay after when I promised not to tell anyone what I saw."

"What did you see?" Pyre asked carefully.

"I promised," Lily objected.

"She hurt you. A promise made in fear of something is not a promise." Pyre growled. "What did you see, that made her so desperate to keep you quiet?"

"She and Claw were wrestling in the shaded side of the valley," Lily admitted quietly, feeling vaguely ashamed to be telling even though she did agree with what Pyre had said about her promise not counting.

Pyre warbled curiously. "And they went somewhere private to... wrestle?"

"Yes, but I do not know why." Maybe Pyre could explain that. "Do you?"

Pyre laughed and nuzzled her again. "That was wrong of her, but she was probably embarrassed. They were making an egg, or trying to."

That was something she had always been told she would hear about when she was an adult! "I do not know anything about that! Can you tell me?"

"I may as well," Pyre agreed. "You are old enough to understand, even if you will have to wait a few season-cycles to actually try it." He raised his head, looking around the otherwise deserted ledge. "Although I feel vaguely inappropriate in explaining this to a female fledgling, alone. I suppose that cannot be helped. It is not as though I am perverted."

Another word she did not know. Maybe he would explain it later. "Tell me."

"I am going to," he grumbled. "To make an egg, a male and female must... wrestle, as you call it. They enjoy it if both want to do so."

"How does it work?"

He laughed at her hopeful expression. "That, I am most definitely not telling you yet."

"Fine." She pouted, hoping to pressure him into relenting. He seemed fond of her, so it would work.

After a few moments, he tilted his head and looked at her. "Is this your way of making me tell?"

"Yes." She whined piteously.

"Not going to work." He stood, letting the ever-present wind wipe the pleading look off of her face with its coldness. She yelped, standing and running to his sheltered side. Why did she never even notice how cold it was until after they had sat together? Pyre radiated heat; that was why.

"It does on Pina and Dam," Lily complained.

"But not me," Pyre purred. "Come back soon."

"I will," Lily promised. And she would.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily made it back to Crystal and spent the rest of the day playing, but her mind was on all that she had learned from Pyre... and a bad thing she herself had done, and needed to fix. Luckily, the next day was another in which her Dam watched her, as the rotation did not often change, and thus she was once again in a position to watch Granite.

First, she waited to be sure he was still lonely, and that nothing had changed. It would be embarrassing to approach him when he had a friend waiting to play with.

But no, he still wore that same despondent expression. She walked out from behind the pillar she had been spying from and approached him.

"Hi." She warbled politely.

He turned to look at her warily, a strange reluctance on his face. "What?"

Well, that was rude. "Do you want to play?"

That got a small purr out of him. "Really? You never play with me."

True, she liked bossing the younger fledglings around, usually. "You looked bored."

"I am. Well, I was." Granite's tail swished along the smooth cavern floor, brushing the rather sharp shards of rock around, the ones Lily sometimes had to pull out of the calloused pads of her paws with her teeth, minor annoyances too small to hurt. "Wrestling?"

Lily's mind flashed to Pyre, and the way he spoke of making eggs as wrestling, and her being too young. They were different things, apparently, though he would not tell her what made them different, and she would rather not take a chance. "Maybe something else?"

"Chase?" Granite crouched, ready to run.

That she could do. "You catch me!" she yelled, running as fast as she could.

That game quickly devolved into racing each other around the cavern, swerving around the younger ones and later on dodging annoyed Dams who wanted them to slow down and stop leaping the smallest fledglings like obstacles. Eventually, Granite's Dam caught both of them by slapping her tail down right in front of them when they were neck and neck. They tumbled over it in unison.

Lily panted happily as an annoyed face appeared above her and Granite.

"Take your racing somewhere away from the little ones," Granite's Dam scolded. "And Granite, this was not..."

She trailed off, looking at the two of them.

"Actually, you are only doing what I told you," she mused. "And it is good for you two to be friends, Claw's oldest daughter and oldest son."

Well, that... was actually kind of news to Lily, who had never really thought about how the other fledglings here in the cavern might be related to her. She looked over at Granite. "We are brother and sister?"

Granite's Dam huffed, setting them both upright with the tip of her tail. "Half-brother and half-sister, on your Sire's side."

Granite purred at Lily. "I like that."

Lily nodded in agreement. "You are not so bad." He was still boring, but he was nice. She liked that he was happy now. It made her feel good.

O-O-O-O-O

It stormed the day Pina watched her, so Lily spent that day inside with Granite, as well as the next few. She almost forgot about Pyre, but her curiosity spiked every time she recalled what he had told her about empathy and all the other strange things she had not known, and she wished more than anything to go back outside.

So, on the day that she finally was allowed to go meet up with Crystal, she convinced the other fledgling to cover for her for a long time, almost half the day. She would spend more time with Pyre today.

Luckily, Crystal was agreeable, though a bit hurt that Lily apparently had something more fun to do but was not inviting her along. Lily was beginning to feel a tiny bit bad about that too, but for now, she ignored it.

After all, Crystal would very likely not find this fun at all. Lily trotted up to the ledge only to find Pyre missing again. It was a bit later than she normally visited, so maybe he didn't think she was coming today.

She could wait... but after being inside for a few days straight, she had way too much energy. So, she found the path he had unintentionally revealed to her last time and followed it. He had to be here somewhere, as he most definitely could not fly in any way, not even gliding.

She shivered. She did not value flying very much, but his wings... they were so terrible.

The path wound along the side of the mountain, and as she followed it she realized that it led down to the forest, and in the direction of the endless water off to the side of one of the mountains, the place people went fishing. She had never gotten to do more than look from afar while practicing gliding.

This would be interesting. She began running, excited, and quickly made it down into the forest. Then she stopped. Where would Pyre be? There was no path here anymore, and he might be at the water, but he might not. This forest went on as far as the water did, from what she knew, which wasn't much. Maybe he was in here.

"Pyre?" She called out tentatively. Where was he?

It would be stupid to go into the forest. She might not be able to find her way back, as she had been told in the days when her Dam thought she would be flying nonstop, and the forest was by extension close. It was not safe to fly up through the dense canopy, so the forest was a place where one could only walk, and therefore could get lost.

So, she sat on the edge of the path, the place where the smoothed-over rock gave way to soft grass. That in itself was nice. There was no grass in the cavern.

She was in the middle of rolling in it when a huff interrupted her.

"You came all the way out here?" Pyre asked incredulously. "Why not just wait up on the ledge?"

"Well... I was bored, and I do want to go fishing," Lily decided on a whim. "I never get to go."

"Surely that's an exaggeration," Pyre purred. "And who said anything about fishing?"

"Never," Lily repeated. "I do not even know how. I want to know."

Pyre paused. "Well, I guess we're going fishing." He offered a wingtip to her.

She froze. "What..?"

"Oh, sorry." He winced. "I wish for you to get on my back because it's a long walk, but a short run for me."

She could have guessed that if the wing had not unnerved her. With only a little reluctance, she grabbed it and was hoisted up to his back.

Riding here was awkward because she could not help but stare at his wings. He had never told her how or why they were like this. She did not plan to ask, as he had told her not to.

Still, it was fun to get a ride, especially when he started running. She laughed and squealed in excitement, even as she desperately clung to him while the bumpy ride threatened to throw her off. The forest flashed by, and they were at the shore in no time.

She had only seen this place once, from afar, and her exhilaration was quickly forgotten as she slid down. From the moment she touched the strange yellow ground that was not solid, she was entranced.

What was this? She carefully took a few steps, staring down. "It moves."

"Yes, it does. It's called sand," Pyre informed her. "You really never even came down here?"

"No." Lily found that the closer she got to the water, the firmer the... sand... got. She liked that it held the shape of her paw after she moved away. Then the water moved in, and she scurried back.

"The water moves, too." Pyre laughed at her shocked expression. "Not like a pond. It's always moving."

Lily watched as he waded out into it. "What are you doing?"

"Fishing," he replied absently. "Though not the normal way. I had to come up with something that could be done from here, in the shallows... for obvious reasons."

Lily nodded. It really was obvious. But she gasped when he dove in, disappearing beneath the waves.

Dragons like them didn't swim! She only knew the word for it because her Dam had told her not to try!

But then Pyre, against all she had been told, popped up further out, a fish in his mouth.

"Come back!" She roared, terrified for him. "Please!"

He nodded to her, disappeared beneath the waves, and then after a few moments rushed out of the shallows, dripping water. "What is it?!"

"We do not..." She trailed off. "We do not swim. We drown," she finished.

Pyre whined. "I should have told you before I went out." He stretched a horrible wing. "I discovered... long ago... that there is a reason we do not swim."

"A reason..." Lily murmured, her eyes on his wing.

"We try to fly in the water, and that ends us, for the water is not like the air, though it feels like it," Pyre revealed. "I..." He inhaled shakily. "I no longer have that problem, for though I try, there is nothing left for the water to use against me."

Lily nodded, looking at and acknowledging his wings in their horrible, broken entirety. Stripped of all membrane, long curved edges with no actual _wing_ between them, not even tiny scraps, as if the membrane had just disappeared. She knew the feeling of air holding her up, so if water did the same but in a bad way... there was nothing it could do to Pyre.

"So we cannot swim, but you can?"

Pyre nodded. "Exactly. It keeps me sane, stuck on the ground. It is a different art, but a good one. I think it could be done with full wings if one could control the urge to open them, but that is dangerous to try."

That was not something Lily would ever try, but the rest was... nice. It was good Pyre had something to replace flying, if only a little. Most dragons really liked to fly.

"I like it here," Lily decided. "Can we come back some time?"

"We don't have to leave if you don't want to," Pyre grumbled, seemingly annoyed. "Is there much time before you must go back?"

Lily looked at the sun. "Yes, I have half the day."

"Good." Pyre trotted over to a less wet part of the shore. "Let me show you something else you will enjoy."

She joined him in front of a big pile of sand. "Yes?"

Pyre nodded to it. "It sits in the sun all day. Lie next to it."

She did so, trusting Pyre completely. He had never betrayed that trust. His trapping her that first day did not count in her mind.

Pyre walked over to the other side of the pile and carefully scraped sand onto Lily, burying her back half and much of her upper half, stopping short of her head.

She had no reason to complain. The hot sand felt amazing, especially on a day like this where it was only just warm and not chilly despite the season.

"So?"

"Leave me like this for a while," Lily begged. "I think I will fall asleep." She had been well rested, but this felt great.

"That would be a waste of time," Pyre complained. "I have other things I can show you."

That got her moving, erupting out of the pile of sand only slightly reluctantly. "Like what?"

After a brief chuckle, Pyre led her back into the forest. "There are many plants, do you see?"

Lily looked around. "Kind of. They are all the same."

"No, not at all," he corrected. "Each one is different, and each has its own properties. When we have more time, consistently, I can teach you what every single one does."

Looking around, Lily felt awed. "That is a lot to know."

"Yes, it is." He purred at her. "I know much that no one else ever cared about."

"How did you learn?" She had to run a little to keep up with him now.

"My Dam and Sire taught me," he replied wistfully. "Not of all or even most of these, but some. Most of these did not grow where they lived."

"And how did they learn?"

"By observing and testing. First they checked if other smaller creatures could eat a plant without being harmed, and then they tried it themselves." He nodded to a particularly odd-looking bushel of almost blue leaves, close to the ground. "Though I don't think my ancestors ever tried those."

"Why?"

He stopped in front of the bush. "These stop us from having eggs, for a time. A moon-cycle, each time one eats a leaf." He put a wingbone between Lily and the bush. "I do not know what would happen if one ate too many. If my ancestors did, they probably would never have continued their line, and I would not be here..." He looked down. "Neither would you."

She shied away from the bush. It was a good thing it was so distinct. She would not eat any by mistake. "Are there other things they probably did not try themselves?"

He nodded. "Eel, probably. I only found out what that does because of an accident."

"What does it do?" She hopped a small branch, almost tangling a paw in the process. He stepped over it without a second thought.

"Well, it makes you see things," Pyre explained, his face sad. "Makes our fire red and powerful with no limit too. Not really worth it though, because you'd feel like dung for a week once it wears off... which takes three days. Assuming you survived the confusion from the things you saw that weren't there."

So, avoid eels too. She added that to the list. "Are all of these things scary?"

Pyre swept her onto his back with a bark of mock surprise. "No, of course not!" He stopped and nodded to a branch just above Lily's head. "This tastes good, but is not food, for instance. Nothing more."

Lily bit some of the branch off and chewed it. He was right, it was sweet!

"See?" Pyre continued on, talking to her as he went. "You asked for the scary ones, but most of these things are harmless, and a few are useful."

They had, at some point, reached the base of the mountain and the start of the path back up. Pyre began working his way up. "Do plants interest you now?"

Lily spit out the branch she had awkwardly mangled with her sharp teeth. "Yes!"

"We can do more with them," Pyre promised. "Other days."

After a while, time quickly passing with talk of many small things, they reached the ledge. Lily jumped down, and she and Pyre snuggled up in their usual spot. It was a good way to get out of the wind, and Lily liked making Pyre happy. She could feel him purring softly; could feel his chest vibrating against her side.

"So," Pyre asked, "did you get a chance to make things better with Granite?"

Lily nodded. "He is kind of fun, and it made him happy."

"Good, good," Pyre rumbled. "Maybe in a few season-cycles..."

"Maybe what?" Lily didn't even consider bringing Granite up here to meet Pyre. He was a bit too... obedient. She didn't want to risk him telling. The same went for all of the fledglings, really.

"Maybe he will be the reason I shouldn't tell you how making eggs works?" Pyre laughed at her as he said that.

"He is my half-brother, so I hope not," Lily grumbled. She had a vague feeling that-

"No, definitely not," Pyre agreed. "That is horrible."

So her gut feeling was right? "Why is it bad?"

"That, Lily, is one of the most basic rules," Pyre explained. "No mating with family. No forcing another to mate. No breaking eggs... and so on." He took in her scared expression. "Almost no one ever breaks these."

That was... a little better. "What are the rest?"

"There are only a few more, though there are plenty of things good dragons should not do. For this, the most basic set of rules, there is also no mating with fledglings and no killing fledglings. The five most basic rules, the ones all dragons should have too deeply ingrained to break. Those are natural; I just put words to what we all should feel is inherently wrong."

Lily did agree that all of those things sounded vaguely bad. "What if someone does not think one of those is bad?"

"Stay _away_ from anyone who ever breaks a single one of those," Pyre growled. "They are something... less. Still like us, but... broken. Twisted, no matter how well they hide it."

More things to avoid, to fear. Lily added that to her list. "I will."

"Good, good." Pyre seemed to be trying to regain the track of the conversation they had been having. "Why did you not mention that Granite was your brother?"

"I did not really know, or at least did not think about it." Lily shrugged. "Half-brother."

"Odd..." Pyre sounded thoughtful. "They have not done away with that emergency measure yet?"

Lily wasn't sure what that meant, so she didn't reply.

"No matter, as long as things haven't fallen apart, it's fine," Pyre finished bitterly. "I am not involved in that anyway."

She looked at the sun. "We still have a while before I need to go back."

"Got any more questions?"

She shrugged. "A few."

O-O-O-O-O

That 'few' had multiplied, and yet not covered a fraction of all Lily wanted to know. They had passed the time easily, and she regretted not telling Crystal a bit longer than she had specified. It felt like no matter how long she spent up there, there was never quite enough time to ask all she wanted.

She found Crystal at their usual spot, with other fledglings, arguing. Lily did not recognize the two males, but she did recognize the annoyance in Crystal's tone and stepped in immediately.

"What are you whining about?" she asked the males, who stopped mid-sentence and stared at her in hurt disbelief.

She smirked. Male fledglings all acted so offended if she said they were whining. It was a great way to reset their arguments if she didn't like what they were saying, as they forgot their lines of thought.

Sure enough, the fledgling with a yellow tint huffed. "Crystal is not supposed to be running around alone."

Oh, that was Lily's own fault. Well, now she really had a reason to shut this new pair of fledglings down. "So?"

"I am going to tell her Dam," the yellow one replied smugly. "Her Dam will like me then."

"I do not like you now," Lily countered. "And why should you care?"

"Her Dam is important," the other fledgling added, sounding unsure of himself. "Gold wants to-"

"Quiet, Bone, they do not know enough to need to know that," Gold scolded. "I am telling," he added as an afterthought.

"No, you are not." Lily was not letting her cover be blown by this... this tale-carrier!

"Yes I am," Gold said stubbornly.

"And when I say you were being mean to Crystal and making up things, and that I was with her the whole time?" Lily challenged, enjoying the look of confusion her proposed lie elicited.

"But... you were not? I was watching her!" Gold did not know how stupid he was, it seemed.

"You were following her around? Spying on her?" Lily purred viciously. "How about I tell _your_ Dam that?"

Gold whimpered involuntarily. "No!" Bone seemed equally terrified.

Perfect, she had hit on a good threat. "How about no one says anything?"

After a moment, Gold nodded. "Deal." He and Bone scurried away as if afraid Lily would take it back.

Lily watched their tails disappear behind a rock. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Gold is our age," Crystal supplied timidly. "And thank you, Lily. They were being mean."

"Seems like he likes to be if he can." What point would carrying tales have, aside from hurting others? That was definitely a bad thing. "Be more careful."

Crystal hung her head. "I will, I promise. But it would be easier if you were actually with me."

"It would, but that will not happen," Lily replied breezily as if it was not a possibility at all. "Thank you for covering for me."

"Lily, what do you do all these times?" Crystal pawed at the ground. "I will not tell, but I want to know."

Lily considered how to say it in a way that would make Crystal not want to ask questions. She knew, somehow, that she needed to give some sort of answer, or else Crystal would try to find out for herself.

"I visit a family member who lives up there." Lily pointed at the mountain where Pyre made his home. "He is lonely, and Dam does not like him, but I do."

"Is he... safe?"

Lily nodded. "He likes me, and I do not think he would hurt anyone even if he wanted to." Pyre did not lash out, even when extremely upset, like the day Lily had first learned of his existence. If he did not attack to stop that pain, he would not attack for anything less, surely.

"So why keep it secret?" Crystal seemed sympathetic. "And why does he live up there?"

"Dam does not like him. She would not want me to visit." Lily whined sadly. "No one likes him." That was pure truth. "No one but me."

"Does he have a name?" Crystal whined in sympathy. "He sounds sad."

"Pyre." Lily walked forward and shoved her face right at Crystal, eliciting a squeak of surprise. "Do not tell anyone."

"I will not," Crystal hurriedly agreed. "You are being nice to him?"

"At first..." She was having good results with the truth, so she would stick to it. "At first, I just wanted to spy on him. But he was so sad, and I make him not sad. It makes me happy to do that."

"Oh." Crystal shrugged. "Make him happy, then. I can make sure no one stops you."

"Thank you." Lily nudged Crystal. "You are a good person too."

"I am," Crystal happily agreed, then crouched low. "We have a while yet," she growled playfully.

"Sure." Lily was a bit more focused on what she had just done. Now Crystal would not be hurt by being left out, and would still help Lily keep her secret. That was good. Especially considering she did not intend to ever stop visiting Pyre, not even if he ran out of things to tell her.

Because, after admitting it to Crystal, Lily knew in her heart that she liked to be around Pyre, and would not want to take that away from him no matter how boring he might eventually become. Though that thought just felt wrong; he would never be boring.

So... this was going to be her routine, her normal now. Playing with Crystal and sneaking up to visit Pyre, for as long as sneaking was required. She did not mind that. Between Pyre, Granite, and Crystal, her life was now much more interesting, and far less simple. Now she could know things and was not stuck with what her Dam, Grass, and Pina would tell her.

Yes, life was looking much more fun and interesting in the near future. With that happy thought, she leaped at Crystal, starting a play-fight.

And in two or so season-cycles, she would be an adult, and all would be even more fun!


	4. Biased

Lily splashed through the surf, enjoying the water. Pyre was further out, standing in water just deep enough to reach his chest, but she was happy where she was. The depths still unnerved her, no matter how often she saw him come back alive. He had offered to help her learn to swim if it was possible with intact wings, but she had no desire to try that.

Besides, the shallows were fun enough. Lily felt childish, splashing around in the waves, but she could be childish around Pyre. He would not mind, and besides, she _was_ still a fledgling. An older one, about four season-cycles in age, but still a child. She still had a whole season-cycle to act as immature as she wanted.

"Flee!" Pyre roared, charging out of the depths and in her general direction. His merry tail and jovial tone told her there was no real danger, but she ran anyway, laughing as she quickly reached semi-solid ground and scrabbled up a tall dune. Pyre was fast, even in the water, and he quickly caught up and plowed into her side.

Lily was knocked back and ended up riding a tiny avalanche of sand down the back of the dune. She lost her balance at the bottom and tumbled to the side, inwardly thankful Pyre was the only one around. Her body was growing at an impressive rate, and while he had told her it was natural for her to be clumsy for the time being, she did not like others seeing her falter. She was supposed to be fast and agile, not ungainly and unsteady on her own paws.

"Got you!" Pyre growled, cresting the dune and sliding down in a far more controlled fashion, ending up right next to Lily. He put a paw on her side while she was struggling to rise and pinned her. "What will you do now?"

"That hurts!" Lily complained vehemently, flinching away.

Pyre jumped back, whining in apology. "I'm sorry-"

That was what she wanted. Lily rolled away, managing to get back onto her paws without a further display of awkwardness, and purred smugly. "That works," she replied.

Pyre growled in annoyance and kicked some sand at her. "And if I was not someone to mind hurting?"

Lily considered that, aware that this had turned into another of Pyre's many little teaching moments. It was a good question, but an easy one. "I find a reason to make you care. You pinned me, so I would assume you want me alive. I would fake being unable to breathe, forcing you to either move or consign me to death, in your mind."

Pyre flicked his tail dismissively. "And if I wanted you dead?"  
"Then I would be dead," Lily admitted. "You are stronger than me, and I was already pinned. I would not let myself get into that situation to begin with if I suspected murderous intent." Really, she could just think back to the start of their impromptu chase. The answer was simple; she could just fly away and leave him far behind.

"Prevention is better than reaction or restitution," Pyre agreed. "But if you could not avoid the situation before it became dire?"

"If I could not flee and knew you wanted me dead?" He was just making this difficult for the sake of it being difficult now. There was no way she would let herself be maneuvered into a position like that. "That depends on too many things for me to answer."

"Why, what's the situation, who it is attacking," Pyre listed. "You're right. There are some things one cannot plan ahead for."

Lily knew a hint when she heard one, after almost a season-cycle of knowing Pyre, and correctly anticipated the playful tail-swipe he aimed her way a second later, hopping back-

Only to trip over her own tail and land on her back with a squeak. She still avoided the strike, but constantly tripping over herself was extremely frustrating. An angry growl rumbled deep in her chest.

"This will pass," Pyre hummed soothingly, giving her distance as she deliberately stood and planted her paws in the sand. He seemed to understand that she wanted space right now. Not being fully in control of her own body made her feel claustrophobic, which was unusual for her; she had grown up in small caverns, being hemmed in was normal.

"Not soon enough." Lily shook herself off, taking care to not knock her unstable body off-balance again. Twice in a short time was more than often enough for her. "When does it pass?"

"When you are done growing," Pyre reminded her. "Another season-cycle or two."

"That is far too long." She didn't like feeling lanky and disproportionate. Her paws felt big, and her legs unusually long, as if those were the only parts of her to be the correct size. If she could just be growing evenly, reaching the full length and height of an adult at a good, steady pace, she would be happy. As it was, she worried she would wake up one morning to find her legs were not only growing faster than the rest of her, but also at different rates, leaving her lopsided on her own four paws.

"Flying sometimes helps work off frustration," he offered hopefully.

Lily knew Pyre liked to watch her fly. It was obviously a mix of wistful longing for himself and pride in her that made him so enthusiastic, but she felt no joy at the idea. "Maybe later. I will return tomorrow." She was annoyed at herself, and that did not make for good times anywhere. If she was going to be frustrated, she would go be frustrated away from Pyre.

"I will be…" Something seemed to occur to him, something important. A distant look came into his eyes, one Lily didn't know. "I…"

"Pyre?" Lily rumbled worriedly, moving closer to look him over. What could be wrong? She didn't know what she had triggered, and that worried her. Pyre was happy most days, but not all of the time, and if she had somehow made him sad by accident…

"My cave," Pyre blurted out, shaking his head and digging his front paws into the sand. "I will be at my cave tomorrow."

"Not here?" It was nice and warm out; Lily had found Pyre on the shore every day for the last week. The hot season was kicking in full-force, and he took full advantage of that to enjoy the water. Something was off.

"There," Pyre confirmed, looking out to sea. "You will come over tomorrow morning?"

That was when she usually visited, now that she had the freedom to not need to sneak around. "Yes. You are okay?"

"I am totally fine," Pyre grumbled. "Go. Spend some time with dragons your own age instead of old males who have nothing else to do."

"Maybe if more of the dragons my age were half as smart as you," Lily replied. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Pyre hummed happily. Whatever had bothered him was gone now.

Lily took to the air, impatient with her own body and bothered by Pyre's troubles. He shouldn't have any problems, not now. She wouldn't let him suffer any more than he obviously had already. He was close, family. This past season-cycle had taught her what that term really meant. He taught her, talked to her, and played with her when the mood struck, which it often did. She didn't even like to think about where she might be without him; Cressa certainly showed very little interest in her development, though Lily remained Cressa's only daughter. Eggs were rare, even in those Claw visited consistently. Grass and Pina were both still devoid of any offspring whatsoever.

Lily huffed in annoyance as she flew back to the valley. Grass and Cressa were not all that involved in her life, and she liked it that way. She had a teacher, and Pyre was smarter than either of them. It was fine that her real Dam and one of her two cavern-dams didn't seem to care about her. Her Sire did not either, and that too was fine. She had Pyre.

And Pina. Lily could not say Pina was as uncaring as Grass or Cressa. She stayed out of Lily's business nowadays, but that felt more out of respect than out of lack of interest. Lily did not really understand Pina, but that was fine.

O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, Lily woke to a troubling feeling she knew all too well. She was forgetting something. She left the small side cavern she and her cavern-dams shared, trying to figure out the nagging feeling.

Something poked at the back of her mind, a memory. What was it about today, this week, this moon-cycle? There had to be something, and she was growing sure it had to do with time, the passing of it. It wasn't the ceremony; that was weeks away, and she wouldn't even be able to go this season-cycle. Aside from that, there was nothing. Maybe it was not related to time. The only other thing of significance that had ever happened in the beginning of the hot season was-

Oh. She stopped walking, her heart sinking as the realization hit.

Tonight was the first full moon of the hottest season. Exactly a season-cycle had passed. That meant that her Dam, Cressa, might be planning a repeat performance of torturing Pyre with barbed words on a day that clearly reminded him of the worst of his past. The event that had soured her perception of her Dam forever. Lily clearly remembered that there was something about this day in particular that made her Dam feel that need.

She would not let it happen. She growled to herself, leaping into the air and making her way to Pyre's cave, flapping wildly in her haste. Flight was so much faster than walking, but she still preferred the ground to the sky. The ground was understandable, complete, while the sky was open and vast, unknowable. She preferred that which she could know in its entirety.

Pyre was already up, having been expecting her. She always visited in the early mornings now, so that no one took notice of her leaving. Crystal knew where she went, of course, but nobody else cared enough to ask or follow her.

"Good, but you need to refine your stride," Pyre greeted her matter-of-factly, a nod and a helpful tip on his tongue. "You will tire yourself quicker like that."

"I just need to be able to fly well enough, not perfectly," she retorted, glad she had not messed up the landing, as she was apt to do nowadays. "You know I find no joy in it."

"Different people like different things," he agreed sadly. "I know."

There was something in his voice, a darkness Lily had been expecting. She was honestly surprised he was so collected, even if it was a facade. He had been utterly broken the year before, on this day, crying before her Dam had even made her presence known.

"Anything new?" Pyre asked eagerly, a subtle edge to his voice. Yes, she could see it. He was distracting himself, and desperate for her help.

If he needed a distraction, she could definitely provide that. "Not much on my part, but I was hoping we could... go over some of the plants in the forest again. I do not want to forget any."

Pyre perked up immensely at that suggestion. "Of course."

They journeyed down to the forest together, walking the path they had followed together for a season-cycle, a well-worn route now. Lily had never bothered asking how the path was made, assuming that Pyre had done it himself, as no one else ever even acknowledged his existence, aside from her Dam on this day.

"So, anything new with you?" Lily asked jokingly, not expecting an actual answer. She had seen him less than a day ago.

"Nothing really. I did have quite the scare, though," he said conversationally. "It was getting dark, and I was in the forest, where I almost ran into somebody. For a moment, I thought he was a dark wing; he was covered in dirt."

"Did they see you?" was her first question. Pyre's relationship with the pack was not good, whatever it was, and he avoided being spotted, even at a distance.

"No. I'm good at sneaking around. A female came in after him, and that was about when I made my escape. Neither noticed me."

A dirty male and a female going after him… Lily wondered what had been happening there. She would have to look into it. The other part of Pyre's short little experience was more interesting. "What is a dark wing?" Pyre had spoken of confusing the dirty light wing for one.

Pyre turned his head to stare at her as he walked. "Surely I did not leave them out of our lessons?"

Lily shrugged. "If you told me of them, I do not remember."

"And you remember much," Pyre mused. "I suppose I forgot..." He winced at whatever his train of thought had led to. Pyre only winced like that when his thoughts strayed to the past he was, today most of all, constantly trying to avoid remembering. Dark wings were involved in some way.

Now she really wanted to know about them. "What are they like?"

He snapped out of it, shaking his head as if to shake off the memory that had come for him. "Us, more than any other kind of dragon. Dark, with no glint, and no hiding in fire, but otherwise the same."

Lily blinked, surprised. "Really? So similar?" Pyre had told her of so many diverse dragons that she had thought her kind the only normal dragons in existence. It did make sense that he could mistake a light wing for one if they were identical in shape.

"I think the two kinds, light and dark, could even produce eggs if they ever tried," Pyre continued absently. "We are so very similar...I met one, once." He didn't seem to be thinking about what he was saying.

Lily had to concentrate on walking for a moment, blindsided by what was happening. Was Pyre telling her of the past? Was the day lowering his defenses, somehow? This was not something that happened... ever.

"He was dark orange, not a hint of white, and a wanderer. We kept him away, because..." A groan. "Never mind. He was not important, in the end."

Lily did not press Pyre on that, recognizing his barriers going back up. That in itself was more than he had ever said before. "Only one?"

"They are dying out, though I do not know why. Even his name meant death, in a way. Ember."

The end of a fire, what was left before it was totally extinguished. Death indeed. "That is sad for them."

"And us," Pyre added. "What killed them might come for us someday, though I don't know what it was, or even if it was one single thing, event, or factor that destroyed them."

That was downright ominous. Surely, what happened to the dark wings was an isolated event. Hopefully.

"We will be fine," Lily reassured him, pushing that unknown danger to the back of her mind. It was not like there was any way to prepare for the unknown anyway, so there was nothing more she could be doing with this information.

"You will," Pyre agreed vehemently. He growled, slashing at a stand of small saplings with his tail as they passed them. "I will kill to protect you, if need be, and not regret it at all."

Lily blinked, shocked. Where in the world had that come from?

The same place all of Pyre's oddities today came from. His past, the weakened mental barriers he was dealing with on this day of memory, of mourning.

"I know," Lily agreed. She did know Pyre felt that strongly, it was just a shock to hear unspoken resolve given words and sound. "And I you."

"No," Pyre growled. "You do not need that stain on your heart. If it ever came to killing or letting me die, I would want you to let me die."

"You are worth a stain on my heart," Lily whispered. "I will not."

"... Fine," He conceded quietly. They traveled for a long while in complete silence. It was a companionable silence, not a brooding one, but still silence. Lily suspected something was on Pyre's mind, something other than their short little discussion of morality. He was not paying much attention to his path, letting hanging branches hit and slide off of him rather than avoiding them.

Eventually, they reached a small clearing, and Pyre stopped, turning to face Lily. "I love you like another daughter." The statement seemed to be the end result of some unspoken line of thought. Usually Pyre would have led into such a thing, but today was not a normal day.

"I know," she replied honestly.

He nodded. "I did not get to say that last time." A soft moan. "And I never will."

Lily recalled a heartbroken reply from a season-cycle ago. Pyre moaning that he loved Cressa, and had loved another female, possibly Cressa's Dam.

"She knows," Lily purred comfortingly. "She might not care, but she knows. And I am sure..." Was this too far? No, it felt right. "I am sure the other she you mourn knew too."

Pyre bowed his head. "She did. That does not change what happened." He shook his head. "Please, stop me from telling you any more. I know you want to know, but there is a certain time I wish to explain, and this is not it. I will not be able to tell the story as well as I should."

"Really?" Lily did not let her excitement show, as that would be wrong. "You know when you will tell me?"

"Yes," Pyre whispered. "So do not let me ruin it."

She could wait. If it was his wish, she could wait, however much she didn't want to. "We were out here so you could test my knowledge of plants."

After a moment, Pyre straightened and nodded. "Yes... yes, we were." He nodded to a specific tree. "This one?"

Lily knew that. "Its bark is poisonous, but it makes you throw up, which could be useful if you swallowed something worse."

"And how do you make sure it does not kill you to use?" Pyre slapped his tail on the tree. "How much bark is fatal?"

"It takes a lot of bark to kill," Lily recited from memory, "so unless you plan on eating the whole tree, you'll survive. A mouthful, crushed and swallowed, will empty your stomach."

Pyre purred, his eyes a little less haunted. "Good." They walked a short distance. "This?"

Lily laughed. "That one keeps us from having eggs. It was the first one you ever taught me. One leaf works for a moon-cycle, and too much at once could stop it forever."

"Yes, though that last part has not been tested." Pyre warbled mockingly at her. "If you start taking this, I'll have to ask who the lucky light wing is."

Lily felt the skin beneath her scales heat up, and she swatted at Pyre, embarrassed. "That is not right!"

"It is not wrong, either, if done in the right circumstances," he countered. "I don't think you will have the need, but I can imagine many situations in which it might be better to do so when not mated."

"Can we move on?" Lily asked sheepishly.

"Sure," Pyre agreed, his face amused. "This one."

A small sprout coming out of the moss near a large tree. "Smells terrible, tastes terrible, worthless," Lily replied, getting her revenge for his teasing. "Unless one has no taste whatsoever."

Pyre reeled back, faking shock. "I have taste!"

"You stuck it inside a fish and had me eat it!" she recalled, shuddering. "No one but you would like that taste."

"Probably," he admitted seriously. "But it helps clear your nose if you are sick, so it is not totally worthless."

She nodded. That was true. This was a bit sillier than she had expected, but if it helped Pyre forget, it was not a waste of time.

"This one," Pyre continued, leading her deeper into the forest, now pointing at an unassuming bush of green leaves and thin branches.

"That one really is worthless, she recalled with some difficulty. "It looks a lot like the plant that can cure fevers and infection, though."

"No, this is the one that cures," Pyre corrected, stopping in front of the plant in question. "It's got the marks, see?"

Lily bent to look closer. To her dismay, it did indeed have distinctive fold lines in the leaves. "Oops."

"Indeed," Pyre agreed. "It is an easy mistake to make."

Easy, but also very dangerous, if someone needed what the real plant could provide but she gave them the fake one in her haste. "I will remember next time."

He nodded, walking in a different direction. "And this?"

"That is just a leaf," Lily asserted a little less confidently. "Right?"

He scooped the leaf up with his tailfins and tossed it at her. "Right. I figured you could use a morale boost after the last one."

"I know everything else," she said confidently. "I do not need a boost."

"No, I need more plants," he replied seriously. "We have run out of new things here, but there are so many more that just do not grow here. I cannot teach those."

"Well, what is here is good," she reassured him. "I like knowing."

"Yes, you do." There was a brief moment in which they both watched the other, silent and content. "We should get back to the ledge," Pyre abruptly added.

Lily didn't understand that. Even with the large amount of walking silently they had done, it was not even midday. "Why?"

"Because," he answered vaguely. "And you should not stay."

She knew what day it was, and what had happened last season-cycle. The implications were obvious. "No. Not happening."

"Stop," he sighed. "I-"

"Do not deserve to be roared at, no matter what either of you believes," Lily continued for him, overriding his objections. "If you want to mourn, do it here, with me. Not with her cutting at you up there." She did not understand why he would voluntarily put himself in a position to be verbally attacked while already hurting, but he clearly intended to, just like last season-cycle, and who knew how many before that.

Pyre shuffled his paws around aimlessly, obviously conflicted. "She will come looking."

"And unless she is all-powerful, which she is not, she will never find us. Please? I do not want to have to stop her myself, but I will if you do not stay away." She had lost any semblance of respect for her Dam in the process of getting to know Pyre, and understanding just how cruel her Dam had been, for no reason she knew. She and her Dam were not close. It would be doable, though it would be awkward for the next few season-cycles while they shared a cave.

"Fine. For you." He sighed. "Did I call you spoiled, the first few times we met? I cannot recall."

Lily thought back. "No, I do not think so."

"I should have, as you get almost whatever you want from me." He laughed sadly. "For better or for worse."

"Better," she whispered. "Better for you, and for me."

"Okay." Pyre drooped, his ears falling limp, a sign of sadness. "I will mourn her here, instead of there." He sat down on the spot, closing his eyes. "Today is the day for that."

Lily walked up and sat next to him, draping a wing over his head. "And I will be here. Take as long as you need." She would not do this for anyone else, but Pyre was hers in a way that no one else was. If she did not help him, no one would, and even if someone else would, she would rather do it herself. She was not this close with her Sire.

That was probably her fault, but she felt no real need to get to know him. He was the all-powerful alpha, and as close to perfect as any dragon could be. She did not know him as a person, but that was fine.

A muffled whine came from beneath her wing, dragging a claw across her heart and eliciting a sharp intake of breath. She had been unprepared to feel Pyre's pain, immeasurably deep and dark even though she didn't yet have the details, but she would gladly suffer a portion of it for him. She was reminded of her original lessons about empathy, when she had asked what to do if she could not fix it. He had simply said to do what she could.

And so she hummed softly, hoping she was helping in some way. She did not have any practice with comforting; watching Dams soothe upset fledglings was her only point of reference. From what that example had shown her, she would be here for a while.

A soft keening sound echoed through the quiet forest, prompting her to shuffle up against him. For his comfort, or for her own, she was no longer sure. Probably both.

This place really was peaceful, in many ways. A good place to be alone, or to be together in solidarity. She remained still, staring off into the trees but not seeing them, with the Sire of her Dam mourning beneath her sheltering wing.

He planned to tell her why he mourned at some specific time in the future? Good, she wanted to know, and she was glad he would trust her with carrying his pain by knowing.

The pain he worked through here, now. Once a season-cycle, on a day set aside for mourning. What had happened on this day in the past? Would knowing make this more painful for her, or less? She would know eventually.

But lingering on that was pointless. She adjusted her wing to remind him she was there for him, lowering her head to the ground and unwittingly adding a sad and sympathetic purr to his whimpering. It grew dark, eventually, and Lily did not stir. Pyre was still grieving, and she could remain here until he was done, though she was hungry and thirsty; distant discomforts, unimportant right now. Through it all, she was faintly amused by the idea of her Dam waiting for Pyre at his ledge, waiting in vain.

Eventually, she saw a white circle, broken and crossed by tangled branches, the first full moon of the hot season.

As if sensing it, Pyre shifted beneath her wing for the first time in hours, his whines tapering off, though by now his voice must be hoarse and pained. He moved out from under her wing, his eyes going to the moon.

"Now, so long ago." His voice was as scratchy as she had guessed. "By now, it was over."

She did not know the meaning of that and did not ask.

"You are too good to me," he groaned, nuzzling her gratefully. "I do not deserve your pity."

"Yes, you do," she whispered back, finding her own voice a little scratchy, then nudged him upright and in the direction of the mountain. "So, was this better…?" It had been a trial she would suffer again in a heartbeat, but she was worried he would have preferred to be alone.

"It was still painful," he admitted, "but… less cold, and more peaceful." He leaned his head gently against hers as they walked. "Thank you," he purred. Silence seemed the best response, partly because she was suddenly occupied with ensuring she didn't fall over herself and ruin the moment.

They reached the path, then slowly but surely returned to the rest of the world. "I will do this next season-cycle, and all of them after," Lily promised. "You are not getting out of that."

"Even when you have a mate and fledglings, and no time to spend with an old dragon?" Pyre asked sadly. "I am a burden you have not yet had reason to resent."

Lily slapped him gently with her tail, overshooting his side to hit his neck and frills thanks to her lack of fine control. "You will live with us, and we will all stay with you," she added seriously. "When I get a mate, you will move down into the valley, and I will silence anyone who objects."

"I am exiled," Pyre objected.

She had figured as much but hadn't known it was an official ruling. "We will work that out when the time comes."

"When the time comes," he repeated as if in a daze. "What did I do to deserve anything from you?"

"You talked to me." She nuzzled him, encouraging him to move a little faster. "You taught me. I would be a total idiot if not for you." A season-cycle that felt like a lifetime.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, and when they reached the ledge, it was deserted, as Lily had expected. Cressa, her Dam, was not one to wait around on the off chance someone she was mad at would show up. She did not have the patience for that.

Lily walked Pyre into his cave and watched him settle down, intending to remain until he fell asleep just to be sure nothing happened.

He seemed to understand that, and closed his eyes as he settled. "Thank you..." his voice was slurring, sleep taking over. "Daughter..."

She purred quietly. "You are welcome."

It had been obvious for a long time that she was not just another daughter as he said, but somehow a replacement for her Dam in his eyes. That was fine by her. It really made no difference except to make him happy. Claw was her actual Sire, but as he did not seem to want the title, Pyre was welcome to it.

She waited until he began snoring softly, and then quietly departed, opting to walk down the path to the valley rather than fly. It was a clear night, and she felt like looking at the stars.

O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, Lily found herself with an unusual gap in her routine. Pyre would undoubtedly be sleeping late, having worn himself out emotionally the day before, so there was no point in visiting him.

What else was there to do? Lily immediately thought of Crystal and Granite. She spent afternoons with one or the other most days. Sometimes both, but that was rare. Granite got oddly shy around Crystal, making things awkward.

One or the other, then. That was an easy choice; Crystal was a late sleeper, while Granite would already be up. Lily headed out of the cavern, noting that the sun was higher in the sky than she had guessed. Both would be up and about after all.

Then, in a moment of idle thought, Lily looked up to the mountain where Pyre made his home, wondering if he was awake yet. It was not early in the morning, so maybe-

There was a bright shape moving towards his cave, definitely heading there, as there was nothing else of interest in that direction. Lily could think of only one light wing who knew about Pyre and would fly to his cave. The same light wing who had probably flown that same path yesterday, seeking a mourning dragon with the intention of berating him.

And worst of all, Cressa was already almost there. Lily would never make it in time to intercept her.

She leaped into the air anyway, cursing her own lack of enthusiasm for flying, though she knew that even the fastest of the entire pack would not get there much quicker. It was a long way, and Cressa was almost there already.

Lily spent the entire short flight planning to verbally disarm and hopefully shame her own Dam into backing down and going away, for Pyre's sake, but that plan evaporated as she came close enough to see the scene and hear the loudly roared argument.

An argument, because Pyre was striking back this time, as opposed to agreeing in despair. Maybe it was the fact that this was not the day, or maybe it was that Lily had helped him, but Pyre was not passive, and he was not grieving.

Lily circled above them, unnoticed in the heat of the moment, and listened with something very similar to pride. She had arrived just as her Dam repeated something from the time before, with a hint of desperation that was new.

"Your fault!" Cressa screeched angrily.

"In a way, yes," Pyre growled, "but I am less inclined to listen to your criticism today when I have my wits about me."

"She died because you were weak!"

"And I was weak for a reason, Cressa." Pyre shook his head. "Why are you really here? The time has passed, and last time you tried this when I was not defenseless you fared just as poorly."

That was also news to Lily. So Pyre only took abuse on that one day, no matter how painful the words were. Interesting.

"I am here because you deserve this, and-"

"And because you enjoy hurting others. This is just an outlet for that, isn't it? Go screech at someone else. Not your daughter; she doesn't deserve that."

"She-" Cressa saw Lily's shadow and looked up.

Oops. Lily realized that she should have camouflaged only after her Dam had gotten a good look. Well, her cover was somewhat busted...

She dropped to the ground, intending to look innocent and confused, but the moment her paws hit the flat stone of the clearing outside Pyre's cave she felt herself lose control. Her front legs gave out and she stumbled forward, only to trip and drive her chin into the stone.

Lily hated her own clumsiness, but she was more worried about Pyre leaping to her aid than looking foolish; appearing clumsy and inept in front of Cressa would only strengthen the appearance she was trying to maintain, no matter how embarrassing.

Luckily, Pyre did not leap forward or even betray any concern. He acted as if he had not seen her in a season-cycle, staring for a moment before returning his gaze to Cressa as if wondering how she would react.

Lily, for her part, didn't even look at Pyre past a single, momentary glance as she firmly planted her paws on the stone and willed her uncoordinated body to at least stand still properly. "Dam, what are you doing?"

Cressa stared at her, and then Pyre, and then back at her. "I am... go home, Lily, this does not concern you." She, of course, had no idea Lily had ever even spoken to Pyre.

"Or maybe it does," Lily countered. "Why do you do this? I never heard an answer to that, and I find myself curious." She phrased it in such a way as to make Cressa think she had only just remembered the same day a season-cycle prior.

"I..." Cressa abruptly snarled at Lily. "You are disobedient, daughter. This is my business, not yours."

"And if you cannot give me a good answer, I say you are as cruel as he implies," Lily declared calmly, neither cowed nor baited by the sudden aggression.

"I will not support you in the future if you do this," her Dam warned.

"What?" Lily blinked, caught off-guard. What was that supposed to mean? "Support me in what?"

"Things," Cressa growled dangerously. "You will come to me, and I will not help you. Listen to me and stop your foolish curiosity, meddling in what you do not understand."

"No. Do what you will," Lily decided, thinking as she spoke that Cressa never did anything for her anyway. "As you have no answer, I am not sure I want your support anymore." Though she would have to sleep in the same side-cavern... Pina would act as a buffer until Lily moved out.

"Your loss, Lily." Cressa leaped into the air and flew away.

Lily turned to Pyre. "Did that feel odd to you, or was it just me?"

Pyre blinked. "It did seem a bit sudden, and though she was vague she seemed to have some point in mind. Are you sure there is no context you are forgetting? Some past discussion or decision, a promise of future support she is now rescinding?"

Lily put her mind to the problem, but she had interacted so rarely with her Dam that the answer was clear. "No, I am not missing anything."

Pyre chuffed. "So it was just an odd threat?"

"Apparently." It still felt off, as if something more had happened, but Lily put that out of her mind. "You really shut her down today."

"Yesterday is usually the only time I allow her to hurt me," Pyre responded, "as I felt I deserved it."

"No longer?" Lily asked carefully.

"No longer," he agreed with a purr. "You would simply guilt-trip me into changing my mind if I persisted in doing so anyway."

"Yes, I would." She would do what was necessary if he would not see reason on his own.

"You know," Pyre mused, "you would make a good leader, with the way you watch out for those you care about whether or not they want you to."

"Maybe." She liked the compliment, but Claw was better than she ever would be. She was fine just caring for family.


	5. Oblivious

That afternoon, a short time after telling her Dam off, Lily headed down into the valley. She didn't want to risk her Dam getting suspicious about her hanging around Pyre, and while her Dam had already basically disowned her, she could still cause trouble.

Well, Lily _assumed_ she could cause trouble. It was hard to know exactly what Cressa was capable of. Not much on her own, but with the suspicion that Lily was associating with Pyre, someone who had been officially thrown out of the pack? Lily didn't know what that might mean. Were there consequences for hanging around an outcast? Was it something that could be punished?

The problem, Lily reflected as she landed and entered the caverns, was that so many of the pack's rules and customs were unspoken. It was assumed one knew what to do, and what not to do. A good example of that was fire. It was an unspoken rule that there was no using fire in the valley itself.

How did she know that? She didn't, not for sure, but the few times she had seen others using fire, it was accompanied with looks of surprise and disapproval from those around them. Usually, the one using fire was a fledgling just learning how to do so. Their parents would take them outside the valley to practice, and that was that.

Lily herself had not been one of those to break that unspoken rule. Pyre had taught her how to use her fire, and that had, of course, happened outside the valley. As far as anyone in the valley knew, she had never so much as built up a blast, let alone fired one. Not that she hadn't been tempted, heating the rock to lay on had been an absolute bliss when visiting Pyre in the cold season.

So, she knew unspoken rules did sometimes apply. Were there any on outcasts? It was impossible for her check directly, because unspoken rules became clear through testing. She wasn't about to start telling people about Pyre and checking their reactions. Crystal was the only one who knew about him, and she didn't count because she wouldn't know about any rules against associating with him. She would have to ask Pyre about it.

Lily wandered into the main cavern, looking around idly. There was no obvious way to get her question answered without arousing suspicion, so she might as well put it aside for now. If something came up that gave her a new approach, she would come back to it.

It was afternoon… Lily shook herself and looked around the cavern again with fresh eyes. Granite usually hung around here in the afternoons. He liked to help out with all of the younger fledglings, and the Dams had absolutely no problem letting him supervise for them.

But he wasn't here. That was odd, and a little annoying. Lily had thought to hang around with him for a while. Watching younger fledglings wasn't her idea of a fun time, but Granite made it fun by providing someone to talk to.

If Granite wasn't here, Lily didn't need to be here either. She turned around and left before any of the Dams noticed her presence. They didn't really interact with her, but if they saw her hanging around they would assume she was going to stay and make sure their fledglings didn't do anything dangerous, and would leave her to it.

Granite wasn't around, Pyre wasn't an option. That left Crystal. Lily decided to walk there, seeing no reason to rush by flying. She didn't have anything important to get to.

As she approached Crystal's home, Lily began to hear voices. She instinctively slowed down, wanting to get an idea of what was going on before showing herself. Crystal was a friend, but that was all the more reason to keep tabs on what she was doing. Lily couldn't help her if she didn't know what was going on. Raised voices, though they did not sound angry, meant something was happening.

"You will go out flying together?" an older female asked loudly.

"Every few days," Crystal replied, sounding as if she was hoping for a specific answer from whoever she was speaking to.

Lily didn't hear the exact wording of the answer, as the third speaker was not quite so loud. She knew there _was_ an answer, but nothing more.

"Good," the older female said approvingly. "You two should spend time together. But no funny business, you hear me?"

"Dam!" Crystal burst out, sounding extremely embarrassed. "You know we would not."

"Of course, but it is my duty to warn him," the female, Crystal's Dam, said neutrally. "You seem very polite and neither of you is an adult as of yet." That was obviously directed at the male being spoken to.

Lily had a pretty good idea what was going on by now. Crystal had brought home a male she liked. That did lead to the question of _who_ , as Lily hadn't heard anything about this. Another question Lily might ask would be why Crystal was telling her Dam at all, but she could probably blame that on her own lack of understanding. Lily's Dam was not someone she would ever want to introduce a potential mate to.

Lily slowed to a complete stop just around the edge of the rock blocking her from being able to see Crystal and whoever she was with. There was another light wing lounging on top of the rock Lily was hiding behind, but Lily didn't think she was in any danger of being called out. The light wing above her was obviously eavesdropping too. Lily recognized her as one of Crystal's neighbors, someone she often saw in passing. They exchanged a brief look, one Lily interpreted to mean neither would expose the other's interest, and went back to listening, and in the other dragon's case, watching.

"Speak up," Crystal's Dam requested. "You do not need to be shy."

Another reply too low and quiet for Lily to make out. She wished she could see this mystery male. Maybe if she just slipped her head around the corner for a brief moment…

"It is no trouble," Crystal's Dam said in response to whatever the male had said. "Any Dam would do the same. I think yours is going to want to meet Crystal before long. I _am_ going to tell her, unless you wish to do so yourself?"

"I will," the male replied, finally loud enough for Lily to hear… and loud enough for her to recognize his voice. She had just been about to act on her desire to sneak a peak and was leaning forward. The shock of hearing that the mystery male was _Granite,_ combined with her clumsiness, almost outed her. She lurched backward in an attempt to not fall forward and out into the open. Scraping her tailfins along a jagged edge of rock was a small price to pay for continued secrecy, even if it did sting. She pulled her tail around and licked the small cut as she continued to listen.

"Good," Crystal's Dam said happily. "Tell her I approve."

"I will go do that now," Granite decided. "See you later, Crystal."

"Tomorrow morning. We are going flying," Crystal replied happily. "Oh, and do not tell Lily."

"Why not?" Granite asked, perfectly voicing what Lily would ask, were she able to.

"She might get all awkward around us," was the answer Crystal gave. "I do not want to drive her away."

"This is Lily. I would be more worried about whether she _approves_ , not whether it will make her feel awkward. We need to tell her. She will find out on her own if we do not."

The other eavesdropping light wing looked down at Lily and rumbled quietly in amusement. Lily flicked her ears in the general direction of the conversation they were listening to, acknowledging the obvious. There was no need for the other dragon to break her cover for _that_.

"She will," Crystal agreed. "But what she thinks does not determine what we do."

"No, but she will make it very hard for us if she disapproves," Granite countered. "You know that."

"She will not disapprove; it is not as if I have better options," Crystal decided confidently. "I will talk to her about it when I see her. Are you going to stay?"

"I have… somewhere to be," Granite replied hesitantly. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Crystal agreed. A moment later, Granite flew away. Lily instinctively ducked, hoping he wouldn't notice her. She wasn't sure yet whether she wanted to tell either Crystal or Granite that she had overheard any of that, and him seeing her would force her paw on the matter.

Then Crystal also flew away, heading in the opposite direction. Lily decided to take a chance and leaped into the air after running a short distance away. If she was asked about where she had come from, she would tell some of the truth; she had been looking for Crystal and saw her in the air. But Crystal wouldn't have seen her taking off, so she didn't expect to be asked.

"Where are we going?" Lily called out, flying up from behind Crystal.

"We?" Crystal called back, veering around to fly next to Lily. "Do not sneak up on me."

"It is not as if I was lurking in some dark corner, waiting for you to pass by," Lily complained. "If you can be snuck up on in the open air on a nice, sunny day, then you have only yourself to blame." She wasn't even camouflaged at the moment.

"I was preoccupied! And where were you, anyway? I could not find you in the cavern and Pina did not know where you had gone."

"Be glad you didn't ask my Dam," Lily drawled, only realizing after she had spoken that she had copied Pyre's accent without even thinking about it. "I think she has disowned me."

"You do not sound bothered by that," Crystal observed worriedly. "I would be."

"You like your Dam," Lily replied. She didn't know Crystal's Dam well at all, but she did know Crystal liked both of her parents well enough. "I am not losing much." Well, aside from whatever oddly vague support her Dam had withdrawn, but she didn't count losing something she had never noticed in the first place.

"You should too," Crystal sighed. "At least you have Pina. And Pyre, I suppose. And Claw, if you would ever actually try to interact with him."

"Should I add you to that list, if you are going to nag me about things?" Lily asked in way of reply. She didn't need to get to know Claw; he was alpha and he was strong. There was, by all appearances, nothing to him but that.

"No, do not," Crystal growled. "I am not responsible for you. Thankfully." Her tone was light; she clearly hadn't taken much offense.

Lily wondered if Crystal was ever going to bring up what she and Granite had gotten into. As discussing that would be far more interesting than their current bantering, she decided to steer things in the right direction. "I think Granite said the same thing, once."

"Granite." Crystal closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Lily, you are very nosy when it comes to certain people."

Not how Lily had expected her to start off, but it certainly caught her attention. "Only certain people?"

"Yes," Crystal replied, not bothering to elaborate. "But forget I said that. Have you been thinking about the next ceremony?"

"We become adults," Lily replied reflexively. What more was there to it? She was looking forward to not being treated like a fledgling, but that was all it was.

"Have you thought about your choice?"

"What choice?" Now Lily was beginning to feel uneasy. She had never really looked into the ceremony. Fledglings were not allowed to attend unless it was their season-cycle, and she had not wanted to ruin the fun of it by knowing exactly how it would go beforepaw.

"Err…" Crystal rumbled, looking over at Lily with wide eyes. "We should set down."

Lily followed Crystal down to an empty rock near the shaded side of the valley, wondering what she was missing. She knew there would be something; the ceremony was one of the few things she consciously chose not to investigate. But Crystal made it sound like she _should_ know something.

"Okay… Lily, you were just telling me your Dam disowned you?" Crystal asked.

"Yes, just today."

"Was she planning on doing so for a while before now?"

Why would Crystal ask that? "No," Lily answered honestly. "I did something that really set her against me." She didn't feel the need to explain exactly what if it wasn't relevant.

"But she never talked with you about the ceremony? At all?" Crystal's eyes were still wide and surprised, and her frills were all up. She looked like she was staring at something strange and possibly dangerous. "Pina did not either? Or your other cavern-dam?"

"Nobody did," Lily replied. Pina had never brought it up, Cressa was not one to interact with her even before today, and Grass did her best to pretend Lily didn't exist now that she didn't have to help care for her.

"And you never looked into it?" Crystal continued. "Never heard people talking?"

"No. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"You have a weird way of picking what to investigate, and what not," Crystal groaned. "Of all things… No wonder you do not care that your Dam…" She shook herself." Mine took me aside and explained what happens at the ceremony a few moon-cycles ago."

"So just give me a summary," Lily requested, feeling oddly embarrassed. It was true that, hearing how important this was, she probably _should_ have looked into it, and probably would have were her days not spent with Pyre and her friends in turn. She had long since stopped randomly roaming the valley and looking for things to pry into.

"Where do I even start?" Crystal whined, looking over her shoulder at the dark part of the valley.

"Anywhere."

"Gold, Bone, Granite," Crystal listed.

"The three fledglings who will be adults at the same time as us." A sneak, someone she barely knew, and her half-brother.

"Yes, but something else too. Potential mates."

"Well, yes." Lily narrowed her eyes. That was not a surprise, especially not after what she had overheard, but something was bothering her. "Not just them, though. There are other males who will be adults a season-cycle after us, and more the season-cycle after that."

"Yes, but we do not get to pick from them. We pick from those of our season-cycle," Crystal countered.

That was news to Lily. "Since when?" she demanded. "That makes no sense!" If she went by that, she had to choose either Bone or Gold, neither of which was an acceptable option.

"It has always been that way!" Crystal clawed absently at the stone under her, looking down at the scratches as if they would tell her what to say next. "At the ceremony, each female is asked which male they prefer. Then, the male has a season-cycle to pick a female."

Lily's mind immediately flooded with questions, but she held most back, knowing Crystal wouldn't be the one to best answer them. "There are four females and three males. Someone will not get a mate."

"No, and that someone will go to Claw." Crystal huffed. "Well, not you, but… I do not know what would happen with you. Maybe you _would_ be allowed to pick from another season-cycle's males."

Or maybe she would be left alone forever, forbidden to try and take a male for herself. Lily shuddered. She didn't fancy either Bone or Gold, but she also didn't like the idea of permanently losing the option of taking a mate. Losing any option for her future was a very bad thing. "I will assume otherwise until someone guarantees I will be given an exception," she decided. "So my Dam _should_ have told me all of this because I need to..?" she prompted, suspecting that there was more.

"Well, you need to pick one, and you need to let him know you will be wanting his consideration," Crystal answered quickly. "Make sure he does not challenge Claw."

Challenge Claw… "What would be so bad about that?" But even as she asked, she knew the answer. The pack was unbalanced in adults but not in fledglings. She had not thought to find out why that was, but the implications were now obvious.

More worrying to Lily was that she hadn't ever wondered about any of this before. The ceremony was understandable, but not investigating a fundamental oddity in the pack she was a part of? She was not stupid and she did not take things for granted. Why was this all coming as news to her now, after four season-cycles of life here?

Well, she could easily explain away the first three season-cycles of ignorance on this topic. Before Pyre, she had not been in a mindset or position to learn anything of substance except by chance.

After beginning to meet with Pyre, however… He had told her many things and answered many questions, but she had directed her inquiries in no specific direction, and…

She had avoided asking about the pack as it was now, or as it was in the past. The latter had been blocked by his painful, unknown history, and the former by her reluctance to even allude to that which he no longer had. She only talked about the pack if he asked about something specific.

So Pyre would not have directed her toward this line of thought, but why had she not come across it herself? It had just never occurred to her.

Lily growled at herself. She disliked finding things about herself that felt stupid and blind in retrospect. She was not like most of her pack; Pyre had taught her to be better than that.

There was no fixing her past mistakes. She just had to move on and correct her lack of knowledge now.

"Are you listening?" Crystal asked, alerting Lily to the fact that she hadn't really been paying attention.

"Sorry," Lily rumbled apologetically. "Could you repeat that?"

"Challenges go to the death," Crystal said urgently. "But males can choose not to challenge, so you have to make sure whoever you want is not going to."

"And I should already be doing that," Lily growled, seeing why Crystal thought it important that she know ahead of time. "Bone or Gold. _Great._ "

"I do not know Bone so well," Crystal said tentatively, "so maybe he is not so bad."

"Maybe," Lily replied, feeling just as doubtful. The only good thing she could say about Bone was that he wasn't anything like Gold. "At least I will not have to compete with you for him."

"You will not," Crystal agreed, staring at Lily curiously. "But why do you think that?"

Lily made a show of rearranging her wings on her back, stalling for time. There were two obvious answers, but to pick one, she had to decide something she hadn't thought about yet.

How did she feel about her close friend and her half-brother getting together? About them spending time together, maybe having eggs in the future?

That was actually a pretty simple question to answer. Lily purred loudly. "Because Granite is a far better choice than Gold or Bone, and I think you two would be great together." She certainly would rather see Granite with Crystal than Pearl or Honey. The former was weird, and the latter an airhead.

"Oh, good," Crystal exclaimed happily. "You like that idea?"

"Definitely. I am late in starting this, but I assume you are not?" Lily asked, easily hiding her knowledge by draping the assumption in logic.

"Yes, I am. Do not worry, I have gotten Granite to promise he will not challenge." There was a definite note of relief in Crystal's voice at that. "It was not easy, but I managed."

"Why would it not be easy?" Lily hadn't even _thought_ about Granite challenging and getting himself killed, and she felt terrible about that. It was good Crystal was on top of things, but that didn't excuse her. Today seemed to be a day of finding out just how many important things she had been blissfully ignorant about.

"Long story," Crystal groaned, "but it is fine now."

"Does that long story have to do with you chasing Granite through the forest yesterday, perchance?" Lily asked, seeing a possible connection.

Crystal favored her with a very confused look. "What? No. I had to convince him not to do something, not catch him in some weird chase. Why would you think that?"

"Never mind." So she still had no idea what was going on there. That was something to ask around about later."You are _sure_ Granite is not going to challenge Claw?" There was no reason to want Claw unseated, much less to let Granite spend his life for nothing. Claw was still alpha despite being challenged in the past; Granite wouldn't win such a fight, so it was pointless to begin with.

"I made him promise," Crystal replied. "Claw is a good alpha; there is no reason to try and take power from him."

"Good." So that was settled. "And I have to make sure… Bone… promises the same." She didn't like that idea, but at the very least, she didn't know enough about Bone to be totally opposed to him.

"Definitely." Crystal nodded emphatically. "You will be doing him, his parents, and anyone else who cares about him a favor. Assuming he plans to challenge right now."

"Anyone smart would not," Lily grumbled.

"Granite is not stupid, he had reasons he thought were good," Crystal retorted defensively.

"Not good enough, if you convinced him to put them aside."

"I… No, I did not do that!" Crystal jumped right off of the rock and began walking around it, circling Lily from the ground. She seemed to have a lot of energy to burn. "I asked him why, he told me, and we talked about it. He made a lot of good points, and his heart was… _is…_ in the right place."

"Tell me what his points were." She might as well-

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Lily asked in annoyance.

"He told me them in confidence. I am not supposed to say. Ask him yourself."

"I will." The next time she saw him, she would ask. For now, she did her best to put her annoyance aside to focus on what mattered. "Is there anything else I need to know about Bone or how I am supposed to approach him? Anything obvious I might not have been told?"

"Not that I know, but it is hard to know what you do not understand about this."

"I'll figure it out." Another successfully slurred word. At least _something_ was going right at the moment. Defending Pyre and telling Cressa off felt like it had happened some other day, so much had been revealed since then. She felt like she was running short on time.

Acting on that feeling of time growing short, Lily launched herself up into the air, leaving Crystal to whatever she might be doing next.

Was time actually running short? Not really, not when Lily put all of this into perspective. So she was getting started a few moon-cycles later than she should have. She still had most of a season-cycle to secure Bone as an option for her future, whether or not she actually wanted him. It would be smart to _not_ rule him out, and that meant putting in some effort.

But… did she want him as a mate? No, not right now. It was hard to want someone she didn't know. Regardless, he was as of now the best of her two options.

Who had come up with the rule that she could only pick from her own season-cycle? Lily ducked midair to clear the way for a group of fledglings about a season-cycle younger than her, eyeing them as they flew over her, racing each other on inexperienced wings. There was a male in that group, one who looked to be pleasant enough, if competitive.

Her rush to get to Bone had been eased by remembering that she had plenty of time, so Lily slowed to watch, following along at a distance. The male was fast, faster than she was even though she was a whole season-cycle older and stronger. He could not have been flying for more than a few moon-cycles, and already he had outstripped her in skill.

That was fine. She wasn't one for flying. Her Dam had told her as much time and time again, and it was true. Besides, it would be interesting to have a mate that was better than her at something. She had yet to encounter anyone smarter than herself, aside from Pyre, so physical prowess was all any perspective mate had to work with if he wanted to best her.

Did she want a mate who was stronger than her? Not really. She just didn't want someone inferior. An equal would be perfect, but there were no such males in the pack, and from the little she did know of Bone, he was unlikely to be the exception.

An equal… Lily shook her head, dismissing the idea. She wasn't one to daydream, and hoping for a male who was fast enough to keep up with her mentally, strong and fit physically, and kind to boot? That was the definition of a dream. Reality was what she would have to contend with.

In reality, the best she could hope for was two out of the three. Kind and physically attractive. She envied Crystal; Granite easily met both of those, and he wasn't stupid, either. But Granite was not an option for Lily, which was a relief, of sorts. There would be no hard feelings between her and her best friend on the subject of males.

The male she had been watching had just won the race. Lily eyed him approvingly as he congratulated the one closest to catching him. He had skill and the right attitude. Why wasn't she allowed to court _him_ , for instance?

Lily abruptly changed her intended destination, deciding where her priorities rested. Bone could wait a day. She was going to go find out whether or not an exception could be made for the alpha's oldest daughter. Manipulating Claw was not something she had any practice at, but she was willing to try for this. Keeping her options as wide-open as possible was a good idea.

O-O-O-O-O

Finding Claw wasn't hard. He was always around, usually lounging on the plateau or walking through the valley. Lily had no trouble spotting him doing the latter near the pond.

The harder part of speaking to Claw, by far, promised to be getting him alone. Doing so was necessary; other people participating in the conversation she intended to start would only complicate it. People were easier to manipulate when they were alone for a variety of reasons.

Lily landed off to the side of the path she anticipated him taking, seeing no good place to land any closer. Two of his mates were accompanying him on his walk and by extension taking up the space around him.

As Claw walked into view and Lily got a good look, she noticed something. Those two mates, in walking next to Claw wherever possible, were blocking him from the rest of the valley, just as they were blocking her. Wasn't the point of this kind of walk to interact with everyone? Claw's mates were keeping the rest of the valley at wing's distance.

He didn't seem to mind, though, walking along between them and often draping a wing over one or the other, only to pull it back when the path narrowed too much to allow that. His attention certainly wasn't on the light wings watching him pass by.

Whatever. Lily didn't plan to stand around and hope he noticed her; she didn't even know if he would recognize her as his own if her scent didn't catch his attention.

There was one easy way to get her Sire's attention at a time like this. Lily stepped out into the path, totally blocking his way forward. She had chosen a place where the only options would be to backtrack, fly away, or ask her to move.

"Move, fledgling," one of his mates ordered in a bored tone. Lily shared a cavern system with them, so of course she knew them. The one who had spoken was Twila, and the other, behind Claw in the narrow passage between rocks, was a female named Sprig.

"I want to speak to Claw," Lily replied politely.

"And he wants you to get out of the-" Twila began, only to be cut off by a lazy rumble from Claw, who was eyeing Lily curiously.

"Let her talk, we have nowhere to be," he said languidly, pawing at Twili's hindquarters. "Move yourself."

Twila huffed and promptly sprang up onto the rock to Lily's left, glaring down at Lily as she did. "I doubt the fledgling has anything important to say."

"I am basically an adult," Lily countered, not liking how condescending Twila was being. "Less than a season-cycle, now."

"Yes," Claw agreed, "You are close to being an adult. Not quite, you are still small, but close." He eyed her strangely, before shaking his head. "What did you want?"

"I would rather ask in private," Lily specified, looking over at Twila.

Claw tilted his head to the side, rumbling to himself. "You are… Lily, I think."

"Your oldest daughter," Lily confirmed, not at all surprised that he wasn't entirely sure. She rarely saw him up close, let alone spoke to him.

"By Cressa." He sounded sure of that, at least. "Pina and Grass are your cavern-dams. Both are barren."

"Yes, but why does that matter now?"

"Do not question the alpha," Twila hissed at Lily.

"We can go somewhere private," Claw declared absently, looking around nonchalantly. His eyes glanced over Lily, not stopping for long on her. He seemed to be looking at something behind her, but she dismissed it, knowing there was nothing there. "The shaded side of the valley?"

"Sure." She noted a strange expression on both his mates, but didn't know any reason why that wouldn't be a good place to go with Claw to talk privately.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Twila asked petulantly, walking along the edge of the rock to drape her tail over onto Claw's back.

"Wait here for me; I will be back soon," Claw hummed, moving away from Twila's trailing tail. "Do not go anywhere."

Lily followed Claw as he flew over to the shaded side of the valley. She tried to use those few moments to plan out a strategy in regards to getting Claw to grant her an exception to the 'only take a mate from one's own season-cycle' rule. The problem was that she still knew pretty much nothing about how he worked. She had never had reason to manipulate the alpha before. He held a lot of power, but she never needed to circumvent or use it before now.

Claw passed over the edge of the shaded side the valley and kept going, finally descending near the center of the dark area, dropping into a small clearing Lily felt familiar with for some reason. Since when did she know any part of the valley?

It was probably nothing. Lily set down opposite him, settling onto her hind legs in an attempt to seem larger and thus older. Rocking back onto her hind legs also helped hide her less than perfect landing. At least she had not failed as badly as she had earlier in front of Cressa and Pyre.

Claw prowled forward, stopping just short of Lily. He remained on all fours, not sitting back to copy her as she had half expected. Not that he needed to, he still stood taller. "So?" he asked curiously.

"I am almost an adult," Lily declared, trying to fix that in her mind to prevent her ears from plastering to her neck; she was not one to be nervous, but he held an enormous presence that she almost felt she could drown in if not careful. "I found out today that at my coming-of-age ceremony, I will be forced to choose between two males, neither of which I like."

"As is tradition," Claw agreed slowly.

"I want to court someone outside of my season-cycle," Lily revealed bluntly, lacking any sort of insight as to how she might phrase it more effectively. One could not blindly manipulate, and she was blind when it came to how one might manipulate Claw.

"No. If you do, everyone will." Claw shook his head. "And that will not do at all."

"Surely you can see I deserve an exception," Lily purred, hoping to convince him despite his immediate refusal. That he had given a reason was promising; if she could circumvent the consequence, he would not be opposed to what she suggested. "I am your oldest daughter. Give me my pick of the unmated males and cite that reason. Nobody else can claim they should have the same privilege." Nobody else was Claw's oldest daughter; it was a title only Lily could claim.

"We do not break tradition for anything," Claw huffed.

"But I may not even get a mate, if the two males I can consider decide they want other females. Someone is going to be left out this season-cycle, and if it is me I have nothing," Lily explained. An appeal to slyness hadn't worked, so now she was going for pity. "I would be alone."

For some reason, that didn't seem to affect Claw all that much. He eyed her speculatively. "If I let you do this, you will be sure to secure a mate, but if I do not you may be left without one of your own."

"Yes." That was the situation.

"And you think you will not succeed in taking one of those two males," he said.

Lily thought she probably would if she tried, but she wanted to get Claw's permission to try for other males. "No," she whined.

Claw did not respond immediately. He stared blankly at her, and she got the impression he was working through something in his mind. His tail twitched restlessly, and at one point he shuffled his back paws around for no apparent reason, but he didn't respond.

"You say two. There are three males."

Lily shrugged her wings. "Granite is my half-brother; I cannot pick him." That was obvious.

More silence as Claw incorporated that new information into his deliberations.

"I will not break or bend tradition," Claw declared. "You will be fine. You are shaping up to be a very attractive female; you will not end up alone in any case," he said cryptically, walking toward her. "A slim form, good curves…"

Lily fell onto her front legs and backed away, feeling both flattered and embarrassed. "I get the message," she said politely.

"Smooth scales, a very attractive color for your glint," he continued, ignoring her protests, his nose hovering between her ears. "And you smell like the forest, not the valley, which is an interesting change."

"I spend a lot of time out there," Lily explained, backing away from him, but slowly so as to be sure not to trip over herself. She didn't like him that close, and it was probably not a good idea to let him smell her too thoroughly. Pyre probably hadn't left any identifiable mark on her scent, it didn't work like that, but she couldn't smell herself, and thus didn't know if someone else might be able to detect something incriminating.

"You will not be alone in any case," he repeated, before abruptly turning away and flying off, leaving her alone in the dark part of the valley.

She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Now she could think more clearly, she knew she was missing something, that was _obvious_ ; so much of what he had said and done made no sense, but he was the all-powerful alpha and knew exactly what he was doing.

Lily sat down right where she was and thought over what had just happened. She had told him she worried about not finding anyone; he had refused to bend tradition for her, but had reassured her that she would not be alone, despite that being something he was specifically choosing not to guarantee-

Yet. Lily purred smugly as she figured out what he was planning. He would wait and see. If she could get Bone, all was well. If she could not, if the males all selected other females, _then_ he would bend tradition. That had to be what he meant by saying she would not be alone in any case.

And as for his complimenting her in a way that made her uneasy, thinking back? She could probably blame that on being his oldest daughter. The only females he ever had to compliment were his mates, so of course that was what he would know best, which explained the weird tone.

So… she was not getting her exception now, but she was pretty sure she would get it after the males had all picked others, which actually worked out just as well, if not better. Now, she didn't need to court anyone. She could just let everything fall out as it would, pick whoever at the ceremony, and then start looking at next season-cycle's males in preparation for Claw's allowance on her part.

Of course, Claw didn't want her to do that, which was why he had not told her he would give her an exception if she ended up needing it. He wanted her to try to get a mate in the normal way, because if she managed that he wouldn't have to bend tradition to help her.

It all worked out. It all made sense. She shook off her lingering sense of unease and took to the air, forcing herself to be happy. Nothing was wrong. She didn't even have to approach Bone; her future did not depend on her getting his attention. While any other female would go to Claw, she would have free pick of the next season-cycle of males.

And yet…

Lily didn't know what part of this peculiarly long day was bothering her. Was it Cressa's odd words in disowning her? Probably not; Cressa had nothing to threaten Lily with.

Was it finding out about the ceremony, or how Granite had initially intended to fight Claw and die? Maybe, but she didn't think so. She still wanted to find out what was going through her half-brother's head on that matter, but it did not bother her. Crystal had handled it.

That was probably it. Today had been a series of shocks, each one revealing something she hadn't even thought to look into. The imbalance in numbers between male and female in the pack. The ceremony. How mates were chosen. What Claw was like as a person. All things she should have known, or could have used today. All things she hadn't seen as important.

Were there other things she was missing? Other blind spots? Probably. She was not an adult yet; if she had not finished growing physically, it stood to reason she was not as smart as she could be, which meant she would miss things. Nothing important, surely. Besides, she could always ask Pyre. It would be interesting to hear what he thought of all of this.


	6. Blithe

"You seem eager." Pyre remarked the moment Lily set down on the ledge outside his cave.

Lily _was_ eager to ask the many questions she had in mind, but how did he know? "What makes you say that?"

"You are here earlier than normal, the sun is not even halfway above the horizon," he explained as he rose and stretched. "Add that to the fact that you flew faster than normal, and sloppier too, and it's either eagerness or fear."

Lily ignored him calling her flight sloppy; it probably was, but she didn't care all that much. "Yes, I am eager. I have many questions."

Pyre laughed at that, purring happily. "I like hearing that, but what could possibly have given you so many questions in less than a day?" He padded past her and gestured to a spot beside him, overlooking the valley in the receding shadow of the mountain, and she obligingly settled down there and looked him in the eye.

"Finding out I do not know as much as I thought," Lily replied dryly. She loved finding out new things, but all she had learned the day before made her feel stupid and slow, for not having thought to ask about any of it earlier. "Pyre, what would happen if you went down into the valley?"

Pyre's eyes narrowed as he thought about that. "I don't really know," he admitted. "I am exiled, but it has been a very long time. Nobody ever talks about me, I assume."

"Never." Keeping Pyre secret had been easy. Nobody so much as suspected his existence from what she knew. Some people might know _of_ him, but nobody ever spoke of an outcast, or even that there ever had been an outcast. Nobody ever really spoke of the past, either, so not speaking of Pyre might not be a unique situation so much as a subset of the larger lack of discussion.

"But it would be foolish to assume nobody knows of me," Pyre mused, following the same line of thought Lily had taken to. "If I went down there right now, it might take a while, but sooner or later someone would recognize me." He stretched a wing to look at it. "Probably sooner."

"And then?"

"I'd probably be attacked," he said neutrally. "There are no formal rules for someone who has been exiled, or there were none when it happened to me. I was the first ever to be exiled, and as far as I know, also the last. I would think they would drive me away if nothing else. But why do you ask?" He sounded worried. "Do you need me to go down there? I will, if it is necessary."

She didn't doubt that, but the thought of Pyre being attacked made her want to whine and roar at the same time. He didn't deserve that, no matter what he had been exiled for. "No, not that. I just wanted to know what would happen."

"Something has made you think of me going down into the valley; I would like to know what that was."

"I was thinking that I should not let Cressa know I spend time with you, and that led me to wondering what she could do if she found out," Lily explained, easily recalling where she had come up with the question. "Another thing. When you…"

"What?"

Lily had just realized that the next thing she wanted to ask might come too close to what Pyre did not yet want to speak of. But maybe it was far enough away from his pain that she could still ask… "I was going to ask you what rules the pack had on mating before… everything."

"The past," he realized, whining softly. "Just that? You will not ask about any of the rest?"

"Just what the pack did about mating. What was normal, traditions, rules, things that could apply to anyone. Nothing personal." She wanted to get some perspective. Crystal had said how things were now was how it had always been, but Lily wasn't sure she trusted her friend's word on that. How would Crystal know? She was the same age as Lily.

"I can answer that," Pyre decided. "There is not much to say. Mates would choose each other, and the alpha would pronounce them officially committed."

"Were there… age requirements?" Lily asked hesitantly. What Pyre was describing sounded much simpler than the very restricted, regulated process she was facing for herself.

"Aside from both dragons being adults? No, not at all, though pairings between those more than fifty season-cycles apart were rare, as one would surely die long before the other." Pyre was staring at her in a new way, now. "Are you considering some much older male?"

Lily was glad that wasn't it; she didn't think Pyre approved from how he had asked. "No, not that. I was just checking. Crystal said the way we do it now is how it has always been, but that's not true at all."

"How is it done now?"

He didn't know. Of course he didn't, if it had all changed after he was exiled, however long ago that was. "Way less simple. At the ceremony-"

"The one where you become an adult? You have spoken of it before."

"Yes, that one. At the ceremony, I have to choose one of the other males of my season-cycle and try to win them over."

Pyre stood, leaving her side, and walked out to the edge of the stone outcropping, looking down at the valley, his back to Lily. "You _have_ to?" he asked in a low, dark voice.

"If I want a mate, yes. All the females do. Or, that is how it is supposed to go."

"That is not right," he growled. "Tell me more."

Lily wasn't sure she wanted to. They had just established that Pyre going down into the valley was a bad idea, but he seemed ready to storm down there and knock a few heads together on her behalf. "I have gotten an exception from the alpha," she quickly added. "Once I do not secure a mate from my own season-cycle, he will let me pick from others."

"That is good," Pyre sighed, relaxing. His empty wing-limbs drooped down, where before they had been raised in readiness for… something. Nothing, given he could not fly, but old habits probably did not die easily. "The alpha. Claw, your Sire?"

"Yes. I talked to him, and he did not really want to, but he did." After attempting to ensure she would at least try to follow the same customs everyone else was bound by. He had not _said_ he would allow her an exception, but that was the only conclusion she could draw from his actions and words, and she was sure of it.

"Do others get this exception if they ask?"

"No." She was pretty sure of that, though she would have to ask around to be entirely certain. "Usually, if a female cannot get a male, they go to the alpha's circle."

Pyre stiffened again. "This is his circle of females to mate with as he will." It was not a question, but he sounded unsure.

"Yes. Was that a thing before..?"

"It became a thing almost immediately after I was exiled, I think," he explained in a low voice, still not looking at her. She was pretty sure he wasn't really looking at the valley laid out in the distance below him, either. "I will not say why, yet. Only that the reason then cannot be the reason now."

Lily knew they were drawing too close to what Pyre wanted to avoid thinking of, and decided to pull the conversation back. "But here and now, yes. Any unmated female that does not find a male goes to Claw." She assumed her younger half-sisters would also be granted exceptions if necessary.

"And unmated males?" Pyre asked.

"I… don't think there are any." She didn't know of _any_ unmated males in the pack. Pyre was the closest thing, and her own existence proved he had been mated at one point.

"Surely there are. Given equal distributions of male and female, some season-cycles would have more of one than the other. Excess females go to Claw, so where do excess males go?" he asked promptingly. "They do not leave the pack, I would have noticed. I see most of the comings and goings of the pack, living here."

Lily's mind leaped to the only real explanation. Pyre was wrong, there weren't season-cycles that had more males than females, at least not after the ceremony. Crystal had needed to convince Granite not to… "Challenges. Some males challenge Claw at the ceremony."

A deep, truly angry growl split the air. Pyre turned back to look at her for a long moment, his eyes narrow and dark, blood-red in the shadow currently cast over their ledge. "Challenges. That was _not_ a custom when I was exiled. I do not like what you are telling me."

"You are not mad at me, though?" she asked worriedly. This was not her doing; she had only just found out about it.

"No, not you," he agreed, shaking his head in denial. "Challenges. Fights, I assume. To the death, or you would not have used them to explain where excess males went."

"I think so," Lily admitted, feeling peculiarly guilty again. This wasn't her fault, she wasn't the one to make this how the pack worked… but she also hadn't seen anything particularly wrong with it until now.

"I never wondered what was going on down there," he murmured to himself. "It is not my fault, and not my problem, but it is at the same time."

"Nobody _has_ to challenge," Lily blurted out, latching onto a detail she felt was important. "The males who do choose to do so."

Pyre shook his head angrily. "No, they probably do not. Are they pressured into it? Is it seen as brave and courageous to challenge? Do their own parents talk them into it?"

"No, definitely not!" Lily exclaimed, glad she could deny it. "Parents try to convince their sons _not_ to challenge, and so do any females who might want to court those sons."

"But that makes no sense," Pyre replied immediately, walking over to her. "Lily, am I missing something? Are there other details I do not know, parts of the picture I cannot see?"

"I don't know what you know."

"Here is what I am hearing," he replied. "The alpha has restricted mating options for males and females alike. He then kills off some of the males, and ensures there are females who have no option but to be added to his collection of mates. That makes the alpha a terrible, vile person."

Lily reeled as if she had been struck. "No!" she said vehemently. "Claw is a great alpha! That is not how it is at all." Pyre had never struck at something she believed like this, angrily attacking her opinion.

"So I _am_ missing something, or you are," Pyre concluded, seeming to understand that he had gone too far. He bowed his head. "Lily, tell me about Claw. This system may not have been put up by him. Maybe I am blaming the wrong dragon. But I want to know what he is like. I should have asked long before now."

"He is strong, confident, and alpha," Lily recited. "And…"

"And?"

"That is it," she admitted, embarrassed. It certainly didn't sound all that convincing when put like that. "I am sure he is not like you said, but I cannot explain why."

A moment of silent contemplation passed. Pyre's rage had died down as abruptly as it had flared up, and he seemed calm now, settling back down, now facing Lily, who had not moved from her spot on the ledge.

"I do not want to believe your Sire, the alpha, is as terrible as this scenario suggests," Pyre said slowly. "You do not think so. But you do not know him very well."

"I should, but I do not," Lily agreed.

"Then I see what needs to be done."

"I do too. I need to find out as much as I can about Claw." The prospect was somewhat intimidating; Claw was not someone Lily felt comfortable spying on. But it had to be done, because Pyre had exposed questions Lily couldn't leave unanswered.

"Specifically, I want you to find out a few things," Pyre requested. "First, whether he created this system."

"I can do that." She wouldn't even need to go to Claw to get that information; Pina was old enough to know and agreeable enough to ask.

"Second, whether males are pressured into challenging him. By him, or by others on his behalf. If it is his doing, I want to know."

"What will you do if it is?" Lily asked worriedly. "Going down into the valley is not a good idea."

"What I must. It is vile either way to kill new adults of one's own pack, but if he is actively encouraging them to challenge, then it is not even in defence. I must know the motivation to know whether he is casually cruel or absolutely horrible… or whether there is something neither of us has considered that makes this okay. I doubt that last option, but I am not ruling it out."

"I am just glad you are not going crazy with anger," Lily admitted. "It looked like you were going to for a while."

Pyre's frills all drooped, dropping to hang limply, the picture of sadness. "I have learned several lessons on the subject of acting on incomplete information," he said in a stilted, halting voice, sounding so sad she felt compelled to move over and drape a wing over him, and did so without even thinking about it. "Harsh lessons. Terrible lessons. I _will not_ do anything until you have obtained the details I need to decide."

"And when I do?" She had to know, before she began to look.

"It is a question of risks and rewards. If he defends himself against challengers and does not provoke them, than he is no worse than everyone else, a participant in the system. Bad, but not evil. I will do nothing but advise you on how to peacefully stop the killing."

How to peacefully stop-

Of _course,_ she would do that. It was obvious, now that she thought about it. She _could_ help, so she would. This was just another extension of that. And she would have Pyre's help, meaning it would not be that difficult.

"On the other paw," Pyre murmured, settling into a wide and tense stance with his tail swaying stiffly behind him, "if Claw is provoking them, killing them, and taking females, if he is that bad of a person… I will go down into the valley and challenge him myself. Better I take a single risk than send you in to try to overthrow a twisted alpha alone."

Lily ducked under her own wing, finding his eye and staring at him. "You might die if you try that." Pyre was an adult, but he was not large and muscular like Claw, to say nothing of Pyre having told her he was not a fighter.

"Maybe. But I would try all the same."

"Even if I begged you not to?" Lily asked. This was all a hypothetical, and she still believed Claw was not what Pyre thought, but she didn't like where he was going with all of this.

"We will cross that river when we come to it, if we do at all," Pyre huffed. "Now… can we speak of lighter things?"

Lily withdrew her wing, feeling disgruntled. "Oh, yes, let's distract ourselves from the fact that you think my Sire is a vile person and I have to find out whether or not that's true." She had thought she was done finding out there were things she was overlooking.

"I am very specifically _not_ saying that yet," Pyre corrected her. "Also, since when do you speak with that accent?" He purred wryly at her. "I don't think you know what it means."

"It means I sound like you, and that's perfectly fine with me," Lily replied. "I've been doing it by accident recently." She would try to stop if he wanted her to, but really, if it was all the same to him, she would rather keep the accent.

"Yes, and I like it, but it actually means something." Pyre turned to the side, bringing his tail around to tap on her forehead. "Usually, that accent means you have learned the language of No-scaled-not-prey. But I don't think you have."

"Wait, what?" Lily asked, totally distracted in spite of her annoyance with him proposing they change the subject. That was too weird and nonsensical to let slide. "How does learning a language change how someone speaks? We cannot even speak it ourselves, according to what you told me." He had told her precious little about No-scaled-not-prey, but that was one thing. Dragons could not physically speak like them.

"I don't know why it happens, only that it did to me." His voice trembled for a moment. Another piece of the puzzle Lily was not trying to solve. No-scaled-not-prey were also in some way involved in Pyre's past.

"When will you tell me?" Lily asked, knowing Pyre would know what she was talking about.

"Soon. Not yet." Pyre shook himself, seeming to physically throw off the weight of the past. "Let's go down to the beach; it would be a shame to waste today, as it is shaping up to be very hot out."

Lily glanced up at the sky. Clouds were coming in from the South, but it didn't look like rain yet. Judging by how warm it was already, this early in the morning, Pyre was right. Today was a good day to spend by the water.

She could put off her many worries and future tasks for a while longer.

O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, Lily got to work. She wanted to put Pyre's worries about Claw to rest as quickly as possible. Trailing him for a few days would be more than enough to provide some evidence as to how he wasn't a terrible dragon.

Of course, to do that she would have to not visit Pyre for a day or two, but she had told him her plan, so he knew why she wouldn't be coming. She expected the next few days to be boring, but putting this to rest would be worth some boredom.

Lily had thought over how to trail Claw, as well as when and for how long. He was strong and intimidating… but almost always, from what she had seen, distracted, whether by his mates or by other dragons. That also meant she _was_ going to be seen by some people.

The answer was simple. She needed to trail and watch Claw without seeming to be hiding.

So, Lily didn't lurk in the shadows outside the side cavern Claw had spent the night in, waiting unseen for him to begin his day.

Instead, she sat down in the middle of the central cavern and volunteered to watch the fledglings for a few minutes, making sure all the Dams who took her up on her offer knew she was not going to be able to watch for very long.

As a result, Lily had three fledglings running in circles around her, squeaking and barking at each other as they simultaneously fled whoever was behind, and chased whoever was in front. She felt so much older than them, they had so little to worry about…

Claw emerged from one of the tunnels, yawning widely as he walked. He moved through the cavern with practiced ease, avoiding the fledglings running around so adeptly most never even noticed he was there-

"Sire!" a young male exclaimed, running right up to Claw. Lily didn't even know the male's name; he looked to be just barely a fledgling, far younger than her.

Claw ignored him entirely, not acknowledging the outburst or the pawful of fledglings trailing behind him hopefully. The first fledgling's Dam came up behind him and corralled them away from Claw, chastising them for bothering the alpha…

Lily growled to herself. Okay, so the alpha wasn't great with young dragons, even his own. She could say that pretty decisively; she had never seen him so much as purr at one of his own. This was entirely in-character for him.

Why hadn't she told Pyre that? Probably because it wasn't relevant. One did not have to be good with children to be a good person.

This wasn't an important part of who Claw was. Lily watched him as he left the cavern, and then dismissed the fledglings unwittingly providing her with her cover back to their Dams. She made her way outside after him, giving him just enough of a headstart that it would not look like she was following him.

He had stopped right next to the fish pile, the one Lily usually stole from on her way out. He took nothing from it.

Lily purred to herself as she walked by, pretending to be going somewhere. There was something; those fish were for him, but he left them for his mates and went fishing himself every day. A vile, evil person wouldn't do that.

Claw headed into the valley, going on foot for whatever reason. Lily was slightly confused by his direction; she would have expected him to head for the pond or waste pit, but neither of those were in the direction he was walking. Seemingly anywhere else he went was with an escort of his mates, but he was alone.

Well, there wouldn't be much point in trailing him if she could accurately predict his every move beforepaw. Following him wasn't hard, a matter of seemingly absently walking along a path parallel to him. She caught glimpses of him every so often and was able to follow without seeming to follow at all.

Eventually, he stopped. Lily circled back around, having noticed that he was no longer moving, and found a good vantage point. She proceeded to pretend that something was stuck in the pad of her front paw, and picked at it while watching out of the corner of her eye.

"My turn today, alpha?" a male asked tentatively from up on a rock. Claw was looking up at him, somehow looming over the other male despite being physically below him.

"Yes. And make it quick," Claw growled.

"I will," the male hastily promised, before flying away. Claw jumped up onto the rock he had vacated and curled up into a circle, clearly prepared to wait for a few minutes.

Lily didn't know what to make of that. The only possibility she could think of was… lazy, to say the least…

And cunning. She saw what was going on here. Claw made the altruistic gesture of giving his mates his own food, let everyone believe he provided for himself, and proceeded to have one of his subordinates fish for him, thus giving him all of the benefit of the gesture without any of the inconvenience.

When the male returned, he was bearing fish, confirming Lily's guess. "Is this enough, alpha?" he asked, dropping the wet and slimy carcasses onto the rock.

Claw bit down on one of the larger fish, swallowing part of it and carelessly letting the rest fall back into the pile. "No. Get more."

The male obediently flew off again to provide food for the person Lily had always been told provided for himself. This wasn't a great start to her plan of proving Claw wasn't a bad person.

O-O-O-O-O

"So, how did it go?" Pyre asked the next morning. She was used to being up this early, but Claw would not appear until later, so she was up here until then.

"I need more time." Especially because most of what Claw did every day was not interesting or helpful. Watching him walk around the valley for half a day straight did not prove him good or bad as a person. She needed to catch him at unordinary things, to watch him handling actual situations.

"Of course." Pyre nodded agreeably. "But so far..?"

Lily didn't want to admit that he was lazy and not great with children. She would hold that back to give with other, better observations. "Nothing much yet."

O-O-O-O-O

Later that day, Lily spotted someone she hadn't seen in a short while, someone she had almost forgotten she wanted to talk to. He was flying across the valley with another male, heading out over the mountains toward the forest.

That was far too interesting to ignore. She took wing, flapping hard to catch up to them. If it was anyone else, she might have flown low and tried to trail them, but this was Granite; he would tell her if she asked. Besides, she was doing enough sneaking around trailing Claw.

"Granite!" she called out, wishing she was a little faster in the air. Maybe she should take Pyre up on his offers to help her fly more efficiently even if she didn't care that much. Times like this made her regret not doing so.

Granite exchanged a few words with the other male, and they both slowed down to let her catch up. She pulled up right between them, noticing as she did that the other male was familiar, but not instantly recognizable.

"Where are you going?" she asked cheerily.

"Nowhere," the male she couldn't quite name said in a surly voice.

"How do you get there?" Lily asked, making it clear with a growl that she didn't appreciate being blown off like that.

"We are going to the edge of the forest," Granite supplied. "Bone, she would follow us if we refused to say."

Bone. This was Bone. That was why he seemed familiar; she had not spoken to him in moon-cycles, but she knew his look, his off-white eyes and nearly nonexistent grey glint. She was supposed to be looking into who he was, just in case.

"She is Claw's daughter," Bone objected. "We should not tell her what we are doing."

Lily didn't even bother asking. Granite knew her well enough to know how this was going to go, now that his none-too-bright companion had put his paw firmly in his own mouth.

"Bone, seriously," Granite groaned. "How do you expect to keep something quiet if you talk about how we need to _not talk about it_ right in front of people?"

"Better than just blurting it all out-" Bone began angrily.

"Like you are doing? This is _Lily_. Letting her know there _is_ a secret is the same as telling her, just slower." Granite shook his head in annoyance.

"If you _tell_ her, yes," Bone snarled. "And why is she not asking anything, if she is so nosy?"

Lily decided she didn't like Bone. Stupid and obstinant were not a good combination in any dragon, and an unacceptable one in a prospective mate. It was a good thing she knew Claw would be letting her choose someone else. "You're doing a good job of revealing your stupidity without me helping you," she drawled sarcastically.

Bone snarled angrily at her, sounding quite petulant in her opinion. "Granite, make her go away."

"Lily," Granite said apologetically, "we _do_ have something to do, and I do not think Bone wants you there."

"Tell me what's going on and I'll leave you alone," she offered.

"Bone plans to challenge Claw at the ceremony, but nobody is willing to teach him to fight," Granite explained. He was not one for beating around the bush. "We are going to the forest to attack each other. If we do it enough, I think both of us will know how fighting works."

"So… you're going to claw and bite each other… over and over again… until you know how to fight?" Lily asked slowly, trying to figure out whether that would work and ignoring Bone's incredulous barking. It sounded like it was a terrible idea, but only if one was averse to constantly being injured. "What if one of you hurts the other more than intended?" She didn't trust Bone.

"I did not think of that," Granite admitted. "But we _are_ going to be careful, so it should not happen."

Sure. If being careful prevented all accidents, Lily wouldn't have a problem with being awkward. At that… "And you're doing this when our bodies are least likely to work as intended?" she asked.

"Some of us are not that clumsy," Bone grumbled.

"Please," Granite said. "You stumbled right into the side of a boulder and cut your nose yesterday. Twice."

"You tripped over your own tail and landed on your back!" Bone retorted. "Today! This morning!"

"I am just saying we _are_ clumsy," Granite hummed, trying to calm Bone down. "Lily is right, this is a little dangerous even if we are careful… but we are going to do it anyway."

"I am going down to the forest edge," Bone growled. "Come down when you are done talking to _her_ , and make sure she does not tell anyone of this." He dove, barely missing the very peak of the mountain under them, and landed by the edge of the forest, quickly disappearing.

"And to think," Lily said in disgust, "that I was considering him as a mate."

"Since when?" Granite barked. "Bone is not… someone you would like."

"I don't know him very well, and I figured someone I didn't know might be better than a sneak I do know," she replied, thinking of Gold. "Clearly, I was wrong. Bone is just as bad in a different way."

"A sneak? Gold." Granite didn't sound surprised. "A good enough description of him. Which are you going to pick?"

"That depends," Lily hedged, not sure if she should tell Granite of Claw's unspoken promise. "Is Bone always obstinate, easily angered, and stupid, or did I catch him at a bad time?" There was an ironic parallel here in that she was asking the same kind of questions she had heard from Pyre concerning Claw, and hoping for the same kind of answers while expecting the worst.

"He is not the brightest, but not everyone can be like you," Granite admonished seriously. "To answer your question, yes, he is always like this."

"Then it seems I will need to take a second look at Gold," Lily decided. She may as well be thorough. "Though it looks as if I will be picking from males outside our season-cycle."

"But you cannot do that?" Granite said slowly.

"I've got it covered," Lily replied. "So I don't need to worry about being stuck with Bone. But why are _you_ spending time with him?" She still intended to question him on his bout of suicidal planning in wanting to challenge Claw, and this felt like a good way to steer the conversation in that direction.

Granite banked to the side, following the peaks of the mountains that enclosed their valley. "At first, because we shared a common goal. Now, because I will not abandon him, and because it is better to be safe than sorry."

"You are not challenging Claw."

"Crystal made me promise something," Granite replied. "So it looks like I am not, no. But Claw is not the only possible reason to learn to fight."

"This valley is at peace." That much was obvious. "I think there's no reason to learn, not when learning might mean you lose an eye or something if Bone's claws slip."

"No reason to learn self-defense?" Granite repeated. "That does not sound like you."

"Fine, no reason for _you_ to get good at fighting. It makes me think you still plan on fighting Claw," Lily admitted. "I would feel safer if you learned after the ceremony."

Granite sighed deeply. "Lily, I might still be challenging him."

"You promised Crystal-"

"Something specific," Granite interrupted. "Something I will not tell you. Right now, I do not think I will be challenging him. But it is not impossible that things will change, and if they do, then I have to challenge."

"You do not _have_ to. Who is making you?"

"I am making myself," he replied cryptically. "Look, I do not think I will have to. I probably will not. But it is stupid to assume I _definitely_ have nothing to worry about."

"Granite, just tell me the truth," Lily begged. "Please. You just admitted that letting me know there is a secret is as good as telling it to me, so skip the part where I figure out some way to trick you into telling me enough to piece it together."

They flew on in silence for a few seconds.

"Fine."

"Thank you."

"I suspect Claw needs to die," Granite said in a quiet, worried voice. "I have no proof. I have no sure reason to think so. Just a few tiny things I have noticed. But if I ever find out anything solid, anything that proves my uneasy feeling, I am going to challenge, and I am going to do my best to kill him."

So… the exact same thing as Pyre. Lily didn't know what that could possibly mean. Why were both of the males she actually cared about worried that Claw was evil, and why were both willing to risk their lives to end him if he was? Granite and Pyre were nothing alike. Pyre was old, world-weary, and sometimes cynical, while Granite was the exact opposite.

"What have you noticed?" she asked. She needed to hear his evidence.

"He is… I cannot explain it," Granite groaned. "He cares not for his children, but gathers females to himself. He stares at certain people, sometimes. Not obviously, but I have seen it."

"Who do you think he stares at?" She certainly hadn't seen anything of the sort. It was possible Granite was reading too far into innocent looks. There were so many females and fledglings around that it was hard _not_ to stare at them from time to time, simply because there was nowhere to look that did not involve them.

"Crystal, Honey, Pearl, you, his younger daughters, younger females of other parents. Always females, and fledglings, while he never even looks at the fledglings who try to play with him. It makes me uneasy."

"But Crystal made you promise… what, exactly?" Lily didn't agree with Granite, as all of that could very well be in his head.

"To not act unless I had _solid_ proof that something terrible was going on."

So he was safe. Lily relaxed a little. Claw was not perfect, but he wasn't as bad as Pyre and Granite seemed to think.

Then something else came to mind, something that made her bristle indignantly. "Wait, explain something to me. Crystal made you promise that. This was after she had told you she wanted you as a mate, meaning you told _her_ what, exactly?"

"That I like her, but I will not let something terrible happen just to have her as a mate," Granite rumbled calmly.

"So much for romance," Lily muttered sourly. She had liked the idea of Crystal and Granite getting together, after getting used to the possibility. "It does not sound like you are very serious about her."

"How can I be? I did not even know she was interested in me until she asked a few days ago," Granite explained. "That is new, newer than my decision to not let Claw go unchecked if I find out he needs to be stopped. She is nice, and pretty, and I would rather end up her mate than the mate of any of the other females available, but we cannot be all that serious. There has not been time for that to happen."

Lily had to admit that was fair. She was probably the only reason Granite and Crystal knew each other at all, being the common link between them, and she had not seen them together much. "But you are committed?"

"Pearl avoids me, Honey is vapid, and you are my sister," Granite rumbled. "I am definitely choosing Crystal, whether or not I challenge Claw."

"You can't choose her if you're dead," Lily objected.

"But I will not die." He said it as if it was a foregone conclusion. "I cannot think about this as if I am going to lose. I have to act as if I will win, or not need to challenge at all."

There was something wrong with that way of thinking. "By that logic anything dangerous that offers the slightest chance of success is worth doing. You have to think about what happens if you fail, too!"

"I know what happens if I fail, but I have already made my choice," he replied. "Having made my choice, I am choosing to stop thinking about failure aside from what is necessary to prevent it."

Fighting Bone. Lily understood now, even if she didn't like it. The only thing that made her okay with it was that it all hinged on Claw, and she truly believed Claw wasn't that bad. Not perfect, but not so bad Granite would need to challenge him. "I get it," she said, even though she didn't really understand his motivations. "Thanks for telling me."

"Thanks for not freaking out about it," Granite replied. "I half expected you to."

What was there to say in response to that? She would have freaked out and tried to change his mind if she thought he would find the evidence needed to throw his life away. It was only her confidence in Claw that stopped her from worrying too much.

"Get down there and beat Bone up," she said, forcing herself to purr. "He's literally asking for it."

Granite laughed at that, and dove down to the forest, leaving Lily alone in the sky.

She didn't stay there long. Now, more than ever, she wanted to be watching Claw. The stakes wagered on him had just doubled.

O-O-O-O-O

"Why do you want to know who comes up with our customs and rules?" Pina asked curiously.

"The thought came to mind," Lily replied flippantly. She certainly wasn't going to reveal that she was fishing for information on Pyre's behalf.

"Well, the answer is simple enough," Pina replied. "Claw adds customs and rules every so often, to make sure everything goes smoothly. It is the alpha's right."

Lily held in a sigh of frustration. That wasn't what she wanted to hear at all. "Which ones has he come up with?"

"I cannot remember every rule he has put into place," Pina objected.

"Okay… which ones were _already_ in place when he became alpha?"

"I was only a fledgling," Pina mused. "But I remember… The alpha taking multiple mates was already in effect. I didn't get much of a ceremony when I became an adult, nothing like what there is now, so all of that is from him…"

"Were there challenges before him?"

"Not official ones, I think," Pina replied.

Lily hummed thoughtfully, and proceeded to direct the conversation away from the topic of Claw and rules. That wasn't what she had wanted to hear. What would Pyre say?

She wouldn't tell him until she had the whole story. It didn't matter why Claw had made things like they were, as long as he did not do terrible things with them. Claw hadn't come up with the system of the alpha having multiple mates, after all. He just lived with it.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily crouched under a dark, shadowed overhang in the middle of the dark side of the valley, feeling both embarrassed and disgusted. Following Claw had one particular hazard, one she hadn't thought about in the beginning. One she hadn't known enough to find embarrassing in the past, coming across it as a young fledgling in search of information.

This was the tenth time in less than three weeks. Lily wasn't watching, but she knew what was going on over in the small, very well hidden clearing across from her hiding place. Claw took some of his favored mates there on occasion, whenever the mood struck him.

Today, of all the many mates he had, the favored female had to be Clover, which only made it worse. Lily couldn't even cover her ears, as she had to remain alert just in case someone decided to wander over in her direction afterward. So, she was being forced to hear the truth of Grass's snide commentary.

Thankfully, it ended soon enough, and silence descended upon the dark side of the valley once more. Lily was surprised nobody had ever flown low over it and happened to hear something like that, as Claw taking females over here was apparently a far more regular thing than she would have thought.

"A stimulating performance, as always," Claw rumbled, just barely loud enough to be heard from Lily's hiding place. "But now I need an excuse for all these claw marks."

"You will think of something," Clover simpered breathlessly. "You always do, my big, strong, smart alpha."

Lily felt the distinct urge to toss up her breakfast, but resisted. Claw's special little spot smelled… embarrassing… but distinct, and any out-of-place scent would alert him to it not being as private as he assumed it was.

"Flattery afterward, and seemingly genuine struggling during. You are a good actor. Which one is real?"

"Guess," Clover purred. "I will not say. That would ruin it. And you do so love forcing me down."

"I do." The sound of claws running across stone punctuated that statement.

Lily tasted bile; time to go. She would catch up with him later.

O-O-O-O-O

"Alpha, please tell her it was her fault and make her stop!" a male light wing requested, glaring across the plateau at the female in question. Claw stood up on the plateau, looking from one side to the other, a mate on either side of him ducking slightly to clear his line of sight every time he looked.

Lily, unbeknownst to any of those by the plateau, was also ducking every time Claw's eyes passed over her general location. She had realized that her 'pretend to just be going about her normal business' camouflage tactic wouldn't work over a long period of time, because Claw would soon begin to notice she was _everywhere_ he went. So, when circumstances permitted hiding entirely, she did, just to ensure he didn't see her all the time.

At the moment, she was crouched on top of one of the empty boulders nearby, watching the all too rare event unfolding in front of her. Claw was actually being asked to act like an alpha and solve a dispute.

"My fault?" the female snarled, looking as if she would claw him were it not for the large plateau between them. "It is _your_ mate getting mad at _you._ All I did was exist and happen to live near the rock _your mate_ picked out."

Lily nodded slowly. If she was the one hearing both of them out, she knew which side she would be on. The male's mate, who wasn't even present, was the one stirring up trouble. Possibly the male too, if he really was obviously staring at the female currently snarling at him, but Lily doubted it. He didn't seem like the type to risk so much over absolutely nothing. There was no way he could ever have a different female than the one he was mated to, and this one clearly didn't like him in any case.

Lily was still interested in seeing how Claw handled this case, because while the question of who was in the right was simple, actually handling it didn't look to be at all straightforward.

"Do not tell me to do something," Claw snarled at the male. He stood slowly, shaking off his mates' wings and tails, and approached the male, totally ignoring the female. "You swore to obey me," he hissed. "I did not swear to obey you, did I?"

"No, alpha," the male whined.

Claw walked right up to the edge of the plateau and stuck out one of his paws, setting it on the male's forehead and lightly pulling him forward. The male made to jump up onto the plateau, but Claw shifted his body to block that, all while pulling him forward.

"On your hind legs," Claw instructed neutrally.

The male obeyed, sitting back as told and leaning forward. In that position, his chin was just above the level of the plateau.

Claw proceeded to pull the male's head forward and then push down with his paw, holding him in a very uncomfortable position with his head pinned to the stone and the ledge pressing into his throat.

"You can tell your mate," Claw growled in a low voice, "that your alpha has ordered you to stop staring at another's female. We do not take others' mates."

Lily winced at the frantic, somewhat muffled reply. That was _not_ how she would have handled it; the male probably wasn't the source of the problem. There was something very, very discomforting about seeing Claw make such a strange, bad decision. Hopefully it didn't mean anything. Everyone had bad days, and she certainly couldn't judge his competency by a single decision.

Somehow, none of that made her feel better. It all felt hollow, like she was making excuses for Claw. He shouldn't need excuses made on his behalf.

O-O-O-O-O

"What is _he_ doing here?" Lily murmured to herself, sighting a golden glint at the entrance to the cavern. She avoided Gold on general principle, having decided he was a sneak more than a season-cycle ago, but she still recognized him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Granite asked, coming up behind her. "You are usually out earlier than this."

Lily didn't want to explain that she had become used to getting up later on the days set aside for trailing Claw, as Claw didn't wake up nearly as early as she did, so she ignored the question in favor of flicking her tail over in Gold's direction. "Any ideas?"

Granite rumbled knowingly. "Yeah, I know. The alpha told him, Bone, and me to be here this morning. Something about us being given responsibility."

"Just you? Why not me?" Why the males, specifically? From all Lily had observed over the past half-dozen weeks, Claw vastly preferred spending time with females. He barely ever even spoke to other males, and when he did, it was in a very superior tone.

"No idea. I suppose you could hang around and find out. Maybe he will say." Granite shrugged his wing shoulders. "Although, that _would_ mean you would be hanging around Gold for a short while…"

"I think I will watch from afar," Lily declared, taking care to make it sound like she was not in the habit of watching almost everything Claw did in exactly that way. A subtle lilt to her voice was enough to imply that it was an idea she had just come up with, which it was not. "Pretend I am not here."

"If you wish," Granite agreed, before walking off to greet Gold. Lily didn't understand why he felt the need to be polite to Gold, but it was his choice to do so. She was glad she had the option of completely ignoring Gold's existence.

Soon, Bone arrived, and soon after that, Claw ventured out from the side-cavern he had spent the night in. It was clear to Lily that he had already been awake for a little while; his stance and walk did not exude lingering tiredness like they normally did when he emerged. She had watched him long enough to know the difference.

"Good, you three are here," Claw called out, getting the attention of the three males, along with most of the other dragons in the cavern and a few of the older fledglings. "You are all prompt."

"Our alpha calls us," Gold simpered, bowing so low his chin bumped the ground.

"Yes, I did," Claw agreed happily. "I wish to speak to each of you privately. A few of my mates have agreed to vacate their side-cavern for us."

"About what?" Bone asked carefully. He seemed suspicious, though Lily doubted anyone else noticed it. Maybe Granite, as he knew Bone planned on challenging Claw, but surely nobody else.

"Since you have asked, I will speak to you first. Come." He turned, deliberately exposing his back to Bone, and headed deeper into the cavern. Bone followed.

Lily growled in annoyance. The one place she could not even try to spy was inside the narrow corridors and side-caverns; there simply wasn't any room to hide or maneuver there, and no excuse to be present, especially as Claw was actually seeking privacy.

So, Lily had to content herself with imagining what was going on in there. Claw wanted to get to know Bone, so there would be questions. Bone was not all that smart, but he was probably careful enough to lie and give answers Claw wanted to hear.

Or, maybe Bone would openly admit he wanted to challenge Claw, kill him, and take his place. It wouldn't be a huge surprise, even though doing so was monumentally stupid.

Hopefully, though, it would just be a nice, simple interview. Lily was totally fine with the prospect of being able to tell Pyre, once and for all, that Claw actually cared about his people, and didn't encourage them to challenge him and die. Getting to know them was directly opposite that sort of thing.

It was good that she was going to be able to report something positive. So far, everything she had observed was either disappointing, irrelevant, or unsettling. Claw was no longer the perfect alpha in her eyes; everyone had flaws, and she now saw he was no exception. Lazy, sometimes rude and dismissive, whimsical with his authority, not the greatest at handling his pack's little problems, and the list went on.

Of course, Lily hadn't told Pyre any of this yet, insisting that she wanted a complete picture in her own mind before relaying it to Pyre. This was going to be the balancing attribute she was waiting for!

Better yet, she could ask Granite what actually happened in there, once it was his turn! Something was finally going right-

Bone stalked out of the tunnel, his eyes narrow and determined. "Gold, he is waiting for you," he snarled, not even stopping to relay his message as he headed directly for the exit.

Lily exchanged a look with Granite, who seemed as unsettled as she felt. What did Claw say to make Bone mad, of all things?

"Bone gets mad pretty easily," Granite reminded her, walking over to stand by Lily and in the process casting aside any pretense at her not being there, not that she minded now. "But I would have thought he could hold his temper for a short time."

"You will hold yours, right?" Lily asked. Bone had nothing to lose, while Granite definite did.

"I hope so, but not knowing what he might say or do, how can I be sure?" Granite replied thoughtfully. "I wonder what he is saying to Gold."

Gold walked out of the tunnel, surprising both of them. He had not been in there for half the time Claw had taken with Bone, and he seemed calm enough. "Granite."

"Time to see what is what," Granite remarked, before heading into the tunnel. His tail disappeared around the first turn with a little flick, as if waving goodbye.

Lily pushed away a surge of foreboding, staring at the empty tunnel entrance. Claw was not bad, Granite was in no danger; Bone had left mad, and he _intended_ to kill Claw. Why was she worried?

Maybe because every time she learned something new about Claw, it was either irrelevant or bad. Maybe because Granite was worried, and he was the one going in there. Or maybe she was worried because she didn't know what to think anymore.

Time passed. Lily tried to distract herself by watching two fledglings run around in circles, but all too soon their Dams broke it up, and it wasn't helping her anyway. Memories of her and Granite doing almost the exact same thing kept coming to mind, bringing her back to the thing she was trying to wait patiently for.

"Well, that was fun," Claw announced, walking out into the main cavern. Two of his mates instantly took their places on either side of him, and the three of them swept out of the cavern so fast Lily would have assumed Claw was late for something if she hadn't known he never had anywhere he _needed_ to be.

Granite followed a moment later, making for Lily immediately. "That was odd," he rumbled quietly, leaning in so that only she could hear. "Want the summary?"

"I want to hear every word spoken, but a summary is acceptable," she declared. Ideally, she would have heard it all herself, but that wasn't an option.

"He started out by telling me that I was not going to inherit being alpha," Granite explained. "He said the title would go to someone he actually liked, and that the only way I was ever going to get anything would be to fight him, and that I had better not try at all."

"So he was telling you not to challenge," Lily sighed happily. That would explain it all. Bone would be mad about being told such a thing, while Gold wouldn't particularly care, as there was no way he was brave enough to even consider it.

"Well, yes, but at the same time, no," Granite replied, crushing her brief moment of relief. "You know that thing _you_ do with certain people? Telling them not to do something, and then getting what you want when they defy you?"

"Yes…" She knew exactly what he meant. "But Claw was not doing that, surely."

"The more I think about it, the more I am sure that is _exactly_ what he was doing, and if I cared at all for being alpha, or if I had not promised Crystal, I would have fallen for it and decided to challenge."

So… Claw _was_ trying to manipulate the males of Lily's season-cycle into challenging him and dying. Just as Pyre had originally inferred. Lily had argued against it, but now she was hearing proof. This was bad.

Lily seized upon the first, most immediate consequence of what she had just heard. "You are not going to challenge him."

"This is not the kind of thing I suspected," Granite admitted, "and telling me _not_ to challenge is hardly proof of anything. So no, I cannot while holding to my promise. Nothing has changed for me."

Good. One of several dangers averted, leaving only the huge, horrible dilemma Lily had just been given. Claw was not a good person, and Pyre was right.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily flew in the warm, open sky, feeling the crisp wind on her scales. Summer was nearing an end, and it would be cold soon enough. Cold fit her at the moment.

Claw was manipulative. That was not bad in and of itself; Lily prided herself on possessing that same trait. But he was a different kind of manipulative, one that tried to trick fledglings into attacking so that he could kill them and take the females they otherwise would have claimed.

Lily believed that, now. It fit with what she had observed of Claw, and what Pyre had guessed without even knowing him. She could not deny it any longer.

Lazy. Condescending. Controlling. Lustful. Manipulative. Murderous. She could not bring that list to Pyre, but there was nothing good to add to it. What was she going to do?

Lily coasted on an updraft and closed her eyes, taking everything she knew of Pyre and running the situation through it. What would happen if she told him everything she knew?

He would be furious; not at her, but at Claw. He would do what he had promised. A flightless light wing would go down into the valley and challenge the alpha. That entire scenario roared 'danger' at Lily every time she thought about it. Claw was large and probably a good fighter, and in charge of the entire valley. There were so many ways Pyre could die down there, and Lily just couldn't see him beating Claw in a one-on-one fight, if such a thing even occurred.

Pyre could come up with a clever plan… But he had told her, several times, that fighting was not his strong point. She didn't think there was a plan clever enough to totally protect him, and if he died, a part of her would die too.

So... what if she did not tell him?

She would have to lie. To come up with an explanation he would accept, and to hold to it. To lie over and over again, every day, every time something that touched upon the situation in the valley came up in conversation.

To make matters worse, not only would she be lying about what she had discovered, she knew Pyre would not forget the plan to fix whatever _was_ responsible for males dying every season-cycle. She needed a lie that would stand up to her supposedly acting to change things.

She couldn't _think_ of a lie that powerful. No matter how elaborate it got, she would need to maintain it, and maintain it perfectly, because Pyre would notice if she slipped; if there was even the slightest edge on that scale, he would pick at it until he pried it loose.

But she couldn't let him go down into the valley and get himself hurt or killed, either!

Lily powered upward, flying higher than where the clouds would have been had the sky been overcast, and bore the frigid wind that was found at such altitudes. There had to be an answer here, one that kept Pyre safe.

At its core, this was about one of two choices. She could see no other options. Either she told the truth and dealt with what Pyre said and did in response, or she lied for his own good.

Lily's heart balked at the idea of lying to Pyre, but it hurt like nothing else when she imagined him dying because she _hadn't_ lied. He would go down there if she told him Claw was as bad as he had guessed, and that was failure on her part, because then it would be up to luck.

Put like that, there was only one choice. She had to lie, and she had to lie well.

Lily looked around, quickly locating the setting sun in the West. She had time; Pyre wasn't expecting her until tomorrow morning, and she didn't have to tell him anything then. That was good, because she needed all the time she could get to craft a good enough set of lies.

She just wished it did not feel like she was losing him. This was for his own good. She was keeping him safe, just as he would want to protect her were the positions reversed.

That made her feel a little better about what she was going to do. She was protecting him. He would understand someday, when she could safely tell him the truth. Whenever that day was. After Claw was…

Gone? What was she going to do about her Sire, the alpha, the one who had turned out so terrible, despite her high opinion of him in the beginning? Because this was not something she could simply ignore. The task seemed insurmountable, especially with how naive she felt with everything she'd learned recently.

Maybe, if she thought hard enough while crafting the lies that would keep Pyre safe, she could find an answer to that question too.


	7. Deceptive

"I'm done," Lily finally mustered the confidence to announce, committing herself to what she had decided to do. She had spent more than enough time agonizing over her plan, going over every possible detail and complication. A quarter moon in total, if she counted from the moment she decided she needed to lie to Pyre for his own good. The lie had to be perfect, complete and checkable; if it was flawed, Pyre _would_ catch on.

Lily didn't want to think about what would happen if Pyre found out she was lying, so she chose not to. Now she understood what Granite had meant about not contemplating failure. It was impossible to focus on anything else if she let herself fall into that trap, so she pretended that she could not possibly fail, and ignored it.

"With what?" Pyre asked calmly, digging through the sand. "Your pile does not look big enough to me, so that is not it."

"No, not my sand pile," Lily agreed, swiping her paw through the sand to add a few grains to it, not really trying all that hard. This was more important than making a nice pile to bury herself in, even if the sun-warmed sand would be pleasant in the brisk air. "Investigating Claw."

Pyre immediately turned away from his own pile, eyeing her expectantly. "Really?"

"Yes. Want to hear what I've determined?" Lily asked impishly, forcing herself to act as she would if she really had discovered the alternative scenario she was going to pass off as truth. It would be best if she could truly deceive herself into believing it for the moment, but that was out of her reach, and self-delusion seemed like a bad idea in any case. Pyre had told her as much.

"Oh, no, you can just say nothing and we can go back to making piles of sand," Pyre drawled, walking over to her and deliberately sitting on her unimpressive pile. "I think we both know better."

"I should have waited until you were buried," Lily decided. "Okay, so here's what I've figured out."

This was it. Up to this point, she could have backed out. The moment she began to lie, though, she would be stuck. Stuck deceiving, stuck looking over everything she said for contradictions. The moment she lied, she would sacrifice the easy, open trust she shared with Pyre.

But she knew what she was sacrificing that _for._ Pyre's life. More than worth the price, if she looked at it that way, and he would do the same for her if the situation required it.

"Claw is lazy, a little cruel at times, and not great with decision-making," Lily said, not letting her voice waver, "but he does not encourage the males to fight him, and actually took all three of this season-cycle aside to dissuade them from doing exactly that. He is too lazy to want to have to fight, and too lazy to change the system. He also likes having many mates, and so has no incentive to change."

Pyre nodded slowly, either believing her or suspending his objections for the moment. "So..?"

"It is the parents," Lily lied, sticking to the only scenario she could think of that could be upheld through any possible action Pyre might take to verify her conclusion. "All the males who challenge either truly want to for their own reasons, or do so because one or both of their parents have manipulated them into it."

"But you told me it was _not_ the parents, that they discouraged challenges," Pyre reminded her carefully.

Of course, she had already thought of an answer to that inconsistency, as it was one of the more obvious ones. "I was basing that off of what Crystal told me. She said all parents try and convince their sons not to challenge, but that's not true. No two cases are alike."

"You made an easy mistake," Pyre agreed, "in not checking for yourself before taking what you were told as true. That makes sense. Is there anything else?"

Lily shook her head. "I know almost too much about Claw now, and he is not very impressive," she admitted. "But that is all that matters. He is not the problem, the system and the parents are." The lie itself was simple and only a single issue; what came next was what made lying so complex and difficult.

"So we need to change the system," Pyre sighed. "At least there will be no fighting for me. I am not a fighter."

Lily nodded; if she was confident Pyre was capable of beating Claw, then she wouldn't be lying right now.

"Of course," Pyre continued, "the first step is for me to go check some of this, just to get my own perspective so I can better advise. If you could find some pairs of parents who do support their sons dying, I could go down camouflaged and watch-"

Lily whined loudly, drawing upon the very real horror she felt at that proposition. "No! They'll catch you!"

"Camouflaged," Pyre reminded her.

"That means nothing except that everyone who does see you will be suspicious!" And some people would, because the valley was crowded and their camouflage was not perfect. "You cannot go down there!"

"Lily, it is a small risk-"

Lily rushed forward and buried her nose in Pyre's chest, whining all the while. "No, please! You are exiled, they will hurt or kill you the moment they realize you are not one of them, and the camouflage wears off fast, and fire isn't really allowed in the valley, and you have to walk all the way down and up again to leave," she rambled, revealing many real objections in a stream intended to convey just how terrible an idea that was.

Terrible both in that it was risky, which Lily would dislike in any case, and in that if Pyre went down into the valley, he would probably come across something that cast doubt on her lie. She couldn't let him go down there; the entire point of her lying was to stop exactly that.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Pyre hummed, sounding surprised at just how vehemently she had rejected the very idea, then settled onto his chest to look at her evenly. "Let's talk about it. I was thinking about coming down in secret to see your ceremony, so we would be discussing this sooner or later anyway."

That was a surprise, and Lily did not have to fake her shock. "But… it's really dangerous," she objected, looking up at Pyre. "You wanted to come down for that?"

"If we could figure out a way to make the risk bearable."

"It will never be worth the risk," Lily whined. "Please, promise me you won't go down there for anything! I… I don't know what I'd do if you didn't make it back…" If she could get a promise like that, she would be more than satisfied with how her deception was going.

"...I never dreamed you would be so worried," Pyre rumbled. Lily tilted her head at the tremor in his voice, but he ignored her to nuzzle the back of her neck. "How about 'I promise not to go down into the valley unless you are in danger and in need of saving?' Would that work?"

"Yes," Lily sighed, relieved beyond words. That was more than enough for her; she wasn't in any danger down there in any case. Claw only killed the males who challenged.

"Of course," Pyre continued, murmuring into Lily's ears, "that does limit my ways of coming to my own conclusions."

"Sorry," Lily said, not feeling sorry at all. Hopefully he thought it was not intentional. She had not been faking her horror at the idea of him going down, so there would be no insincerity there for him to notice, but she was playing a dangerous game, and Pyre was at least as observant as she was.

"I will just need to get more creative," he decided. "I am thinking… can you spy on the parents who try and convince their sons to challenge? I would do so, but I cannot, and short of talking to one of the males, that is the best option."

"I can try," Lily hedged, "but it will mostly be luck whether or not I hear anything useful." She wasn't going to explain _how_ she had come to the conclusion that it was the parents at fault unless Pyre asked, as that would be adding unnecessary complexity to the story. "But if I do, I can repeat it word for word."

"Perfect." Pyre nodded in satisfaction. "You will be my ears."

Lily purred in relieved agreement. That would work; she would be the filter between Pyre and the truth.

"For the moment, though, let's assume we have the whole story," Pyre suggested. "Obviously, we want to stop the custom and the deaths as soon as possible."

Lily nodded, masking her drop in tension by scratching at an itch behind her wing. Pyre was not stupid, far from it, but she knew him. Once they started planning out a solution, he would focus on that, not on making sure she was right. He trusted her to have investigated to the best of her ability, and he trusted her to tell the truth.

"Time is not going to be an issue," Lily revealed. "We want to prevent deaths, right?"

"You have a plan already?" Pyre asked curiously.

"More of an explanation," Lily replied. "This season-cycle, there are only three males. Two of them, Granite and Gold, are not challenging. The third, Bone, is set on it. None of them are being forced to do anything. So this season-cycle is fine."

"Bone," Pyre rumbled. "Lily, we want to stop his imminent death too. He is not 'fine' right now."

"Right, yes," Lily said hurriedly, not having been thinking in that way. In her eyes, if Bone wanted to throw his life away for his own reasons, she wasn't going to be too worried about stopping him… but Pyre wanted her to worry, and she saw his point. "I'm not sure how to handle him."

"That is where I come in," Pyre purred. "Short-term, convincing Bone to not challenge. Long term, though…"

"Let's focus on the immediate future," Lily requested, feeling a sick pit in her stomach at the idea of planning long-term based on her lie.

"We will have to undermine and then overthrow Claw," Pyre decided, not heeding her request at all. "Or convince him to change things. Give him a motive to do so, a reason… I will need time to consider this."

"You have plenty of time," Lily agreed. Hopefully Pyre would come up with something that worked just as well for the true situation as it did the lie he would craft it to solve.

"And plenty of sand," Pyre hummed, stepping off of her pile and laying beside his own, much larger mound of sand. "Mind covering me?"

Lily leaped at the task, eager for any distraction, and began nosing sand onto Pyre. As she did, she relaxed slightly, though there was a tension in her chest that didn't seem to be fading.

This was not a victory, not a total success. There was no such thing in a situation like this; she had to hold the lie indefinitely. The first, initial telling was just a small part of that. From here on out, every word had to be measured before spoken, at least in relation to the valley.

But she was doing this for his own good. Much like the sand she was moving onto him to warm him and protect him from the cold wind, her lies were keeping him safe.

O-O-O-O-O

The cold-season passed in a white, icy blur to Lily. The valley always seemed to put life on hold for a few moon-cycles in the cold-season, and this season-cycle was no exception.

For Lily, the cold-season was also a time of pity. Pyre did not enjoy the biting, freezing air and snow, and she didn't like knowing he was suffering. Much of her time was spent in his company, and often in his cave. Her body heat made life more bearable for him.

But spending time with Pyre was no longer as relaxing as it once had been. That was the price of keeping him safe. Every time the valley was brought up, she danced through the conversation with light steps, carefully answering and redirecting every dangerous inquiry, outright lying only when absolutely necessary.

She never would have managed it if he did not trust her implicitly. She had never realized just how trusting he was, despite knowing her to be manipulative, until now, when she needed to take advantage of it. It made her feel terrible and good at the same time.

But even with that trust, keeping up the lie was difficult.

And so the cold-season passed, amidst redirected inquiries, huddling in caverns, and generally waiting for the world to not be so bitterly freezing. With the thaw, events sprang back into motion, as if no longer frozen by the cold.

O-O-O-O-O

One fine, warm day, Lily caught up with Crystal in the air over the valley. They flew together, Crystal correcting her course to fly out over the ocean, and Lily following. After a long cold-season of not being able to fly anywhere without feeling as if her scales were freezing holes in her skin, Lily enjoyed the mild, warm air.

"How are you doing with Bone?" Crystal called over, slowing down so that they could glide side by side. "Convinced him yet?"

Lily shrugged her wing shoulders. She hadn't really said all that much to Bone, despite Pyre and Crystal both urging her to convince him not to challenge, Pyre for Bone's sake, and Crystal for Lily's. Bone was stubborn and already didn't like her, though, so she really didn't think she was the one to convince him of anything. That was a dead end until she could come up with an angle to approach from that didn't end with her being ignored.

"Too bad," Crystal hummed. She dipped down in the air for no apparent reason, drawing Lily's full attention.

Something was wrong. Lily could see it now. There was a stressed hitch to Crystal's flight, the way her wings flapped down just a little too quickly and then hesitated to make up for the imbalance. "Are you tired?"

"What?" Crystal asked. "Yes, I am. I was up most of last night."

"Why?" Lily considered joking about Crystal being tired because she met up with Granite the night before, but decided it was in poor taste. Especially when she knew neither of them was anything but honorable, and thus entirely unlikely to do anything like that.

"I could not sleep," Crystal replied, not elaborating at all. "Lily, can I ask you something?"

Lily nodded. "Of course."

"Is..." Crystal sighed, starting over. "I promised someone something, and I promised someone else another thing. But now I cannot hold to both promises, and I fear the consequences of breaking either might be terrible."

That sounded bad, but it also sounded a _lot_ like the hypothetical scenarios Pyre had used to teach her morality. She could handle this. "And I suppose you cannot tell me any more than that?"

"One to keep a secret, and the other to keep watch," Crystal whined. "I have to break one, but I do not know which to break."

Crystal would not make a promise she couldn't keep, so she must have noticed the conflict afterwards. Had she caught an unmated couple sneaking off or something? "Which promise did you make first?"

"To keep it secret, but it was not so much a promise spoken as implied. I was trusted with something."

"And if you tell, will it help or hurt the one keeping it secret?"

"It might help... but it might also hurt some people, and not help at all." Crystal whined. "I cannot see an answer, and I only have a few moon-cycles to figure it out."

So the ceremony was the deadline. Lily had a sneaking suspicion. "Is this about Granite?"

"No," Crystal replied. "It is not."

"Just a guess," Lily hummed, feeling relieved. She wouldn't pry further than that for now, as long as Crystal didn't remain distressed and unhappy. "This is hard," Lily continued, getting back to the question at paw. "But will the one who learns the secret want what is best for the secret-keeper? Are either of them in the wrong?"

"No... They are both blameless, and in that case, the one who learned would do their best to help. It is what that will cause that I fear."

"Then tell, and apologize after the one you told on is helped," Lily decided. "There is no perfect answer, but that is the best one from your point of view."

"And if it all falls apart?"

"Then you can blame me," Lily flippantly replied, "as this is the right course of action, from what I can tell."

"You really should not say things like that," Crystal replied quietly. "But thank you for the advice."

"You're welcome. And now that you know what to do, I think you should forget about it for a while." Lily decided her friend could use a distraction, and turned in a tight circle, redirecting herself to fly in the opposite direction to Crystal. "Come on, let's go do something fun."

O-O-O-O-O

"...Then he spit the fish head at me and flew off," Lily recounted for Pyre. "We can forget appealing to his sense of reason. He doesn't have one." Yet another failure with Bone. It was beginning to get to her, if only because she had never before come across anyone who actively disliked her.

"Reason, greed, laziness, pride," Pyre growled, listing their failed attempts. "Pity, empathy, practicality, caution… Why is this male so determined to die? We have tried everything I would suggest, and then some."

Lily nodded agreeably. Of course, Pyre wouldn't suggest 'lust' as a method of persuasion, and she wasn't willing to try that, so it worked out the same. She didn't _need_ Bone; they were only trying to sway him from his self-destructive course out of altruism. On the brighter side, every rude insult made Lily even less likely to be bothered if they failed and Bone died in a few moon-cycles.

"I won't tell you to keep trying," Pyre continued. "Not until we come up with another approach."

"And if we don't before the ceremony? At what point do we accept that this is his will?" Lily asked curiously.

"I have a problem with _letting_ someone die for nothing," Pyre growled. Then he wilted, lowering his head to rest on the ground. "But… If he really wants to challenge, no matter how risky… Maybe you are right."

Lily walked over to him and nuzzled the top of his head. "I didn't mean it like that," she clarified, though she really had. This wasn't important enough to upset Pyre over. "It seems like this is out of our claws anyway. Bone won't listen to anyone."

"That doesn't make it any less of a question. Just because we _cannot_ do something does not mean it doesn't matter whether we _would_ do it." Pyre lifted his head, nuzzling her back. "Never mind. I had something else I wanted to talk to you about today." His voice had grown serious.

Lily tried not to flinch. He probably didn't mean her deception; there was no way he could know about that. But if he did, this could be the moment it all came crashing down...

"You're becoming an adult so fast," he continued. "I don't know how they do it now, but we used to give fledgling gifts around this time in their life, to congratulate them."

"You don't need to give me anything," Lily objected, wondering as she did what he had to give. The pack as a whole had definitely stopped observing that tradition, given she had never heard of it.

"No, but I want to, daughter of my daughter." His voice was serious. "I want to tell you of my past, as I know you value knowledge more than anything."

That was... "Yes," she agreed eagerly. "You can stand to speak of it?"

"For the right reason, I will," he confirmed. "I will hurt, but it is a different, lesser pain now. You have made it lesser, so you deserve to understand."

"Then I would be honored." She sat down next to him, anticipating the need to comfort him at some point soon. It would be easy to throw a wing over him and hold him close from here.

"I don't think you would enjoy hearing of my youth," Pyre began, "for it was simple and boring, likely just like yours with different faces and names... and places."

Lily was intrigued by how he said that. "Where did you grow up?" She resisted the temptation to question how Pyre's time as a fledgling could possibly have been anything like hers. He was clearly speaking of the more normal, day-to-day aspects of her life.

Pyre smirked at her, though there was an odd edge to his voice. "My home was... strange, compared to here. You would have liked it there. There was no sky."

Lily felt her mouth dropping open. "You cannot be serious."

"A seemingly endless series of massive caverns, no sun or moon," Pyre confirmed. "I left because of… territorial disputes. Those are probably over with now, but that was how this pack started. Everyone's ancestors came from there. I am one of the few still alive who recall it. Maybe the last."

"How old are you?"

"Hmm..." Pyre looked down, muttering under his breath. "I am... let's see. Ten in the caves, forty before her, ten or so chasing..." He looked up. "About one hundred season-cycles, give or take a few."

Lily felt her eyes bulge out. She hadn't expected such a high number. "And how old is my Dam?"

"About fifty season-cycles," he laughed. "Still young. I, on the other hand, probably only have a few decades left, though we live to two hundred, sometimes. I _feel_ old."

"So why..." She shook her head. "I'll look into this later." Those numbers raised indistinct questions, inconsistencies she would have to think about. "So aside from the crazy starting point, normal."

"Normal," he confirmed. "I grew up, became an adult, and eventually fell in love, though it took quite a while. The pack was a group of wanderers who went wherever we pleased, never staying in the same place for long."

"Sounds hard, to never settle down," Lily remarked. She preferred this sedentary life because she could know all there was to know about the place they lived. Constantly moving would be a nightmare for her.

"It was what we did," Pyre explained. "Our alpha was stern, but well-liked. He had a mate, and they were deeply in love. As was I, with a female named Risa." He whined that name, closing his eyes for a long moment.

"What does that mean?" Lily had never heard that particular name before.

"It is just a version of the word 'rise' modified to sound like a name," Pyre explained. "It fit her. She always rose to the occasion. No challenge was too great for her."

"So you had a mate, and all was well," Lily summarized. "Then what?"

"We settled in a wooded valley for one harsh Winter, and realized that we were not alone. An orange dark wing approached us, looking for company." Pyre sighed. "I see now, in retrospect, that he was simply lonely, and I do not think he had a bad heart. At the time I was only worried that he would try and take Risa, or another of our females, and the rest of the pack felt the same. We kept him at a distance. Even then, he was polite and stayed in the area for a while."

That was a little less happy, but Lily knew there had to be so much more to come. "He was not an issue?"

"No. Before he departed, he warned us of a nest of No-scaled-not-prey nearby." Pyre warbled curiously. "I taught you a bit of those, right?"

"Like us but with a different language, no wings, and dangerous minds," Lily recited. "Avoid, not to be eaten under any circumstances." They were far from the strangest kind of life Pyre had told her of.

"Yes. I know all of that because..." he trailed off.

Now Pyre was becoming quieter, and Lily sensed that they were reaching the bad parts. "Yes?"

"A few moon-cycles after he left, as the cold season passed, prey became scarce, and the ocean was not close. Risa laid an egg, our first egg, and I went for food," he whined. "I went to the nest we had been warned of, for I thought that they were prey, despite the name. They downed me because I was not careful."

"But you survived." Lily had the advantage of knowing he lived to tell her this tale now.

"For a long time, they held me captive in the middle of their nest, in a place of small openings and no big ones. They called it a cage." Pyre winced. "I learned the language out of boredom, and after a few moon-cycles determined that they were holding me in the hope that others of their kind who were coming soon would want me. There was talk of my skin taken for coverings."

"Why didn't the pack rescue you?" That was what she would have expected.

"They did not know where I had gone, and knew to avoid the No-scaled-not-prey." Now he was shivering as if recalling that time, that old fear. "Eventually, I escaped, having worked for a long time at breaking one of the bars, using my fire every day on the cage. It weakened, eventually."

"Was the pack still in the same place?" Lily asked eagerly.

"Yes, and Risa was beside herself in relief," Pyre recounted sadly. "The egg had hatched, and though Cressa did not know me, I was sure that I would have time to bond with her. But then the No-scaled-not-prey my captors had been waiting for came and began searching the area. For me, or for others like me."

"So you all flew away?" That was the smart thing to do.

"No." Pyre covered his head with his paws, unable to look her in the eye any longer. "I had overheard that these No-scaled-not-prey were hunters of our kind specifically, and made it their life's work. I told the alpha this."

That did not seem so bad, but Lily could hear the immense regret in his voice. "What happened?"

"He decided that as we were powerful dragons and they were small No-scaled-not-prey, we would wipe them out. All the males were to go, as that was how we fought back then. The females were to stay back and guard the young."

"Like Cressa," Lily agreed. "So what happened?" She wanted to move this along so that Pyre would not dwell on it longer than absolutely necessary.

"Risa saw that I was weak from my imprisonment, and we argued. She wanted to go in my place, as she was the stronger of us and more likely to survive. I did not want her to." He whined, a piercing sound of pain. "We raced in the sky for the right to go, as she convinced me that it was only fair she went if I could not match her speed and stamina. I was weak, and had not flown in months." A moment's silence.

"She won." He was whispering now. "I was to stay with Cressa, for one of us had to, and she would take my place. But she was good friends with the alpha's mate, and the idea struck her as a good one. The alpha came to me the night before, and told me that his mate was going alongside him, for Risa had convinced her to."

That did not sound good. "He was not happy with that?"

Pyre chuckled bitterly, still whining. "He promised me that if his mate fell in battle, he would destroy my life in all ways possible, as I was responsible for all of this. I watched as Risa, the alpha's mate, and all the males of the pack flew off to war, to crush the No-scaled-not-prey I had told them about. Risa and I had just argued again, and in the heat of the moment, I forgot to really say goodbye."

Now Lily was beginning to understand, and she was horrified. "Who came back?"

"Not Risa," was the reply, amidst quiet sobbing. Lily tightened her wing around Pyre, having apparently draped it over him at some point, and gently keened for him. To not only lose his mate, but to be responsible in several ways for her death...

"The night after they left, I was waiting with Cressa, who did not really know me yet," Pyre continued after a moment. "I was watching the sky, worried out of my mind. Watching the full moon. The alpha caught me unaware, coming out of the forest on foot."

Lily winced, putting the pieces together. "His mate didn't make it either..."

"Less than a third of the males who had left returned alive, and they were all hurt. Risa and the alpha's mate were among the fallen." Pyre spread his wings, lifting his head to stare at them. "The alpha and a few of his followers surrounded me."

She understood, but something told her he would continue to speak even if she did not want to hear it, for the story had been begun. It needed to be finished. So she held her silence.

"First, they took Cressa away," he whined. "A mercy, he called it. Then they pinned me, and he..." He nodded to his wings, to the total lack of membrane, "well, you can see."

That was what Lily had assumed from the moment Pyre told of the alpha's promise. "And then?"

"Then, the pack left me." Pyre shrugged. "That hurt less than losing Risa, but Cressa was all I had left, so I fought to stay alive, and followed them on foot. The first moon-cycles were very difficult, but they were traveling with fledglings, so I could keep up."

He laughed bitterly. "Every time I reached them, they set off again, trying to lose me. I don't know why the alpha did not just kill me, or take them out over the ocean when they reached it. It might have been part of his punishment for me, to leave me some small piece of hope, forever struggling to recover something that I could never have. The bodies only made it worse."

"Bodies?" He had lost her there. "What bodies?"

"Sickness struck them shortly after they left the valley," Pyre explained sadly. "I don't know what it was, or how it spread, but I came across the remains of light wings every so often. Most of the time they had been burned, as is custom, but the few who had not showed no recent wounds or hurts, aside from blood-stained nostrils and the stench of sickness. I stayed away from those."

"So... why are we here?" Lily looked around at the beach and the mountains in the distance. "You found them here." If they always kept moving, why had they stopped?

"Here is where the alpha died of that same sickness," Pyre explained with no joy in his voice. "Here is also where, I assume, the next alpha decided there would be no more traveling. But it was too late. Cressa was long since grown, and had been taught her entire life to hate me." He whined sadly. "I cannot fault that. To her, I was simply a male she knew for less than a moon-cycle who was apparently responsible for all that was bad in her life."

So... that just brought her back to her earlier confusion. "Claw has been alpha for as long as we have lived here." She thought so, at least.

"I assume so."

"But... I am his eldest daughter." Lily thought about that. "How long has the pack been here?"

"About forty season-cycles. I see your point. Claw had no children before you?" Pyre growled skeptically. "There must have been another alpha before him, one neither of us knows of."

"Odd..." Lily mused. "To hide that random piece of history..." And it would have been hidden, because she would have heard of such a recent event at some point. Possibly not well-hidden or even intentionally obscured, given how much was unsaid in the pack, but hidden nonetheless.

Then something occurred to her. "Wait, no." She paused a second to work through what had just occurred to her, and then continued. "Pina was a fledgling when Claw took over, and I think she's too old for there to have been another alpha between the pack settling here and Claw." If she had to guess, she would have put Pina at around fifty season-cycles of age, though it was hard to tell. Certainly over twenty.

"And in any case, that does not answer the question of why you are his first child, if he was trying for any amount of time before you came along. Something does not add up here," Pyre asserted. "There's probably a simple answer, but I'm curious as to what it is."

"As am I," Lily agreed. "I'll look into it." That, at least, was something she could investigate without worrying too much about having to spin it for Pyre. "Thank you for telling me of your past. Was this the time you were waiting for?" She wouldn't be surprised if it was; Pyre was the kind of person to plan for something season-cycles in advance.

"Yes, almost from the start, though my reasons changed as time passed," Pyre hummed. "I am glad you know, now. It is always better to be open with the people we really trust."

That innocent statement struck Lily like a claw to the heart, tearing into her. She knew he wasn't prying for information; this could not be a subtle jab at her. If he knew, he would confront her. But it hurt all the same for him being oblivious.

"It is preferable," she managed, hiding her sudden unhappiness.

"Perhaps preferable is a better word," he idly agreed. "Now, what are we going to do with the rest of today? The other part of my gift to you is leaving this day up to your whims."

"My whims? You make it sound like I'm scatterbrained," Lily lightly complained, putting her unease aside. This was going to be a good day, and she wouldn't let her lie get in the way. Everything Pyre had told her needed to be examined, thought over and picked apart, but that could also wait. She had time.

O-O-O-O-O

More than half a moon-cycle later, Lily prowled through the valley, seeking nothing in particular. It was almost nightfall, and she liked wandering every once in a while. All around her, light wings were settling down to sleep. She herself was not heading to the caverns just yet, but she felt the pull of pleasant exhaustion dragging at her steps and pulling her tail down.

Now was a time for winding down and settling in to sleep… which made it even stranger for her to see Gold going in the wrong direction, directly away from his home, the location of which she only knew in order to avoid it. Her constant secret-chasing days were past, but that was too unusual to ignore, so she trailed him from a distance.. Slinking from rock to rock, thankful that most of the boulders were tall enough to hide her entirely. Gold's destination soon became apparent, but that only heightened Lily's curiosity. What business did Gold have at Crystal's family rock?

That question held Lily to the shadows even as Gold loitered just within sight of Crystal's family rock, clearly waiting for a chance to do... something. She wanted to know. Crystal was a friend and Gold was not, so Lily felt an obligation to make sure the latter didn't bother the former.

"What are you doing here?" Crystal's voice asked, startlingly close. Lily jumped before realizing that the angry question was not directed at her. She could not see Crystal, but she could see Gold, and she knew Crystal had to be just out of sight. Gold stared to the left, around a rock Lily couldn't see past, indicating which direction Crystal was in.

"I came to see you," Gold purred.

"And now you have, so leave," Crystal said abruptly.

"I want you," Gold began without preamble, sounding confident and yet shifty. "Pick me at the ceremony, and I will probably choose you."

"Really," Crystal drawled. "And what makes you think _I_ want _you_? No."

Lily silently cheered at the annoyed expression on Gold's face. She enjoyed seeing him completely put down. He deserved it, with that smarmy, insincere offer. The fact that he had waited until now, barely more than a moon-cycle before the ceremony, also did not speak well of him.

"Claw will not be alpha forever," Gold said slowly. "Someone will need to replace him when he dies of old age or accident. I will be that someone."

"You think you will be alpha instead of one of his sons?" Crystal laughed. "Granite could tear you apart."

"Strength is not all that matters," Gold growled. "I am going to be alpha someday. Choose me now, and you will be favored when that day comes, first among my mates."

Lily noticed a strange glint in Gold's eyes. He really did want that... for the power, or for the way being alpha allowed him multiple mates. That both disgusted and impressed her, for he seemed determined. He would need to be watched.

"I will ask again later, when you have had time to consider," Gold finished. "We will be adults soon. You should start thinking like an adult."

"Says the fledgling who would be alpha," Crystal scoffed. Then there was silence, and Lily assumed Crystal had left.

Gold turned... and met Lily's eyes.

Lily realized that she had come out from behind the rock in her desire to hear more clearly, and was quite obviously eavesdropping. She could run, or play it off...

Or Gold could approach her and laugh. "You call me a sneak?"

"After hearing that, sneak is the only word that fits you," she retorted, deciding to be blunt, as he knew she had been listening. The surprise of him remembering her insult from season-cycles ago wasn't enough to throw her off. "Too cowardly to challenge, and too ambitious to be normal."

"The offer is open to you, too," Gold said with a sneer. "Choose me, and you will be mine... with all the eventual benefits."

That sounded a lot like what the alpha, and only the alpha, was allowed to do. "You think you can take multiple mates when you are not alpha?"

Gold chuckled, an ugly sound. Maybe she was just calling it ugly because she despised him, but it curled her lip either way. "No, but I can take one and... visit... others until that day. No one says the benefits of being mates can only come with the official commitment."

A growl rose in her throat. "Go away, Gold." Lily turned her back on him. "You disgust me."

"And you attract me," he whispered, suddenly right next to her, far too close for comfort. "Think about it."

She shuddered, growling in disgust and walking away, quickly leaving him behind. When had Gold gone from a creep and a sneak to... that? A far more dangerous and serious sneak, one who planned on bending the way things were to suit himself.

Well, he was going to have to settle for one mate, maybe two, if his disgusting proposition worked with Pearl and Honey. Although, whoever he did not pick would go to Claw, and Gold did not seem prepared to go against the alpha openly.

Lily was once again grateful she didn't have to choose between the males of her season-cycle, like everyone else. She would…

Wait… Lily stopped walking, struck by a very unpleasant thought. Granite was not an option, and Bone was challenging. Claw wanted her to at least try for a mate in the normal way, and wouldn't be granting her the exception he had implied she would have until she had no other options.

All of that seemed to mean she had to pick Gold at the ceremony, whether or not she actually wanted him. At that point, it was up to him, not her, whether they became mates.

Well, she would just have to make sure he knew it wasn't happening after she had picked him. A few vicious threats, delivered casually, would do the trick. Gold wouldn't try to take her as his mate if he feared her making the rest of his life miserable, and he would have both Honey and Pearl as willing alternatives.

Perfect. Lily resumed her walk, glad to know she had everything worked out. The ceremony was going to go well, even if she couldn't get Bone to refrain from challenging. Her future was assured.

O-O-O-O-O

Tonight was the night. Lily couldn't wait for the ceremony to be over, an attitude so far removed from how she had felt a few season-cycles ago as to be unrecognizable. What had once been a distant moment of celebration was now a mandatory time of baseless worry. She knew, in her mind, that everything was covered. Bone was probably going to die, but that was his own stupidity at work, and Granite was safe. It would all be fine.

That didn't stop the uneasy tightness in her chest, the feeling she knew so well as worry. She did her best to ignore it, focusing on the details of the moment.

Lily was sitting on one of the rocks closest to the alpha's plateau. The only requirement was that the fledglings who would become adults sit alone and in front. But on the unofficial side of things, the females generally sat on one side of the plateau, and the males across from them, Claw and the plateau itself between them.

Or so she was being told by Pina, who was explaining it all to her while she barely bothered to listen.

"... and make sure you do not take your eyes off of him," Pina continued. "You want to look respectful, no matter how nervous you are."

Well, Pina was right about the nerves, so maybe the rest of her advice would not be totally irrelevant.

On the other side of the plateau, Lily could see Granite and Bone, speaking intently, their faces serious. Probably just passing the time. Granite's Dam was right behind him in encouragement...

Well, at least Lily had Pina. Cressa had not even bothered to show up in advance. She would probably sit with the rest of Claw's females and not even acknowledge Lily. That was not so bad, though it did make Lily a little sad. She had basically lost Cressa the day she had defended Pyre. Even Grass was more helpful now, which said plenty about Cressa, given Grass was constantly frustrated by her own inability to have even a single egg with Claw and took it out on everyone around her.

All in all, Lily did not miss Cressa's presence here tonight. Her real family was more important… though Pyre was not here either, out of necessity. Lily glanced up at the mountain, her eyes moving to the ledge that simply wasn't visible from afar. He might be watching, though there would be nothing to see for him. She liked to think he was watching.

"What are you doing?" Pina followed Lily's gaze. "Is that where Cressa goes every season-cycle on a certain day?"

Lily snorted. "Went, you mean. I put a stop to that." She was surprised Pina even knew about that.

Pina stared at her. "Do I want to know?"

"It's the reason she's not here with me now," Lily added sadly. "But I did the right thing."

"Do not tell me she had some secret lover hiding up there," Pina said seriously, ignoring the look of disbelief on Lily's face.

"No!" Lily choked out, stopping herself from breaking down in mirth. Everyone would see if she lost it here. "Not even close!"

"Then what?" Pina's tail swished idly. "I am curious, now. You cannot leave me wondering."

"I can," Lily corrected Pina seriously. "It is not your business."

"Then why was it yours?" Pina quickly retorted.

"It was a family matter." Lily shook her head. "How old are you, Pina?"

"About forty season-cycles, but you can tell people I am twenty." Pina was looking at her oddly. "Why?"

"She was yelling at her Sire," Lily said quietly. "I made her stop because he did not deserve it."

"The outcast?" Now Pina looked like she understood. "I was not aware he was still alive. So she just goes up there every season-cycle to berate him?"

"She _did_."

"I suppose I understand." Pina declared, looking as if she did not actually get it, and just wanted to change the subject. "On a happier note, do you have anyone in mind?"

"It will be Gold," Lily revealed neutrally, "as I cannot pick Granite, and Bone is stupid."

"Slim pickings, really." Pina shrugged. "But at least you are pretty much guaranteed Gold."

"How do you figure that?" She had better _not_ be guaranteed him!

"Simple. You are Claw's daughter, so you will get a mate." Pina said that as if it really was that simple. "What other possibility is there?"

"Death, exile, alone for life..." Lily mused, enjoying the look of shock on Pina's face. "No, you are right. I'm just playing." She had Claw's unspoken promise.

"Well, good luck." Pina hopped over to another rock close by. "I will be right here."

"Not like I'm going anywhere," Lily quipped, a little less nervous. She noted, with a hint of disdain, that Gold had at some point in the last few minutes joined Bone and Granite. He caught her eye and nodded approvingly.

Well, that was rude. And condescending. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned away, deciding to look for Crystal. She should be here soon.

A few minutes later, Crystal and Honey arrived almost simultaneously, their parents dropping them off with words of encouragement. They both sat on Lily's left and chattered nervously.

Lily would have joined them just to pass the time, but Honey was such an airhead that she feared for her sanity if she tried to make idle conversation. She had once overheard Honey and a fledgling barely old enough to run around on his own discussing their favorite colors at length. What was sad about that was that the fledgling had gotten bored long before Honey did, and it was clear Honey had not just been humoring him. She could talk at length about the most unimportant, uninteresting things.

Then a distraction arrived, in the form of Pearl and her Dam, who made their way to the rock Lily and the others were waiting on.

"You know how this goes. Do not mess it up." With those quite rude words, Pearl's Dam flew off and joined a male, presumably her mate, on a rock near the front and began speaking to him. Lecturing him, really.

Yikes. Lily looked over at Pearl, who had taken a seat to her right. She didn't look very happy, though right after a mini-lecture like that, her mood was understandable.

Lily smirked as she realized that her own situation could be worse, as Pearl had demonstrated. At least Cressa was just ignoring her. A constantly nagging, lecturing Dam would be way worse.

Soon, it felt like everyone from the valley was there, crowding around and behind Lily and the other fledglings. She knew that she and the others of her season-cycle were the youngest dragons in the valley right about now, as the other fledglings were in the cavern. That meant that, aside from a few caretakers, Claw's females would be along soon.

Now, actually, flying in from that direction. Lily did not bother looking for her Dam. Cressa wanted to ignore her? Two could play at that game. The females dispersed among the crowd, and Claw landed on the plateau. Soon all was quiet.

"Well, let us get started," Claw announced agreeably. "We have Gold, Granite, Bone, Lily, Crystal, Honey, and Pearl." He cast a glance at Pearl as he said her name.

Lily noticed that Pearl shivered at that, seeing the subtle motion out of the corner of her eye. That was strange, and she did not really understand why Claw had singled Pearl out. Oh well. That was not important.

"Tonight, all seven of these fledglings are officially adults!" Claw roared, and the rest of the pack roared with him.

This was it. She did not place quite so much on the importance of being an adult as she had two season-cycles ago, but it was still a great moment. Finally. At that moment, all was well.

Then Claw kept talking. "And so we come to the question posed each year, to our newest males." He took a step forward, growled dangerously, and asked the all-important question. "Does anyone want my position?"

Here it was. Lily held in a growl, not wanting to give away any hint as to how she felt about all of this. Somehow, someday soon, she was going to put a stop to this, with Pyre's help. But this season-cycle, she had to pretend she did not mind. She had to pretend she accepted that this was just how life worked. If one was hatched male, one was nudged toward challenging by the alpha, and if one fell for the tricks and persuasion, one died.

Bone stepped forward, speaking and breaking the silence. "I do."

Two light wings in the audience wilted, presumably Bone's Sire and Dam. Lily felt like wilting too, more from frustration and a total lack of alternatives than sorrow. This was the first time she had ever totally failed to do something, and she had even been given an entire season-cycle to work on it.

Oh well. Lily forced her own failure out of her mind, looking over at Granite to reassure herself. The one she actually wanted to save was in no danger…

Granite was looking over to Lily's left. Staring at Crystal. Lily glanced to the side, and saw Crystal nod ever so slightly. What was that about?

With absolutely no warning, like a bad dream given terrible reality, Granite stepped forward. "As do I."

Lily could not take her eyes off of him, as if everything else had ceased to exist. He met her stare sadly but confidently, and nodded deliberately, seemingly expecting her to understand despite everything.

She didn't understand why he was doing this. Not in the slightest. But she _did_ understand that he had decided to do this before now. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. And he had kept it from her so that she couldn't talk him out of it. This was such a mess.

But, she realized in a moment of foresight, if he succeeded she could chastise him all she wanted later. If he failed…

Pyre had not gotten to say goodbye. His last interaction with his mate had been an argument. Lily had heard the raw pain in his voice when he told her of that. She didn't want that with her brother.

So, instead of glaring or snarling or even whining, she nodded significantly at him, despite not understanding what he expected her to deduce. They could not speak, and there was nothing she would want to say right now in support of this, so maybe that was for the better.

Claw did not seem particularly upset or even surprised, which made sense. He had tried to trick Granite into challenging, after all. "Gold?"

Gold bowed his head. "No, sir."

Lily felt a flash of anger. That should be Gold challenging, and Granite safe. She would make that trade in an instant and feel not a hint of remorse, if it was offered.

"One has some sense." Claw lifted into the air. "Granite." The named fledgling followed him.

A fledgling. Lily moaned softly, seeing just how much bigger, bulkier, and more experienced Claw was. Had they become adults just a moment ago? Not in any way but definition, as Granite was still smaller than Claw, inexperienced.

But… maybe he knew enough. He had practiced fighting with Bone, and as far as Lily knew, that had never stopped. Would it be enough? It had to be.

Pearl bowed her head, silent. Crystal sobbed softly. This kind of thing was why younger fledglings were not allowed at the ceremony; they would not understand what was going on, and would either be frightened or confused by the grief so many of the dragons around the plateau were feeling.

Claw returned a few moments later, not even breathing heavily. "Bone."

That voice cracked her reality, and she watched Bone confidently trot away, though she didn't really see him. Granite's features were etched into her mind. How had she managed to trick herself into thinking he'd stood a chance, even briefly?

Lily felt betrayed and hurt. Granite had promised her, but despite that, her Sire had just killed him. What was the point? Why!?

Claw again returned, even quicker than before. "And so our leadership is assured for another year." Then he looked down at the fledgling below him. "Now, to ensure loyalty."

Gold knew what was required of him. He approached and flattened himself to the ground submissively. "I swear to follow you and never fight you."

 _Never to fight_ , the words cut through Lily's reeling mind. To wait like a parasite was not included in that. Gold's plan was working perfectly. He was the only available male for any of the four of them, as far as he knew.

Claw placed a paw on Gold's head, pushing it to the ground entirely. "Yes, you do." After a few long moments, he released Gold, who fled back to his place.

"Finally, there is a matter of the future." Claw stared at Crystal. "Name your choice."

Crystal took a slow breath. "Gold," she said quietly, her voice laden with pain.

Claw stared at Lily. She would be expected to choose now, and she needed to _think_.

But at the moment, Lily was not thinking of what she would say. She was staring at Claw. At the one who had just killed her brother.

Granite had promised that he would not challenge Claw… Unless he had solid proof that Claw _needed_ to die, that he was doing something that despicable.

Granite had always kept his word. That meant, logically, that he had found out that Claw had done something bad, so bad that Granite would leave the one he loved behind in an attempt to unseat Claw.

Not only had Claw killed Granite, but he must have done something else bad enough to prompt Granite's challenge. Lily glared at her Sire, her heart cold and dark. Now she understood what Granite had expected her to realize immediately. There was more she didn't know, more to uncover about Claw. More evidence that he needed to go.

"Gold," she asserted, pouring everything into that statement. In her mind she was not picking Gold by saying his name, but was rather calling out Claw for what he was, and promising him that one day, she would _end_ him. She had more reason now than ever.

His stoic gaze turned to Honey, none the wiser. "Gold." She did not sound unhappy at all. Lucky little airhead, she was probably going to pick Gold anyway... though now she had competition.

Claw paused, seemingly surprised. "Gold, you are quite popular." he remarked in mock shock. There were a few nervous chuckles from the rest of the pack. Claw shook his head. "One pities the ones you do not choose, for they will have lost what they want most." Claw was nothing _but_ wants. Lily busied her mind with unrealistic fantasies of feeding him those words.

Pearl's Dam spoke, startling Lily, and Pearl judging by the flinch Lily saw. "I do not want my daughter's hopes raised for no reason," she said loudly. "Must she waste time on Gold?"

That was... odd.

Claw considered it, making a show of weighing the veiled suggestion. "I suppose she does not have to." He purred. "We can just let her into the alpha's circle now, and skip the wasted time."

What? That had, to Lily's knowledge, never been done, but she had too much else going on to reason through it.

"Pearl?" Claw asked her happily. "Are you agreeable to this?"

Pearl sighed and very subtly nodded her head.

Lily resented Pearl a little bit too, at the moment. She had not lost anything much and did not even have to compete for Gold. Why did she look as if her worst nightmare had come to pass? This was Lily's worst nightmare, not Pearl's.

Claw purred smugly. "Come, then, and I will show you to our caves." Pearl followed, and the two quickly flew towards the cavern.

Just like that, the ceremony seemed to be over. There was no great outburst of celebration. A few muffled whines could be heard, and Lily saw Bone's Sire and Dam, along with Granite's Dam, being comforted by a mass of other dragons.

This night was supposed to be one of celebration, but now it was one of mourning. She met the eyes of the other two females, now adults, seeking some kind of proof she'd just dreamed the last few minutes.

Crystal looked absent and dazed. "Are all three of us now competing for _Gold?"_ she asked in a horrified voice after a few moments.

"I..." Lily only vaguely noticed that Honey had left. "I need to go…."

"Where?" Crystal asked sadly.

"I don't... I need to see," Lily voiced, her mind not working quite right. She could see a solemn procession departing in a slightly different direction to the caverns Claw had taken Pearl back to. Granite's Dam and Bone's parents walked alone. That felt wrong.

Crystal followed, but Lily almost didn't care. She caught up to Granite's Dam and made her presence known with a soft whine of commiseration.

"Lily?" Granite's Dam sighed, sounding numb more than anything. "You... you should not have to see this. I know you two were close." She glanced at Crystal. "As were you. This is not a sight for fledglings."

Now she knew where they were going. "But we are not fledglings," Lily argued, her voice dull. They were as much fledglings as Granite had been. "So we will come."

"I cannot stop you," Granite's Dam conceded, though Lily knew she actually could if she really wanted to. The five of them continued on in silence.

It was with a heavy, cold heart that Lily stopped at the entrance to a small, claustrophobic cavern. This was one that no one ever entered, except for one purpose. The ceremonial fights for the position of alpha. Claw must leave the bodies here.

Crystal was still right with them. She and Lily stepped aside, letting Bone's parents go in first. They and Granite's Dam waited outside silently.

It should be raining. That would fit this mood so much better. The warm, clear night felt mocking in this time of grief.

A wet, grating sound grew, one that flattened Lily's ears and made her want to cover them. Bone's parents appeared at the entrance to the cavern, pulling a white mass stained with red. Bone.

Lily could not help but look as they passed her, though her heart was numb with horror and her stomach churning unsettlingly. Bone had a stressed, angry expression on his face, though his eyes were closed. His throat had a dripping gash across it, and there were more red lines across his head and chest. That was all she saw before she turned and followed Granite's Dam into the cavern.

It expanded into a sizable open space a few dozen paces in, one that did seem suitable for fighting. A high ceiling, and no stone spires or outcrops, like in the other caverns. Over in a corner, his back to the wall, lay Granite. Granite's body.

Lily stopped walking, unable to make herself get any closer, and Granite's Dam passed her, moving to kneel by his body, whining softly.

"He promised not to," Lily said, her voice sad and confused, though she had already reasoned through this. "Why did he throw his life away?"

"Help me," Granite's Dam requested. "I have to get him out of here." She looked around, her voice angry. "This is not a good resting place."

"Where are we taking... the body?"

"The shaded part of the valley," Granite's Dam sighed. "It is the place we leave our fallen. Tomorrow, we who cared for him will gather and send his body away."

Fire, probably. Lily had no desire to see that, but she would be there. She awkwardly grabbed ahold of a limp paw, looking anywhere else, and began to pull as gently as she could manage. Granite's Dam and Crystal did the same, keening quietly.

She was keening too. The trip to the shaded part of the valley passed in a blur of grief. This did not feel real, but at the same time, it felt as if it was the only real thing in the world at the moment. The trip to the abandoned, dark place. The place they apparently kept their dead. Claw and Grass mating there on the sly felt disrespectful, now.

Eventually, they stopped dragging the body, leaving it in privacy. Granite's Dam fled almost immediately. Lily and Crystal remained.

She could ask Crystal why, ask what she knew… No. She was too tired and heartbroken to think. She walked away from the body, forcing herself to stop thinking, to stop analyzing. There was nothing to analyze. Her brother was gone.

She couldn't bring herself to go back to her cave. There was nothing for her in the caves, not anymore. She set her nose to the dark sky and powered into the air, uncaring of the strain she put on her wings.

"Lily?" Pyre warbled as she alighted on his ledge. "What are you…" He trailed off as she stood there, panting. What could she say to him? How could she even begin to explain?

Something entered his expression, a pained and knowing look. He knew. He recognised her grief because he knew it himself.

Lily's breath seized in her chest and climbed up her throat. She threw herself at Pyre, screeching and keening her loss into his chest as he held her to him and whined sadly into her ears.

She mourned her heart out until her throat ached and grew hoarse, then devolved into whimpering and sobbing out the dregs of her energy. Pyre gently and carefully bundled her to him, nestling her between his forelegs and chest in a warm embrace.

Finally, she cracked her eyes open and just stared at the leg her head rested on, taking shaky breaths. He'd been right. His presence had not made her loss any less painful, but it was comforting. She tried to rise, to let him return to his cave to sleep, but he had her somehow pinned to him and she didn't have the strength to argue.

Pyre was there for her. Would always be there for her. She would protect him, had to protect him. And with that renewed resolve, she managed a soft purr before her exhaustion pulled her to sleep under the stars.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Just as a reminder on the tail-end of what I'm thinking is one of the most depressing things I've published so far, I'm incapable of writing tragedy. No matter how dark things look, there** _**is** _ **a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can even promise a happy ending. It's just that the path there is stark and tortuous.**


	8. Manipulative

For a long, wonderful moment immediately upon waking, Lily didn't have a care in the world. She hadn't felt this tired and comforted since sleeping against her Dam's side in the days before… everything.

Before all of this. Before Pyre, Granite, Crystal… Before losing Granite. Her mood dropped faster than a hatchling jumping off of their Dam's back to try gliding for the first time.

Lily tried to curl up on herself, and immediately remembered why she was out in the open. Pyre had his front paws around her, holding her close, just as she remembered from the night before. He was rumbling softly in his sleep, a comforting sound that weighed more heavily on her eyelids the more she listened to it.

But she didn't want to fall back into a dreamless sleep. It was light on the ledge, meaning the night had already gone, and if she slept too late she might miss sending off Granite's body. She couldn't miss that; only the people closest to him would participate, and she had to be there.

So, instead of surrendering to sleep, Lily slowly worked her way out of Pyre's embrace, lifting his heavy paws with her head and rolling away. He twitched in his sleep, groping for something, someone, who was no longer there.

Lily nudged him, deciding to wake him. She didn't want to disappear without him knowing where she had gone, not after her total breakdown the night before. If he woke and found her gone, he would worry.

Pyre woke with a start, his eyes sliding open to focus on her almost immediately.

"I'll be back by sunset," Lily said softly. Her voice was dull and pained, but she couldn't help that. "I have to go… help send Granite off." She didn't like that turn of phrase. It sounded so hopeful, like saying goodbye to a perfectly fine dragon about to set off on some far-ranging adventure. It didn't reflect how she felt at all.

"You are able to go?" Pyre asked sleepily.

"I want to." If only because it would be a horrible insult to Granite's memory for her to not even bother showing up.

"Not what I asked," he mumbled, rolling to his paws and standing, shaking his head to clear it. "Why before nightfall?"

"Well…" she hadn't really had a reason. "I don't know."

"Come find me in the forest afterward," Pyre requested. "Please?"

Lily nodded. She certainly didn't dislike the idea. If Pyre wanted to meet in the forest, then that meant they were probably going to go for a long walk, and she wouldn't mind that at all. "At the usual place?"

"Of course." Pyre nuzzled her tenderly. "You are strong, you know."

"I don't feel strong." She felt numb, too tired and weary to cry out in grief as she had the night before.

"Nobody does, not at times like this. As long as you are doing this for yourself." He glared down at the valley. "What they think means nothing."

"I want to," she repeated, spreading her wings. "See you in the forest?"

"I'll be there," he promised.

Lily hopped off the ledge and glided away, letting her body fly for her, not really thinking as she spiraled down into the valley. The sky above her was a bland light grey, clouds obscuring the sun but letting enough light through to make the world look washed-out instead of just dark.

She found herself setting down in the place that would, on sunny days, be shrouded in shadow, near to where they had left Granite's body. Crystal and Granite's Dam were already present.

Lily glanced over at Crystal, who was looking down at nothing in particular, her eyes half-closed and her frills drooping limply. She was mourning too, and Granite had been her prospective mate. Of course, she would be here.

"We will wait a little while longer," Granite's Dam said half-heartedly, looking around. "Others may come."

Lily doubted it. Granite had plenty of casual friends, but as far as she knew, the three of them present were the only ones close enough to attend this sad ceremony. His sister, his Dam, and his future mate.

Of course, there was one more who she would have expected to be present, were circumstances different. The very thought of Claw made her chest tighten. He had killed Granite; if he showed up here, now, she might find herself doing something rash. Her control was weak today, and that insult would be more than enough to overpower what little remained.

Something needed to be done, eventually. Lily shied away from that thought, hating that it was such a bleak one. She didn't _know_ what could be done about Claw.

Now was not a time to plan, anyway. Now was a time to mourn.

"I do not think anyone else is coming," Crystal said after a while.

"No, you are right." Granite's Dam leaped over to another rock and walked to the edge, looking down. She whined sadly. "Granite was my son. He was a strong, smart fledgling."

Lily couldn't bear it. She pinned her ears back against her neck, trying not to listen. If she listened, she would break down again, and she didn't want to do that. This was hard enough as it was.

But she couldn't help but listen in the back of her mind, searching Granite's Dam's words for any hint as to _why._ Why they were here, now, mourning him. Why he had challenged in the first place. There was a reason, there had to be. He had expected her to understand it.

"...and then he challenged the alpha," Granite's Dam continued, her voice breaking. "He went bravely, and…"

Lily tuned it out again, holding back the devastated whine that wanted to escape her and make itself heard. She couldn't stand it. Crystal was keening, a piercing sound underlying Granite's Dam's words, but Lily wouldn't let herself be heard.

Something inside told her she could not let herself be vulnerable. Not here, not out in the open, in sight of anyone watching from afar. With Pyre, yes, but not in the valley. There was no spoken reason for her feeling that way, but she felt it nonetheless, and held in her grief, though anyone watching would likely find that odder than her mourning would be.

Then Granite's Dam dropped from the rock, moving with a weary grace. Crystal followed, and Lily found herself jumping down in turn. Now came the part of the short ceremony that she had to be present for.

Her eyes blurred as she saw the sad, white figure under a ledge of rock. She couldn't look directly at him.

Then they were flaming the body. She participated, but only through reflex. Her mind was elsewhere, and refused to focus on what was happening in front of her, though it was thankfully obscured by blinding jets of fire. She felt reflected heat and smelled things she would rather not identify, but all of that was distant and muffled by her grief.

And then they were done. Granite's Dam fled immediately, her wingbeats hard and unsteady. Lily, not feeling like flying for the moment, followed Crystal. They moved slowly, aimlessly, fleeing deeper into the dark side of the valley.

That thought brought Lily back to the moment, when she realized where her paws were taking her. Why would Crystal be going deeper in? There was nothing here aside from a distinct lack of other dragons.

Or, a lack of _living_ dragons. Lily could not help but notice every flash of bleached white bones peeking out from under ledges and around corners. There weren't so many that she couldn't avoid them, but there were enough to make her wonder how she had never noticed them on the few occasions she had come here as a fledgling.

Crystal stopped, looking back at Lily. "Are we going to do this now?"

Lily nodded slowly, trying to figure out what Crystal meant. Had she missed something?

"Fine." Crystal hunched over, not looking directly at Lily. "Well? Ask."

"Why?" Lily asked, still unsure as to what Crystal was expecting her to say. Why seemed to be a safe, vague question.

"I thought he could do it. He was practicing with Bone, he was getting good. And you told me to." Crystal whined piercingly. "You gave good advice."

Being told she gave good advice was a strong hint, but combined with the rest of what Crystal was saying… Lily didn't want to believe it. "You told me it wasn't Granite we were talking about."

"I lied. I thought you would answer differently if you knew."

"Of course I would!" Lily cried out, the full horror of what Crystal had done, what _she_ had done, finally becoming clear. "Why would you do that?!" If the advice she had given Crystal was related to why Granite had challenged, then she was partly responsible for his death.

"Because I wanted honest, unbiased advice!" Crystal growled unhappily, lashing her tail against the rocks to either side of them. "I knew you would tell me to keep it secret because if I did not Granite might be in danger, but it was not just him at stake!"

"Who else could there possibly be?" She had to know. Who had Crystal decided was worth as much as Granite?

"I do not think I should tell you!" Crystal retorted. "The damage is done, and they both suffered because _I_ decided to try and do the right thing. If I had just kept my mouth shut, Granite at least would still be alive."

Lily growled at herself, quickly working through the hints Crystal was unintentionally dropping. There was someone else at at stake, someone who was obviously not dead, but not in a good place right now, someone involved in why Granite had challenged. She knew what would motivate Granite to challenge, and she knew that Crystal was the link between the two of them.

That wasn't enough, not quite. "I think you should tell me," Lily snarled. "I want to know what you balanced Granite's life against."

"I did not want to," Crystal whined. "But they both trusted me. It was up to me to decide…"

Another hint. Both dragons, Granite and the other, trusted Crystal. That ruled out all adults, as they generally wouldn't trust a fledgling with anything this important, and it also ruled out Bone and Gold, however unlikely they were to be the answer.

But the ceremony was the tipping point. Something had to have changed for the other dragon last night, because otherwise there was no point in any of this.

Lily finally saw it. "Pearl," she snarled. The only light wing besides Granite to have their station in life irreversibly changed last night. The only one who would have had a different future if Granite had succeeded. It was obvious in retrospect, but all solutions were.

Crystal nodded, looking utterly defeated. "Pearl."

"I don't believe it." Lily didn't even _know_ Pearl all that well, and Granite had died because of something about her. Where was the fairness in that? And what could Pearl possibly have told Crystal that would qualify as…

As proof of Claw doing something terrible, something worse than trying to manipulate males into challenging him. As proof of that undefined worry Granite had admitted to harboring.

"What was it?" Lily asked in a softer, more careful tone. She almost didn't want to know. But at the same time, she _had_ to know what Granite had died for.

"I am not breaking my promise again," Crystal groaned, spreading her wings as if to leave, but then folded them again and lowered her head. "Last time, the one I told died. I cannot lose you too."

"I'm not going to challenge Claw," Lily growled. That was just stupid. "Tell me."

"No."

"I'll dig into it until I find the truth," Lily promised. "You can't keep it from me."

Crystal whirled on her and glared so angrily Lily took a step back, expecting to be attacked, though a glare was all Crystal sent her way. "She is agonized enough without you digging around in her troubles!"

"So tell me, and protect her," Lily replied bitterly, hearing the irony even as she spoke. That was exactly what had driven Crystal to come to her, to even consider risking Granite's life. Protecting Pearl. It wasn't a fair trade at all.

"You have to know everything," Crystal griped. "Even about people you do not care about. Tell me, Lily, is there a word for an adult male taking a fledgling and forcing himself on her as if she was an adult too? I will need that word to explain."

Lily reeled back, feeling as if she had been struck. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but _that_ was not it. "I… I don't know a word for that," she managed. Pyre might, but she was _definitely_ not going to ask him.

"Find one, or make one up. Pearl is living a nightmare right now, and I cannot help her at all," Crystal continued. "I did not want Granite to challenge and maybe die, but I could not stand watching Pearl suffer either, and she was, with no end in sight. I could not decide, but not deciding was also a decision. So I came to you, and made sure you would give a fair opinion, not one based on your not knowing Pearl and not caring about her."

"Don't turn this on me," Lily said shakily, seeing the painful logic. "You made the choice to…"

"To what?" Crystal laughed bitterly. "Granite made me promise to keep an eye out in exchange for him promising to not challenge unless he knew of something definite. Pearl trusted me to keep her issues secret, especially after coming to me and breaking down after it happened the first time. The only way I could have gotten out of this was not being Pearl's friend at all, like you."

"Then you should have done that," Lily snapped, aware that she was being cruel and unfair but unable to stop herself. "It didn't do her any good, did it?"

Crystal froze for a moment, and then snarled angrily. "You need to stop caring for just the three people you consider your own. It is not as if me not knowing would prevent Pearl's troubles. It would just prevent me from feeling guilty or sorry for her."

"Everyone else can do what they like," Lily said bitterly. "As long as they don't hurt you, Granite, or Pyre."

"Correction." Crystal spit a small ball of fire between them, scorching the rock. "Just Pyre, now."

"What does _that_ mean?" Lily demanded.

"Figure it out." Crystal jumped up onto one of the rocks beside them and took off, leaving Lily alone in the dark side of the valley.

Lily felt like being alone for a little while anyway. Had she really just lost her best friend? Now, right after losing Granite?

No. She came to that conclusion easily, channeling her rage and the pain of Granite's death into pure resolve. There was absolutely no way she was letting this happen.

But… how could she convince Crystal to not despise her? That was what it felt like, with Crystal condemning her and then flying away.

Lily sat down between two tall boulders, leaning against the one to her right, pressing the scales on her face into the rough rock. She felt like a whole day of painful arguing and mourning had passed, but it wasn't even midday yet.

Pyre would be waiting for her in the woods, where he normally waited. She could go out to him, tell him about the argument with Crystal, and get his advice-

No, she couldn't. Crystal was mad because Lily didn't care about anyone but those close to her. Mad that she didn't care about Pearl. If Lily told Pyre why Crystal was mad, then she would have to explain what was wrong with Pearl, which in turn led to Claw, and just how absolutely awful he was. It all led back to her lie.

So, she was on her own. Only one idea presented itself, and she latched onto it, however reluctantly. Crystal didn't like her lack of caring, so she would make herself care. In this case, for Pearl.

Surely that would be simple enough. But how to show it? It would be pointless to seek Crystal out and say 'hey, I do actually care, despite never showing it in any way.' She would have to do something for Pearl too.

Lily was well aware that Crystal probably wouldn't approve if she knew how she was going about this. Crystal would want her to actually care, not choosing to make herself care in order to get her friend back. It didn't matter, as it all worked out the same in the end.

Pyre would have to wait a little while longer. Lily left the dark side of the valley, focused on making sure she didn't lose anyone else she cared about. Granite would have wanted her to make up with Crystal.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's first guess as to where Pearl might be, the pond, was totally wrong. So was her second guess, flying above the valley. Luckily, both of those places had been easy to check and didn't take long. She headed down into the cavern, wondering if Pearl was sleeping late.

If she was, Lily wasn't sure what she would do. Scratch that, she wasn't sure what she would do regardless of whether or not Pearl was awake. Something would occur to her. Some gesture she could make that would fit with her claiming she did care after all when she told Crystal of it.

The cavern was mostly empty now, as it was mid-morning, and many of Claw's mates were out and about. Lily entered the dark cave quickly, wondering who she should ask as to where Pearl had spent the night-

Then she noticed that the main cavern was not so empty, and finding Pearl ceased to be a problem. The light wing in question was crouched in a corner of the main cavern, looking at the stone floor, her ears and frills drooping limply.

Claw was there too, draping a wing posessively over her. "You will learn to enjoy this," Claw asserted, unaware of his daughter's presence, probably thinking that he and Pearl were alone at the moment. "I know I do."

Lily froze just out of Claw's line of sight. A shudder of revulsion forced itself down her spine entirely of its own volition. There was something about the scene she had just stumbled upon that made her feel like she had countless tiny bugs crawling under her scales, a terrible, itching sensation. The way Pearl looked so hopeless, how Claw had her cornered…

Lily needed little prompting from memory of Pyre's teachings to put herself in Pearl's place. Empathy came easily, far too easily, to the point where she felt she wanted to flee. Had she come here cynically planning to make some hollow gesture for her own benefit and call it enough? That was not what any decent person would do, or even consider.

She still had no plan, but the first step was clear. "Claw, there's a pretty big fight breaking out on the far side of the valley," she called out, moving forward as she spoke to give the impression she had just run into the cavern.

"Really?" Claw asked, leisurely turning away from Pearl, who didn't even look up. "About what?"

"I don't know," Lily replied, aware that Claw would figure out she was lying sooner rather than later. "But there is." She would be more able to spin this as an honest mistake later if she didn't elaborate.

"Duty calls," he sighed, passing Lily on his way out of the cavern. "I will be back, Pearl."

Lily pushed Claw out of her mind the moment he was out of sight, trying to focus on what was next. Pearl needed something, some kind of help, but Lily didn't have much to offer and had to avoid getting on Claw's bad side.

"So…" she began, trying to catch Pearl's attention and failing. Pearl didn't even look up. Lily had never seen anyone looking quite that defeated.

Upon seeing that she wasn't getting a reaction, Lily moved closer. "Pearl," she said, addressing the light wing directly.

"What?" Pearl asked, looking up for a brief moment.

"Follow me," Lily requested. At this rate, Claw would be back before she got a conversation going, so they needed to get out of the cavern if only to buy time.

"I am not supposed to leave the cavern," Pearl replied dully.

"Who told you..?" Lily trailed off, seeing the answer to her own question easily enough. "Never mind. Come on, we are going for a flight." Out of the cavern and out of the valley. She couldn't take Pearl to the forest Pyre was waiting in, but there was plenty more forest on the other side of the mountains around the valley. "I will answer to Claw if he is mad."

Pearl followed without further argument, which worried Lily more than anything else. She didn't know Pearl well enough to judge whether she should be argumentative, but the passive, defeated silence was uncharacteristic of anyone in a good state of mind.

The flight out to the forest was just as silent as the walk out of the cavern. By the time they landed in a nice clearing a ways out, Lily had had enough silence. But she had to choose her words carefully. "You do not look very happy with your situation."

Pearl, who was pawing absently at a tall weed standing amidst a tiny forest of normal grass, rumbled in what might have passed for a sad laugh if there was even the slightest hint of mirth present in her expression.

Lily walked over to Pearl and nosed at her shoulder, initially intending to offer some words of comfort, whatever those might be. She smelled dried blood, though, and ended up silently examining Pearl's back instead of speaking. There were a few tiny shards of stone stuck between scales, and several darker patches Lily identified as bruises, all on the protruding bumps of Pearl's wing shoulders.

"Does your back hurt?" Lily asked, lacking anything more insightful to say. These tiny injuries were a puzzle, hints to things Lily didn't particularly want to know or deduce.

"No more than the rest of me," Pearl replied flatly. "Why do you care?"

Lily winced. It was a fair question, she had never cared before. But she wouldn't explain that Crystal was mad at her for not caring; that would reveal that Crystal had broken her promise not once but twice. "I know plants, and there are some that treat pain. Do you want some?"

"Yes." Even that sounded disinterested. Pearl didn't bother looking up at Lily, still clawing at the same weed, which was looking worse for wear.

Lily gave up on being subtle and put a paw between Pearl and the weed she was worrying. She lifted her paw up under Pearl's chin, gently pulling her head up so that they were eye to eye. "You are scaring me," she admitted. "Don't give up hope." That was what had happened, what was wrong, why Pearl was so apathetic, and Lily had no idea how to fix it aside from just telling Pearl to help herself.

"What hope?" Pearl met Lily's eyes, a haunted and defeated stare challenging guilt and determination. "I will be continually... attended to... by your Sire until I give him an egg, and then I will get to watch my children grow up like _you_ , and the cycle will start over." A matter-of-fact statement, not a complaint or exaggeration. Lily did not even think the insults directed at Claw and herself were even intended to offend, just as much plain fact to Pearl as the rest.

"You will not give him eggs," Lily asserted in a flash of inspiration. "Good luck must follow so much misery."

"That would be nice," Pearl admitted dreamily, not even seeming to recognize the surreal oddity of the conversation. "So nice."

"I'm going to go get those pain-relieving plants I was talking about," Lily offered, moving away from Pearl and walking into the forest proper. She didn't want to leave Pearl for long, but the idea that had occurred to her was too good to ignore, and Pearl _did_ want the plants in any case.

Lily spotted a distinctively blue-tinged bush and purred to herself. She had Pyre to thank for this solution. Pearl didn't want Claw's eggs? She wouldn't have them. Lily could make sure of that.

Finding a pain-killing plant was not so simple. Lily knew she had a few options, but each came with its own downside. She had to consider what Pearl might do.

Well, that made it easy to rule out one option, the vine that curled around certain trees and offered lucid pain relief. There was no way Lily was letting Pearl know about that one, not when eating more than a very small amount was fatal. Way too dangerous.

The remaining options, both of which Lily spotted after a few minutes of searching, had their own benefits and drawbacks. Did she want weak pain relief coupled with indigestion, or moderate relief that fogged the mind?

Lily decided on the latter, thinking that Pearl throwing up later might be suspicious, and grabbed a pawful of the plant in question, hiding a leaf from the blue bush among it. Walking back to Pearl on three paws was more challenging than she had anticipated, but she managed.

Pearl eyed the small pile Lily deposited with some little curiosity. "I am supposed to eat this?"

"All of it." Lily had arranged the pile so that the blue leaf was not visible. "Just swallow it."

Pearl did as told, grimacing at what Lily guessed was the sensation of leaves and stalks sliding down her throat. It was a weird feeling when one wasn't expecting it. But it was done. Pearl would not have any eggs… this moon-cycle.

Lily wasn't worried about continuing to feed Pearl the plant that prevents eggs. It would be easy enough to stick a leaf into a fish and then offer it to her under the guise of a friendly gesture. As long as she kept contact with Pearl over the time between offering her fish, it wouldn't seem weird.

Or, she could just tell Pearl… but that was a bad idea. This was going directly against Claw, and while Lily didn't feel a shred of remorse for doing so, she also didn't want to antagonize him. He _was_ alpha, and she was at his mercy until he officially announced that she could court a male from the next season-cycle.

At his mercy… watching Pearl, who was visibly relaxing as the effects of what she had swallowed set in, Lily felt a coldness despite the warm weather. It was a very good thing she had Claw's unspoken promise.

"Wha..." Pearl interrupted Lily's thoughts as she sat down abruptly, her pupils dilating. "Wha' is this stuff?"

"Not safe to take if you don't know how much," Lily warned. "Which is why I did not and will not tell you what it is. Come to me if you are in pain of any kind."

"I am used to it," Pearl asserted awkwardly. "It is… not so bad. Now that I am fully grown."

That made Lily snarl. "That is wrong." She could voice her opinion on it here, if not to Claw himself. Pearl was not going to rat her out.

"Yes," Pearl agreed. "But Dam insisted." She burped quite rudely, before slowly lying down, painstakingly placing each of her paws as if unsure how they worked.

"Probably better that you're lying down," Lily mused, watching Pearl's wide eyes. She wondered what it felt like. Pearl seemed more open under the influence of the plant, if also stupider and very uncoordinated.

"Why better?" Pearl asked slowly.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be walking or flying like that," Lily explained.

"I can fly!" With that indignant objection, Pearl leaped up, nearly fell on her side, wavered, and then flung herself into the sky. Lily squawked in surprise and jumped back, preparing to jump up and try to talk the momentarily befuddled dragon down-

But Pearl had only flapped once, and fell right back down to the ground, landing on her side so limply Lily panicked for a brief moment that she had somehow been killed by the short fall. A gurgling snort from Pearl soothed that fear.

Lily decided that she was going to ask Pyre about this under some false pretense later. The way he had explained it, she would have expected Pearl to just get a little slow and stupid for a while, not… whatever that was.

Maybe it was a good thing Pearl had knocked herself out. Lily moved closer, and after a moment of looking at the comatose and now snoring light wing, decided against rolling her onto her stomach. No reason to move her.

Besides, she could smell other wounds, now. The dried blood smell had come from down under, not Pearl's back, and Lily could get at it now. She found and treated several small puncture wounds on Pearl's chest and neck, straining to _not_ think about what sort of situation would explain them.

Then, following that line of thought without actually considering it, she checked Pearl's hindquarters, though she knew all too little about that part of the body. It was hard to tell but there didn't seem to be anything obviously wrong down there, so Lily refrained from trying to treat it; she felt extremely embarrassed looking, though there was nobody around, and she was just trying to help. Treating the actual wounds, as well as the pain they caused, was something she could do at least.

A rough snore brought Lily's attention back to the light wing she was trying to tend to. Pearl was out, possibly for a while. Claw would definitely notice she was missing. For that matter, Lily wasn't going to leave Pearl alone and asleep in the woods, so Pyre would also notice that she was late.

There was no helping that. Pyre wouldn't be much of an issue; she had originally given herself until nightfall, and could just say she'd needed to be alone, which wasn't far from the truth. Claw, on the other paw…

She had lied to his face, and he would know by the time she got back with Pearl. What was she going to say?  
Well, she could always say she thought a fight _had_ broken out. It would be easy to admit that she had only heard snarls and raised voices, and jumped to conclusions. Explaining where she had taken Pearl would be harder. What was a legitimate reason for her to bring Pearl out of the valley, as she wasn't going to risk lying and saying they were in the valley, for a long period of time?

Well, assuming Pearl would cooperate, she could come up with some stupid explanation. Maybe she had dragged Pearl out here to ask why she hadn't attended Granite's-

No, no bringing Granite into this. Lily didn't trust herself to hold in her feelings if Claw mocked him or acted smug. The idea remained, though. She just needed a plausible excuse to want to talk to Pearl alone.

Lily settled down across from Pearl, hoping she would regain consciousness soon. This would all only get more complex the longer she was out. Lily couldn't help Pearl if Claw became suspicious of her intentions.

Claw. The thought of him brought her to an unhappy truth. She could help Pearl all she wanted, but until Claw was dealt with, what she was doing was akin to soothing a sick dragon while not actually trying to cure her. A good thing, but only if there was no cure to be worked toward.

Was there a cure to Claw? Lily could think of one immediately, the same 'cure' Granite had gone for. Dragons who broke any of the five essential rules Pyre had taught her deserved to die. If she could have Claw dead this instant, she would do so. He had killed Granite, abused Pearl, and who knew what else. If he could hide what he was doing to Pearl from her, then he could hide other things too.

But there was no easy way to kill Claw. She couldn't do it by physical strength or cunning; he was just too strong. Pyre couldn't do it either, not without great risk and little chance of success.

And she wasn't bringing him into this, because he _would_ take that risk, just as Granite had, and she couldn't bear to lose him too. The lies would continue, for his own safety, even if they did leave her on her own against this thorny problem.

So, killing Claw was out. That probably wouldn't have fixed everything, anyway. The pack _let_ him kill their sons and take multiple mates. Something else was wrong, something deep and fundamental, for people to allow that.

That was going to be an issue. She _really_ didn't understand anyone in this pack, because just losing her brother made her want Claw dead. How in the world did no one else feel the same? There was something missing, something she didn't get. That ruled out raising support, at least until she figured out what it was she was missing.

And to make matters worse, she did not dare do anything until she was securely mated, though that was a long way off right now. If she gained Claw's ire, he might…

What might he do? If he could break one of the five rules, would he be averse to breaking others?

Lily almost flinched away from that thought, but the sight of Pearl snoring before her forced her to consider it. She had faltered and failed so often from not thinking about what she assumed, and there was a pretty big assumption built into her view of the future.

What, exactly, had Claw said that day, when she revealed her issue to him and requested an exception? She couldn't remember. She _did_ remember, very clearly, a moment of confusion ended by the obvious conclusion, that of the implied promise. It had made sense at the time. But she hadn't known then what she did now.

Two possibilities. In the first version of events, he had meant what she interpreted. In the other, he hadn't meant it at all, leaving a large gap in her future, one that could be filled any number of ways; some good, some bad, and some absolutely horrific.

Lacking perfect recall, there was only one way to determine which version of reality was the correct one. She needed to watch how he treated her, and how he treated certain possibilities she could raise in conversation. His reactions would give her evidence to judge, because how he reacted would depend on what he thought, and thus which version of their conversation had actually happened.

She had a plan to determine which it was, but not a plan to deal with the possible answers.

Pearl stirred, weakly flapping the wing she wasn't lying on. She chuckled weakly and rolled to her paws, blinking slowly and still very obviously not thinking clearly.

Lily tried to recall if Pyre had told her how long the mind-altering effects lasted. This might be a long day.

O-O-O-O-O

"What do you mean, I was acting like a hatchling?" Pearl asked dubiously as they flew back to the cavern. "All I remember is the pain going away and then nothing."

Of course Pearl wouldn't remember her own immature antics under the effects of the pain-numbing plant Lily had fed her. Next time, Lily was going to give her the other plant. An upset stomach wasn't as bad as what she had just dealt with.

"Just forget about it," Lily murmured, guiding them toward the ground just outside the cavern. She was more worried about explaining to Claw where she had taken Pearl. It was past midday, and the sky had partially cleared. That was a lot of time to account for.

Hopefully, Claw would not be present. Lily was fine with sneaking away and spending a day thinking up a good excuse.

Sadly, that was not to be. The first light wing Lily saw upon entering the cavern was Claw, who was speaking to one of his mates, a female named Dew.

Claw looked over at her immediately, probably having heard her walking in. His eyes narrowed. "There you are. I thought I told Pearl not to leave the cavern."

Lily spoke up immediately, not wanting to leave it up to Pearl to answer. "You did? I thought she was misinterpreting something you said. The rest of your mates can go wherever they please, after all."

"Is that why you sent me to deal with a petty squabble between fledglings on the other side of the valley?" Claw asked suspiciously.

A petty squabble? Lily wasn't sure whether that had actually happened or not; if she agreed, she might be falling into a trap. In this case, it was probably safer to tell part of the truth than to try and keep lying.

"I really just wanted to pry your newest mate away for a while so we could talk," Lily admitted, shrugging her wings sheepishly. "I did not think I would get a chance if you were around." She could elaborate if Claw asked, but if he did not, a vague answer was safest.

"No, you would not," Claw grumbled. "Come here, Pearl."

Pearl slunk over to stand near Claw, lingering just out of touching distance. She already looked just as downcast as before, and Lily realized she hadn't said much to help keep Pearl's spirits up. Dealing with an adult light wing who wasn't thinking straight had driven that out of her mind. She regretted that failure now; it felt like she had accomplished nothing with Pearl.

"If you lie to me again," Claw growled at Lily, "you will regret it."

Was that all? She counted such a vague threat as getting off easy, especially given he didn't seem inclined to actually punish her for this offense. She could probably attribute that to his laziness, and possibly her selling it as a small thing not worth caring about. A show of appearing meek and apologetic was an easy redress.

"What is this about Pearl not being allowed to leave the caverns?" Dew asked, looking at Claw uncertainly. "Why not?"

"I said so," Claw replied sternly.

"Of course, alpha," Dew murmured with a deferential bow.

"You will be sharing a side cavern with Dew," Claw said to Pearl, who glanced at Dew before looking down again. "For the moment, at least. She will teach you how things work around here."

Lily tried to remember what she knew of Dew. It wasn't much. Around Pina's age, quiet, and with at least one fledgling to care for, though Lily was basing that last fact off of seeing her watching the fledglings play together in the main cavern, so she couldn't be sure.

"Come along, I will show you where we will be sleeping," Dew said, nudging Pearl's side before walking off into the depths of the cavern. Pearl followed obediently, and the two were gone in moments.

Claw shook his head dismissively, and then turned to Lily. "What did you want with her?"

The one question she had hoped to avoid answering. "There were things I wanted to ask her about," she replied noncommittally. "It was a waste of time. She didn't have anything useful to say." That would hopefully counter any interest he might have in inquiring further.

"So you say," he rumbled. "Well, you are an adult now. Feel any different?" It was an abrupt change in subject, but Lily was fine with that.

"Different? Honestly, no." Being considered an adult wasn't really in her mind right now; too many terrible things had happened in the last two days.

"More mature? Older?" he pressed, walking around her. "You look the part."

Lily stepped away from him, not liking that at all, though she could not have-

No, she _could_ say why she didn't like it. Pearl was proof she was not being paranoid, it was a legitimate concern. But he had not done anything obviously twisted toward her yet. She would be wary, but nothing more.

"If I look the part, that is because I already did," she replied, only keeping half her attention on what she was saying. The rest went to watching him closely. His body language, the half-formed expressions that might betray emotions flitting across his face, all of it. She could start testing him now, if the conversation went in the right general direction. "I looked like an adult three days ago, even if I was not one yet."

"Most say they feel older, more mature," Claw said, still looking her over with a neutral expression. "Not that I care all that much."

That could be taken many ways. Lily couldn't tell how he had meant it. But if he had meant it in the bad way, then there was a proper response, and if he hadn't, he wouldn't read into her reply, so she went with that. "I don't care what others think, but for myself, I feel no different." If he was reading into it, he would hear her saying she didn't care, and thus wasn't likely to cause any sort of trouble.

Claw nodded, not confirming or denying what she had read into his earlier comment. His reply would have been the same either way.

"You are going after Gold, though," he continued after a moment. "That is, if not new, then at least recent."

Here, Lily hesitated. She wasn't sure how she wanted to answer that. On the one paw, she couldn't claim she actually wanted Gold, because she needed Claw willing to uphold his unspoken promise, if that had ever really happened. On the other paw, if she entirely disclaimed Gold, he might get ideas, and he was the one with all the power in this game of intentions and wills.

They were having two different conversations simultaneously, and until she could figure out which he meant, she had to answer both ways, which at the moment meant answering vaguely. "That is new, yes. And I have competition."

"Honey and Crystal," he agreed, not even seeming to think about it. "Do you think you will get the best of them?"

Lily didn't like the way he was looking at her. His expression was still totally flat and devoid of anything, which only stoked her paranoia. Without knowing what he was hiding, however, she could draw no conclusions; it could be as simple as that he suspected she didn't intend on courting Gold. "I don't think it will be hard."

"I suppose we will see." He seemed done speaking to her, but didn't leave. She walked out of the cavern, feeling his eyes on her back the entire way out.

That entire conversation was worthless, in a sense. She couldn't make heads or tails of what he had _meant_ with any of what he said.

Maybe she could figure it out later. Right now, she needed to get to Pyre before any more time passed. She was already late.

Maybe she could even salvage some of the peaceful day she had expected to have with him. The loss of Granite still weighed heavily on her heart, and made everything around her feel a little less important.

But at least she had tried to help Pearl, if initially for Crystal's sake. One bright spot in a dark day and a dark time.


	9. Persuasive

Lily couldn't have asked for better timing. She hadn't expected to run into Crystal here, only a few days after their argument, and she couldn't seek her out, because that would feel like she was trying to convince her of something. So all she could do was wait.

Three days wasn't long at all to wait, barely long enough for Crystal to have hopefully calmed down. That was lucky enough.

What was luckier, in Lily's view, was what she was doing when Crystal happened across her, and who she was with.

"So I win by tagging your tail?" Pearl asked, flying right behind Lily. They were gliding high above the valley, clearly visible from below, which was probably how Crystal had found them.

Lily had noticed Crystal flying up to meet them, but decided to ignore her for the moment. Fixing their friendship was very important, but so was keeping Pearl's morale up, and getting her alone and away from the caverns was difficult enough that Lily needed every moment she could get.

"Yes, exactly," Lily said, keeping her voice light and cheery. She didn't really enjoy flying, and would likely be terrible at the simple game of tag she had invented on the spot, but she couldn't think of anything more freeing and relaxing than a friendly little chase in the bright morning sky… It also probably wouldn't hurt Pearl's mood when she won, which she was almost guaranteed to whether or not Lily actually tried.

Assuming Pearl would like winning. It seemed like a safe enough assumption to make, but Lily didn't know the other dragon well at all, so it wasn't guaranteed. Pearl was strange-

Lily cringed at that thought, remembering that same fact being used as an excuse to not care. Pearl was strange, yes, but that didn't matter. It shouldn't matter, anyway, and Lily was beginning to suspect a lot of what she found odd about Pearl might not be entirely her fault, or who she really was. It was impossible to tell. Especially with only three days of sparse, sporadic interactions between them.

Crystal would know more, but Lily hadn't approached her yet. Now was an opportunity for many things.

"This looks interesting," Crystal announced, revealing her presence to Pearl by flying up beside her. "Can I join in?" Although her voice was light, the intense glare directed at Lily indicated she was faking it for Pearl.

"Sure," Lily offered, seeing no reason as to why not. Crystal might actually provide Pearl with a challenge, and hopefully she would see that Lily really was just trying to help.

As it turned out, after a few minutes of flying through the sky, it was a good thing Crystal had joined in. Lily had to give up, panting so hard she felt as though her chest would burst with every heartbeat. She didn't know how the other two were able to keep going like that; she certainly couldn't.

But that wasn't normal. As she trailed the other two from a distance, she mentally chastised herself. Not enjoying flying for fun was one thing, but actually being out of shape was another. That was just lazy on her part; it wasn't as if Crystal or Pearl put in large chunks of time to endurance flight. They were probably average, which put her stamina at decidedly below average.

Something to add to the list. There were a lot of things Lily knew she should be doing.

Making up with Crystal, now that she had the chance, was one of those things. So, Lily didn't fall off the chase and go do something else, instead sticking with the game until it ended and both light wings went their separate ways.

That was a sore point. Lily didn't like how restricted Pearl was; Claw insisted she be in the cavern at certain times of day, regardless of what else she might want to be doing. It was so pointless and controlling.

It was a good thing Pyre stayed out of the valley, only his distance from all of this kept her lie alive; he would discern Claw's true nature within moments of watching him with Pearl if that was an option.

Crystal made to follow Pearl, but was warned off by her friend. Lily didn't hear the exact wording of Pearl's discouragement, but it clearly didn't sit well with Crystal, who circled around in the sky to watch her descend.

Luckily, that meant Lily could catch up. She managed to fall into formation with Crystal as she circled.

"This is not going to help her," Crystal growled. The cheerful attitude she had projected around Pearl was gone, as if it had flown away with the other dragon. Now she sounded much more like how Lily would expect someone who had lost their future mate only a few days ago to sound.

And someone angry with her specifically, for some reason. "Every little bit helps," Lily countered. "She was having fun."

"You are using her to try and prove me wrong," Crystal snarled. "Stay away from her. She does not deserve that."

"Sorry, what?" Lily asked angrily. "Even if I _was_ just using her, which I'm not, I'm helping her cope with her life. Two can do that better than one. Telling me to stay away hurts _her_ , not me." Crystal obviously wasn't thinking clearly; all of that was obvious.

"You _are_ using her, and it will hurt her in the long run. You never cared before." Crystal banked sharply, distancing herself.

Lily followed, not willing to let it go. They were nowhere near done with this argument. "No, I didn't care," she admitted firmly, "but that changed almost as soon as I actually saw her. She's miserable, and I do care now!"

"I do not believe you," Crystal huffed, and pulled ahead again.

"I didn't tell you what I was doing," Lily offered, hoping that fact would work as proof and straining to keep up. "If I only cared because I wanted you back, wouldn't I have made sure you knew?"

"So that was your plan," Crystal growled, flashing teeth. "Nice of you to explain it for me."

"Would you slow down?!" Lily pleaded, struggling to keep up this chase around the valley while having this argument, but she went ignored. She was making basic mistakes, but it was hard to think through her exertion. Raw honesty might be best anyway, and she realized there was no point in denying it. "Yes, I admit, I went to her to prove you wrong. But then I actually _saw_ what you meant! It wasn't about you after that, it was about her." She couldn't put it any more clearly than that.

"I do not want to believe you," Crystal muttered, finally slowing a little.

Lily took the opportunity and swerved out in front, forcing them into a downward spiral. "Then believe what you want," she growled. "I'm going to continue easing her pains whatever you do. I can help, so I will."

That seemed to get through a little, by the way Crystal rocked in the air. "Fine. But I will _not_ be your friend again."

Lily cringed; that really hurt. "You really are determined to stay mad at me?"

"Yes!" Crystal barked back defiantly, pulling out of the spiral and almost crashing into Lily, forcing her to give way. "We are competing, remember? And I am _not_ going to lose!"

Competing… Lily shook her head, confused. For what? They weren't talking about Pearl anymore, unless she was missing something. It didn't help that they were in the air; it was much harder to hold a conversation when they were both distracted by the intricacies of flight.

Well, that at least could be corrected. Lily dropped down, noting with distaste that they were near the dark side of the valley, and landed on a flat and isolated boulder near the edge of that depressing place.

Crystal followed, landing with a loud thump opposite Lily, not even trying to soften her descent. "We are competing," she repeated, slapping her tail on the stone for emphasis and glaring at Lily. "For Gold. And I _cannot_ lose."

Now Lily understood. She didn't agree for a number of reasons, but she understood. Only one of them could have Gold as a mate, despite whatever shady and disgusting deal he had proposed them, and Crystal wanted him…

"You don't even like him," Lily said neutrally.

Crystal's eyes narrowed. "No," she spat venomously, "I do not. But I hate your Sire more." Unbridled rage twisted her face. "He _killed! Granite!"_ she shrieked, slamming her forepaws into the rock.

"And I hate him for that too!" Lily growled back, glad nobody was around. She didn't know if anyone would carry tales of their professing their hatred back to him, or how he would react, and she didn't want to find out. It was safe to speak frankly here.

"It does not matter," she snarled. "I am taking Gold."

Lily took a deep breath, clearing her mind. The situation was delicate, Crystal was distressed in a way Lily understood all too well and was using her as an outlet. This needed to be handled carefully; she couldn't go letting her own emotions and fatigue ruin this chance.

The first step was to redirect the other dragon's anger long enough that she would listen. "Crystal. You know me, and you know I care about you. You will understand why in a moment, but I do this for your sake, not mine. If you do win Gold, would you be able to live with where you left me? Either alone... or like Pearl."

Crystal bared her teeth again. "You would deserve-"

She didn't finish the sentence, just stood there staring furiously at Lily, who waited patiently for her to work through her thoughts. Crystal snarled, then turned to pace the boulder with her tail whipping around behind her.

After several circuits, she turned back to Lily and sat down. "I do not like it when you manipulate me like that," she growled tersely.

She was angry at herself now, which was not preferable but at least her ears were up, indicating she was listening. "I know, but you would have felt terrible about this later if I hadn't," Lily replied gently. "And before you say it, I am fairly certain I do not need Gold, so I can let you have him."

Crystal narrowed her eyes and took a few steps forward. "What do you mean?"

Well, Lily needed her cooperation, so it would be best if she knew everything. "I might be able to try for one of the males becoming adults next season-cycle."

"So I could have Gold..." Crystal wilted, then firmly shook her head with a whine. "I loathe him, but I cannot be the mate of the dragon who killed Granite, I just cannot!"

Lily sighed, hating the entire situation they were stuck in, where the _best_ option was Gold. Where she had to guilt Crystal into listening to her. But that was the way things were. She walked forward and lightly put a wing over her friend. "I know. Hopefully you won't have to. But after seeing Pearl…" She sighed again. "I am no longer certain. I might need Gold even more than you. So I can't simply let you have him."

Crystal looked up at Lily. "But you have a plan?" Her voice was still far from friendly, but that all-important hopeful lilt was there. It was progress.

"None of this is certain," Lily admitted. "But we need to work together to make sure we get the best possible outcome no matter what happens."

"What do I have to do?" Crystal asked quietly, pawing at the ground. "I cannot watch another friend suffer. Not when it would be my fault."

Lily felt no joy at having guilted her into cooperating, but hearing Crystal call her a friend made her heart leap with joy. "I'm sorry it came to this," she said quietly.

"So am I," Crystal murmured, then threw Lily's wing off and stalked to the side of the boulder to look out over the edge, towards the dark side of the valley. "I am still angry with you," she growled, "but... you are right. We _could_ still be friends."

Lily wasn't entirely sure she deserved this outcome. She had openly manipulated Crystal into seeing reason for her own sake, but _that_ was ultimately for the purpose of getting her friend back and keeping herself safe, which was selfish. Wasn't that exactly what Crystal had broke with her over? Being selfish?

No, Crystal had broken with her for not caring about others. This was not just about her, it affected both of them. Nothing Lily had said or implied had been a lie. Either way, she wasn't about to get Crystal questioning things further.

"Okay… There are two possible paths if I fail to court Gold," Lily reasoned, thinking aloud. "On one, Claw will let me choose from next season-cycle's males. On the other, he will claim me like any other female."

Crystal spat a small ball of fire at the ground below with a growl. "Do you know which he will do?"

"No. I'm trying to figure it out, but I can't just ask him." Asking him directly wouldn't work; she didn't know how Claw would respond if he wanted her, to keep her from making trouble beforepaw, and she didn't know how he would respond if he was trying to get her to court Gold. There was too much overlap and too many unknowns, so the question wasn't worth asking, and certainly not worth the risk.

"So… if he will let you pick from other males, I take Gold," Crystal said tentatively. "If not… I am left mated to the one who murdered my love." She spat another angry fireball at the ground below.

"Not forever," Lily promised. "This is not permanent." She still didn't have any ideas as to how to fix any of this, but she did know that it would have to be done somehow. Right now, they were just minimizing the pain, but there had to be a way to be rid of it entirely. Rid of him, if that was the best option.

"But indefinitely," Crystal growled. "He killed Granite. But Granite would have wanted me to help you, and it would be worse for you. Him taking me would be terrible. Him taking you..." She spat another fireball, large enough that Lily saw debris arc above the rim of the boulder.

Lily didn't say anything to that. She didn't like asking her friend to sacrifice for her, especially right after they had made up, but it was really in both their interests; if Crystal hadn't cooperated, Lily might have needed to somehow secure Gold either way. "Here's what we need to do. You need to do everything you can to attract Gold. And so do I."

"What? But that just leaves it up to chance," Crystal objected.

"You'll be _more_ persuasive than me," Lily explained. "I won't actually try my hardest. Just harder than Honey. The idea is that we make you his top choice, then me, so that if I find out for sure it's you or me, you can turn around and make him dislike you."

"And on the other paw, if you will be fine either way, he will pick me," Crystal mused. "But what if he picks one of us before you know which way we need to go?"

Lily hesitated, trying to think of an answer to that. It was a good question, one she hadn't really considered because-

Then she remembered. "Not going to happen," she said confidently. "He wanted all of us, remember? That must mean he doesn't have a clear favorite. As long as we're all competing for him, he'll be unable to choose." She hoped, at least. They both just had to be more interesting than Honey, while close enough that he couldn't choose between them. It would be a tough balancing act, but one that offered the best possible odds.

"And all of this might be moot in a few days anyway," she continued. "This is just a plan for what we do until I know whether I need Gold or not. Once I do, we don't have to worry about keeping Gold undecided." She was betting on that not taking too long, now that she really needed to focus on it.

"I wish we did not have to worry about Gold at all," Crystal growled angrily. "He is a sneaky, vile dragon, not at all attractive. Especially... compared to Granite..." She whined sadly. "I wish…"

Lily moved forward and put her wing back over Crystal, less tentatively this time, unable to think of anything more comforting to say or do. "So do I," she eventually replied in a sad and quiet hum. Even if it would make her own position even more precarious, having Granite back would be worth it.

But at least she had her best friend back, and they were working together on a plan to be sure they had as much control over their own fates as possible. That was something.

O-O-O-O-O

"What is this?" Pearl asked, poking at one of the two large, limp fish Lily dropped in front of her. She hadn't even greeted Lily when Lily came into her side-cavern, and was sitting in a way that suggested a deep tiredness, either of the body or the mind.

Lily reluctantly suspected the former, even though it was barely mid-morning. She didn't try to keep track of which side-cavern Claw slept in on any given night, but she had to know enough to know which nights she wanted to spend sleeping out in the main cavern, so she was aware that Claw had been in here.

And it was not just her knowledge of Claw's schedule or Pearl's tiredness that told her, but she did her best to ignore the more obvious scents and evidence. She did _not_ need to notice any of that.

"This?" Lily said in a neutral voice, acting as if it was no big deal. "I felt like stealing this morning." She stole from Claw's fish pile every morning, actually, but that was a good excuse. "Want some?"

"Will he get mad if he finds out you stole?" Pearl asked, hooking a claw into the closest fish's gills and pulling it in.

"Yes, which is why I do it," Lily said happily. "At me, though." As if he would ever find out; his males wouldn't report her, and nobody else ever noticed. The pile was dropped off just before dawn most mornings, and she had a large opening between then and when Claw came out to officially take nothing. Nobody had ever accused her of stealing before.

"You take risks," Pearl said quietly, before taking and swallowing the fish whole. "I wish I could."

"I can get away with more," Lily said carefully. She really could. Pearl was far more closely watched, and much more directly under Claw's control.

"What is this?" Dew, the light wing Claw had put Pearl with, came into the side-cavern and saw the remaining fish.

"Nothing special," Lily breezily replied, not even the slightest bit worried. It was the truth; she hadn't done anything to these fish. Pearl wouldn't need another dose of the egg-preventing plant for most of a moon-cycle. This was just to be nice… and to normalize her occasionally giving Pearl food.

"It looks like theft," Dew observed, pawing at the remaining fish. "Unless you know how to get these yourself, Lily."

"I should know, but I don't," Lily admitted. She really needed to fix that at some point, but Pyre couldn't teach her, and there was too much going on these days to spare the time.

"Well, do not get caught." Dew deftly flipped the fish up to her mouth and bit into it, before swallowing it.

Lily purred quietly. She hadn't expected the female Claw assigned to watch Pearl to be so cavalier about defying her mate, the alpha. Especially not after that show of deference the other day. "You don't care?"

Dew moved over to a spot in the corner of the cavern that Lily had been ignoring and flamed it, destroying the evidence of Claw's visit the night before. "Pearl, will you be helping me today?"

"I would rather not," Pearl murmured.

"Very well." Dew cast her an understanding look, further contradicting what Lily had assumed she was like, to be Claw's choice of a guard. "My friends are already used to watching him for me, so you will not _have_ to do anything. But it is customary for you to help."

"With what?" Lily asked, though she already had a pretty good idea of the answer.

"My fledgling," Dew replied. "He is almost two season-cycles old. I am used to caring for him by myself, but help would be appreciated." She shook her head in resignation. "Maybe when you are more used to all of this, Pearl."

"You seem very… understanding," Lily said carefully. She wanted to know more about Dew.

"Can I go to the pond for a drink?" Pearl requested, speaking to Dew.

"Of course," Dew replied. "You do not have to ask me…"

Pearl walked out of the side-cavern.

"...Despite what our mate might say," Dew finished disagreeably. "It is a shock," she continued, looking at Lily, "and she was not expecting to be here for another season-cycle. Even if I envy her that, it is not doing her any favors. The least I can do is be understanding."

Now Lily was even more confused. "You envy how early she ended up with Claw?" she asked. Somehow, she doubted Dew would envy Pearl were she to know _exactly_ how early Pearl had really been subjected to Claw's vile intentions.

Dew shrugged her wings. "I would have preferred it myself, yes. The season-cycle between becoming an adult and ending up Claw's mate was not a pleasant one. Uncertainty is not enjoyable, and being forced to compete for a male when I had no desire to was no better."

Lily nodded in understanding. That made sense; it was the same situation Crystal might have found herself in were she not averse to Claw, but still stuck courting Gold. "So you are happy as you are?"

"I am content," Dew replied, dodging the actual question. "Pearl will adjust eventually. It is good that you help her, though. She seems very prone to moping about."

Lily wondered what Dew would predict for Pearl if she knew just how much Pearl despised her current life. This wasn't some temporary adjustment period; Pearl wasn't going to 'get used to it' in any way that could be considered a positive change.

But Dew didn't know enough to understand that, and Lily wasn't about to correct her lack of knowledge. She _could_ hint in the general direction, though. "She isn't happy with her situation, and there is no way to change it. I guess that would depress anyone."

"Walk with me. This side-cavern is small," Dew requested. Lily followed her out. "Like I said, she will get used to it. Once she has an egg to care for, Claw will cease to matter so much."

"How do you figure that?" Lily asked skeptically.

They had walked out into the main cavern. Dew led Lily out into the open, and they followed the curve of the base of the mountain, skirting around the edge of the valley, before stopping near the edge of the dark side of the valley.

"We should probably stop short of the burial grounds," Dew murmured to herself. "Not a place I like going."

Burial grounds? They didn't actually bury their dead, so why would she call them that? Lily didn't bother asking. She liked the name, even if it was inaccurate. Far more fitting than 'dark side of the valley'. The latter sounded ominous, while the former was sadder but less scary-sounding. The name fit better, so she would use it.

"I will deny I ever said this if you repeat it," Dew cautioned Lily. "But I have no great love for Claw."

"So?" Lily didn't see how that was relevant. It wasn't even that dangerous of a thing to admit; Claw didn't seem the type to care all that much, given how interested he was in Pearl despite an obvious lack of attraction on her part.

"So, I speak from experience when I say she will see him as a means to an end once she has an egg, which is one of the many benefits he affords his mates," Dew explained. "And it seems she will have one sooner rather than later if she can have any at all, so she will not be unhappy for long."

Lily highly doubted an egg would cheer Pearl up if it came; quite the opposite. Luckily, it would never come. She said nothing, unsure how best to respond.

"I mean, she might not want one now," Dew continued, apparently taking Lily's silence for disbelief. "I did not. I did not consider it… a possibility." There was an odd hitch in her words there, as if she had changed what she was going to say on a whim. "It was not until I saw my hatchling that I considered anything about being Claw's mate at all positive. But I am content now." She whispered the last few words, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself.

Lily decided to stop pushing the topic at paw, because she wasn't sure what she had stumbled upon. Dew had her own inner conflict, though it seemed she had it mostly resolved. Getting involved would only make it worse.

Then she doubted herself. Was she shying away from helping someone else, as she had with Pearl, mentally writing them off to avoid knowing that they were in need of assistance?

No, she was not. She truly believed that the odd hesitation and inflection she was noticing was the aftereffect of something Dew had already put to rest, not something she could help with.

Dew hadn't noticed Lily's momentary internal struggle, but only because she had been distracted by something else. Lily followed the other light wing's line of sight and noticed… Claw. Flying toward them with two males in tow, and a female Lily recognized as Grass.

"Odd," Dew said absently. "I am pretty sure he and Grass sneak off occasionally, but I do not think they usually bring witnesses."

Lily watched as the four dragons flew over and descended upon the dark side- No, the burial grounds. She wanted to start using that name; it fit.

Grass and Claw landed atop one of the larger boulders, while the two males dropped out of Lily's line of sight, landing on the ground.

Dew shook her head and began to walk away, back toward the cavern. "Not my concern." She looked back at Lily. "It is good that you spend time with Pearl. Help her see the bright side of her situation, whatever that is for her." She took off, flying out over the valley.

Lily shook her head. Dew seemed nice enough, and not exactly oblivious, but she wasn't going to be much help if she kept that warped attitude. Even if eggs were great no matter who the Sire was, surely Pearl having one with Claw was not as good as having one with a real mate, and certainly not a reason to like being one of Claw's mates. What worked for Dew wouldn't help Pearl at all.

A disgusted bark from Grass drew Lily's attention back to the odd scene playing out nearby. What were Grass and Claw doing, and why did it require two males? Lily took flight, gliding over the burial grounds in an attempt to figure out what was going on without talking to anyone involved.

The two males were visible from above, having stopped somewhere near the clearing Lily recalled Grass and Claw frequenting in the distant past. They were flaming something hidden under a ledge of rock, something white and charred grey even where they had not yet got around to flaming-

Lily closed her eyes and propelled herself forward and up, her breathing speeding up on its own, feeling as if she was going to either cry or vomit. The pieces all fit; there was nothing else anyone would need to flame in the burial grounds, Grass had been disgusted, it had been a few days since the send-off, the ceremony only three light wings had participated in… She had fled without looking the results over, unable to bear it. So had both Crystal and Granite's Dam.

The situation at paw making sense did little to calm her; she had been blindsided by the blunt, terrible reminder.

But she had not actually _seen_ anything. She calmed herself by degrees, thinking of nothing in particular, forcing herself to concentrate on the minutiae of flying at an upward angle against a slight breeze. She was not particularly good at flying in such a way, which helped keep her mind occupied.

Once she had calmed down, she opened her eyes and saw that she was far outside the valley, flying out over the ocean. That was no good; she turned herself around and angled for the forest outside the valley.

The sequence of events was obvious, and she could think about it without too much distress. Claw and Grass had gone to their normal spot for the normal clandestine activity, but one or both of them had noticed something amiss. The smell, probably. They had investigated, and Claw had retrieved a few males to… finish the sending-off ceremony, in a twisted, impersonal way.

It was a small thing, and one that she could not assign any particularly malicious intent to, but it still stung. In a good, fair world, Granite would not be dead, or if he was, then his body would have been sent off _properly,_ in a ceremony that was not lacking for friends and family to participate.

Lily shook herself mid-air, dove for a short distance, and forced herself to think of anything else. She had too much going on to be distracted by things she could not help or fix. What was done was done, no matter how much she wished it could have been done differently.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily glided through the clouds, keeping both eyes on the two light wings she was following far below. It was probably overkill to be flying in the clouds while also camouflaged, but she did it anyway. Gold, one of the two dragons in question, was sneaky, and might think to look up. A swirling cloud was slightly less obvious than a subtle distortion in the open air, because the day was windy and the clouds were swirling oddly anyway.

Lily wasn't really used to the feeling of being camouflaged, so she was enjoying her little spying endeavor. Camouflaging was so rarely useful in her daily life because everyone knew the telltale signs, the warping of light and the lack of particles in the air where a light wing was hidden. Pyre told her that other kinds of dragon didn't know to look for those things, but everyone she knew would notice if she tried to spy like this on the ground.

It was a good thing she was enjoying the chase; the subject and reason for her sneakiness was not enjoyable at all. She knew she needed to at least let Gold know she was interested, but he was such an unattractive sneak that she found herself putting it off over and over again.

Yesterday, Crystal had made a move on him, and to hear her tell it, he had definitely seemed interested. Lily knew her time for procrastinating was up; she needed to get in there and make sure he couldn't decide. Thus, she was following him.

But it seemed someone else had the same idea, because he was flying off with Honey. Lily had decided to follow as well as she could without being seen, which was why she was watching from afar. Well, that and because she still didn't want to even talk to Gold, no matter how necessary it was.

Gold and Honey glided over the summit of one of the mountains enclosing the valley, flying as if they had not a care in the world.

Lily suspected she knew where they were going. There were almost no good ledges on the inside of the valley, barring Pyre's, but there were plenty on the far sides not visible from the valley. None were suitable for actually living on, as they were all totally open to the elements, but there were dozens of discrete options to choose from if one was looking for somewhere private.

Lily passed over the mountain, flying slowly. She only had to be fast enough to trail Gold and Honey, who had just set down on one of the ledges on the outside face of the mountain range.

Lily circled down from the clouds and landed higher up on the mountainside, perching on a ledge that overlooked the one Gold and Honey had chosen. The ledges were private, but only if nobody was _trying_ to spy.

On the other paw, this was as close as she could get without a very good chance of being noticed, even camouflaged, and she wasn't close enough to hear anything that was said on the ledge below. All she could do was watch.

As it happened, there wasn't much being said anyway. Honey was rubbing her head against Gold's chest, probably purring loudly. He stared down at her in…

Lily growled softly, disliking that covetous look. It reminded her of how Claw looked at some of his mates, the ones that actually liked him, such as Clover. Gold was far too similar to Claw for her liking.

But he wasn't her Sire, so he was still the better choice if it came down to that, so she had to care. If it were up to her she would fly away and put Gold out of her mind, but it wasn't. She had to do the smart thing, not what she would like to do.

After a short time spent caressing Gold's chest, Honey pulled back and said something to him. He said something else back, and she visibly hesitated.

Lily was glad she didn't particularly care for either of them; her disinterest made not knowing what was passing between them far more bearable than it would be for any other pair of dragons.

Gold nodded significantly. Honey shook her head, refusing something, and then bumped her snout against his face, before taking off and flying away. Gold watched her go, looking distinctly disgruntled.

Now was a good time, if she could force herself to act. Honey had left Gold unhappy, and she could take advantage of that to present herself as the better option, assuming Honey had refused something Lily was willing to consider.

Lily winced as her mind immediately leapt to what Honey might have refused. She had not taken the egg-preventing plant, and didn't have time to do so now. At least she had an excuse for her resolve to utterly refuse any sort of physical action with him this time around. Once she acquired that protection, and she had to if only to plan for every eventuality, that resolve would be far less defensible. She needed to be willing to do whatever it took to stay away from Claw-

 _If_ Claw was a danger. She still didn't know, and until she was sure, she wasn't going to use herself like that.

But there was no point in hesitating over a sacrifice she couldn't let herself make right now, might not ever have to make, and might not even have to refuse today. She leaped down from her ledge, landing on a steep slope of solid rock and sliding in a controlled fashion, descending in a loud and obvious cacophony of scraping stone.

"What is..?!" Gold barked, dashing to the far side of the ledge to avoid where Lily landed. "Who is there?"

Right, she was still camouflaged. He knew someone was present, but not who. She decided to take advantage of that, walking right past him and running her tail along his side. Even that gesture made her feel unclean, but this was a preventative measure for her own safety. She had lied to Pyre for safety; this was nothing compared to that.

"So not my Dam," he rumbled consideringly, leaning in. "Good. She does not like me coming out here."

Lily let her tail slide off of him and drew it back, holding it away from her body as if it was unclean. She planned on wading through the surf once she was done here; the water would be freezing cold, but it would hopefully make her feel less dirty.

"Which of you is it?" he asked curiously as he turned to look for her. "Pearl?"

Lily held back a scathing insult, it would do her no good to mock him for thinking one of Claw's mates would risk anything for him. Instead, she slapped him with her tail to signal that he was wrong; she had to restrain herself, not wanting to tell him more than that by actually inflicting pain.

"Oh, not Pearl. Honey just left and would not do this…" He sniffed at the air, then nosed the ground where she'd been walking. "Lily?"

Lily let her tail drift over to his chin, feeling even more unclean. At least it was working so far.

"I wondered when you would come to me," Gold purred, and she shuddered in revulsion at his breath on her fins as he scented her directly. "But why no talking?"

Because she felt disgusting enough as it was, and didn't trust herself to not ruin it. But she didn't say that. Instead, she withdrew her tail and walked around to his other side, moving as silently as possible.

Gold squinted, tracking her movement with some difficulty. "This is not some trick, is it?" he asked suspiciously. "I want you to stay until the camouflage wears off."

"No," Lily said, drawing the word out. She wanted to fly away then and there, but she didn't think she had done enough yet.

"Really Lily…" He leaned into where she had been a moment ago and staggered, then sat down as if that was what he'd intended to do. "Here to ask me to make you my mate? You have competition."

Lily responded by pawing at his tailfins, startling him back to his paws. She kept moving, stalking in a circle around him at an irregular pace, just to throw him off. He could see that she was there, but the distortion of light and lack of particles where she was didn't tell him what part of her he was seeing, or where she was going.

"You will have to be convincing," he continued in a low voice with a smug grin. "Honey was not very. Crystal was… _much_ better..."

Lily didn't believe what he was implying for a moment; she knew Crystal had not done anything she herself wasn't doing now. But Gold didn't know that they were coordinating. If they were actually competing she might have believed what he was implying.

And if she believed, she would probably try and outdo Crystal. Lily had to admire the cunning involved in that seemingly simple statement, even if she detested both him and what he was trying to get from it.

She forced back an angry growl, now glad she was camouflaged for a new reason; her emotions were probably freely visible if one could actually see her face, and she couldn't afford to mess this up.

"Soon," she whispered, lightly tracing a path across his side with the tips of her tailfins, before leaping up into the air and fleeing.

She flew hard, forcing her body to work to its limit. That had gone well, but if that was how horrible she felt after just laying the initial groundwork, how absolutely terrible would she feel about herself next time? Or the time after that? Or actually being his mate?

All of that was in the future, and only in one possible version of the future. She chose not to think about it. Just doing what she had done was enough for today; she could worry over the implications another time.

Right now, she had a freezing-cold surf to roll in. Everything else could wait until she didn't feel so disgusting.

O-O-O-O-O

The tightly-packed flock of light wings suddenly banked and plummeted past Lily, almost startling her out of the air. She glared at the light wing leading the chase, mentally removing him from her list of potential mates.

Of course, leading the group right past her might have been his way of trying to get her attention. He was a slightly younger male, and sometimes they acted up to get attention. It wouldn't help him; she had already marked him as arrogant and particularly stupid. What he had just done was only the last straw, as Pyre would put it.

"He is a brat," Crystal said matter-of-factly, gliding in beside her. "I would say not him."

"Agreed." Lily was glad Crystal was with her. This would be awkward if she was doing it alone. Flying out in the open above the valley, following a chase consisting entirely of males from the two season-cycles closest to becoming adults. Having a friend accompanying her made it feel less like something twisted and wrong.

Besides, it wasn't wrong. She was not Claw, staring at fledgling and planning to take advantage of them. They were basically her age, only behind by a few moon-cycles or so, and she didn't plan to do anything to any of them before they were adults, even if they were willing.

This was just a scouting mission, of sorts. Half-heartedly courting Gold was necessary to prepare for the bleaker possible future in front of her, this was helping her prepare for the brighter possible future.

"Who's out in the lead now?" Lily asked, seeing that the light wing in front had changed. Now it was a male with a brown tint.

"...Root?" Crystal guessed. They both sped up to get a little closer to the flying mass. With all the twisting and turning the leading light wing was doing, it wasn't hard to catch up. "Yes, that is Root. He is quiet sometimes. Nice, I think? I do not know him well."

"Smart?" Lily asked hopefully. Quiet and nice were two points in Root's favor, albeit minor ones.

"Hard to tell, especially as I do not know him. You _are_ going to talk to them, right?"

"I'm not going to decide who I want as my mate without talking to them first," Lily laughed. "This is just me narrowing the field." Truthfully, she was out here more to decide who _not_ to consider. A competitive chase like they were watching was perfectly designed to demonstrate who was a sore loser; it was obvious in the way anyone who was thrown off the trail reacted to their failure. Lily didn't want a pushover, but the males who fumed and complained were not attractive options either.

Really, she didn't know what she wanted. The most obvious qualities were, well, obvious. Any mate of hers would have to be intelligent, considerate, and open to listening to her.

Past that… she didn't know. Ideally they would be attractive; she _did_ like watching the more developed males, the ones with firm legs and strong wing-shoulders. Strong tails were nice too, though that was hard to judge from a distance.

The irony of preferring athletic dragons in considering a mate was not lost on Lily. She knew she was the furthest thing from fit. She still intended to work on that. There were just too many other things going on for her to start now.

"The one dropping out now is funny. He tells jokes to the younger fledglings," Crystal suggested.

"He's pouting," Lily said dismissively. The smoke rising from the male's nostrils, coupled with his quick, uneven wingbeats, gave away his mood, and it was not impressive. "I don't want a male with a short temper."

"If you are looking for the perfect male, do not–"

Lily warbled curiously, glancing over to see her friend staring off into the distance. Crystal shook her head with a sigh. "Granite was the perfect male…"

"Yes, but I have to choose one of these," Lily said solemnly. She couldn't bring herself to ask Crystal to stop, but constant reminders of her brother were painful to listen to. She didn't know how Crystal could stand to think about him so often.

"Right. Yes. Every one of them will have a flaw. Root is very passive, for instance. His Dam speaks for him whenever she is around, and he lets her. I am not entirely sure he has a spine."

Lily shrugged her wings. Today, she was just ruling out the worst options. She hadn't planned it all out, but she did know she had moon-cycles. Next, she would bring her observations to Pyre.

O-O-O-O-O

"You were doing what?" Pyre asked incredulously.

Lily squirmed, lashing her tail and anxiously kneading the ground. "You heard me just fine," she complained. He obviously saw how uncomfortable this made her. It had seemed like such a good idea to talk to him about it, right up to the moment she had started talking. There was something unbearably disquieting about this, though she couldn't put her paw on it at the moment.

"Oh, I know," he laughed, purring smugly. "It is just funny to hear. You have finally grown up."

"I'm already an adult," she muttered rebelliously. "This shouldn't be such a surprise." All she had been doing was watching a few males. Pyre was acting like she had fallen for one of them.

"And I find it suspicious that you're so suddenly interested," Pyre continued slyly. "I think one of them has caught your eye. Am I right?"

Lily shook her head. "No, not at all. I barely know any of them. I was just… planning ahead."

"And what have you planned so far?" Pyre asked curiously.

"Nothing. But I watched them for a while. I was able to rule out most of them right away."

"On what grounds?"

"Rude, stupid, or both." She wouldn't tolerate either of those qualities if there were any better options. "I have a few different males in mind. But I want to know what you think I should be looking for."

That got Pyre's attention. He leaned forward and eyed her solemnly, becoming serious. "You want my advice on picking a potential mate?" he asked.

"Yes." She could even take it without second-guessing it like she had to with anything he said regarding Claw. He wasn't going to be operating off of incomplete information on this one.

"Fair warning," Pyre replied. "I'm not a good person to ask."

"Why not?"

"Risa and I…" He trailed off, looking up at the sky. The clouds were racing by, pushed North by the steady wind. "How do I put this?"

"However you can manage." She was glad he seemed willing to speak of his mate without any obvious difficulty, but she didn't doubt that it hurt him on some level.

"How long…?" Pyre mused, speaking to himself. "Thirty? Yes, I think so." He looked back at Lily. "It took us thirty season-cycles to get together, despite travelling in the same pack for that same amount of time."

" _Thirty_?" Lily squeaked incredulously. "That's a… Really long time." Six times longer than her entire life so far.

"Oh, you have not even heard the worst part," Pyre laughed. "She was stuck-up and intelligent, and I was cynical and stubborn. Not to mention, we were both relatively young and hot-headed. We hated each other within a day of meeting. Then we spent season-cycles making each other miserable."

"You're exaggerating," Lily said accusingly. There was no way it was really as bad as he was saying.

"I remember her convincing the alpha to put me on waste pit duty, alone, for an entire season-cycle," Pyre recalled nostalgically. "When she came to gloat, I pushed her in. Of course, she snuck up on me later and managed to throw _me_ in."

Lily winced. She tried not to think about the waste pit as a general rule, imagining what it was like to fall in was threatening to make her lose her stolen breakfast all over Pyre's ledge.

"So yes, it really was as bad as I'm saying," Pyre concluded. "Then, something happened."

"What?"

Pyre purred maliciously. "Someone managed to make us both angry. We called a truce long enough to make his life miserable, and it never really started back up after that."

"So you started liking each other then?" Lily asked.

"Oh, no, not after only a dozen season-cycles. That would be far too easy." Pyre shook his head. "We did not openly admit things had changed until about twenty-five season-cycles in. The last five were spent trying to figure out how to live with each other, and whether it was worth it. We didn't become mates until we had worked it all out."

"That sounds… stressful." Lily didn't think she would be able to tolerate something moving that slowly, though she might feel differently if she had been in Pyre's pawprints. Love was a distant, unknowable concept for her right now, at least when it came to romance. She didn't know what it was like.

"Chaotic, frustrating, and totally worth it, but I wouldn't advise you do what I did," Pyre concluded. "And I didn't try to pick a mate, so I don't have any experience in actually looking for one. Still want my advice?"

Lily considered it. "No," she concluded. "I want to hear more about you and Risa. You just told me you have three decades of stories to tell." And he had proved he could even enjoy telling some of them.

"I suppose I can remember some of the more out-there moments," Pyre agreed, stretching out to lay on his side. "Where should I start?"

"At the beginning," Lily requested, settling herself into a comfortable position, keeping her back to the wind. She had a lot to do, and her future was far from certain, but she could spare a day to listen to Pyre. He deserved at least that much.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Special thanks to my beta reader, Deadly-Bagel, for helping so much with this chapter.**


	10. Powerless

Another day, another unpleasant task. Lily flew low over the valley, searching for a telltale golden glint among the many colors present. The sun was high in the sky, which made looking down on the many light wings going about their life a very colorful activity, the glints reflecting strongly at the right angles.

The sun being up also made it very easy to find someone in a crowd based on the color of their glint, which was why she was bothering to look. Gold was not on any of the secluded ledges on the other side of the mountain, so he was probably somewhere in the valley. It had been almost a quarter of a moon-cycle since their first interaction, and she needed to make sure he was still interested, just to ensure he wouldn't pick anyone.

That involved finding him, though, and she was having absolutely no luck. This was her third pass over the valley, and no gold. Every other color of the rainbow, and many more that rainbows did not feature, but his was entirely absent.

"Nothing?" a voice called out from the empty sky above her. She glanced up, squinting in an attempt to make out what she knew would be an ever so slightly darker patch of sky, one that did not block light so much as redirect and bend it.

"Nothing," she growled out, spotting Crystal up to her left. "You?"

"I would not be asking you if I had seen him," Crystal grumbled. She sounded closer, but Lily didn't bother checking whether the distorted patch of sky had moved. Crystal knew better than to fly in front of her, so it didn't matter exactly where in the air she was.

"Where could he be?" With two of them looking, it should not be so hard to find him. Lily would think he would want to be found; they had both done well in making him think he was going to get what he wanted from one or both of them soon.

Lily shuddered, as she did every time that idea entered her mind. As long as all three of them, including Honey, avoided going any further, they were all safe from having to do so. But if Honey ever decided to give in and give Gold what he so obviously wanted, she and Crystal were going to be in a very unpleasant situation.

Not yet, though. It could happen; if it did, they would deal with it. Lily still hoped to know whether she needed Gold soon. That would at least put an end to most of her uncertainty, and she even had a few ideas as to how to go about finding out the truth, albeit indirectly.

But right now, she needed to find Gold. She and Crystal were taking visiting him in turns, and Crystal had spent a, to hear her tell it, highly unpleasant day with him three days ago. It was Lily's turn.

If she could only find him! "What are the odds he tried to go fishing and drowned in the sea?" Lily asked crossly, fed up with their failure at what should be an easy task.

"Do not say that!" Crystal barked worriedly. "If something like that happened, we might both suffer for it… and Gold would be dead."

Lily hummed in dark amusement. It might sound selfish for Crystal to value her own situation over Gold's life, but Lily understood and entirely agreed. Gold was disgusting, a means to an end that was only good in comparison to the alternative. Neither of them liked him, even if Crystal did seem to be trying to work herself around to at least not despising him.

Given Crystal was hoping to end up with him, that was probably a good plan. Lily couldn't bring herself to do the same. The best she could say about Gold was that he wasn't an idiot; his personality left pretty much everything to be desired.

"Wait, is that him?" Crystal barked. "Exiting the cavern. What was he doing down there?"

Lily looked over at the part of the valley Crystal was speaking of, and caught a telltale golden glint, a light wing loitering out by the cavern mouth. "Yes, that's him." She didn't particularly care what Gold did with his time, but it _was_ odd that he had been in the cavern. He shouldn't have any reason to be there.

But she wasn't about to ask him, even if she was going down there in a moment. Keeping her mouth shut, and whenever possible her body camouflaged, made dealing with Gold doable. She intended to keep that approach going for as long as possible.

"Do not let him trick you into doing anything more than I did," Crystal admonished. "I know for a fact that Honey's Dam has been lecturing her about not letting him have anything until they are mates. Do not fall for his lies."

Lily purred sarcastically. "I don't think I'll have a problem," she replied. "But how do you know about Honey being lectured?" That was new; Lily certainly hadn't heard about it.

"I heard it from Root, who heard it because he lives close to her family rock," Crystal explained. "Are you planning to actually meet him soon?"

Lily shrugged her wings noncommittally. "Eventually." She just had too much going on at the moment. Once she confirmed that Gold wasn't vital to her future, she could put all the time she currently spent on him into looking into finding a mate she might actually like.

"There is time," Crystal said agreeably. "It has only been half a moon-cycle. But do not stall too long. Winter is not a good time for starting new things."

Lily nodded, agreeing with that. The wind had already lost its dry warmth, and the days were beginning to grow shorter with a speed that always caught her by surprise. She could not afford to wait too long. But right now, Gold was the male she had to court, not Root or anyone else. She angled her wings downward, leaving Crystal to float in the breeze above the valley. It was her turn to deal with the aggravant.

Gold looked over at her as she landed beside him, and purred in a low tone, though he seemed distracted. "Lily. What a surprise."

"I was looking for you," Lily revealed. That, at least, made it sound like she cared about him. "Doing anything right now?"

"Nothing worth talking about," Gold replied, looking around. "I am going to the ledges. Are you coming?" A veiled question, and one she definitely did not feel like answering.

Luckily, there was an easy solution that did not sound in any way like she was reluctant to be alone with him, which she was. "I was going to suggest we take a walk through the valley," she improvised, making sure to set her tail swinging in a way that usually signified her being happy or eager.

"That does not sound _interesting,_ " Gold countered slyly, stubbornly sitting back on his haunches.

More interesting than either of his other prospects, though. Lily refrained from saying anything to that effect aloud; acknowledging straight-out that she was keeping tabs on the other two females would make Gold suspicious. Instead, she brushed her tail against his side, purring quietly. Nonverbal gestures were the easiest way to lie about her intentions; there was only one layer of intent to control, as opposed to the many associated with speaking.

"Oh, fine," Gold agreed. They began to walk among the rocks of the valley, side by side wherever possible. Lily intentionally led them through wider passages, thinking that she preferred Gold's tail occasionally brushing hers over him staring at her backside every time they were forced to walk single-file.

"I have noticed you do not like flying," Gold began without preamble.

Lily was mildly surprised he was able to deduce that. It wasn't something she told most people, so the odds were in favor of him actually noticing it, not just hearing it and then claiming to have deduced it himself.

Then the implications struck her, darkening her mood. He had been _watching_ her at some point, and she hadn't known about it. "When did you determine that?" she asked, keeping her voice light and airy.

"Recently," Gold said smugly. "You like things on the ground better. I can work with that."

Lily shrugged her wing shoulders, intentionally choosing to interpret that at face value. She didn't have to respond to the innuendo as long as it was just that, and so much the better if he thought she wasn't bright enough to catch it. "I do like walking more than flying."

Gold grunted noncommittally, apparently falling for her little deception. He must think her not quite as smart as him.

That would be a problem, if she ended up with him. Then again, if she ended up with him, she already had many problems, and her own struggles with a sneaky, lustful mate would only be a small part of that. Besides, if he annoyed her too much, she could always flame him and make him disappear.

"What is so funny?" Gold asked a few moments later. They turned down a narrower passageway, and Lily slowed just enough to ensure Gold walked in front of her, instead of the other way around.

"Just an idle thought," Lily hummed. The mental image of Gold mouthing off only to disappear a moment later, perhaps while they were in public, talking to other dragons, was a good one. And possibly an accurate one, too. If they ended up mates, she would make sure he knew she was in charge. That was the only way it would be tolerable.

Yes, he might be tolerable, with enough work and the right approach. Lily idly eyed Gold's tail and hindquarters, considering that. There could be _some_ good things about being his mate, if she put in enough effort to bring them out. At least he was not stupid, and he was not entirely unattractive-

But she certainly wasn't going to go any further down that line of thought while it was all up in the air.

The two boulders constraining their path dropped away to either side, and Lily quickly moved up to walk beside Gold once more, being sure to 'accidentally' brush his side as she did so. She didn't like what she had to do to make sure he remained interested, but life wasn't about doing what she liked. If it was, she would not be here.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily stalked into the side-cavern that she spent her nights in, shaking herself vigorously. The weather changed in an instant around this part of the season-cycle, and she had been caught by rain and hail on her way back. Her fault for staying out past dark, really. The clouds had only started appearing after sunset.

To her mild surprise, all three of her so-called cavern-Dams were awake. Usually, they all went to sleep around sunset, and it wasn't likely any of them would wait up for her. She had made a habit of coming back to the cavern just late enough so as to not have to interact with any of them.

"Stop showering us in freezing water," Cressa growled disagreeably, sounding half-asleep, though her eyes were sharp and narrow, glaring in Lily's direction.

"Please?" Pina added politely, casting a glance at Cressa. "It is not pleasant."

"Sorry, Pina," Lily said deliberately, flicking her tail so as to direct the last easily-dislodged beads of water specifically in Cressa's direction. Her Dam treated her like a disagreeable stranger these days, so she made sure to respond in kind. Not that she often got the chance to; keeping away from the side-cavern while her Dam was awake meant she almost never had to talk to her.

Cressa grumbled something unintelligible and very likely vile before turning her back to Lily and covering her head with a wing.

Grass chuckled quietly, watching from the far end of the small side-cavern. Lily preferred that to her actually saying anything; Grass was at her best when she wasn't speaking. Really, only Pina was worth talking to at this point.

"Over here?" Pina offered, shifting to the side to give Lily a place against the wall, as opposed to between Cressa and Grass.

Lily took the proffered spot with a soft purr of gratitude. "Thank you," she said in a low voice. It was good to be on good terms with at least one of her cavern-Dams.

"I rarely even see you now," Pina murmured. "Though I understand why. Want to talk?"

Lily shook her head, feeling a little guilty. She hadn't thought Pina would mind her constant absence. "I'm tired. Tomorrow?"

"Will you have time? Whenever I see you in the valley, you seem to always be going somewhere or following someone. What do you do all day, anyway?"

The hopeful curiosity in Pina's voice was obvious to Lily. What she didn't understand was what had changed. So, she answered in a way designed to help her figure that out. "Is there a reason you want to know?"

Pina looked over at her. "Do I need a reason? I _did_ help raise you from an egg." Her tone was reproachful now.

Lily didn't even have to think about how she was going to reply to that. "I don't tell Cressa or Grass anything at all."

"They also do not want to know," Pina replied in a very low voice. Neither of the aforementioned dragons could hear her as it was, but she seemed to want to be as careful as possible, even if the only consequence of being overheard was annoying one or both of them. "And do not deserve to."

"Strong words," Lily remarked quietly.

"True words," Pina retorted, still looking at Lily with an unreadable expression. "So?"

"Lots of things," Lily said vaguely, still feeling slightly guilty. While it was true that Pina was not that much of a caring Dam, not enough to really count, she was far superior to Grass or Cressa, and thus the closest thing Lily had to a real Dam. A casual sort of caring was better than indifference or outright hostility.

"If that is all you want to say, I understand," Pina murmured.

"I spend some of my time with Crystal," Lily continued, unable to stop herself. She didn't want to alienate Pina, too, especially not when all that was being asked of her was something she could easily give. "And other friends."

"That is good… Is Gold one of these friends?"

"... In a way," Lily lied. Of course, Pina would ask about Gold. "I do not know him well yet," she continued, trying to find a way to dismiss Gold without making it obvious that something was off. There was no obvious reason not to tell Pina that she didn't want Gold, but that particular fact also wasn't supposed to be common knowledge, and thus shouldn't be revealed on a whim.

"Do you need my help with him?" Pina asked, surprising Lily. "Dams usually cooperate in setting their children up before the ceremony, and I do not really count, but I could try and speak to his Dam."

"Thank you, but I am not sure I want that," Lily replied honestly. "Maybe. I will consider it." If she ended up needing to secure Gold for real, that might be a good extra push to add to Crystal spurning him.

"Cressa should have offered," Pina muttered. "But never mind that. I hear you have made a new friend."

"Who told you that?" Pina would be referring to Pearl, but Lily was more interested in tracing the path of gossip back far enough to find out who had actually seen her and Pearl together to start spreading rumors. Was it Dew? She was the most likely possibility, even if she did not seem to be one to gossip.

"Many people. Small things become big when enough of us are bored," Pina replied. "So?"

"She is unhappy and I can help, so I do," Lily explained. "What do you think of her situation?" she asked in a flash of inspiration. Finding out how Pina saw all of that might be a helpful hint toward how the rest of the pack thought about Claw's activities. She still didn't understand any of that.

"She is mildly unhappy, but that will pass, and there is nothing else unique about it," Pina said slowly. "Is there more?"

Mildly? Lily nodded. "Talk to Dew. Pearl is not 'mildly unhappy.'" She would elaborate herself, but her eyes were beginning to close of their own accord every few moments, and it was safer to refer Pina to someone who knew about Pearl's obvious problems, but not her terrible, secret ones.

"Claw will help her adjust," Pina purred sleepily. "I bet he is already trying to win her over. He does do that, sometimes…"

Lily held in her disgust, letting her head nod and ending the conversation by pretending to drift off into sleep. It was an odd feeling, to like Pina in general, but totally oppose one of her views. How could she be so blind? She was one of his mates, and had been for many season-cycles. Lily could not possibly know Claw as well as Pina undoubtedly did, but she also could not imagine Claw _helping_ in any way that Pearl would appreciate.

How could the entire pack be so blind? Pearl was a living, breathing proof that Claw was terrible, if any of them would stop and look. So were their own dead sons, if they would just _think_.

Lily drifted off into sleep feeling indignant and confused. There was still much she didn't understand about the world and people around her, and that did not make for easy sleep.

O-O-O-O-O

"I want to rip his limbs off and watch him die," Crystal snarled darkly, digging a deep furrow in the mossy grass at the base of a large tree. "One by one, slowly and painfully."

"As if you could do it without it hurting," Lily said absently, understanding her friend's rage. She had felt something dark and ugly herself, seeing Pearl earlier that day.

Limping, walking gingerly, wincing with every other step. Her eyes downcast and pained, more broken than any day since the time Lily had helped her.

And neither of them even knew the full extent of what Claw had done to her. Lily had invited Pearl out here for more pain-numbing plants, but Pearl had muttered something about Dew and not going anywhere until after noon had come and gone.

"Should I go get her?" Crystal asked. "Surely this is far enough past noon."

Lily walked forward through the forest until she got a good view of the sun. "Yes, now is fine," she agreed. "Bring her to this clearing." It was a useful place, and Lily anticipated needing a wide open space. She was going to give Pearl the same pain-killing plants as the first time, despite the side-effect. Actually, she was doing the same thing _because_ of the side-effect. Even if Pearl wouldn't remember it, having a short time of carefree happiness would do her good.

Lily absently sought out and clawed up a patch of the plant she needed, dropping it off in the middle of the clearing. No need to hide another egg-preventing leaf among the pile this time around…

Actually, no, she should. This was a good opportunity, and while the moon-cycle was not over yet, it was probably best to err on the side of caution. She sought out the blue-green bush in question and took a leaf in her paw, piercing it with a single claw to more easily carry it.

She stared down at the leaf, considering something else that had been nagging her. It was protection, protection without any obvious drawbacks. Her situation was uncertain.

Hypothetically speaking, what if she discovered she needed to take Gold for herself tomorrow, no matter what that entailed? What if she did not have time to seek this plant out? It would be better to have it already in effect, and there was no drawback. She did _not_ need an egg on top of all her current issues. As it was, she was putting things off and barely had any time to relax. She hadn't even been to see Pyre in days.

Lily returned to the blue-green bush and decisively swallowed another leaf off of it, gagging a little as it stuck to the back of her throat. She would be sure to keep eating them in the future, once a moon-cycle. One more protection, just in case.

O-O-O-O-O

"Come back!" Pearl growled playfully, limping at… a tree.

Crystal looked on in bafflement. "This is normal?" she asked incredulously.

Lily eyed Pearl, who was now gumming at the tree, and tried to decide whether or not she should intervene. Pearl might cut her gums on-

No, wait, she was using her teeth now, for all the good that did her. The tree was too wide for her to really bite into. She would be fine. "Yes, it is. It wears off eventually, but until then, she's basically an oversized, extremely silly fledgling."

"Right…" Crystal turned to Lily. "Can I try it?"

"Not right now," Lily answered without even thinking about it. "I can't watch two of you at once."

"She does not need much watching," Crystal objected, flicking her tail in Pearl's direction. The light wing in question was still enthusiastically carving furrows into the helpless tree's bark with her teeth.

"At this exact moment." Lily didn't want to risk it, even if Pearl _was_ less crazy this time around, at least so far. "What if she gets it into her head to go flying or something?"

"That is easy to fix. Just distract her." Crystal shrugged her wing shoulders, shaking her wings out as if loosening up. "If you will not give me some of that plant, then I am just going to pretend you did."

"What?" Lily wasn't following.

"This will be boring if we just watch, and I would rather have fun _with_ her," Crystal said in way of explanation. "Besides, I know how she was as a fledgling. I can handle her."

With that, to Lily's surprise, Crystal bounded over to Pearl, said something in a low and eager voice, and proceeded to start a game of tail-tag on the ground. The two chased each other in circles, Crystal moving slowly enough that Pearl, still limping, could just barely keep up.

Lily sat down in the middle of the clearing, watching the game. Why was it so surprising that Crystal had so easily joined in? She could have done the same at any time; Pearl was in such a state of mind that she might have played with Claw if he showed up and acted innocent.

Lily shook her head violently, trying to drive that thought out of her mind, and resolving on something very, very important. She was _never,_ under _any_ circumstances, giving Claw even the slightest hint that any plant could do something like this. She wasn't giving the knowledge to _anyone_ aside from the two dragons here, and only them because she hadn't realized how terribly it could be misused by the wrong dragons.

Pearl dashed past her, almost tripping on a small hump in the grassy field, managing to recover with an awkward hop. Crystal shot past a moment later.

Lily eyed Pearl, seeing the still-awkward gait. She did not want to try and determine why Claw was being even harder on Pearl than before, but if it did not stop, she was going to _have_ to figure it out. At this rate, Pearl wouldn't be able to walk in a quarter of a moon-cycle.

If she _could_ figure it out, that was. She was having absolutely no luck understanding the pack as a whole, or determining Claw's aims. It felt like she was trying to fly through a storm, and making absolutely no progress. She did not _understand_.

Crystal skidded to a stop a few steps away, ducking a _very_ clumsy attempt at a tackle from Pearl, who glided a short distance and tumbled to the ground, rumbling in unsteady laughter. "Are you going to join us?" Crystal panted, slapping her tail against the ground in invitation. "Come on, you will have fun."

Should she? She couldn't deny that a part of her would like nothing more than to just play like an innocent fledgling for a while…

But she had other responsibilities, and another, larger part of her whispered that she shouldn't let herself be seen acting immature and childish. That someone could use it against her. Not Crystal, and Pearl would not remember, but… still.

Besides, she had to think. Relaxing was not an option when so much rested on her shoulders. "No, you go ahead," she said decisively. They should have fun; she was the one responsible for them, in many ways. It was her duty to put all of her effort into keeping them as safe as possible, and in this case that meant trying to traverse the metaphorical storm once again.

O-O-O-O-O

As it turned out, Pearl didn't end up needing any more plant-fueled romps through the forest to keep her spirits up, and Lily did not need to puzzle out Claw's warped intentions toward Pearl. The unusually rough treatment stopped almost as quickly as it had started, and Pearl's life, while not good, returned to how it had been previously.

That made Lily happy, but also frustrated. Claw's 'mercy', if it could even be called that, was the only reason Pearl was not suffering more. Relying on Claw for anything rubbed Lily the wrong way now… And she still had no answer as to whether she herself was relying on him, or working to get away from him.

So, lacking an answer, she continued to put in the minimum effort necessary to keep her options open. Sometimes that meant watching the next season-cycle's males, which was a pleasant activity, but more often than not, it meant what she was doing at the moment.

"Good morning, Lily!" Gold's Dam said enthusiastically, waving her tail in Lily's general direction. She could not do much more at the moment, sprawled out on her back in the sunlight atop her rock, totally covering it with her outstretched wings in a way that made Lily wince. Gold's Dam was far too exposed for her liking; she would never consider lying like that in the open. Pyre had taught her better; one never exposed one's underside with no quick way to move out of the way of an unexpected attack. It was just common sense.

"Good morning to you too," Lily replied politely. "Is Gold around?"

"He said he was going to fly out over the ocean today, so I would look for him out by the ledges," Gold's Dam said in slightly less absent tone, sounding a bit annoyed. "You are free to go after him, but try to bring him back into the valley, please?"

"Of course." Lily could see absolutely no downside to being in Gold's Dam's good graces, and knew that she was subtle enough to direct Gold without revealing his Dam's interference.

And on her side of things, Gold's Dam knew better than to let on to her son that she knew he lied about where he went, or what he requested of his female suitors. Lily had been surprised to discover that Gold's Dam was not as vapid as she always appeared upon first glance, but it did make things a little easier.

"And no doing anything you would not do in front of the whole pack," Gold's Dam warned with a low growl, still not bothering to look over at Lily, basking in the sun.

"As always," Lily agreed, meaning it with all her heart. She knew from Crystal that Gold's Dam warned his female suitors every chance she got to avoid doing anything the pack would look down upon.

Lily flew over the valley, up and around to the other side of the mountains, savoring for a brief few moments the chilly air on her scales. It was getting colder out, which was only to be expected. It had been two moon-cycles since the ceremony, and the hot-season was short. The cold-season was already well on its way.

Sure enough, Gold was on the ledge he seemed to consider his, one Lily knew well enough by now. He never came to any of his prospective mates; they all were forced to seek him out. She _could_ have checked here first, but it was easier to just go to his Dam and get an idea of where he would be. This ledge was far from the only place he spent time.

Lily announced her presence with a low call, warbling pleasantly as she glided in, and landed right across from him. He had been staring out at the forest before, but was now staring at her.

She restrained a grimace of disgust with ease. After a few moon-cycles of interacting with him every few days, she was used to his obvious desire, and used to hiding her dislike.

Without prompting, Lily walked over to his side and sat down next to him, brushing up against him as thoroughly as she could manage without unbalancing herself. Another necessity, another thing she was now used to through repetition. She did not _like_ that, but as it was still entirely possible they would become mates soon, she saw no real downside to becoming used to him.

"The cold-season is coming," Gold said quietly, looking back out at the forest below.

Lily was immediately on her guard. There was a hint of discontent to Gold's voice, and for once absolutely no lust directed at her. He was rarely this solemn. "It is," she replied carefully, unwilling to offer an opinion on the subject until she knew what was going through his mind.

"The cold-season is long and slow, nothing happens then," he continued, still in that oddly speculative, considering tone. His tail did not wrap around her, as he was usually wont to do. "Then the warming season. Everyone will expect an answer before the hot-season."

This was about picking a mate. Now Lily was outright worried. "You have all of the cold-season to choose," she said quickly. If he got it into his head that he had to pick one of them now…

"I do not want to pick," he replied, looking over at her. "But if I do have to, I will pick the most… eager."

So, this was just a new ploy? Lily had to give him credit; he had her fooled for a short while. But now that she was back in familiar territory, she knew how to respond. Her tail found his and draped itself around him. "Like I said, the whole cold-season…" she hummed.

"Is that a promise?" he asked casually, eyeing her with veiled enthusiasm. He wasn't good enough at hiding his desire to bluff her, but he didn't know that.

On the other paw, he _was_ good enough to back her into a corner given the slightest opening. She had no choice but to play along, because to back out would be to put herself solidly behind the others in the race for Gold's favor. "When it gets cold, nobody wants to leave the cavern," she purred. "Nobody comes out here. Nobody at all…"

"You have my attention," Gold purred.

"I think I was clear enough," Lily replied, not wanting to say anything outright. As it was, she needed to warn Crystal that an equivalent veiled promise would need to be made soon, just to keep them on equal terms. "Nobody is out in the cold and the wet, and these ledges are somewhat sheltered. We can… keep each other warm… out here."

"It is getting cold now," he slyly supplied. "Look, some of the trees are dying already."

Lily had noticed that certain trees were losing their greenery, while others did not. Pyre said it depended on the type of tree and the season, but knew nothing else about it. Trees were not his strongest subject.

"Patience," she said in a low voice, hoping she sounded seductive. That was one tone she had no idea how to affect, so she was reduced to guesswork. "The cold-season will be here soon enough."

"And if one of the others does not ask for patience?" Gold retorted with a sly purr, resting his head on her shoulder in a way that felt patronizing and manipulative.

"Then they clearly do not consider themselves worth waiting for," Lily shot back, nuzzling his face. It was a good thing he could not tell how little she meant such gestures. Such an obvious lack of interest would probably drive him away immediately.

"The hardest prize is the most worth pursuing," he said absently. "Yes, I agree."

Lily was just glad he had dropped the 'you can all be my unofficial mates' plan he had originally proposed. She had never bothered to ask why he no longer proposed it; likely, he had seen that it would never work, and that Claw would probably kill him for taking the alpha's privileges and applying them to himself.

They sat there for a time, likely looking to the outside world like a love-struck couple enjoying the lingering warmth while it lasted. Lily hoped that was how they looked; appearances mattered far more than reality right now, when it came to Gold.

The reality was that only one of his prospective mates might actually like him, and there was no chance he would end up with her. She might feel bad about that, if it wasn't for everything else he did.

Besides, Honey would not be good for him. Lily fully intended to see him rehabilitated into a good mate for her or Crystal, once it was decided which of them would get him. But that was a distant plan, one that could not begin until everything else was settled.

Like everything else in her life, it depended on the question she could not seem to answer.

O-O-O-O-O

As the cold-season approached, Lily entirely failed to make any progress on her most important problem, though not for a lack of effort. She started several conversations with Claw over the next moon-cycle, each time coming up with a scenario that would require her to talk to him so as to not arouse suspicion, and always phrasing things safely. She got nowhere at all. Every effort on her side of things yielded absolutely nothing useful, and the uneasy feeling she got around him was no help. She needed solid evidence one way or another.

The increasingly freezing wind was a constant reminder of that failure. Lily shuffled into the main section of the cavern, shivering slightly. She could handle the cold, and it was not yet anywhere near as bad as most cold-seasons became, but she did not _enjoy_ the icy wind and wet days with no sun unless one braved the frigid, watery clouds to find the not-so-warming light above. Her own fire did not help, either; she could flame herself, but doing so after being wet and cold made her scales flake and shed early. Having to shed scales in the cold-season was pure torture, far worse than refraining from flaming herself.

Lily trudged toward the side-cavern she shared with her cavern-Dams, anticipating warming herself under Pina's wing. That would be good, and Pina did not mind so much. Once she was warm, she would fall asleep immediately, and there was something satisfying about being warm and dry when it was so miserable outside-

A rhythmic grunting assaulted her ears, and she stopped well short of the entrance to the side-cavern in question, trying to recall what part of the moon-cycle it was. Her reluctant calculations led her to the conclusion she had already reached, and she growled quietly in disgust.

Tonight was the night Claw spent in the same side-cavern she usually slept in. Tonight, of all nights! She was usually better at keeping track out of necessity. If she had remembered, she would not have stayed out in the cold. Far from warming herself next to Pina, she would be sleeping in the main cavern tonight.

Lily turned away from the side-cavern and traipsed back to the main cavern, considering her options. The main cavern was not a _terrible_ place to sleep, not if she backed into the little nook she usually claimed and huddled with her wings out to catch her own body heat, but it was nothing like what she had been looking forward to.

Could she go sleep with Pyre? He wouldn't mind… But his cave was what at the moment seemed like a terribly long flight away, and to get there she would have to brave the cold and wet again, not to mention the need to wake him up and make him cold when she got there.

No, going to Pyre would not make either of them happy, not tonight. Crystal? Lily barely knew Crystal's parents, and she didn't want to impose without much need. Besides, Crystal and her parents slept out in the open, likely under each others' wings. They would not be in the best mood tonight. Claw had not yet announced that it was time for everyone to move into the main cavern for the cold-season, but it was cold enough that sleeping outside would not be enjoyable.

Pearl? Lily dismissed that thought immediately. There was something terribly twisted about going to sleep with Pearl; besides that, Dew had a fledgling, one that would likely wake and start complaining if a cold, wet dragon joined their huddle in the middle of the night. That would cause far too much trouble.

So, it looked like there was no good alternative. Lily sighed, resigning herself to the inevitable, and sought out the spot she usually took, doing her best to ignore how miserable she was. The nook she usually claimed, one clearly visible from the cavern entrance but out of the way, was dry and, if not warm, then not overly cold.

Lily settled down in her little opening, facing outward, and pulled her wings up over her head, accepting that her wing-shoulders would be sore from sleeping in such a position. Sleep was not going to come easily, but she could hear the soft rain falling from where she lay, and there was something oddly soothing about it…

O-O-O-O-O

Something woke Lily; she knew not what. Only that she felt as if she had noticed something, even asleep. Her eyes flicked open as if she had not been sleeping at all, and she shifted her wings ever so slightly, staring out into the cavern.

It was still the middle of the night, and cold, quiet rain was still falling; a few small puddles were pooled on the ground a few steps from the exit. Nobody was around, which was no surprise. So what had startled her?

Nothing, it seemed. She huffed, feeling the strain in her shoulders, and let her wings fold back into a more relaxed position, closing her eyes once more.

Before she could fall back into sleep, however uneasy, a soft shuffling sound nudged at the edge of her hearing, catching her attention. It grew louder, and then a light wing shuffled out through the main cavern, heading for the exit.

Claw, dragging his tail and wings in a way Lily could only call lazy, disappeared out in the rain.

Lily was not at all curious as to what he was doing. From the half-asleep look about him, it was nothing more important than relieving himself.

Sure enough, he was back in moments, dripping water as he walked into the cavern, looking far more awake, and far less content. He shook himself, growling under his breath.

Lily began to get a bad feeling. She mostly closed her eyes, watching through the thinnest of slits. She was clearly visible if he looked over in her direction, and she wanted to avoid any sort of conversation. Pretending she was asleep would be an easy way to do that.

She was glad she had decided to fake it a moment later, when he looked over in her direction in the process of slinging water out of his ears, and his eyes settled on her.

He stopped shaking himself, pausing as what he was seeing hit him. His eyes narrowed slightly. Not in anger.

The cold was an always-present thing, lying alone on stone, but now it was creeping into her veins, into her heart. That look, given at a time when it was assumed nobody would ever see it…

But Claw did not stop there. He began to walk in her direction, moving entirely silently, his tail held just above the ground, signalling alertness.

Lily did not let her body betray her unease, still managing to feign sleep, down to the slow, steady breathing he would expect, as opposed to the quick, shallow panting she would rather be doing. Was it better to reveal that she was awake? To feign waking up at this very moment? Or to fake it just a little longer and see if he would confirm what she was now almost sure about?

Did she want to get away, or did she want to _know_ for sure? After moon-cycles of uncertainty? Put that way, she knew what she had to do. There was no extra risk in waiting to see what he intended.

Besides which, a very scared, cynical part of her noted distantly, she was cornered, and he was already too close. If he wanted to trap her, he could do so just as easily were she to reveal herself as awake. The danger was already there; she was not going to escape it easily in any case.

She could not have so much as twitched a muscle if she'd tried, paralyzed from hoping against hope that nothing would happen. Or better yet, hoping he would say something that somehow totally exonerated him of the horrible intentions she suspected he harbored. It was like waking from the nightmares she'd sometimes had when she was younger, while she tried to convince herself the shadows on the walls were not the cave collapsing around her. Claw was already a terrible dragon, but maybe this was not one of his many bad qualities. Maybe he still had this limit.

Claw stopped right in front of her, looking down on her. She could not see his face from where she lay. Only his chest and front paws. Those were very close, and she could feel his hot breath on her back.

Then, with a strange mingling of physical warmth and cold wetness, he nosed at the back of her neck, rumbling softly.

Lily chose not to respond. The touch had sent shivers down her spine, but that was not something he would see or recognize as more than the results of her sleeping out here, alone. She knew what he was doing. Checking to see if she was really asleep. She could fake waking now-

Then he sighed deeply and ran his damp nose down her back, lightly tracing a path down her spine and toward the base of her tail, sidling into the narrow crevice to reach her hindquarters. His muzzle left what felt to her like a line of solid ice, a terrible, creeping feeling that she could not shake off. She was paralyzed by some new kind of fear, now.

His heavy breaths billowed over her scales, feeling like bugs swarming across her side as he smelled her with a deep purr. His muzzle moved down to where her flank met the stone, and she was suddenly deeply glad she did not sleep on her side like Grass sometimes did, instead huddling against the wall in a way that happened to leave nothing Claw would want out in the open. Though it might not matter. Lily didn't know what to do, and didn't know if she could act anyway; her body lay trapped in a brittle calm, and she knew not what would snap it or what she would do if it did.

Then a faint cry echoed out into the main cavern. A fledgling, or possibly hatchling, was complaining about something in the way that all young ones did, bawling loudly. The sound was quickly hushed and presumably dealt with by the Dam of said fledgling, but the effect on Claw was not so temporary.

A wave of relief washed over Lily as Claw reluctantly backed away, looking from her to the passages leading deeper into the cavern and back again. His ears flicked irritably, and the look on his face was one of mingled annoyance and…

Lust. She held no hopeful illusions now. The question had finally been answered, but the new question he had just given her in answering it was far more immediate and frightening. What was stopping him from acting now? It appeared that he had been reminded of how sound carried.

Her cries of protest would be heard by others, as she was louder than a fledgling and in the main cavern, which meant many would be awoken if he acted on his wants. She suspected that might be all that was holding him back.

Claw huffed in stymied frustration and left, heading back to the side-cavern he was spending the night in. The one Lily would have been sleeping in if this night was any other night.

Lily was entirely sure that Claw wanted her, and she knew from Pearl's example that he took what he wanted if it was available. She wasn't sure what had stopped him now, and that _terrified_ her.

The cavern was not safe. She stood, her entire body shuddering as if she had just been hit with a frigid wind out of nowhere, and bolted for the outside world, fleeing the cavern that she was sure she would never again feel at all safe in.

The freezing rain struck her the moment she was out in the open, driving down into her back and washing away all other feeling in a torrent of cold. She stopped just outside of the cavern, shocked into stillness, and began gasping for air. The sudden change was more than painful; she couldn't breathe!

But the helpless constriction in her chest lessened a little after a few moments. The second she could move, she began to walk, heading for the closest boulder, hoping to shelter against it while she tried to calm down.

Lily let out a nearly involuntary chuckle at that thought. Calm down? She couldn't even think about what had just happened, and thinking through its implications was beyond her. All she knew was that at the moment, she was wet, cold, shivering, disgusted, and afraid. It had not felt entirely real until that moment. It was just a possibility before. Now, it was reality.

She shivered, whining miserably, and kept moving, finding that the rain was not hindered by the boulders. It was absolutely miserable outside of the cavern, but she had nowhere else to go.

Nowhere to go. Nobody to turn to. She could not even go to Pyre; he would rightfully demand to know what had so disgusted and terrified her, and she was in no state to lie.

But she could not linger out here until daybreak! And she could not go back there, not now.

Crystal. Lily began to run, threading her way through the silent, wet valley as quickly as she could manage, slipping in deep puddles and glancing off of boulders as she went. _This_ counted as a good reason to bother her and her parents. Crystal knew what was going on and could cover for her. Or maybe she would tell her parents the truth. Lily was not in any condition to care.

By the time Lily spotted Crystal's family rock, she felt as if her claws were frozen solid, and her ears seemed stuck to the back of her neck. All of that was of little consequence compared to the distress driving her, but she still felt it.

She slid to a stop in front of their rock, drawing her claws across the stone to slow herself, as the pads of her paws could not get a grip on the slick ground. "Crystal!" she barked in a low, urgent tone, hoping it would not wake Crystal's neighbors.

To Lily's great surprise, she had barely closed her mouth when a light wing's head emerged over the edge of the boulder. The male, who had to be Crystal's Sire, glared at her sleepily. "What is this?"

"I need Crystal's help," Lily panted, shaking her wings in her frenzied impatience. "Please."

"Hmm…" he rumbled uneasily, staring at her with a careful expression. His ears slowly drooped as the moments passed, seemingly forced down by the rain pelting them. "Why?"

"I-" Lily began, not knowing what she intended to say, but she was immediately interrupted.

"At least call her up," an irritated female voice said to the male. "It is miserable out, and nobody sane would be up and about for anything unimportant!"

The male nodded, his nose trailing water, and flicked his head in the direction of the rest of the rock before receding from the edge. Lily quickly hopped up, hoping Crystal had been woken by the commotion.

On top of the boulder, an adult light wing crouched, her wings out over Crystal, who was still very much asleep. The male retreated to lie beside Crystal, covering her as well as he could with one wing, and eyed Lily suspiciously.

The female, who Lily vaguely recalled was named Moss, seemed far less suspicious and far more worried. "You are Lily, right? What has happened? Why are you here _now_ , of all times?"

Lily opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. What could she possibly say? How could she explain? Was she even in a state of mind to make explaining coherently possible? And would failing to explain mean she was turned away?

Moss, seeing her obvious conflict, seemed to change her mind about something. "No, forget all of that," she growled. "Are you in _immediate_ danger?"

Lily shook her head numbly. Not while she was here, away from Claw. But if they turned her away, she might have to choose between going to Pyre and losing the safe lie she held to protect him, possibly freezing to death, or risking going back to the cavern.

"Can it wait until morning?" Moss continued, squinting against the now driving rain splashing her face.

"I… do not have anywhere to go," Lily whined, unsure if that was what Moss meant.

"You will stay here," Moss said decisively. "It can wait." She stepped back and held out a wing over Crystal, leaving a small gap. "Come on, you will get sick if you do not warm up soon."

Lily was too stressed, cold, and tired to object. It could wait, and the frantic urgency that had driven her was frozen and numb, leaving her without any energy at all. She said nothing, unable to muster so much as a purr, and crawled into the opening Moss had made. Crystal shifted in her sleep, away from the freezing-cold scales that had just pressed against her side, but somehow did not wake.

A large wing covered Lily's head, and Moss scooted her body in around to the front of them. "Raise your wing and put it over me," she said in a no-nonsense voice tempered by weariness and possibly pity.

Lily did as told, sheltering Moss in the same way Moss and Crystal's Sire's wing covered her, completing the strange but effective arrangement. The feeling of ice-cold rain on her wing membrane was not so very unpleasant when the rest of her was covered, and the warmth of Crystal and Moss's bodies in close quarters was comforting…

"What if this gets us into trouble?" Crystal's Sire asked from Crystal's other side. "Something is going on tonight. I have seen light wings flying in this weather. That is not normal."

"If there is any trouble to be had, Lily is very clearly the _victim_ ," Moss snarled quietly. "No guilty dragon looks like that."

"Crystal says she is cunning. It could be fake."

"Then we will fall for it long enough to offer her shelter in this horrid weather!" Moss snapped irritably. "She can do nobody any harm sleeping. Look, she is already drowsing."

If there was any more to the argument, Lily did not hear it.

_**Author's Note:** _ **As if this chapter was not bad enough, the more perceptive of you may suspect something else of note has happened. There are three hints, though one really does not count, as it can only be considered a hint in retrospect, being entirely indistinguishable from chance.**


	11. Desperate

_**Author's Note:** _ **When things go bad in this story, they go** _**really** _ **bad. Fair warning; this isn't going to be a happy chapter.**

Lily didn't want to think. That was a fact, plain and simple. She had woken up lying next to Crystal, sheltered by her friend's parents on their rock, protected from the continuous freezing rain by their wings. For the moment, she was safe and mostly comfortable. As long as she continued to lie there, her eyes closed and her breathing steady, nothing would happen, and nothing would change.

That was how it felt, anyway. She knew, in the part of her mind that simply would not shut down no matter how much she wanted to just relax and not think, that time was falling away with every breath. Eventually, Crystal or one of her parents would wake, and then they all would, and there would be questions, explanations, actions taken.

Actions that had already been determined. Lily was grateful for that; she couldn't imagine how terrible she would have felt if she and Crystal had not already prepared an escape route for this exact eventuality. What would she do if she did not have Gold more or less ready and waiting?

Panic, probably. She could admit that, here, warm and safe with her friend's family, the hypothetical firmly impossible. If she didn't have Gold she would probably panic, even if that was not a helpful reaction.

But she did have Gold, once Crystal broke ties with him. She knew how to manipulate him; all it would take to get him to commit would be the one-two blow of Crystal rejecting him and Lily stepping in to comfort him, and to entice him past his reluctance to choose.

If Lily had her way, she and Gold would be officially mates by nightfall. That had its own implications and unpleasant factors, but all of that was overshadowed into insignificance by the unbearable alternative.

Lily was self-aware enough to laugh cynically at her vanishing reluctance to be with Gold. If there was one thing her terror brought about by Claw's actions was good for, it was shining a favorable light on the prospect of Gold. She could easily contemplate mating with him and then taking up the task of fixing his many flaws; that would be, if not easy, then doable, and she could keep working against Claw in the meantime.

Crystal stirred against Lily's side, rumbling sleepily as she repositioned herself. She would wake soon, if her movement was any indication. Time was running short.

Running short, but there was no real rush. Lily felt her mind fogging again, falling back into sleep once more. Safe, and with a plan to remain safe, one that was not quite so bad now. There was no reason to rush into the future.

Then Moss stirred, possibly awoken by her daughter's movement, and yawned, a high-pitched warble breaking the dreary monotony of raindrops splattering off of various light wings.

Lily held herself still and quiet, hoping for just a few more moments of calm. Maybe it was not quite morning yet; she had not opened her eyes to check, and the rain meant clouds, which meant the darkness against her eyelids said nothing either way.

"My mate," Moss hummed, moving away from Lily and Crystal and exposing them to the rain for a brief moment. "Are you awake?"

"No," her mate replied in a low voice. "I am now, though. This dreadful rain does not look like it will ever stop."

The wing returned to cover Lily and Crystal once more. "Do me a favor, my mate. Take Crystal out fishing."

"But I want to know what is going on," the male objected. "I can send Crystal on her own-"

"Not in this weather," Moss snapped irritably. "I will tell you all I am told when you return, and a female is more likely to want to confide in another female than a male. You know all of this."

"Yes, I do," the male agreed sheepishly. There was a sound of claws scraping stone as the male presumably stood. "Crystal," he rumbled in a deep voice.

Crystal stirred, and then leaned away from Lily, moving slowly. "Wha…" she murmured sleepily.

"We are going fishing, you and I," the male said slowly. "The sooner we go, the sooner we will be done."

"Stupid rain," Crystal said disagreeably, rising and shaking herself. The edge of a wing glanced off of Lily's back, and the shaking sound stopped. "Wait, what? Lily?"

"Go," Crystal's Dam said sternly. "I am not sure what has happened, but you can find out when you return."

"What happened… I do not..." Crystal sounded like she was piecing together what must have happened as she spoke, leaving large gaps between words. "I should be here."

"No, you should go," Moss retorted. "She is not even awake yet. If you are quick, you might even get back before she wakes up."

After a long moment of silence, Crystal growled in annoyance. "Fine. Let us fly quickly, Sire." There was a sound of light wings leaping into the sky, claws grating against rock as paws pushed off, and then their flapping was quickly drowned out by the rain.

Lily, who had faked being asleep throughout the conversation, thought about her options. She wasn't getting out of explaining herself to Moss, Crystal's Dam, so the question was whether it would be easier to explain with Crystal's presence.

Moss settled down beside Lily, taking Crystal's spot, and nudged the side of her face, pushing insistently. Lily was forced to let her head be pushed to the side, craning her neck in an awkward, uncomfortable fashion in an attempt to seem asleep. She didn't want to 'wake up' until she knew how best to-

"And now I know you are awake," Moss murmured in a deceptively sweet voice. "Sleeping dragons push back when I do that. I raised a daughter, you cannot fool me."

Lily gave up and opened her eyes, straightening her neck with a huff of annoyance. "Half-awake," she clarified.

Moss leaned against Lily, looking into her eye. "Awake enough to tell me why you came to us last night?"

Lily nodded. She had been awake enough to do _that_ the night before; now, she was calm enough to do it properly. But for whatever reason, she couldn't think of a way to start.

"So?" Moss purred encouragingly. "I might be able to help if I know what has happened."

"Last night…" Lily shuddered and pushed that memory out of her mind. She knew _what_ had happened; the details weren't necessary to tell the essentials. "I was sleeping in the main cavern, but I wasn't asleep yet. Claw…"

"Yes?" Moss prompted, sounding wary, now. "What of him?"

"He _wants_ me," Lily whined, unable to admit that in a neutral tone of voice. It was just so terribly wrong, and unlike anything else in her life, terribly wrong and aimed directly at her.

Moss stiffened, her muscles tensing against Lily's side, her wing pulling in just a little, enough that Lily could feel rain where it no longer covered.

"Are you sure?" Moss asked carefully. "Is it possible you misinterpreted something?"

"No, definitely not. There was nothing to be interpreted." The only way Claw could have been _more_ clear was what she was going to Gold to avoid.

"And… you did not…" Moss seemed to check herself, closing her eyes for a long moment. "No, that is obvious. You would not have come flying to us if you had encouraged it."

Encouraged it? Lily snarled loudly. "I did _not_ do that!" she objected.

"I did not say you did, but it would… No, it would not make anything less terrible," Moss admitted, sounding as if she was speaking her mind as much as replying to Lily. "But he is the alpha."

"Why does that matter?" Lily asked, already suspecting she knew some of what the answer would be.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Moss asked, avoiding the question. "You are courting Gold, but Crystal is too, and another if I remember right."

Lily had begun speaking with the intention of telling Moss everything, but she was having second thoughts about that now, thanks to Moss's less than perfect reaction to her explanation. Lily couldn't trust Crystal's Dam to see that Crystal giving Gold up was the best choice for the both of them, not when it involved Crystal becoming one of Claw's many mates.

She decided to err on the side of caution. "I have a way of getting away from him, and it should work. I just needed a place to stay after that. It… unsettled me."

"I could see that," Moss murmured, apparently accepting Lily's vague answer without question. "Will your plan work immediately, or will you need to stay with us until it does? I do not think it is a good idea for you to go back to the caverns."

Lily shrugged her wing shoulders. "I hope it will work today, but if it does not, you would let me stay here?"

"You are my daughter's friend, and sending you back seems reckless," Moss explained. "But what of your Dam, or your cavern-Dams? Why did you not go to them?"

Lily snorted bitterly. "He was sleeping in their side-cavern last night. That wasn't an option."

"Bad luck," Moss agreed. "As long as you keep a respectful distance and secure a mate, you should be fine."

Lily winced at the 'secure a mate' part of Moss's assertment, expecting her to follow that chain of logic to the obvious conclusion. There was only one prospective mate for her.

But Moss didn't seem to consider the ramifications of Lily following her advice, because no sudden realization hit her. "You can share the fish my daughter and mate bring back," she offered kindly. "Then, I expect you and my daughter to go flying. Even in this weather, there is nothing better for working off the nerves from an unexpected scare."

Lily nodded politely, adding to her assessment of Moss as she did so. Kind, good-hearted, practical… but not very helpful when it came to Claw, or particularly good at thinking about her own advice.

Lily was still grateful, though. Pyre had made it very clear early on that she shouldn't look down on people who didn't think as fast as her, or weren't as cunning, or were in any other way inferior. It either wasn't their fault or wasn't their nature. And Moss did not even seem simple; she just wasn't thinking everything through in the way Lily had long since become accustomed to doing.

Maybe that was a part of why nobody objected to the things Claw did? Even as she thought it, she rejected it as being too simplified. 'People didn't think about things' couldn't possibly be the whole answer; at best, it was only one small fragment of the truth.

Even with the horrifying confirmation of the answer to one mystery, she was far from done with seemingly unsolvable questions. Maybe the near future would give her more hints as to the answers to some of them.

O-O-O-O-O

Later, after a quick meal of freshly-caught fish, Lily and Crystal made their way above the clouds, flying on Moss's orders.

Lily didn't mind, she hadn't yet said anything to Crystal about what was going on. Only caught her eye as she'd returned from fishing and flicked her tail up at the sky, signalling that they weren't going to talk about it until they were in the air.

On her side of things, Moss was probably explaining to her mate at that very moment. Lily didn't know how she felt about the knowledge that her own Sire desired her spreading, but she was fairly confident it wouldn't go any further than Moss's mate. It didn't seem like the kind of thing dragons would feel comfortable gossiping about.

"You found out," Crystal stated flatly, flying just inside the misty top of a dark cloud. It was nice and bright above the clouds, and the sunlight made Lily feel clean, like it was burning off the fear that had clung to her mind.

"Yes," Lily said simply. "Without a doubt. I need Gold."

Crystal sighed heavily, winging her way closer to Lily. "It was bad?"

"He did not… Do anything…" Lily replied slowly. "But he could have, and I feel like he would have if something did not stop him."

"Something? Like what?"

"I think he did not want to disturb the whole cavern," Lily growled. "That might have been it."

"And that is no help at all," Crystal agreed. "Okay… You get… You get Gold… "

Lily bowed her head, but was forced to quickly bring it back up lest the wind flip her forward. "I'm sorry," she whined. "I wish it did not have to be like this."

"So do I, but wishes mean nothing," Crystal grumbled quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the wind. "I hate him, but he's not _my_ Sire... so he is more bearable for me than for you." She didn't sound like she really meant it, but Lily knew better than to doubt her friend's resolve.

"So… How do we do this?" Lily asked. "You find him, and then what?"

"You want him as soon as possible, so I will go find him now," Crystal said absently. "I will lure him away from everyone, get his hopes up, and then crush them as thoroughly as possible. Then I will leave him and you will pick up the pieces."

"That's about what I was thinking," Lily agreed. "It should work. I'll get his attention and hopefully make him forget about Honey." That wouldn't be too hard; Gold didn't seem to think about his other potential mates when she was around, and as far as she could tell, she had a solid edge over Honey. With Crystal out of the picture and Lily willing to go as far as it took, it shouldn't be hard.

"I should probably feel bad about this," Crystal admitted a moment later, as they glided down through the clouds once more.

Lily hummed thoughtfully. "This is good for him, anyway," she added. "I'm going to fix him up, if I have to be his mate anyway."

"I would like to see that," Crystal sighed whimsically. "I guess I _will_ get to see that soon. Let us go find him."

O-O-O-O-O

"So you are here too," Gold's Dam snarled at Crystal the moment she landed nearby. Lily, watching under the cover of what in this weather promised to be short-lived camouflage, could hear her clearly even from a distance, meaning she was almost roaring. What did she mean by that?

Crystal, to her credit, didn't seem bothered by the unexpected anger. "I am looking for Gold," she began.

"And so is my mate," Gold's Dam retorted, still snarled. "You are here now, and Honey is still asleep on her family rock according to one of my friends, so it is Lily."

"What is Lily?" Crystal asked, echoing Lily's own thoughts on the matter.

"My son has not been home since yesterday morning," Gold's Dam answered angrily. "He spent the night somewhere else. Connect the pawprints for yourself. I had thought that trough was better than this."

"Lily spent the night with my family," Crystal replied angrily, pawing at the ground and glaring at Gold's Dam. "She is not… what you said. Take it back."

"Did she?" Gold's Dam rose from her rock, shaking the rain off of herself, and leaped down to the ground. "Then my son is missing. Help me find him."

Gold was missing. Lily left Crystal and Gold's Dam, flying higher to get a good look at the valley. She didn't see Honey or Gold, but that didn't mean much, and she trusted Gold's Dam to have more reliable information at the moment. What did it mean, if Gold was missing? Where could he have gone, what could he be doing?

Lily felt a rush of terror, and quickly pushed it aside. Now was not the time for panicking; she would fly around the ledges outside of the valley and look for Gold there. He had probably decided to shelter there instead of flying back through the rain, or something.

Of course, that possibility ignored the question of what he had been doing there in the first place, and why he had not returned yet, but Lily didn't need those questions answered. She just needed to find Gold, so that Crystal could do her thing and open the way for Lily.

There was no need to get worked up over this. They would find Gold soon enough.

O-O-O-O-O

"Where could he be?" Crystal barked urgently. "Lily, you have been looking, where-"

"He's not on the ledges," Lily reported. "They're all empty." Nobody wanted to be out there today, it seemed, and there were no signs of Gold. "Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere," Crystal said worriedly. "He is not in the dark side of the valley, and Gold's Sire checked most of the rest of the valley. Gold's Dam is asking Claw for help right now."

"Why Claw?" Lily demanded. She flew around Crystal in agitation.

"He is the alpha," Crystal said unhappily, following Lily in her pointless circling in an attempt to keep up. "He can have the whole pack searching. Lily, what could Gold be doing, to not be any of these places?"

"I don't know, and I don't really care so long as he's found," Lily gritted. Every passing moment increased the strong feeling of unease in the back of her mind, and that made it hard to think clearly. They _had_ to find Gold; why would he have disappeared now, of all times?

It didn't matter. Lily would accept Claw's help if he could get the pack to find Gold, so long as she didn't have to get near him. This was serious.

O-O-O-O-O

Soon after Gold's Dam entered the cavern, Claw flew out, followed by some of his mates, and landed on the plateau. His mates immediately formed a makeshift cover, sitting on their hind legs and shielding him from the wind and freezing rain with their wings.

The pack was soon gathered around the plateau. Everyone knew Claw would only be out in this weather if something was happening, and nobody wanted to miss it.

Lily and Crystal landed on an abandoned rock nearby, huddling together for warmth. The last time Lily had flown above the clouds, the sun had been just beginning to sink into the West, but here, under the clouds, it might as well have been the middle of the night. Lightning cracked in the distance, over the sea.

"One of our own is missing!" Claw began without preamble, roaring to be heard above the storm. "Gold has not been seen by his Dam or Sire since yesterday. Who saw him last?"

Nobody spoke up. Lily could see light wings shrugging their wings, or looking at each other in confusion.

"Is anyone _else_ missing?" Claw asked quickly, looking as if he would rather be lazing around in the cavern than standing out in the cold, even if his mates were taking the brunt of the bad weather for him.

Another general sense of denial. Nobody knew of other missing dragons.

"I want everyone here to help search," Claw roared commandingly. "Some check the valley, others the mountainside, and the rest through the forest. Someone fly out over the ocean to be sure he is not just fishing-"

"The fog is thick out there, we will not see anything," a female called out disagreeably.

"Go anyway," Claw snarled. "I am telling you to do it. Anyone who finds anything, come to me. I will be in the cavern."

Lily didn't care enough to dwell on how lazy Claw was, to assign himself the job of sitting around, warm and dry, while everyone else searched. Her mind was still hung up on the 'search the mountainsides' component of Claw's plan. Pyre. He would be in his cave, somewhere dragons would notice, if they were searching that part of the mountain.

"Lily, let us go claim an area to check," Crystal said, flicking her ears to throw off the water pooling in every crack and crevice. "Look, someone is organizing things."

Lily could see the growing crowd of light wings congregating at the base of the plateau; Crystal's guess as to what was happening seemed to be correct. That was useful, actually. "Yes, and I know where we're claiming."

O-O-O-O-O

A short time later, Lily flew up to Pyre's cave… with Crystal by her side. That was something she had never done before; nobody ever came up to Pyre's ledge and cave aside from herself and, in the past, Cressa.

But now, both she and Crystal were supposed to be there, having volunteered to check that portion of the mountain. Lily knew there was nowhere Gold could be hiding around there, so she knew there was no real reason to check, and thus time to consult Pyre on some of this.

Some. Not all. "Crystal, I don't want to worry Pyre," Lily admitted as they flew closer to the ledge. "You did not tell your parents everything about what we were doing with Gold, right?"

"No, of course not, they would not get it, and it would not help." Crystal sounded like she understood. "What else can I not talk about?"

"It might be better if I do the talking," Lily replied guiltily. She couldn't possibly predict what Pyre might say or ask. "If he asks you something directly, pretend you're talking to me, and pretend Claw is just a lazy alpha with no absolutely horrible qualities."

"If I am talking to you, that will not work," Crystal remarked seriously.

"But you have me on your side too. I'll redirect him if it gets to that." They flew in over the ledge and landed just outside the cave. "Pyre?" Lily called out.

There was a long moment of no response, and then a welcoming bark. "Lily! Why are you waiting outside?"

"It's not just me," Lily replied, only hearing how ominous that sounded after she had said it. "I want to introduce you to a friend."

Pyre emerged from the shadows of the cavern, poking his head out cautiously. "This is… Unexpected." He glanced over at Crystal.

"Something is going on and we do not have much time. We need your help," Lily replied, intending to head off any off-topic inquiries before they began. They really didn't have all that much time; it would not usually take two light wings long to search a relatively small portion of the mountainside.

Pyre beckoned with his paw, urgently gesturing at the cavern behind him. "You can explain out of the cold and wet. You're soaked."

Lily had only been holding off on going into his cavern because Crystal was with her; now that Pyre had invited the both of them in, she wasted no time in taking him up on the offer. Just being out of the pelting rain was a huge relief, and the small cavern was warm too.

"Hello," Crystal began awkwardly, her eyes sliding to Pyre's mostly hidden wings every few seconds, before snapping back to somewhere else. "Lily told me a little about you."

"And she has told me much about you," Pyre purred reassuringly. "Crystal, right?"

"Yes…" Crystal eyed his back and wings once again, before flinching away with a soft whine.

"Oh, that," Pyre sighed. "Let's just get it out of the way." He opened his wings to the fullest extent the cavern's confines would allow, displaying the total lack of wing membrane. "Yes, it hurt when it happened, no, I cannot fly, and no, I don't mind you looking at it."

Crystal's eyes widened, and she took a step back. "I am sorry! I did not mean to stare."

Lily held in an amused laugh and stepped between Pyre and Crystal. "Pyre, that's not helping."

"But you _do_ need my help with something," Pyre remarked, sitting on his hind legs and hiding his wings. "What is going on?"

Lily was glad Pyre was so willing to focus on the immediate issue; as funny as watching her best friend and Pyre interact would be, this really wasn't the time. "Gold has gone missing. The entire pack is looking for him. Any ideas?"

"Missing?" Pyre's eyes narrowed, and he straightened imperceptibly, now on alert. "Is there reason to suspect foul play? Outside intervention?"

"What?" Lily asked, surprised by where Pyre had taken that. "No, not at all." There _were_ no outsiders around. "We don't know why he's missing."

"That makes it harder," Pyre huffed.

"Why?" Crystal asked timidly.

"What was he doing, and who was he with, and why were they there?" Pyre asked rhetorically.

"Where?" Crystal sounded totally lost now.

"Exactly," Pyre rumbled. "If we can discern the 'why' and 'who,' the 'where' might become obvious. So, what was he doing? You say the whole pack is looking, so the whole pack knows. Did any of them admit to seeing him recently? Was anyone else missing?"

More disturbing to Lily than the questions at paw was how closely Pyre's line of inquiry mirrored Claw's; the same questions were being asked in both cases. She didn't know what to make of that, other than maybe dismissing it as coincidence, or Claw not being an idiot.

"I-" Crystal began, only to trail off, her ears perking up. "I hear something."

Lily eyed the entrance to Pyre's cavern. Crystal was closest to it, so if she heard something they didn't, it was coming from-

A female light wing poked her head around one of the cavern mouth's sides, looking in on them with narrow eyes that rapidly widened as they landed on Pyre.

Pyre wasted no time in hesitation; as soon as he noticed the fourth dragon, he darted to the side, hiding behind Lily. Lily had no idea why he had chosen _that_ course of action, but she wasn't about to argue. This was bad.

"Who is that?" The female, who Lily now recognized as Dew, asked accusingly, walking into the cavern, apparently boldened by Pyre's reaction to her presence. "I see him behind you, Lily."

Pyre poked at Lily's side with his paw, whining piteously. "Make her go away," he pleaded in an uncharacteristically timid voice, one that rasped in a way she had never heard before.

Lily noticed Crystal gawking at Pyre, realized that she herself was confused, and put the pieces together. He was playing a part, one that gave her a chance to turn this around before Dew got it into her head to tell anyone about the dragon she had just found.

Best to use that opportunity now, then. Lily spread her wings, holding them to hide Pyre from sight. "Stop staring," she hissed defensively. "He doesn't like being looked at. It frightens him."

"Who," Dew asked with more than a hint of suspicion, "is _him_?"

"Nobody, I'm nobody, don't hurt me," Pyre whined just loud enough that Dew couldn't help but hear him, pushing the 'frightened, harmless old cripple' image he had assumed as far as it could go.

"It's fine," Lily said, looking behind her at Pyre, who cast her a quick conspiratorial grin before resuming his facade, "calm down. She won't hurt you."

"I would not hurt anyone without a good reason," Dew agreed, sounding less hostile. "But really, Lily. I want an explanation."

"Not in here," Lily objected, then turned back to Pyre. "You stay here. She won't come back into your cave. Okay?" She put a patronizing lilt into her tone, and pat Pyre on the forehead with her tail. "Crystal can stay with you. She's nice."

"I am?" Crystal blurted out, but then caught on just quickly enough so as to not be too suspicious. "Yes, of course. But be quick, Lily, we need to keep searching for Gold."

Lily ushered Dew outside, flinching at the renewed cold the rain brought with it. She had just gotten used to being dry and warm, too. "You scared him."

"I can see that," Dew murmured. "He is old, too. I did not think there were any of us left with such age. Why have I never seen him?"

"He is old and fragile, and crippled too," Lily said, forcing herself to speak with a subtle hum that implied she pitied Pyre, but did not care overly much for him. It would be safer for Dew to remain unaware of the connection between them; really, the less truth Dew knew, the better. "Everything scares him. So he lives out in the forest, and here when it is cold. He's been this way for many season-cycles, as far as I know, so nobody remembers him."

"And… You were asking him if he has seen Gold," Dew concluded, nodding in understanding. "Has he?"

"He's been asleep all day, so he saw nothing," Lily replied, wondering if that was the truth. It was entirely plausible that Pyre had spent the day lazing around in his cave, choosing comfort over all else. She would make the same choice on such a miserable day as this one.

"Oh… Lily, have you seen Pearl today?" Dew asked quietly, barely audible over the rain. "You are one of her friends. When did you see her last?"

"Yesterday morning," Lily replied, trying to understand what Dew was getting at, and failing. There was no way… "She's missing too?"

"Yes. She disappeared in the middle of the night last night, though I did not actually see her leave." Dew looked down at a puddle that lay between them and pawed at the constantly rippling surface. "I cannot help but see the connection, but Claw would be _very_ unhappy if he noticed. Help me find her and bring her back before anyone finds out she is missing too."

"I'll look for her, of course," Lily agreed. "Nobody's around here, though. We're all going to search the forest after the mountains are cleared, right?"

"It will be dark by then," Dew said nervously. "It might actually be better if Claw calls the search off until morning. Pearl and Gold might sneak back tonight."

"You think they're together," Lily murmured. It made sense, in a way. What were the odds the only two disappearances in as long as she'd been alive happened on the same night if they _weren't_ connected? There had to be a connection, and knowing Gold, it wasn't hard to guess what it might be.

"I think Pearl might have made a mistake in a moment of weakness," Dew clarified. "Yes. If you find her, send her to me. I will straighten her out. No need to get Claw involved. He can be… jealous."

Lily nodded impatiently. "Got it. And you will not tell anyone about him?" She flicked her tail in the direction of the cavern. "It took me forever to get his trust, and he'll just run away from anyone else he sees. He doesn't want to be known."

"Run?" Dew asked. "I did not see much, just a momentary glimpse, but… Is there something wrong with him?"

"Yes, his wings are ruined," Lily said shortly. "He does not like them looked at. Promise me you'll not tell anyone about him."

"The alpha should know," Dew said doubtfully.

"He already does," Lily lied. "Seriously, it will do nobody any good to bring attention to him. He's harmless, but easily spooked. If somebody gets it into their head that he was involved in any of this, they might try and confront him, and that would end terribly." None of that would happen, of course, but it was an easy answer to why Pyre's existence needed to be kept secret.

"I see. I will not speak of him," Dew agreed. "If you see Pearl-"

"I'll escort her to you myself," Lily promised, sensing that Dew was about to go. "We'll find them eventually, or they'll sneak back."

"I hope that is all it is…" Dew remarked, before launching herself off of the ledge, leaping out over the long drop it overlooked and flying away, a white streak against the dark grey clouds and constant downpour.

The moment Dew was gone, Lily hurried back into the cavern, only somewhat relieved.

Crystal and Pyre, looking as if they had not moved since Lily left, stared at her as she returned.

"She fell for it, nobody will hear of you from her," Lily announced confidently. "Good plan, Pyre. You were really fast to react."

"I have had season-cycles to ponder what I would do in a situation like that," Pyre responded wryly. "There are two kinds of dragon. One kind will pity an old, crippled dragon hiding away from everyone out of fear, and the other will see him as a target. If it is the former I can play them, and if it is the latter, no trick of mine would stop them from seeing a target anyway, as I _am_ old and crippled."

"Lily," Crystal said slowly and with great feeling, "I now understand where you got it from."

"Got what?"

"Everything," Crystal deadpanned. Both Lily and Pyre laughed at that.

Lily quickly grew serious again, though. Now was not a time for humor; there was too much going on. "Also, I have bad news. Pearl is missing too. Nobody but Dew has noticed, and she wants to get Pearl back without anyone knowing she was ever gone, because she thinks Gold and Pearl are somewhere together right now."

"How likely is that?" Pyre asked neutrally. "You have told me of Gold's personality. Would Pearl be interested in him?"

"She is Claw's mate, and I _think_ she would not want to dishonor herself and risk angering him," Lily said carefully, knowing full well that she was treading on perilously unsteady ground, getting far too close to the things she couldn't speak of.

"But it is still possible," Pyre replied. "Now we have a 'who' and 'why' to work with. Where would two young dragons go if they wanted to secretly mate, or just spend time together?"

"The ledges, but we have already checked there," Crystal replied. "Maybe the forest, but it would be miserable down there in this weather, and they disappeared well after the rain started."

"I can go prowl around the forest and see if there is anything of note," Pyre offered. "This is serious. But will I be in danger of being noticed by other searchers if I do?"

"Maybe wait until dark," Lily suggested. "I don't think anyone will be willing to search through the night after flying around half of today in this weather." And if one or both of the missing dragons were hiding in the forest, Pyre would be more likely to catch them at night, when Dew thought they might try and sneak back into the valley.

"You certainly should not," Pyre agreed. "You look half dead on your paws."

"I feel it, too," Lily admitted. "But Crystal and I _should_ go check the ledges again, just in case." Maybe they had missed something the first time around.

O-O-O-O-O

The only sign of the encroaching night was the world gradually growing even darker, the rain never letting up. Light wings once again gathered at the plateau, many looking tired or even exhausted, and several conspicuously covered in mud. The search had been thorough, it seemed.

And nothing had been turned up. Not a single gold-tinted scale had been found. A feeling of general worry was beginning to spread through the pack, its passage marked by indistinct murmuring passing through the gathered throng, worried looks and uneasy movements.

Lily hated the weather with a passion, now. It made everything a thousand times drearier and less hopeful; she was beginning to worry that something had actually happened to Gold, and maybe Pearl too. It just made no sense that they would stay away this long; neither could expect to go unmissed, and both had reason to keep any clandestine activity a secret.

"Nothing in the mountains?" Claw asked, unnecessarily in Lily's opinion. _He_ certainly didn't look any more tired. "Over the ocean?"

"The fog makes checking the ocean impossible, and nobody could fly over it all day anyway," someone tiredly offered. "We looked, but we saw nothing."

"We need to check the forest next," Gold's Dam called out wearily. "Who is with me?"

"That will have to wait," Claw rumbled gruffly. "Tomorrow I will send everyone who can fly to look over the forest, if I must, but tonight I want everyone to remain here." He sounded a little more concerned than before, though still not overly so. "Rest tonight, so that you can search more thoroughly tomorrow."

With that, the pack broke apart, most dragons heading back to their rocks to turn in for the night. Lily took wing and absently began making her way to the cavern before remembering, with a shudder of unease, that she did not dare sleep there any longer.

"Your Dam offered to let me stay with your family," she called out, turning in the air and catching up to Crystal. "You know, until... "

"Until then," Crystal agreed. "She does not know, right? What we planned?"

"No, she just knows I have a way to get out of his reach," Lily explained. "She did not think about what that way might be."

"Good. It will be hard enough to explain myself after it is all said and done," Crystal groaned. "I cannot think of a way to tell them I am… you know. They would not let me."

"Could they really stop you?" Lily asked.

"They could tell me not to, and then I would have to disobey them," Crystal explained. "It is easier to apologize for keeping a secret than to openly defy them."

Lily winced at that; something about it hit far too close to home. Someday, in the distant, unknowable future, she was going to have to apologize to Pyre for keeping so much from him, even if it was to keep him safe. "I understand that."

O-O-O-O-O

When Lily woke the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the warm sun on her back. It felt amazing after days of wet, freezing rain. She purred sleepily, pulling her wing in from where it had lain over Crystal, savoring the warmth. The storm had finally passed.

A roar echoed out over the valley, startling her. She cracked an eyelid, not entirely willing to get up yet.

"Sounds like the alpha wants us to get an early start," Moss grumbled. "Wake up, Daughter, we are going to go find out where we will be looking for your wayward future mate today."

Lily snorted in dry amusement, doing her part by pushing at Crystal's side with the edge of her wing. The way Moss had put that sounded positively sarcastic, but in a way that only poked fun at Gold, not the entirely serious situation or Crystal's position.

"Up," Crystal said, lurching forward and almost falling face-first off of the rock. "'M up," she slurred. It seemed she wasn't a morning dragon.

Lily stayed with Crystal's family as they went through an abridged version of their morning routine, watching and keeping out of the way. She liked being able to see how Crystal lived, and regretted not staying over under less serious circumstances. There was a playfully casual quality to everything Crystal's family did that made Lily happy. They seemed so trusting of each other.

Then they were off to the plateau. The first thing Lily noticed was that Claw, once again standing on the plateau in full view of everyone, was furious. His eyes were narrow slits, and he glared at the pack as they assembled, growling under his breath. Something had made him extremely angry.

Lily knew the reason, of course. Claw must have found out that Pearl was missing too, despite Dew's attempt to keep that quiet. It would explain his anger. She didn't see Dew in the crowd, either, though that meant nothing given Dew had a fledgling to care for. Those with young to watch weren't going to be searching; that was obvious.

"It turns out," Claw said, his voice on the verge of an angry roar, "that Gold is not the only dragon missing!" A surprised murmur swept through the crowd, but he ignored them. "One of my mates, Pearl, is also nowhere to be found."

"Pearl would never do that!" a female voice Lily didn't recognize roared defiantly.

"Then where is she?" Claw roared back. "I want everyone out there looking for them."

Lily had a sick feeling in her stomach. At this point, it would probably be better for Pearl to never come back. Claw was terrible to her when he _wasn't_ mad at her. Whether or not she actually was with Gold, if they found her…

"What about Gold?" someone asked.

"Gold…" Claw sneered, shaking his head. "First, we have to find them."

"And it is possible they are not together," one of his mates called out urgently. "We do not know what has happened! We just need to locate them right now. We can find out the story behind their disappearance after we do that."

"At least someone has some sense," Moss muttered. "Unless there is a really good, obvious explanation, both of those poor dragons are in deep trouble."

"And they deserve it, if they are doing what it seems like," her mate replied half-heartedly. "Gold swore not to disobey the alpha, and Pearl is his mate."

Surprisingly, Moss didn't correct him, instead turning to Crystal and Lily. "We will search together today. There might be something dangerous out there."

"Any explanation that does not get Pearl into trouble," Crystal said vehemently. "I am starting to hope we find her stuck somewhere with an injured tailfin or something."

Lily agreed with that sentiment. She hoped they found Pearl and Gold far from each other, somehow with convincing reasons for being out in the forest for days on end, and safe apart from whatever small injuries might be needed to prove their stories beyond doubt. She didn't want to know what Claw might do otherwise.

And she didn't want to think about what might happen if they didn't find them. They _would_ find them; there was no alternative.

O-O-O-O-O

Under different circumstances, Lily would have enjoyed the day. It was not warm, but the sun was out, the clouds were drifting out to sea, and she was spending her time with Crystal and her family.

Unfortunately, circumstances were not at all conducive to enjoyment, for anyone. Lily spotted many other searchers gliding above the forest, and even glimpsed a few dragons looking around on the ground beneath the trees, and nobody looked happy. Searching roars and worried calls resounded from every direction.

Lily and Crystal's family flew directly away from the valley, going further than Lily had ever ventured, to the point where the mountains that marked their home were just distant marks on the horizon.

The forest was a trackless, featureless ocean of green and brown below, never really changing, only moving up and down like a stationary sea. It was tricky even getting down through the treetops when they needed to set down for rest, and even harder getting back up, requiring that constricting branches be blasted away so that there was a clear flight path up.

Nothing. Always nothing, no signs of life larger than small animals that scurried away whenever their shadows passed over, leaping through the branches to disappear into the depths of the forest below.

By midday, Lily knew that they were wasting their time. If someone wanted to hide, all they had to do was just walk away from the valley and not stop for a while. The endless forest spread away to either side more and more as they traveled inland, and now Lily understood why nobody lived near their valley. There was absolutely nothing of interest around, no reason to come here. Surely there were better places in the world to be; Pyre had told her of many. In fact, she couldn't remember him ever speaking of a place _more_ boring and pointless than this forest.

"Someone will have found them," Crystal said, shortly after they turned back to begin the return flight. She was flying slower than when they had started out, and was obviously worn out from the journey. Lily felt ten times worse than her friend looked, but remained in the air through force of will, barely managing to keep up.

"I do not think so," Crystal's Sire said solemnly. "If they wanted to leave, there was absolutely nothing stopping them."

"Nothing except abandoning family, friends, and everything the pack offers," Moss shot back irritably. "Safety, security, a community. They do not even know what is out there to run away _to!_ Mark my words, they will be back eventually, and sooner rather than later if they have any sense."

Lily wasn't sure she believed that. It seemed to her that Pearl, if she had really fled for some reason, would never come back, no matter what the outside world was like. She _had_ to understand that her absence would be noted, and that Claw would be angry, and that…

"What happens now?" Lily asked quietly, her heart sinking entirely into her stomach; beating far faster than normal thanks to the exertion, but sinking all the same.

The question was a very important one. Pearl and Gold might be gone for good. It was possible, even likely, given they weren't anywhere near the valley. She still did not see why they would have fled, especially together, but the easy answers to the mystery were all gone, and those that remained didn't look good.

If Gold was gone… Lily refused to consider that yet. She wasn't giving up, and nobody else was, either. They could keep searching. It was still possible there was another answer.

But if there wasn't… If they really were gone…

No, she refused to think that. There was still time; the search was just getting started.

O-O-O-O-O

"Nothing?" Gold's Dam asked, flying up to meet them as they wearily glided into the valley. She had been waiting on the peak of the mountain facing the ocean, perched on a jagged rock not much larger than her four paws together.

"Nothing," Moss replied, sounding tired. "Has everyone come back? It is not yet dusk."

"No," Gold's Dam replied hopefully, "not everyone. Claw is still out looking with a few of his mates."

Claw was searching now? He hadn't bothered to get off of his rear end and go out looking when it was just Gold who was missing. Maybe the weather being nice had tempted him into doing something, or maybe he wanted Pearl back more than Gold.

Lily spiraled down, leaving Crystal's family in her rush to set down and rest her wings for good. She knew she would be terribly sore tomorrow. Her wing shoulders felt like water, entirely unable to exert any sort of force; she was barely keeping herself in the air.

She let out a long sigh of relief the moment her paws touched ground, and folded her wings in with a groan. Yet again, her lack of athleticism was coming back to bite her. Maybe she would have time to devote to fixing that once things calmed down. It was looking like the ongoing search would force her to improve, if she was going to be expected to fly out looking for Gold every day. Maybe tomorrow she would search on paw instead.

Lily made her way to the plateau, planning to lie down somewhere within sight of it and not move until either someone returned with Gold and Pearl in tow, or dusk fell and she had to go to Crystal's family for the night. She settled down in an open space between boulders, not wanting to accidentally set herself up on some family's rock by mistake. Light wings walked by and flew overhead every few moments, giving her something to look at.

And many things to listen to. She couldn't help but overhear many fragments of conversation, brief statements taken out of context.

"... Pointless, it would take us seasons to find…"

"I would not have thought it of her, she was always so quiet…"

"The alpha looked really mad, I say wait a few days to ask him about it…"

All taken together, they painted a bleak picture, but one Lily already knew. The search was difficult, it didn't make sense that either dragon had left of their own free will, Claw was mad. All obvious.

As the sun slowly set, Lily drowsed, not quite asleep, but definitely not awake enough to pay much attention to her surroundings. She was tired in body and troubled in mind, a potent combination when coupled with the slight chill in the air, the mild sunshine slowly fading away, and the comforting murmur of the pack around her.

Then her tail, lying out behind her, occasionally twitching as her sore muscles spasmed, was stepped on.

Lily surged to her paws with a bark of pain, tried to turn around on the spot, and tore her tail out from under the offending paw, shocked out of her pleasant stupor by an incredibly sharp pain in her tailfins.

She didn't even look back at whoever had stepped on her tail, too wound up in the incredible pain. She swept the end of her tail around to her mouth, instinctively clamping down on the throbbing fins with toothless gums. The acrid, salty taste of blood welled up in several places.

That was what got her mind working and brought her out of her initial reaction of not thinking about it. Blood? From being stepped on?

After a long moment, Lily drew her tail out of her mouth long enough to look it over. The thin main body of her tail between the tailfins was bruised, sore to the slightest touch, but otherwise fine. The blood was coming from four perforations in the fins themselves, small punctures arranged in a very particular pattern, an arc that crossed the middle of her tail.

She put her tail back into her mouth, glad that her spit seemed to soothe the pain, and tried to assess the damage she had seen. Small holes in membrane… What had Pyre taught her about that?

Spreading tears. That was what he had said; he had been emphatic about it, actually. Small rips would heal easily, and in very little time, as long as they weren't aggravated. All one had to do to recover was _not_ fly for a short while. He had told her that flying would expand the rips in an agonizing and rapid fashion, making them much worse.

That was annoying. She glanced around, but there was no telling who had tripped over her tail. Someone rude, to not stop and apologize, and someone angry, to be walking around with their claws out, stomping down as she had felt.

A suspicion arose in the back of her mind, and she considered it for a brief moment. While it was possible someone had intentionally hurt her, she couldn't for the life of her think of anyone who actually meant her harm. It made no sense.

Bad luck. When was she going to get a run of good luck, to balance out the bad that seemed to be afflicting her recently? She took her tail out to look at it; the bleeding had stopped, so she let it fall to a more normal position, trying to put the lingering ache aside.

The sun had mostly set from the inside of the valley; she was going to have to go to Crystal's family soon. Was Claw back yet?

A quick look over at the plateau answered that question. He was back, but not announcing anything yet, talking quietly with three of his mates. Four, now; Cressa had just jumped up onto the plateau.

Well, in retrospect it was unreasonable to expect another announcement. Claw had already addressed the whole pack more often in the last few days than he usually did in a moon-cycle. Lily stood, intent on walking back. She still felt sleepy, under the lingering surge of energy her random injury had brought, and saw no harm in turning in early.

Claw roared loudly, but she just huffed in annoyance, no longer interested in what he had to say. It would only be something along the lines of 'we're going to keep looking tomorrow', possibly with some angry side remarks about the missing dragons, if she had the measure of him.

Of course, others were less uninterested with Claw's call for attention. The dragons between her and the general direction of Crystal's family rock stopped walking, turning to watch him and in the process totally blocking her way. And of course, because her luck was terrible recently, that meant she was stuck, not daring to risk flight with her minorly injured tail.

Lily just wanted to go back to sleep; her body was complaining in every possible way, from her injured tail to her sore muscles and somewhat empty stomach. She turned in a slow circle, hoping to find a way out and around the blockade, only to see that light wings all around her were obediently looking to the alpha, waiting for him to speak.

"Fine," she grumbled under her breathe, sitting on her hind legs and facing the plateau. She wasn't going anywhere until the alpha was done with whatever he had to say.

"Just to be sure," Claw called out relatively calmly, his lingering anger only betrayed by his slowly lashing tail, "there have been no signs of either runaway?"

Runaway? Lily didn't like that choice of terms.

"We all flew out there today," Claw continued, stalking along the edge of the plateau as he spoke. "Gold and Pearl ran away together. They are not coming back."

"She would not do that!" the same female from before complained. "I raised her better than that!"

"And I raised my son better too!" Gold's Dam agreed loudly. "There must be some other explanation!"

"There obviously is not," Claw replied loudly, overruling their objections with sheer volume. "They were of the same season-cycle, and Gold must not have liked me bending the rules for Pearl's benefit. So from now on, any female that wishes to join my mates immediately may make that choice for themselves. That is a new rule."

Nobody objected; even Lily saw no real problem with that. Claw had proven he was willing to bend a rule; to her mind, making it official made absolutely no difference. It would be wrong whether or not it was allowed, and she could not see anything all that wrong with giving a female another choice from the beginning.

On the other paw, the direction Claw seemed to be going was making her very nervous. She didn't like the tone of all of this.

"And on the topic of Gold and rules… He broke one," Claw snarled murderously. "He _stole_ one of my mates and ran off with her! If he returns, if we find him, I will force him to put his teeth and claws where his treacherous heart is."

So in other words, Claw would kill Gold if they found him. Lily shivered, though she was not cold, and looked around again. She was still trapped, unless she wanted to climb over someone and make a scene, or fly and risk badly hurting herself. And now, she was beginning to worry that she was _actually_ trapped, in a far more urgent sense.

"Pearl, on the other paw," Claw continued in a lighter tone, "was likely led astray by Gold. I will take her back and teach her better if we find her. But," and here his voice grew firm, brooking no argument, "we will not waste effort looking for them. The forest is not a place any number of us can actually search. Their families may search for them, but I will not order anyone to assist in that."

There were two cries of protest; Gold's Dam and Sire. Strangely, Pearl's Dam, who had protested her daughter's innocence, did not raise her voice in discontent now.

"All of this has one other effect," Claw announced, completely ignoring Gold's parents. His eyes searched the crowd, passing over Lily without noticing her. "Gold is gone, and if he ever comes back, he has forfeited his right to taking a mate by stealing Pearl. So I am happy to welcome Honey, Lily, and Crystal into my circle of mates."

Lily sagged, her aching body refusing to hold her properly. There it was. The thing she had feared, the thing she had fled from, the announcement she had unconsciously predicted and then ignored, thinking she had more time. Thinking Claw would not seize the opportunity to exchange one mate for three now, instead of trying to recover one and getting two later.

And yet, despite on some level expecting it, she had no idea how to respond. He had just openly declared his twisted intentions; surely that would be even now eliciting disgust and outrage?

Lily hesitantly perked her ears, listening for complaints. Loud and clear objections to the perversion their supposed leader was putting on display for all to recognize.

Just like he displayed his willingness to kill fledglings every season cycle…

Nothing. A few murmurs, and a lot of looks cast her way, but no protests, no barks of shock, no snarls of outrage. Not even from the people Lily knew and liked. Nothing from Dew, nothing from Pina, nothing from Moss. Each individual silence was like a claw to her heart. Why were they not saying anything?

"Why?" she asked quietly, numbly, before repeating it louder, looking around. "Why aren't you speaking up?" A question directed at everyone, anyone she could see. A question she hadn't been able to see the answer to, ever since Granite's death.

A few dragons averted their eyes. Others glared at her, as if offended that she was questioning them. Some stared blankly. None spoke.

Claw wasn't even looking at her; he was speaking to Honey, who had ascended to the plateau while Lily was rightfully distracted. He nuzzled her, and she went to stand with those of his mates who were with him on the plateau.

"This is wrong."

Lily's heart lifted more than a little at that single, solitary voice. Her best friend was not betraying her. Crystal, alone of the pack, spoke up.

"She is your daughter," Crystal continued, leaping up onto the plateau, walking confidently to face Claw. "That is not right."

"My word as alpha is all that is right," Claw said dismissively, speaking as if it was obvious. "Everyone knows that. There is nothing wrong about it. As my mate, you will need to learn to refrain from contradicting me."

"I-"

"No, quiet," Claw interrupted, walking right up to her and putting a paw up to her muzzle. She batted it away angrily, and opened her mouth to object-

Then he leaned forward and hissed something into her ear. Lily saw quite distinctly the moment all the defiance leaked out of Crystal; her eyes flicked over to the crowd, then Lily, and then dropped to the plateau beneath her.

The small lift Crystal's defiance had given Lily faded away in an instant, leaving her right back where she started; appalled and desperate for a way out.

"Lily?" Claw called out. "Where is Lily?"

Lily wasn't feeling at all charitable toward the dragons around her, but to their credit, none of them volunteered her location. It took Claw a short while to spot her in the crowd.

When he did, he purred loudly and gestured with his tail. "Come on up, Lily."

Lily didn't move. She was wondering, through a strange sort of calm, what would happen if she just refused to move or speak.

"Lily?" Claw called again, staring directly at her. "Come on, I know you are not shy."

Nothing. She didn't know what she could do now, but _nothing_ seemed to be getting her more time to think, but she couldn't think, she couldn't do anything except refuse to respond, couldn't reason her way out of it, couldn't-

Someone nudged her from behind, and her opinion of the people around her sunk to a new low.

Claw descended from the plateau, making his way through the crowd, all of whom moved out of his path. He was keeping up an open, happy facade, but Lily didn't doubt she was angering him. If she could think of anything better, she would be doing that instead.

"I suppose you are a little nervous," he said loudly, drawing close. Lily couldn't make herself back up, and knew that even if she could move, there was nowhere to go. She couldn't even fly away, and every step he took towards her froze her paws a little more firmly to the ground.

"Let me ease your worries," he said in a sultry voice, before leaning in, just like with Crystal.

"Keep resisting," he hissed in her ear, "and it will go far worse for you."

Nothing. She didn't move; a blink was the extent of her response, though she wanted to recoil, to try and scratch his throat out, to fly away and never come back, anything but what he wanted.

"Also," he added after a brief moment, "I will make it worse for your Dam, your cavern-Dams, your friend, and everyone else you care about." All said in a low, dangerous hiss nobody else would hear.

Lily still didn't react; she couldn't. She wasn't sure whether she _should_ react, but the choice was not hers to make. Her body had shut down and wasn't responding.

"Playing hard to get," Claw growled in her ear, "is appealing in moderation. Keep resisting and I will flip you over and take you right here, right now, in front of everyone." He sounded truly angry now, on the verge of snapping and doing something physical instead of just threatening.

That threat, a visceral promise of violating her in front of everyone, got a reaction where a more nebulous threat against her and her friends did nothing. She shuddered, her body finally moving, and shook her head slowly, looking directly at him and hating her own weakness.

"You will feel better in the morning," Claw said, obviously speaking for the benefit of the crowd, not her. "I will meet you in the cavern. Go wait for me there."

The path from Lily leading in the direction of the cavern opened spontaneously, the light wings in the way finding other places to be. Lily numbly began walking, still entirely unable to contemplate what was happening. All she knew was that she was walking from something horrible to something ever so slightly less horrible.

She could feel many pairs of eyes following her on the long walk around the plateau and toward the cavern. Claw had returned to the plateau and was saying something; she didn't hear it, or if she did, she didn't understand.

"This is so wrong," Crystal murmured, walking up beside her just as she reached the entrance to the cavern. "I tried. But…"

"He threatened your family," Lily heard herself say, her voice lifeless and cold. "I understand." She really did. Even if a threat to Crystal would have done the trick, it would be much easier to just hold her family hostage. If she defied the alpha, her Dam and Sire would suffer for it. Claw was capable of acting on a threat like that.

They both stopped just within the entrance to the cavern. Neither of them knew where to go from there, or more importantly, wanted to go any further.

A short time later, Claw's voice came from behind them, speaking to a simpering purr Lily recognized as belonging to Honey.

"You can go wait in her side-cavern for tonight," Claw was purring at her. "I will come spend the night with you and her later. I would come now, but you are not the only new female, and it would not be fair of me to ignore the others."

"I can wait a little," Honey simpered, passing Crystal and Lily before turning to look at Claw. "But do not be long, please."

With that, she disappeared into the depths of the cavern complex, the perfect picture of a happy new mate of the alpha, eager to please and totally oblivious. Lily felt like throwing up.

"Follow me," Claw commanded, coming up right behind Crystal and nudging her flank, causing her to jump forward with a disgusted scowl. "Now."

Seeing absolutely no alternative that led to a better outcome, Lily followed Claw deeper into the cavern, and Crystal walked behind her.

Trapped. She was trapped, they were trapped, by injury and by stone and by Claw's power over the pack.

Claw led them to a narrow, obviously unused crack in the stone, and squeezed through by tilting to one side. Lily followed, holding her tail well away from the rough edges, and eyed the chamber beyond warily, feeling nothing but a distant horror. It was a small and simple chamber, barely large enough to hold three dragons with room to move around, and with a low ceiling.

"It is not large, and it is not a nice side-cavern, but be grateful either of you are getting one at all after that back there," Claw announced as Crystal followed Lily in. "And," he continued in a smug tone that sounded anything but charitable, "that I am putting you together, instead of on your own." He began pacing around the perimeter, and both Lily and Crystal walked around to stay as far from him as possible.

Lily had a wild, crazy thought, one brought on by desperation. They could attack. They _should_ attack; he had just trapped himself in here with them, and it was two on one.

Crystal growled, unsheathing her claws and tapping Lily with her tail as she passed her by, speeding up to move toward Claw. It seemed the same idea had occurred to her.

What would happen if they failed? What would happen if they _succeeded?_ Lily didn't care; she wasn't thinking about it anymore, her claws and teeth sharp and ready, her legs propelling her forward. Claw had trapped them, and trapped dragons were dangerous.

Claw shifted to meet them, his own claws sheathed and his teeth out of sight. They had caught him off-guard! Crystal leaped forward, and Lily followed suit-

He slid _under_ Crystal's body as she leaped forward and rammed upward, smashing her against the low ceiling of the cavern. Lily, unable to stop herself mid-leap, slammed into him and knocked him out from under Crystal, taking his place and being unexpectedly crushed beneath Crystal's weight as Claw easily hopped back, totally unharmed.

Lily tried to scramble out from beneath Crystal's worryingly limp bulk, but before she could even get a grip on the stone floor, a paw pushed her head into the floor and painfully ground her chin into the stone. She felt claws unsheathe against her head, one sliding out frighteningly close to her eye.

"You are small and weak and _mine,_ " Claw hissed, not even bothering to keep his voice down in this isolated chamber. "I will not kill you if you keep attacking. I will just hurt everyone you care about, over and over again, all the while telling them that they are hurting because _you_ refuse to accept your new place. How does that sound?"

Not as absolutely horrible as it could be; he didn't know about Pyre. But Lily couldn't do that to Pina, not even to Grass or Cressa, if Claw would punish them. Others didn't deserve to suffer for her, not when it gained absolutely nothing.

Claw must have seen the defeat in her eyes; he grinned toothily and pushed down harder. "You will learn. Mating a daughter of mine is a new experience, so I will pay you special attention."

Of course he would. Lily was too defeated to react to that with more than a piteous whine. What was learning he would especially enjoy violating her, compared to the prospect of him doing it at all? There was a limit to how terrible he could be, how low her opinion of him would sink, and he was already there.

Claw removed his paw from her forehead, then grunted with exertion as he roughly shoved Crystal's limp body aside. "She is out for the moment, but that will not spare her. But I am going to do you first."

Lily whined louder and backed away, knowing in her heart that doing so gained her absolutely nothing, and from what she knew of him probably made Claw all the more excited. He advanced upon her, cornering her with ease.

"I have been waiting for this," he said, walking right up to her and nosing at her chest. "No claws or teeth, or I will use mine..." He took a long draw of her scent, then sighed with a purr. "...This time."

Lily fearfully retracted her claws, entirely believing that he would have no problem hurting her. He had knocked Crystal out without even seeming to try, and he killed every season-cycle. She was defenseless.

But she wasn't harmless, either… Her claws were sheathed, but nothing stopped her from waiting; he would be vulnerable soon, not expecting a quick clawing aimed at his stomach...

She flinched away from his muzzle as it slid along her neck, pressing her side against an outcropping in the irregular cavern wall in seeking to flee when there was nowhere left to go. Somewhere inside, she was howling in disgust, and fear, and grief, but all that escaped her was a piercing and increasingly loud whine that hurt her own ears.

He ran his muzzle over her shoulders and nudged her out toward the center of the cavern, away from the wall. "Move."

Once again, she couldn't move, though she now knew that was no defence at all. Her mind was stuck in a rut, looping around through the same thoughts. He was dangerous, she was defenceless, but in a few moments he would be vulnerable. She wrestled with her panic and dizzyingly rapid breaths and fought to remain lucid, if she could just keep her wits about her she could pounce on the first opportunity to rip his rancid guts out. It wouldn't be a perfect escape, but it would be _an_ escape and would save Crystal… Just so long as she could _act_ when the moment came!

Claw rumbled happily, apparently totally unfazed by her defiance, and wedged his head against her side. Before Lily knew what was happening, her paws had left the ground and her wings were flailing in an instinctive attempt to remain upright, but she was too off-balance and was quickly forced to tuck them in or break them.

Her back struck the stone, momentarily driving the wind out of her, and then two paws pressed down on her forelegs to pin them to her chest. She shoved up, trying to push him off, then tried to roll, struggle, beat him with her wings, anything! But to no avail; he was so heavy and she was not a strong dragon by any measure, let alone in comparison to him.

He stepped onto her back paws as they scrabbled helplessly against his sides, hooking them one by one and shoving them down to pin them to the stone below. Again, she couldn't move his weight. And now he was standing directly on top of her, far too close, breathing heavily, with her totally exposed to him. Her frantic whines reached a new pitch as sheer panic took over.

Her paws were all pinned. Her head wouldn't be able to reach him at all. There would be no slicing his underside to ribbons once he was distracted. By the time she remembered her fire he had his nose to her throat, preventing her from aiming at him; his hot breath down her neck was the _least_ of her concerns right now.

Claw laughed throatily, staring down at her. "I will take no chances with you," he breathed smugly, then closed his eyes with a happy groan and dropped the infuriatingly impassive facade that had hidden the truth from her for so long. "You have _no idea_ how _long_ I have _wanted_ this…"

She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her head back against the ground, unable to stand the sight of his suddenly gleeful expression and piercingly narrow eyes. Some cold, defeatist part of her just wanted him to get it over with, to stop gloating and drawing it out. He knew he was getting what he wanted, he knew she had absolutely no options left, she couldn't even move-

Then it began. Lily did her absolute best to block everything out, to not hear or see or smell or _feel_ anything he was doing, but that was impossible. It hurt, it was humiliating and degrading, and she couldn't get away, couldn't escape, couldn't do anything but whine and shriek under him as he took what he wanted, heedless of the pain he was causing.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, it was over. He stepped off of her, purring and panting wildly, then stretched with a sigh. For her part, it was all she could manage to roll over and hunch in on herself, hiding herself behind her wings and shuffling as far away from him as the tiny cave allowed.

"It would be less painful if you got into it," Claw said casually, sounding winded but satisfied. "But I enjoy the struggling too, so it really is all the same to me."

Lily curled up as tightly as she could, sobbing wordlessly, unwilling and unable to even acknowledge him. No sooner than he caught his breath, shuffling sounds prompted her to wrap her forelegs tightly over her ears to drown out what came next with her own whimpers and whines; hearing him working over Crystal while she was still unconscious might drive her mad, the few sounds she unwillingly picked up were bad enough.

Another, shorter eternity later, his grunting stopped, and silence slowly prevailed in the tiny cavern as her whines tapered into a drowning but less frantic despair with the gradual realisation that he had left. Finally, Lily hesitantly and shakily lifted a wing to peek out and confirm that she was alone. Alone with her unconscious friend, her pain, and her despair.


	12. Despondent

Lily didn't want to think. That was a fact, plain and simple. Every time her mind tried to start planning, or analyzing, or just remembering, she shut it down, forcing herself to concentrate on something mindless, like tapping a claw in complicated patterns. Thinking only brought pain, because she could see nothing in her future but more of what she could not bear to remember.

So, no thinking. She had enough pain in the physical sense without adding more mental anguish. Her body hurt all over, from many different causes and in many different ways. She hurt too much to rest, too much to do anything but sit in front of the crack that led into the confining cavern she had been-

No thinking. Focus on the tapping, ignore the memories and the pain and the despair. She knew in the back of her mind that what she was doing helped nothing, that eventually, she would have to face her life again. If the pain and horror she was mired in could be called a life…

She stretched a paw out, wincing as bruises complained at the movement. Her body was cramping up, but she could not bear to move. Moving was dangerous; she was not safe anywhere, but sitting in front of the entrance at least ensured she would hear further pain and humiliation coming, that she could not be woken up from exhausted sleep by-

Lily whined and buried her head under her paws, unable to bear her own thoughts, and wished she could just _stop_ thinking. No matter what she did, how hard her claws dug into her ears and scalp, her mind would not shut down, and distractions never lasted.

How long had it been? She had no way to tell. Crystal had not awoken, but that meant nothing. No sleep had come for Lily, despite her exhaustion. She wasn't sure if she would ever sleep again.

Her stomach hurt. More than before, now. Despite all that had happened, some things just kept going. Hunger was one of them, as well as the need to relieve herself, if she could.

Focusing on her hunger let her ignore the pain and terrible depression lurking in the darkness all around her. She distinctly heard the rumbling of her stomach, and it began to ache now that she was paying attention, like a fledgling crying out for attention the moment their Dam returned.

Crystal groaned and shifted in her sleep, and Lily flinched at the sound. Everything made her flinch; she had never felt so unsafe in her life. This place was not a good one.

She was hungry. As long as she focused on that, she could function. For a time, she managed to keep her mind on fish, on eating.

But that only made her hungrier, and she had no choice but to dwell on that need in order to ignore everything else. Eventually, it drove her to move. She needed to eat. It had to be morning. She had sat at the entrance to this cramped side-cavern for long enough that the night must have come and gone, not even counting the time spent under-

No! She lurched to her paws, crying out in pain at the sudden movement, then forced herself into stretching laboriously to disperse the rampant cramps. She was hungry, and that meant she needed to go get food. There would be fish piled outside the cavern. Claw's fish…

A wave of despair broke through Lily's concentration, slamming into her. Everything was his; he had so much power over her. She could not even feed herself.

Some of the pain was gone, the cramps mostly gone. All of her _other_ injuries were not so easily driven off, but she could move. She could walk. She could go get food.

Crystal shifted again, rolling onto her side in obvious discomfort, even asleep. She would wake to find pain and despair, just as Lily was now feeling. It would be terrible whether or not Lily was present.

Lily could not find it in herself to worry about Crystal; not right now. She could not even care for herself, or think about her own troubles. Crystal's felt far away and indistinct right now, but if she stopped to think about them, they would bury her in guilt and despair just as thoroughly as her own would.

Lily laboriously worked her way through the crack leading out into the rest of the cavern, yelping as each movement pinched, twinged, or otherwise ached in a new place. Her underside was bruised, her legs strained, her hips battered. Even her wings hurt, having been smashed against the stone and crushed under so much weight. The best that could be said was that nothing had been broken… This time.

Despite her best efforts, reality kept breaking through her inadequate focus on the unimportant. She could not hold in a quiet, consistent whine as she made her way out to the main cavern. The only saving grace was that nobody was around.

The reason for that was soon apparent, as she rounded a corner and limped into view of the cavern exit. Harsh moonlight illuminated the small patch of ground she could see outside. She had been wrong; it was not yet morning.

She kept walking anyway, despite knowing that there would be no pile of fish yet. There was nothing else to do; now, out of the side-cavern, she could not bring herself to go back.

So she wandered out into the moonlight, still walking slowly, and kept going. Her paws, pained but sure, took her out into the valley, walking amidst the occupied boulders. Each one held a pair of light wings, and most held more than just a pair, children sleeping soundly with their parents-

Lily hung her head and refused to look up at the boulders any more, beaten down by her entire life. There was nothing left, and she had failed.

In time, she found herself wandering through the burial grounds, moving in a general direction she had not intentionally chosen. Not to Granite's body; she walked in a wide semicircle around that general area. To see him now would destroy her, and she would never recover. As it was, she did not think she would ever recover, not if she couldn't even think about her situation without flinching away. She couldn't do it. She couldn't handle the horrors her own life had devolved into.

And unlike the fledglings slumbering obliviously with their parents in the living side of the valley, she had nobody to turn to, nobody she could pass her troubles to. Nobody at all. Her Dam was not on her side, Pina had not said anything. The only one who had been willing to stick their neck out for her at all was Crystal, and she could not help.

Lily sat down near the far edge of the burial grounds, and closed her eyes with a quiet and despaired keen to the sky. She couldn't see an escape, nobody could help, and she couldn't even think about her problem. And what was the use, anyway? All of her planning had failed, all of her clever manipulating doing nothing of any use aside from giving her a false sense of safety. There was no safety, she should just fly away-

But she couldn't even fly! She slumped down to the ground, sobbing quietly, only holding her pain in enough so as to not risk drawing attention. She shouldn't be this destroyed, but her emotions weren't paying her mind any attention. She wanted…

She wanted to escape. To find someone to throw her troubles onto, someone who could take care of all of it for her, someone to tell her it would all be okay and take over for her. She had utterly failed to manage her own life, and this very night had been the beginning of a nightmare she could see no escape to, and could not even contemplate. She couldn't do it.

But there was nobody, nobody who _wanted_ to stand up for her. Nobody who _could._

Something felt wrong about that; she wasn't thinking clearly. But if that was wrong, if there _was_ someone who could take her away from the pain-

Pyre.

She lurched to her paws, spread her wings, and leaped into the sky without another thought. Her wings beat the air, but a painful throb in her tail abruptly reminded her why she should not be flying. She closed the injured fins out of self-preservation, and fell back to the ground with a thump. Everything hurt more, but she didn't care.

Lily broke into a shambling run, pushing her abused and pained body to its limits, and made for the path up the mountainside, entirely focused on her destination. Pyre didn't know, couldn't know, she had thought, but _every_ other plan had ended in disaster, and keeping him in the dark was a plan just like the rest. He would help, he would fix everything, if she just begged for help. He would be hurt that she had kept it all from her, but there was no hiding _this_ anyway, unless she wanted to never see him again.

And most importantly, she couldn't bear to _not_ go to him; the idea had taken hold, and she could think of no alternative. Pyre would help, Pyre would hold her and made it better like she was a helpless fledgling. She _felt_ like she was a fledgling right now, one who had been abused-

Lily stumbled and fell to the ground, tripping over her paw as it seized in a blinding flash of pain, protesting its injury from when Claw had pinned it to her chest and pushed his weight onto it, back and forth. She stood back up with a grunt of determination and kept going, heedless of the renewed pain. All she had to do was make it to Pyre.

Pyre's ledge had never looked more appealing, bathed in moonlight, a silver slab of rock, open to the sky and wind; the exact opposite of the dark and claustrophobic cavern she and Crystal had been trapped in. His cave was less comforting in appearance, but she didn't care. She collapsed outside it with a loud cry of mingled pain and grief, knowing he slept lightly enough that it would not fail to wake him.

Sure enough, he was out on the ledge with her in moments, a moment of cautiousness his only hesitation. He rushed to her side, stopping just short of touching her, and quickly inspected and scented her aching forelegs and a wing. Lily turned to look at him, staring at his red eyes as they flicked over her, and willed him to respond as she was hoping.

He stopped to stare her in the eye. His mouth opened, as if he wanted to say something, but he seemed too confused to decide on what to say.

Lily whined and let her head fall, totally spent. Everywhere hurt. Her future was a bleak array of horrors, and she had no idea how to even think about it without breaking down, let alone plan to fix it. "Help me," she pleaded desperately, unable to be any more eloquent than that.

Pyre responded to that, putting aside the mountain of questions he likely wanted to ask to focus on the most immediate issue. "Is he coming for you now?" he asked urgently.

Lily didn't know what Pyre thought was going on; she was in no state to try and follow his thoughts. "Nobody is coming now," she gasped.

"Can you walk? Quickly, into my cave. The wind is cold." Pyre leaped over her to stand between her and the open space in front of the ledge, nosing worriedly at her side. "Do you need my help to move?"

Lily shook her head and limped over to the cave, not wanting to burden Pyre with one of the very few things she could do herself. She kept going until she was inside, just out of sight, and then collapsed again, curled into a small circle in the corner next to the entrance.

Pyre followed her in immediately, again nosing at her side in obvious agitation. "I smell some blood, not much but enough to worry me. I need to see." His ears and frills were tensed up and back, and she felt an impending dread as his nostrils flared. "I can smell that Claw did this, and…"

Lily was sobbing now, ashamed of her predicament, though a part of her thought that she should not be, as it was not her fault or in any way her desire. She didn't want him to know, but he had to, and was certainly figuring it out. It was not exactly complicated, and the scents were more than enough; _she_ could smell it on herself, and it was usually harder to smell oneself.

"Oh, Lily," Pyre whined, sounding horrified.

She couldn't stand how he was looking at her, slightly confused and with growing unease, so she buried her head under her paws and sobbed all the louder. Him realizing what had happened somehow made it feel a thousand times more real, a thousand times worse, and she fully unleashed the emotions she had tried to keep buried before.

"Do you need immediate help?" Pyre asked. "Is anything badly hurt?"

Lily could only respond with a long, keening whine amongst her sobbing.

"It's going to be okay, Lily," he hummed, his voice growing firm as he spoke, as if he was deciding on a course of action. "It's going to be okay. I don't know how you feel, not exactly, but I can guess. May I touch you?"

Lily unburied enough of her head to look up at him, at the careful way he held himself away from her, though he looked as if it hurt to do so. She nodded quickly before covering her face again; _he_ was not the problem.

Pyre lay down next to her, and put what remained of a wing over her, offering what comfort he could with her in the awkward position of being curled up in a corner. He hummed soothingly, but it didn't help; she sobbed all the harder, keenly aware that he had not yet made the connection. He didn't understand that she had been lying all this time. Once he figured it out, he would be mad. She couldn't stand that, even if she deserved it. Not now, not like this.

But he wasn't mad at her yet... She crawled forward, and he shifted slightly to allow her to curl up against his chest. She was much too big to do so as she had as a fledgling, but he lifted a paw to make room and ever so gently lay it down across her side as she settled. It didn't stem the tide of grief and despair working its way through her, didn't change what had happened, didn't change her future, but it was something.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked after a time, sounding desperate. "Is there something I _can_ do?"

Hearing him uncertain just made her feel even worse. She wanted him to… "Know… w-what to d-do…" she haltingly forced out between gasping sobs. "I wa-ant… you to-o know… w-what to do..."

"Of course," he replied gently. "I _can_ think of one thing…"

"Do i-it," she pleaded. It didn't matter what he was thinking of; she just wanted him to make her feel like he was taking care of everything, like there was someone looking out for her, someone making sure the horrible future she faced would not come to pass. However he could do that; she wasn't going to be picky. Even him _saying_ he knew what to do would be enough for the moment if he made her believe it.

But Pyre didn't offer any empty promises or platitudes; instead, he lifted his paw and placed it on her neck, near the base of her chin, and pushed in. She felt her mind fog and darken almost immediately, and then deep sleep claimed her overwrought, exhausted mind.

O-O-O-O-O

When Lily woke, she did so with a start, jolting out of a dark, uncertain dream. She knew where she was; the smell of Pyre's cave was unmistakable. She also knew what had happened, why she was here. There would be no moment of oblivious contentment before her life caught up with her.

But this was not her life, not the horror she should be experiencing. She shifted on her side, only at that moment realizing how she was laying, and groaned as her many bruises complained at the movement. Her eyes flicked open of their own accord, but all she saw was bare stone, the side of the cave, from a small distance. He had moved her out of the corner, too.

"You are totally safe," Pyre's voice said soothingly from somewhere nearby. There was a barely audible undercurrent of unease that she didn't understand, but on the whole, his voice and words were comforting. "I did my best to tend to your injuries, but most of them are bruises. There are some pain-dulling plants in front of you if you want them."

She felt more than a flicker of embarrassment as what he had done sank in; it now made sense that she was on her side. She hadn't expected him to treat those, and would not have wanted him to had she known beforepaw, if only because they made her ashamed. At least he had not tried to clean her; she preferred feeling dirty to having him do _that_ in the only way he would be capable of up here.

Lily awkwardly rolled onto her stomach, wincing at yet another twinge, and decided that she definitely wanted the pain-dulling plants. They weren't hard to find, literally a few paw-lengths away from her nose.

And they weren't _just_ pain-dulling plants. She eyed a familiar blue-green leaf nestled among the others. "Does that work… Afterward?"

Pyre walked over to stand beside her, and pawed at the pile. "Maybe not, I don't know for sure. It's not something I can test myself."

"I don't need it," she admitted dully, gingerly teasing it out of the pile and flicking it away. She had taken a leaf less than half a moon-cycle ago, intending it to cover any unexpected need to go all-out in winning Gold over…

All of that felt distant, real and terrible but far away. Here, in Pyre's cave, she was safe. He was going to take care of everything.

"Do you not? Good." Pyre shook his head sadly. "Lily, what happened?"

Here it was. She knew there was no escaping it, but she stalled for a moment more by taking the small mound of various plants and swallowing it. She was safe from the horrors of her life outside of this cavern, but one mistake had been brought in with her, and now it was coming back to bite her.

"I lied." Admitting that did not hurt, in fact it was almost freeing, but she could not bear to look Pyre in the eye as she said it. "I lied about a lot of things."

"I suspected as much after having time to think," Pyre said sternly. He did not sound very angry, but that was likely because he feared her breaking down again.

"You can be mad," Lily heard herself saying dully. "I deserve it. I lied to keep you safe, but I still lied."

"I'm not mad, I'm disappointed and hurt," Pyre said bluntly. For some reason that was far harder to bear than his anger. "All of this is tied together, isn't it? Please explain to me what has really been happening."

Lily whined sadly, her heart torn by his matter-of-fact tone and what he said. But the only way she could try to make up for what she had done was by explaining, so she did. Slowly, with many apologies and long-withheld explanations, she unraveled exactly what she had kept from him, and why.

Especially why. She emphasized her fear of him going down and dying to Claw over and over again, because it was integral to everything else.

Pyre, for his part, asked no questions, and offered no judgement. He listened, silent aside from the occasional snarl.

"So Gold is gone, and Pearl, and I thought I had more time to figure out what to do next, but Claw ended the search after a single day," Lily said haltingly. "And he said Gold had given up his right to the females competing for him, and claimed all three of us, and nobody but Crystal even tried to stop him." She fell silent, unable to continue. Even here, seemingly far from it all, her memories past that point were barbed and painful.

"You feared to tell me anything of Claw's depravity," Pyre responded slowly, his claws flexing against the stone as he spoke, "because you thought I would rush down there. You thought that I would lose _._ "

"Yes," Lily admitted sadly. "He kills every season-cycle, he can fight, and you can't just fly away."

Pyre stood from where he had sat listening to Lily and walked toward the exit of the cavern. "Stay here, Lily."

Lily's heart froze in her chest. Somehow, she had thought that since every other plan backfired, intentionally failing to carry this one out would _not_ result in what she had meant to prevent. "No! You can't!"

Pyre looked back at her with flat ears and narrow eyes, finally showing the building anger he had kept so well hidden throughout her confession. "Last time, I let someone I loved go in my stead. I'm not doing that again, and I'm _never_ letting you go back there while that sick, depraved mockery of a dragon draws breath."

"You'll die," Lily whimpered, getting to her paws only to be brought down by a rush of dizziness. Her ears and eyes felt fuzzy, likely due to the plants, and her pain was dulled, but none of that mattered in the face of losing Pyre. "Please…"

"Only one dragon is going to die today," Pyre promised, walking into the exit. His body was silhouetted for an instant against the faint sunlight.

Lily knew, somewhere in the deepest part of her, that if he walked out of the cave now she would never see him alive again. She couldn't let it happen. "Then I'm coming with you," she threatened, standing once more and weathering the dizziness.

That got Pyre to hesitate for a moment, still silhouetted in the exit. "No, you can't," he replied sternly. "I _will_ be back."

"What's your plan?" Lily asked. She was going to try _everything_ she could think of to stop him; there might be no other chance. As long as he was still here, answering her, he wasn't going down into the valley.

"I'll go down, act the old cripple, go to him as publicly as possible, and pretend I have information he wants," Pyre explained. "A secret I have come across, living in exile. The moment we are in a place where none can interfere, I will lean in to whisper it in his ear, and then I will jab a claw up into a very specific spot under his chin, effectively killing him, though he won't die immediately." He spoke with measured hatred, all directed at the object of his planning. "The time between that first strike and him suffocating in his own blood is the time I will spend calmly leaving the valley; he will be too busy dying to stop me or even call out for help. The moment I am out of sight, I will flame myself."

"That won't work," Lily objected. She could see plenty of weak points, places it would go wrong. "He won't let you get close, if he even pays you any attention, and Cressa might be around. She would see through it in an instant. And you could be found well before you leave the valley, and then you'd be hunted down." She had more, but that would do for the moment; if those objections didn't stop him, the rest would do no better.

"It will work, and I am fast," Pyre replied, still bristling with righteous anger. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"No, you _won't!_ " Lily cried desperately. "You can't promise that!"

"I can kill him and get away." Now Pyre was repeating himself; he wasn't taking her objections as serious concerns.

Lily needed to get him _thinking_ again, as he clearly wasn't; inspiration came at the last moment and she seized upon it. "Did Risa tell you she would be fine right before she left?"

Pyre visibly flinched, his eyes widening momentarily. He shook his head slowly, but it seemed she had gotten through to him. "Yes... But this is not like that."

"Isn't it?" Lily asked, wishing she had a totally clear mind. The pain-dulling plants made it hard to concentrate on putting as much force as possible into her argument. She walked over to him, ignoring the bright sunlight behind him to look into his eyes, forcing him to stare back at her. "Risa went off to fight an enemy you knew was dangerous, and she went despite you wanting her not to. She said she'd be fine. Was she?"

"It was her or me, and she had a better chance… She didn't come back…" Pyre hung his head, his old grief visible, mixed with new rage and now, uncertainty. "But I will _not_ let you go in my stead. Never again will I watch someone I love fly into danger, much less danger of this kind."

"But I don't have to go instead of you," Lily pleaded. "Neither of us has to go."

"Don't you want him dead for what he did to you?" Pyre asked.

"Yes, but if I have to choose between nobody dead, or him _and_ you dead, I will choose both living," Lily whined. "If you go, you'll die. I don't know how I know for sure, but I do."

Pyre stepped back from the exit, no longer a silhouette, and embraced her, resting his chin on the back of her neck. "I understand, now," he whined. "I was about to make the same mistake, to put you where I was so long ago. What was I doing?"

Lily didn't respond, overwhelmed with relief. Something she had done had finally turned out right, in the long run. Pyre knew, he understood, and he wasn't going to go down and risk death out of rage.

"And I suppose, thinking of it now," Pyre murmured, "that doing exactly what you lied to prevent would prove you right in doing so. I should not do that. You were wrong to keep it from me."

"I thought you would… Not listen," Lily whispered, referring to the debate they had just gotten through.

"I would have had a much _easier_ time listening back when Claw was only hurting other dragons," Pyre replied sadly. "No matter how wrong it is, knowing that he forced himself upon _you_ makes me far angrier than hearing of what he did to Pearl, or even Crystal."

"You are still angry on their behalf, right?" Lily asked, a little surprised by that.

"Of course, but those are simple flames compared to a raging forest fire," he explained, pulling away from her. "They pale into insignificance in comparison."

"But they're not insignificant," Lily sniffed. "Pearl is out of it all, but Crystal is not."

"Priorities," Pyre growled, seeming to turn his mind to the situation at paw. He paced in a small circle, looking as if he was following his tail rather than actually going anywhere, and staring down at the ground. "Claw will come for you if I do not kill him. He _will not_ find you. This cave is not safe enough. We have to go. Now."

"Where?"

Pyre looked at her strangely. "You cannot think of any examples we could follow?"

Lily knew what he meant, but that wasn't how she wanted them to go about this. "I _could,_ but everything I do seems to turn out worse than if I had never planned it, so I'm leaving you in charge." Her recent success at keeping him from attacking Claw and dying aside, she couldn't remember a single plan that had actually improved things in the end.

"That is not…" He sighed, shaking his head. "No, your plans were all well-reasoned, aside from the one about me. How you handled the uncertainty, how you and Crystal worked with Gold… It all _should_ have worked. Sometimes, bad luck ruins even the best plans. That doesn't mean every plan will fail. You did as well as you could have. It is no failing on your part."

Lily shook her head, not at all agreeing with him. If all of her plans failed, then the only common factor was herself, meaning she was not making them good enough to work.

"I am not going to ask where your self-confidence has gone," Pyre sighed, seeing her reluctance to agree. "We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to get moving. You can't fly, so you won't be flying ahead, meaning we have no time to waste."

"Where are we going?" Lily asked again, glad he was taking charge.

"Through the forest, far from here," Pyre growled. "Were it not for the few people you care for, I would say we should never come back, but in any case, I am taking you out of Claw's grasp for the time being, and maybe…"

Lily knew the sly look that crossed Pyre's face, and it gave her hope like nothing else could, because she was pretty sure he wasn't capable of faking it, and by extension what it meant. "You just had an idea," she said eagerly.

"I think I see our path forward," Pyre agreed. "A place we can go for help. Home."

"Your home?" She knew he couldn't be talking about their current home, this cave.

"Where is it from here?" he rumbled, speaking aloud for her benefit and tracing his left front paw across the cave floor. "If we started there… following the coastline… Never crossing water…" The paw traced a meandering path. "Inland here… But still heading that way… And then turned around after that terrible day… Following the shore back the same way..."

"So?" It sounded like they could actually go there, like he knew the way.

He looked up from the cavern floor, his eyes light with eager intent. "I know the way back. We are not even that far away now. We just have to follow the coastline east of here for a while."

"We can get there on paw?" Lily asked in surprise. If Pyre _could_ have gone home to the place he was hatched at any time, why hadn't he season-cycles ago, long before she had even hatched, let alone met him and given him a reason to want to stick around?

"Mostly," he hedged. "We will figure out how to cross the water once we get there. For now, it is a good long-term destination. Come here."

Lily obediently walked over to him. "What is it?"

Pyre lightly bumped her forehead with his. "You don't get to feel guilty."

"Okay…" She wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to with that.

"Remember, anyone can leave if they feel the need," he continued, still speaking as if she should totally understand what he was referring to. "I am taking you away. You are not choosing to leave. I'll make you go if you refuse."

"I can go, why are you acting like I won't want to?" She didn't _want_ to leave everything she knew, but that was a baseless fear, and a stupid one given everything she knew aside from Pyre was terrible-

But that wasn't true. Faces and voices flew through her mind as what Pyre meant dawned on her. They were leaving everyone else under Claw for a long time if not forever. Crystal, Pina, Moss, and others Lily didn't know, but who she would rather not see follow her or Pearl's path in life. Younger half-siblings like Granite, female fledglings of any descent. Leaving meant not even trying to save any of them, and in the case of some, actively inviting Claw to fulfil the threats he had meant to use to keep Lily around.

Just like her tail had been meant to keep her grounded. She saw now that there was no way that had been an accident. It was too well-timed, too deliberate. Nobody walked around with their claws unsheathed unless they were very angry… or planning to do harm like that.

"We're coming back eventually," Pyre repeated. "But we can't do anything if neither of us is going back down there. You won't let me, and I won't let you. So we'll go get help, other light wings to bring back and fix things. That is the smart way, even if it is also one of the longer ones."

"There are others where you came from?" Lily asked curiously. She wasn't going to argue, not when he had outright told her she had no choice, and _especially_ not when she had wanted him to do exactly what he was doing.

"We left because of a lack of space, among other things," he explained. "There are plenty more of us. Come on, we need to go. It's well past dawn. Let me flame you."

So that she would not be visible walking down the outer edge of the mountain and into the forest. A smart precaution. Lily sat up on her hind legs-

And immediately dropped back down after her hips twinged in protest and she remembered that she had yet to even try and clean herself off. She didn't want him to see down there, even if he probably already had in treating her while she was out.

Pyre said nothing about her contradictory movement, and instead built up a soft flame in the back of his throat before letting loose the steady blue flare they were capable of creating, quickly walking around her to flame as much of her as he could reach.

She held in a soft moan as he finished; the warmth on her sore muscles was soothing in a way she hadn't thought possible. She would have to remember that for future use.

"My turn," Pyre rumbled, looking slightly to the left of where her head was. "Once you're done, walk out and head for the shore. Wait just within the treeline until the camouflage wears off. Then we can start walking."

Lily nodded, before realizing he wouldn't see it. "I understand. You'll be following behind?"

"After a short while, so that I do not accidentally catch up and trip over you," he confirmed. "I will be watching the sky for danger, not the path, so I wouldn't notice the shimmer in time. I will catch up."

"Hold still," Lily requested, building up the flames in the back of her throat. In a few moments, she would exhale with her throat mostly clenched shut so as to not fire at him at point-blank range. That would be painful for him, and extremely embarrassing for her, given he was the one who had taught her to control her fire at all.

But then there was a muted thump outside the cave, followed by another. Lily let her fire die away by accident, and Pyre's head swung around to stare at the entrance.

"Sneak out the moment both come in if they do," he commanded with a hiss, before collapsing to the ground and arranging himself so that he appeared to be asleep.

Lily knew better than to question Pyre's plans for unexpected visitors; he had demonstrated how effective they were only the day before yesterday. She padded silently over to the nook on the opposite side of the cavern entrance, crossing in front of the sunlit opening in the process; nobody outside would be able to see a shimmer in the many swirling motes of dust the sun was illuminating as long as she didn't stay in one place.

No sooner than Lily turned in a tense crouch, a light wing darkened the entrance, casting a shadow across the stone.

Cressa, of all dragons, walked into the cavern, eyeing Pyre's supposedly sleeping form with suspicion. She inhaled so strongly as to be audible, trying to take in the scent of Pyre's cave.

Lily hoped that the heavy, slightly musky smell that meant Pyre, and more specifically, Pyre's territory, was enough to mask her own scent and the telltale scorched smell that usually meant recent light wing fire. She thought her odds were good.

"Get up, Coward," Cressa barked imperiously.

Lily distinctly remembered the last time Cressa had spoken to Pyre, surely Cressa would too? Obviously not, if she was confident enough to give Pyre an order and expect him to obey.

Pyre languidly got to his paws, yawning convincingly, and glared at Cressa. "Such a _lovely_ wake-up call," he drawled sarcastically. "I had grown used to not seeing you around, and now, seeing you once more, I find I do not miss the cruelty or the superiority you exude."

Lily held in a smug purr. Pyre had no choice but to play to the way he usually was, as Cressa knew him too well to fall for any of his more elaborate tricks, so he was clearly just speaking as he would if he still knew of nothing amiss. And that meant he really didn't miss Cressa in any way, which Lily entirely approved of.

"I do not believe that for a moment," Cressa growled. "Where is she?"

"She?" Pyre did an admirable job, in Lily's opinion, of making it sound like he had actually lost track of the conversation. He even dropped some of the open hostility his body had been conveying for a moment to imply he had been confused and caught off-guard. If she wasn't mildly worried about where this was going and all the while waiting for her chance to slip out of the cave as he had said, she would be trying to learn from his example right now.

"Lily," Cressa sneered. "The one who _defended_ you season-cycles ago. She would think you owed her a favor."

So _that_ was why Cressa thought Lily would be here… but why was she looking for her at all?

"I do, I suppose," Pyre admitted slowly. "And she seemed decent enough, to be questioning your motives, but I had assumed you talked her around to your way of thinking shortly afterward. I am all too familiar with how easy it is to convince a fledgling to hate someone."

"Stop turning it all back on me. Where is she?"

"You would know better than I," Pyre said in amusement. "And since when do you need _my_ help to corral a wayward fledgling?"

Then you won't object to me checking all the little corners a camouflaged light wing might hide," Cressa growled.

Pyre shrugged his wing shoulders nonchalantly. "If it gets you out of my cave faster, go ahead."

Cressa stepped forward, clearly intending to check directly behind Pyre first. Under normal circumstances, that was where Lily might have hidden.

But there were not normal circumstances, if such a term could be applied to any situation involving Cressa searching Pyre's cave. Lily took the chance to quickly slip out, keeping her back to the outside as she backed away, ready to freeze if Cressa looked back for even a moment.

But no, Cressa never noticed. Lily slipped around the corner and out of sight without any issues.

"Got you!" barked a voice she had come to both dread and despise as a weight fell against her side. She jerked away from Claw with a panicked yelp, twisting out of his poorly aimed grab for her, and bolted for the path down the mountain, her body responding and moving faster of its own accord than she would think it capable of in its condition. She managed the first tight turn in the path at high speed, skidded to a stop once out of sight of the ledge, and leaped off the path onto a steep slope. Doing her best to be as silent as possible, she crept upward, moving away from the path and toward what looked like a good place to perch.

Hiding while camouflaged with light wing pursuers was a strange, complicated affair. Lily was out in plain sight for anyone to see, but only as a slight shimmer in the air. She had rounded the corner well ahead of Claw, meaning he would not have seen her leave the path and make her way back up the mountain a short distance. Logically, if she wanted to avoid capture, she should be going for distance.

It all added up to her being in the open, entirely visible if anyone would look, but relatively hidden. Claw dove through the air over the path she _would_ have followed had she continued to run down, and entirely passed her hiding place up in the process.

Lily took a long, drawn-out moment to silently panic, letting the rush of fear subside a little. She needed to move silently, and getting off of this slope quietly was not a sure thing, not when she would overbalance at the slightest unplanned movement. It was mostly luck that she had evaded Claw at all; where she was currently hiding was not somewhere anyone would think was an easy to reach spot. It was on the same elevation as Pyre's ledge, but off to the side on a slope that could not be stood on normally, somewhere nobody would ever bother going.

It could have been worse, though. She could have leaped off of Pyre's ledge in her panic, forgetting her tail's handicap, and been forced to glide on her injured tail or fall to her death on the rough rocks quite a distance below.

Just a few more moments… She wanted to go before Claw returned, though it was unlikely he would, but she needed to be calm to do that. There was no danger to her at this exact moment.

"What was that?" Pyre rumbled, walking slowly out onto the ledge and looking around. "Are you sure your wayward daughter is not just hiding from you and playing some sort of game?" he asked obliviously.

"Claw!" Cressa roared loudly, shoving her way past Pyre to approach the path. "Did you get her?"

Lily felt nothing at the confirmation that her Dam was working with Claw to catch her; she had cut ties with her Dam long ago, and it was not much of a surprise, to be entirely honest. It was far more worrying that they had planned to catch her sneaking out of Pyre's cave, and that Claw now knew about Pyre at all.

"This does not seem like a simple case of youthful rebelliousness," Pyre remarked, sounding suspicious now. He was still sticking to the act, but that meant catching on that something strange was going on, because Cressa would notice if he _didn't._ Things were getting complicated, even by Lily's standards.

Claw flew into view and rose to the level of the ledge, landing with a grunt of annoyance. "She slipped by me, but she was definitely here." He glared directly at Pyre.

"I don't know what you're all doing, but I want this whole debacle off of my ledge and out of my cave," Pyre said indignantly, glaring right back. "And I want to have some sharp words with her when you catch her. Polite fledglings do not sneak into someone's cave and hide while they are asleep, no matter what game they think they are playing."

Claw eyed Pyre in a way that suggested he wasn't sure what to think of him. "Fledglings playing games," he said slowly. "Who are you, exactly, and what are you doing in my valley?"

"This is your mate, _daughter_?" Pyre asked skeptically. "I cannot say you chose badly, but he seems disrespectful." He sounded, to Lily's ears, carefully neutral, to not criticise Claw for anything more than that.

"Not like you deserve respect," Cressa shot back, going to stand by Claw. "Coward."

"I do not like unknown males encroaching on my territory," Claw growled.

"You have no reason to mind me," Pyre said bitterly. "And no reason to care about my presence, as I have caused no problems in all the time the pack has lived here. Just leave me to my misery, and you will not hear from me again."

"You have not sworn to me," Claw growled dangerously. "Do so now."

"Swear what?" Pyre sounded surprisingly open to the idea. "If I swear, do I get to live down in the valley with the rest of you?"

"No," Cressa immediately answered. "No, you do not. You were exiled."

"Then I don't think an oath will do any good," Pyre said sadly, hanging his head. "Unless the alpha will undo that?"

Lily was amazed at how well Pyre was handling the perilous situation; he was so effortlessly playing Cressa's cruelty off against Claw's power, using one to counter the other, and in the process making the oath he definitely _didn't_ in any way want seem like a privilege Claw would want to hold away from him out of spite. All the while holding back the inner rage that had prompted him to plan on killing Claw in a slow and agonizing way.

"Help me, and maybe I will consider it," Claw offered slyly. "Tell the truth about my daughter and what she was doing here. What did she tell you?" Outwardly he seemed neutral enough, but something in the way he stood, his side turned partly to Pyre and his wings held subtly back, spoke of a wariness and tempered aggression. Silently, Lily begged Pyre to be careful.

"Nothing, unless she whispered in my ear as I slept," Pyre said quickly, sounding eager to gain Claw's favor. "I can help you track her, but if she is smart, then she will be long gone. I'm sure she'll turn up again once she is bored of the game."

Lily understood that Pyre had just passed up his initial plan of getting close to Claw and striking; he must have seen the same thing she had. Claw was too alert and suspicious to fall for that. Luckily, Pyre didn't _need_ to kill him now, so it was no big loss.

"Oh, she will turn up," Cressa hummed maliciously. "This is the only way I know of up and out of the valley on paw."

"What cause do you have to know about paw-trodden paths?" Pyre asked skeptically. "But yes, it is. _I_ would know." He spread his empty wings for emphasis.

Claw stared at the blatant display of a crippling injury with something akin to a sick fascination. "You have been up here for how long?"

"Very long. Ask your mate." Pyre gestured at Cressa dismissively. "Are we done here?"

"Who else knows about him?" Claw asked Cressa.

"Nobody, really," Cressa replied. "Nobody cares about a coward sitting up in the mountains, refusing to just go away."

Pyre shrugged his shoulders and made to return to his cave. "Save the insults for someone who cares," he said scathingly. "And remember, I want to lecture that little troublemaker of yours once you find her."

Claw looked over at Cressa, who glared suspiciously at Pyre. Then he quickly walked out in front of Pyre, blocking the way. "I do not believe you."

"In what?" Pyre asked, growling with annoyance. "I have said little enough, and my wayward daughter knows I do not lie."

"It is just too convenient," Claw rumbled dangerously. "She was here, and Cressa thinks you would shelter her."

"If Cressa believes I would, then surely her daughter would have thought the same," Pyre reasoned. "Do you want me to come get you if she returns? I can do that."

"He is being too _helpful_ ," Cressa abruptly snarled, coiling as if preparing to lunge at him herself. "He is faking it."

Lily began to get a bad feeling. She delicately shifted on the slope to get a better view, and mentally calculated how long it would take to get down and away in an emergency. A few seconds if she didn't want to risk tripping and tumbling down the steep mountainside.

"So you _were_ hiding her here," Claw said accusingly as he circled around Pyre. "I _kill_ males who defy me," he snarled.

Pyre shook his head in exasperation. "Daughter, call your mate off. This is ridiculous."

"And now he is playing innocent, like he always does," Cressa growled, watching from the side.

"Oh, I believe you," Claw agreed. "And if it turns out he was not helping her… Well, nobody will miss an old dragon nobody knew about in the first place."

Pyre's ears flattened out against his neck at that blatant threat, and he crouched low to the ground. "This is insane! What kind of alpha kills for convenience?"

"The kind who does not see any reason to let you walk away from this," Claw purred sadistically. "You look old. I will just put you out of your misery."

Lily began working her way back to stable ground, hoping that Pyre would find some way to defuse what had so quickly turned into a potentially lethal encounter. Surely he would; he was amazing at manipulation, and neither Cressa nor Claw was anywhere close to smart enough to outwit him-

"What, you think that just because she showed me pity once, she will do it again and be caught?" Pyre asked carefully, speaking subtly louder now and projecting his voice. "I'm not worth that. Not when she'd be giving herself up for nothing." He was circling too, now, moving to keep himself distanced from Claw but maintaining the appearance of an old and weary dragon. "And I think she was right to run from the both of you, if you are willing to do this. I think she should keep running and go somewhere far from here, somewhere with more dragons like us. This valley certainly has nothing to keep her here."

Lily moved faster, but something inside her kept her from abandoning secrecy, some defeatist part of her that heard what Pyre was really saying. The same part that remembered how easily Claw had overpowered her. She was not going to be able to help, not in any way that made things better. But she had to try anyway.

"Tell me the truth and I will spare you," Claw offered.

"No, you will listen and then try to kill me," Pyre spat. "You're the kind of dragon to carry out threats after they serve no use."

"Got me," Claw purred, before leaping forward. Pyre dropped the act at the last moment, slipping nimbly to the side and lunging up and forward at an angle.

Lily was frozen, one paw outstretched to take the next careful step down the slope, unable to move as she watched the fight she had lied for so long to prevent play out in front of her in a matter of heartbeats.

Pyre and Claw were both on their hind legs now, grappling at each other and snapping ineffectively, shuffling back and forth as one leveraged their weight against the other and forced a movement. There didn't seem to be any blood or serious injuries yet, but Pyre was on the defensive, and barely holding off Claw's superior strength.

Cressa, watching impassively from the side, jumped out of the way as the two combatants lurched past her. Pyre now had his back to the ledge, stumbling backward at each new shove from Claw, desperately snapping at Claw's head which was just out of reach.

Then, far too close to the edge for comfort, Pyre pushed down with his front paws, used Claw as a support to pull his back paws up, and scrabbled with deadly claws at Claw's back legs and underside-

For the single heartbeat it took Claw to shove down and slam Pyre's back into the edge of the stone ledge they fought upon, dropping all of his weight down onto Pyre's upper body. The two dragons hung out over the empty space in front of the ledge, Claw standing on Pyre, whose top half was unsupported by anything at all, held there solely by Claw's weight on the rest of him. Pyre let out a strangled shriek of pain as their combined weight pressed him down onto the edge of the rock.

Claw sneered and lifted the weight off of his front paws for a moment, before driving them down again.

Lily felt her heart snap in two as Pyre's back broke under the force, bending at an unnatural angle around the edge of the stone platform.

Claw pushed down one more time, using the move to hop backward, and watched as Pyre's broken body fell from the ledge and disappeared from sight.

Lily closed her eyes just before Pyre struck the rocks far below, unable to bear it.

"Did he hurt you at all?" Cressa asked Claw.

"No, just a few scratches," he replied callously. "Better than most manage. Do you think he really was hiding her? I could not tell who that was."

"It could not have been anyone else, I think." Cressa sounded like she didn't really care. "He will not help her _now,_ in any case, and I am sure he would have just to spite me after I went into his cave. I am glad to be rid of him."

"My pleasure," Claw purred. "I help you, you help me. You cut Lily's fins for me, I kill an old annoyance for you. You are helpful."

"Of course, my mate. Now, let us go find her."

Claw laughed as if Cressa had said something particularly funny, and they said nothing more. They had probably flown off to continue searching. Lily wouldn't know; she wasn't paying either of them the slightest bit of attention.

Pyre was dead.

Had she really thought there was no further low to which her life could possibly sink?

But… Even now, she wasn't breaking down. She couldn't. She didn't have the energy. It felt like she had already done that, and could not do it again.

And unlike before, she now had something to do. Pyre had very obviously spoken in the hopes she was around to hear, right before that terrible fight. He had told her not to intervene, not to even try, to flee and… And to go do what he had explained was his plan from the beginning. To leave.

She had to leave. The rest could be figured out later. She could mourn later. He had died to keep them from her. She _couldn't_ let that be in vain. If they caught her, he would have died for nothing.

Lily did not have to struggle to hold in her grief as she made her way down onto the path and then up to Pyre's ledge. Something was wrong with her inside; she should be bawling her heart out.

But if she had been pained inside before, she was numb now. So numb, and so cold, despite the lingering heat in her scales keeping her camouflage up.

Maybe she would be able to feel something once she was out of the valley.

Lily turned her back on Pyre's cave and ledge, unable to bear the thought of saying goodbye, or looking down on his broken body, or anything else. It was not that she feared she would collapse. Rather, she feared that she would still feel nothing, that something inside her had broken entirely.


	13. Contemplative

Lily felt nothing, and that would have terrified her were she capable of feeling fear. She knew it _should_ bother her, and that it did not pointed to something deeply wrong, something broken.

But that did not matter. In fact, not feeling anything at all was probably the only thing allowing her to keep going. She knew she should be bawling her heart out at the fact that Pyre was dead, and that would stop her from moving. That would get her caught.

If there was one thing driving her, one spark of emotion in a cold, numb heart, it was defiance. She would not be caught, not when Pyre's last words to her had been to the effect of telling her to escape, to leave him and flee. She wouldn't fail his last wish.

Lily made it to the concealing foliage of the forest edge without ever so much as seeing Claw or Cressa, walking as quickly as her numbed but still injured body would allow. She stopped there to flame herself in order to keep up the camouflage, and then kept walking.

She had never done this before. Walking straight into the forest with no destination or direction other than 'away' was a new experience, and one that should have frightened her.

She felt nothing. Her body moved on its own, and her mind drifted, unable to latch onto anything in particular. Unable to feel, to examine. Something had broken, and she could not muster the will to fix it, if it could be fixed at all. This final blow to her heart and mind had been too much. There was only so much any dragon could take, so many losses and crushing failures, before it all stopped hurting because there was nothing left to hurt.

All she had was Pyre's last wish. That she would leave and find somewhere better, find his home. Maybe she would feel something once she got there. But that was a long journey away.

A long journey she could only make if she stuck to Pyre's directions. As she walked, she adjusted her course to intercept the coastline, so that she could walk along the edge of the forest and follow it. Walking in the sand would be foolish; pawprints were made regardless of how visible one was.

The sun had reached its highest point by the time Lily saw the blue water sparkling reflectively in the distance. Her legs were shaking with exertion, so she sat down and stared at the water from between the trees, her mind still devoid of emotion.

A loud rumbling caught her attention, and she looked around for a moment before realizing it was her stomach complaining about how long it had been since she had last eaten. She had forgotten her hunger for a while, but it was too essential to go ignored forever.

If she was to continue travelling, she would need to ease her hunger. She dispassionately thought about how that might be done.

Nothing came to mind at first, so she ran through her options in her head.

Lily was not a hunter; there was nothing big enough to be worth hunting in the forest near the valley. Pyre had told her the pack had hunted everything big out of existence within a few season-cycles of settling down here. There would be no prey to be had here, if she could even catch it like this.

She also was not a fisher. Some dragons fished, but she had never taken the time to learn the normal way, and swimming as Pyre did had always seemed too risky to even try to learn, ruling out his method. As she was now, grounded by her tail, only his method would have worked anyway, but she knew neither. She would not be getting any food from the water.

The plants Pyre had taught her about did include a few edible ones that tasted good, but he had specifically cautioned her about them, saying that they were not good for her stomach in large quantities and dangerous in any amount if she was starving. There would be no food from the plants all around her.

The first trickle of emotion hit Lily as she contemplated her lack of options. Like the tide she could hear but not see from where she sat, disbelief began to wash over her, somehow making her feel where before she had felt nothing. She could not feed herself. If she could not feed herself, she could not go on.

The conclusion was inescapable. She was going to fail. Pyre's last wish for her would go unfulfilled. She had to turn back, or die of starvation.

A strange sound worked its way from her throat, unbidden and unwanted, a husky chuckle that felt wrong coming out of her. This was not funny; none of this was funny. But she couldn't stop laughing, couldn't stop the rising sense of utter disbelief that made it hilarious.

A blockage of some sort had broken with that first laugh, or maybe whatever had been numb was returning to normal. She laughed so hard she nearly toppled forward, leaning toward the damp leaves that made up the forest floor, then sucked in a breath to howl in the sorrow suddenly gnawing at her very bones.

Frustration at her utter uselessness overwhelmed her again as the last of her breath echoed through the trees, leaving her gasping amidst choked laughter, before the sheer weight of it all crashed into her again and forced her back into an even louder howl of anguish; this time she at least had the presence of mind to tuck her head down, to somewhat mute the sound under her tortured body.

After a time, the laughing faded away, replaced entirely by gasping howls as the full _pain_ of what had happened took prominence in her heart. Eventually, long after her throat was so raw as to make speaking impossible, her body shuddered to a stop, and she fell mostly silent. By now, she was lying on her side, her back to the base of a tree, haphazardly curled up under her wing.

 _Now_ , out here where nobody had been able to hear her, she found herself able to feel again, for all the good it did her. She could mourn, and she could be overcome with grief and despair, but Pyre was dead and she couldn't even run away right; her tail was worthless and her survival skills were nonexistent. Eventually, she would have to go back, to take from the pile of fish that was only there because Claw wanted it to be. To rely on the one she hated above all others.

She would have to go back to the future she had briefly thought to escape with Pyre. Somehow, that made it all the worse. To have hope given where there was none, and then to have the giver brutally killed in front of her…

Killed. Lily could not help but relive that moment, seeing in her mind the moment Pyre made the fatal mistake that let Claw slam him down and kill him. Pyre only made one mistake, and now he was dead.

Or maybe he made two. The second was jumping up and letting Claw shove him down, but the first? Defending her in the first place. If he hadn't known her, if she hadn't been able to go to him for help, he would still be alive.

A part of her rebelled at that idea, forcing her to see reason. He would be alive, true, but he would not be happy, and would never have been happy. Even in the depths of her depression, she knew how much better her presence had made his life, to say nothing of her active efforts to make him happy and halting Cressa's periodic beratement.

He might have lived past this day had he not known her, but he probably would not have considered that fact of much value compared to what he would have given up to obtain it.

None of this really mattered, and she knew it. Pyre was gone; the past could not be changed. It was looking like the future was just as solid at the moment, as she had absolutely no choice.

Whatever block had been stopping her from contemplating her future had disappeared with the numbness, and she could think about all of it now.

She would go back, because the alternative was to starve. Claw would catch her, and then he would punish her, and possibly others she cared about. He would make sure she never had another chance to escape, somehow.

That was what would happen immediately. Long-term, the outlook was even more bleak. He would mate her whenever he wanted, probably abuse her like he had Pearl, and she would suffer it with no recourse. The pack wouldn't stick up for her; Crystal was the only one who had been willing to do so, and she was in the same horrible situation now.

She would be beaten down and broken by him, over the course of time. Eventually, she might find some sort of 'bright side' to cling to, some mental defense against the horror her life was, but that would not be any better, even if she thought it was when the time came.

Lily struggled to her paws, unable to remain still any longer, and began wandering aimlessly, threading her way through the trees by the shore.

What was there to look forward to? Nothing at all.

No, not nothing. She had been told light wings lived somewhere in the range of two hundred season-cycles, but she was younger than Claw by a good fifty season-cycles. He would die of old age about that same margin before her.

That thought, as terrible as it still was, lifted her ever so slightly out of the darkness she was drowning in. No matter what happened, the last fifty season-cycles of her life would be spent free of Claw. Her entire life was not a terrible trap she could not escape, just the majority of it.

But by then she would be old and broken…

No. Nothing said he _would_ break her. That was just her new, defeated attitude talking. Breaking her would mean making her accept this situation and him, making her _believe_ that things were as they should be, and she would never believe that. Pyre had taught her so much better than to believe that the way things were now was perfect, or even acceptable.

Pyre had taught her a lot of things. How to deceive. How to read dragons, to infer what they were feeling from what they did and how they did it, not just what they said. How to manipulate.

Though none of it had done her, or him, much good in the end. He was dead, and every single plan of hers ended in disaster.

Pyre was dead…

Lily stopped walking and stared blankly into the distance, thinking over something she had said earlier that day. Something she had said, and meant.

' _If I have to choose between nobody dead, or him and you dead, I will choose both living…'_

But she had not gotten her first choice, had she? Pyre was dead.

Lily's breaths became tense and heavy, and her vision zoned in on a large, sturdy tree with needles that would not fall no matter how cold it got, but she didn't see that.

She saw Claw, killing Pyre. Anger rose in the pit of her stomach, an unpleasant boiling sensation that rapidly spread throughout her body. She _hated_ Claw for all he had done, and she remembered what she had said to Pyre.

Two choices. Both alive, or both dead. She couldn't have one no matter how badly she wanted it, so she would do everything in her power to obtain the other.

A snarl tore through her clenched teeth. Claw was going to die someday. She didn't know how she would manage it, but she would do it. _That_ was a goal to work toward, a good thing to look forward to through the worst of her life. And if she could kill him before he died of old age, then she would end her suffering sooner.

What was stopping her from killing him _now_? She knew plants, and she knew a few that would kill if eaten. They were rare, but she could…

No, she couldn't. He didn't eat from the pile she had easy access to, he was supplied freshly-caught fish by one of his loyal males.

Yes, she could, there were ways around that. She could pretend she wanted to appease him and offer fish outside of when he usually ate, or she could somehow undermine the loyalty of the male who fished for him...

Lily stalked up to the tree she was sightlessly glaring at, and reared up on her hind legs to rest both paws against the bark. Her claws came out and began methodically carving deep furrows down the length of the trunk.

She could try to kill him; she could even succeed. Then they would be free of him.

And then, a rebellious part of her hissed knowingly, someone else just as bad would step up and take his place.

Lily turned away from that thought at first, too focused on her anger to believe her own mind. There could not possibly be anyone as bad as Claw living in the pack right now. Her general faith that he was unusually terrible aside, he killed all of the strong males. The only ones left were weak and generally harmless.

But maybe if a weak male came into power, it would go to his head. The obvious answer to that was to make that male's mate alpha, but the pack did not have female alphas, so the male would hold all of the power. Even if she could somehow swing the pack to pick a female to replace Claw once he was dead, her mate would probably take her power, because everyone knew the ruler of the pack was a male.

There were probably many ways around that, but to Lily the best solution was obvious. She didn't _really_ trust anyone in the pack to rule over her; Crystal was not cynical and cunning enough, and everyone else had betrayed all decency by remaining quiet while Claw revealed his perversions to the entire pack.

So if she did not trust anyone else to do it, she would have to take over herself. She was going to have to kill Claw and claim his place in his stead. Only then would she be safe and free without a doubt.

Lily paused in her mindless mauling of the tree, doubting herself. All of her plans failed miserably, and she couldn't change how the pack worked when it counted. Even assuming she _could_ take control, what said she would be able to keep it? Could she be a good leader?

Did it matter? She only wanted power to keep herself safe.

No, that was not true. She wanted power to protect herself, Crystal, and every other female who did not want to be Claw's mate. To protect males who should not have to die or submit upon reaching adulthood. To protect the families of those Claw took and threatened, because she now knew that the danger Claw presented extended to them, too.

She wanted to protect _everyone_. What did that make her? Protecting people who had betrayed her trust, people who let her be abused? People who let their sons die, who saw nothing wrong in any of it?

She resumed tearing chunks of bark off of the tree, frustrated with herself. This was all pointless speculation; with the way her plans went, she would fail over and over again, and every time she failed, she lost something precious to her. What would she lose next? _Who_ would she lose next? It was safer not to plan. Safer to wait until Claw died of old age.

Lily ripped one last chunk of bark off the tree and stepped back, dispassionately examining the wide area of smooth and pale wood she'd exposed but not at all satisfied with the destruction. Her mind was flying in circles, and she was still going to have to go back to the valley. Back to Claw and Cressa, back to life as her own Sire's-

A blast built up in the back of her throat of its own accord, and she let it build as much as possible before firing at the tree she had been mauling. A loud explosion rang in her ears, and she staggered back as flaming splinters burst outward.

But that wasn't enough. She built her fire up again and fired it at the same target, then again, when that failed to change anything.

The tree creaked ominously and tilted to the side, leaning on another tree to the left. The base was a smoking, jagged wreck, but the rest of it remained mostly upright.

Every plan failed. She couldn't even take down a tree. What had failed _this_ time?

Devoid of anything else to ponder, Lily moved back far enough that if the tree abruptly fell it would not hit her, and then put her mind to the question. Her plans all failed, but most were too complicated to see _where_ they had failed. This was a simple endeavor, and it had gone just as wrong. Where was she messing up, to never succeed at anything?

Well, the first thing that came to mind was that it just wasn't possible. No matter how she might have attacked the tree differently, the ones around it would always prop it up if it leaned to one side.

But surely she could knock a single tree over; that was not an impossible task. If the other trees kept it up, she would just remove those first. And if the ones around them propped them up, well, she would attack _those_ props first.

She could see where that line of thought led. To take down this one tree in the middle of the forest, she would have to start from the outside edge, tearing down tree after tree as she removed the many supports holding it up, until at last it stood alone-

Lily knew that she wasn't thinking about trees anymore, though she wasn't sure when she had made the connection between this problem and the infinitely more difficult one of toppling Claw from his position of power. But the plan was sound, in terms of simple trees. She just had to find the ones unsupported by others, take them out, and then target those that would have leaned on the first trees.

What was the equivalent in her more difficult problem? Trees were people, or customs, or maybe both. Claw was the tree in the middle of the forest, of course, propped up by the entire pack and everything he had built up to justify his position. To topple him, she had to find the weak points, the customs that could be attacked, or the people she could stop from supporting him.

It all came back around to the people, the dragons who had failed a basic test of decency only a day before. She did not _understand_ them, but she needed to.

That was her plan. She saw it now, in its vague and complex entirety. First, she needed to understand why things were as they were, and she needed to entirely comprehend what was keeping Claw in power. Then, she needed to undermine and destroy each of those supports, all while acting in secret to prevent him stopping her. Eventually, with the right final push, he would fall, and with all he had done, falling meant death. The specifics would be determined once she had more information, once she knew what the supports were and how to destroy them.

Lily felt a surge of determination, but it was short-lived. What, she wondered, made this plan any different? All of her other plans had also seemed optimal and without a point of failure. Who was to say this would not go just as badly wrong?

Maybe it would go wrong. Maybe she would lose everyone and everything she had left. But she had to do it; waiting for Claw to die of old age was not a plan, it was giving up. She wasn't going to give up and assume failure before she had even begun.

Lily walked back out to the shore, and after a moment of deliberation crossed out onto the sand, knowing that it did not really matter any longer whether she was caught. She was going back regardless. Besides, there was nobody in the air within sight of the shore.

Thinking about being caught brought to mind the fact that she _was_ being hunted. Claw thought she had fled, which she had, and he would carry out his threats once he could not find her, and possibly even if he did find her.

What she needed was an excuse. They couldn't _prove_ she had been with Pyre.

Lily looked around, checking to be sure she was utterly alone, straining her eyes to hopefully catch any shimmers flying her way. What could her excuse be?

The answer was as simple as feeling the sand on the pads of her paws, and the way it rubbed off the wood dust caked from where she had torn the dry part of the tree to shreds. Cleaning. It had long since ceased to matter in her mind, but she was disgusting, and had been since Claw had…

She shuddered, burying her paws in a small mound of sand, and tried to face her own memories. If she was going back, she was going to have to become... if not _used_ to the horror, then at the very least desensitized to it, numb like she had been earlier. There was no other way she could bear it.

But she couldn't do it. Her mind flinched away from even thinking about what had happened except in the broadest of terms. She couldn't make herself close her eyes and relive those terrible moments, not when she knew she would be experiencing it again sooner or later, over and over again, because her plan was not going to be quick.

Lily gave up on trying to face her memories and instead pushed them away, choosing to not face them. Someday, when she was not in the middle of what was looking to be the worst few days of her life, she could confront them. For now, she would have to ignore it all, no matter how impossible that would be in the moment.

Disgusting. That was an excuse, an explanation she could leverage to 'prove' she had not been trying to leave.

To lie in that way, first she had to be clean. That was a task she could set to with a will. She walked out to the edge of the water, and then slowly, carefully walked in, ignoring the frigid cold as best she could.

Standing out there, with the cold surf lapping at her sides and tugging at her wings, brought back memories. Memories of playing with Pyre along the shoreline, of watching him fish or frolic in the shallows.

She stared down at the water, how it spiked and dipped around her, the once cheerful sounds now hollow to her ears. She had failed him. Again and again, she failed, and each time she lost something precious. Granite, Pyre, her own innocence. All gone, all never to return, lost because she was not _smart_ enough, not _clever_ enough to make a plan that would work. She would never see him again because of her own inadequacy.

A particularly large wave struck Lily in the face, startling her from her despondent thoughts. She snorted the water out of her nose and tried to focus on the here and now. There would be plenty of time for sorrow later, when she was not standing chest-deep in freezing water.

Judging herself as clean as she would get by just standing around in the tide, she darted out of the water and made for the biggest pile of sand she could find, laying down beside it and using her wings to cover herself.

Lily lay there for a while, cold and partially covered in sand, before getting down to business. The sand stuck between her scales, but she knew from experience that it would fall out after a few minutes of walking or flying, and rubbing it against her underside was perfect for removing all the disgusting details she had been ignoring, the ones Pyre avoided in treating her injuries.

Once she was clean, Lily heaped more sand on top of herself, relaxed, and closed her eyes. She knew she was totally visible now; even had it not already worn off, the cold water would have been more than enough to remove the lingering heat allowing her camouflage to function. It was only a matter of time before Claw or Cressa flew over in their hunt and noticed her, and then she could pretend to have walked all the way out here, cleaned herself, and then accidentally fallen asleep.

Cressa. Lily had been going through far too much to process that her own Dam had been helping Claw hunt her down. Still, it didn't really surprise her. She had broken with her Dam season-cycles ago, and they were not on good terms. Cressa didn't have a good track record concerning how she treated her family, either. Lily did not consider Cressa family, or Claw. Pyre was the only one who had counted as family to her; he was the only one who had really cared.

It was not a surprise, what Cressa has done, and it did not really hurt, but that made it no less despicable. Cressa was helping her mate track down their daughter so that he could continue to violate her. From what she and Claw had said, she was even responsible for injuring Lily's tailfin…

Trapping her here. Claw had _planned_ that, or Cressa was just acting in Claw's favor.

Lily had not considered her Dam to be an enemy. Really, she had never had enemies. People she couldn't stand, yes, and people she didn't care about, but never an actual enemy, someone actively working against her.

But Claw was an enemy, and by extension so was Cressa. Lily didn't know _why,_ but at this point she didn't care. Cressa had tormented Pyre for no real reason other than having been told she should hate him; it was entirely possible, even likely, that Cressa did what she did out of spite. In any case, it would be too risky to ask her, just like it was going to be too risky to openly defy Claw before his supports had been removed.

She couldn't defy Claw openly. That hurt, and she didn't like envisioning how she was going to have to act to keep her defiance alive but hidden. She would have to act like Pyre had in those last moments, playing the part of herself, if she had been nothing more than she appeared.

Thinking of Pyre made her whine in grief. She didn't think she would ever get over losing him. Thinking of Granite still made her sad, and he was not nearly as integral to her life as Pyre was… Had been…

Lily knew she would never forget either of them; to forget them would be to forget those first, all-important season-cycles of her life, the time before it had all gone wrong. She also knew she would never really be done mourning them. Their memories resided in her heart, and she could not think of either of them without a pang of sadness.

But she had to go on; her mourning would be done in small moments throughout the rest of her life, not one huge, long-lasting show of emotion. She could not let her emotions out into plain sight, anyway. Not when she had to go back and pretend that she not only didn't know Pyre was dead, but didn't know him well enough to care once she did find out.

Her purpose, motivations, and immediate path decided, Lily no longer felt content to lie in the sand and await discovery. She rose, shook herself, and tried to put all of that abstract reasoning and partially disjointed logic into some sort of practical series of actions, and as she thought, she began the long trek back to the valley.

Fix the pack, overthrow Claw, and become alpha. In that order, probably, or with the first two done simultaneously. How was she going to manage that? Slowly and carefully, but what were the specifics?

That was a stupid question; she wouldn't understand what she needed to do until she had a basic understanding of what was wrong. The pack's lack of action was a symptom, not the sickness itself. Deciding what the sickness was would require she seek dragons out, one by one, and ask them why they had not defended her.

That seemed like a dangerous plan, but it would not be so bad as long as she played the part of herself as if she did not plan to do anything, which would mean…

Moping around. Obeying Claw out of fear of reprisal. Probably not going into the forest for a long time, because he would suspect her of wanting to escape all of this, whether or not he believed her lie about her intentions today.

Lily stopped walking as something occurred to her. She was relying on the egg-preventing plant, and that needed to be taken once a moon-cycle. If Claw barred her from the forest, which he very likely would, then she would be vulnerable in a very short time.

For once, she had found the flaw in her plan before it bit her. She was almost proud of herself.

Luckily, this particular flaw could probably be fixed. Lily headed into the forest and sought out a blue-green bush, and eyed the small plant appraisingly.

Then what she was contemplating hit her, and she actually _thought_ about what it meant. Pyre had said he didn't know what eating more than one leaf at a time would do, but he had implied it would probably make the effect permanent. She was contemplating making herself permanently barren.

But she didn't care. There was no male in her life that she would _want_ eggs from, and having Claw's would be a nightmare. And she had no particular desire for hatchlings anyway. When she imagined her future, she didn't see any running around, getting underpaw, and making messes. Truth be told, she didn't see anything at all, but the fact remained that entailed an absence of young ones.

No, she didn't need eggs. Ever. She decisively tore the small bush out of the ground, shook it to dislodge the dirt stuck to the thin, spidery roots, and crushed it under her paw, breaking and compressing the meagre branches.

Hundreds of leaves, and the trunk of the spindly plant too. This would do it if anything would. Once she was done crushing it into a manageable shape, she picked it up in her mouth, bit a chunk off, and swallowed it. Her teeth struggled with the stringy branches, and it scraped her throat as it went down, but she had no trouble stomaching it. The rest of the plant quickly followed.

Lily roared defiantly at nothing in particular, ignoring the small twinge of unease and regret she had felt immediately afterward. She might have cut off a branch of possibility from her future life, but at least _she_ had made the choice. Claw would not get his way on this one thing, no matter how hard he tried. He had forced her paw, but at least it was her paw moving, not his.

And on the subject of moving paws… Lily resumed her walk, still moving toward the valley. If it took her as long to reach the valley as it had to leave it, she would be back shortly before sundown. From there, it would just be a little lying, possibly some sort of punishment, and she would have gotten away with it…

With what? Her head felt heavy and light at the same time. She shook it, trying to clear her mind, and noticed a strange buzzing in her ears. Her hunger catching up to her, no doubt, she would be even worse off than the walk out here.

A few long moments later, she noticed that she was panting, despite walking slowly enough that she shouldn't be at all tired. Somehow, she didn't think her lack of stamina was to blame for this.

Then her stomach began to cramp. She continued walking out of stubbornness, but it was hard to move easily now, as she wanted nothing more than to double up and wait for the cramps to pass.

A short while later, and it was not just her stomach cramping. She stopped, whining softly, and tried to stretch her neck. A bolt of alarm shot through her as she realized she could barely move her head to either side. Something was very, very wrong.

And it was only getting worse. The panic spreading through her seemed to be matching the spread of the cramps and stiffness; she stumbled forward, noticing that her legs were beginning to ache and cramp.

This was serious. Lily thought fast, and turned her heading to face the shore once more, moving as fast as her failing body would allow in the hope she could make it before she was unable to move. At this point, being found would be a good thing, and they would never find her in the forest.

She made it out onto the sand just in time; just _breathing_ was becoming a strenuous task as her throat threatened to close up of its own accord. She had just enough presence of mind to collapse on her side near the top of a small hill of sand, letting her muzzle hang out over the top. A somewhat familiar urge was building in her gut, and if she was right, it meant-

Lily's mouth was only partly open, but she couldn't make it open any further. She almost choked on her own bile as it came flooding out of its own accord, a discolored mess of fluid that lacked anything identifiable, save for a few totally bare branches.

Throwing up did her no good; by now, she couldn't move a muscle, and breathing was becoming painful, her throat constricted and her heart racing for no apparent reason.

She quickly lost track of how long she spent like that; time passed, but it was impossible to tell how much, when breathing took all of her attention. When her throat gradually relaxed to a point where breathing was no longer a difficulty, she lapsed into a stupor, and her thoughts lapsed altogether.

O-O-O-O-O

"It is her! But what is she doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at this."

"Her eyes are open," Claw observed loudly. "She is awake. What is with the color of the sand by her head?"

"I have no idea. Get up, Lily. We have caught you. Playing dead is not going to fool us."

Lily began to become aware of her surroundings, brought back to reality by a sound other than the crashing of the waves nearby. She was still entirely incapable of moving, and her entire body was awash in agonizing cramps. Even her _ears_ felt cramped and stiff. A low groan left her throat, one of the only things she could manage at the moment. It was all she could do to look up from the sand to the sideways forms of two light wings watching her from a short distance away.

One of the light wings left her line of sight. Claw wasn't visible any more.

"Wait, what if she is sick and it is catching?" Cressa objected. "Something smells bad around her."

"I will have already caught it last night, then," Claw reasoned, his voice coming from behind Lily. "So there is no risk for me. Besides, _I_ am not staying out here to watch her and see if she recovers, and I do not trust anyone to stay alert and make sure she does not creep away if this is a clever trick."

Lily felt a nudge on her hindquarters, near the place she had so recently cleaned, and she would have flinched away were she capable of moving.

"Stiff," Claw observed. "I do not know what this is."

"I will go get someone to carry her back," Cressa decided. "It will be a long walk."

"You go do that," Claw agreed, "and be fast about it. I want this over with by sundown. No point in wasting the night on carrying her around." He poked rudely under her tail with an idle claw, underscoring to Lily what he would rather be doing.

"I will be back soon," Cressa declared, leaping out of Lily's line of sight to wing her way back to the valley.

Claw poked around her body for a few more moments, seemingly lost in thought. "You got far," he observed nonchalantly, speaking aloud as if not expecting an answer, but expecting her to hear him and understand. "Never again. You are _mine._ I am not losing another mate like I lost Pearl, and especially not one as _special_ as you."

Lily ignored him. Her mind was more focused on her continuing cramping and paralysis, anyway. It had been stupid to just eat an entire bush of egg-preventing leaves; Pyre had warned her time and time again that almost anything was dangerous in high quantities, and a leaf as useful and effective as the one she had abused would be especially prone to having side effects at high concentrations. She was lucky it hadn't killed her, either by closing her throat entirely or overworking her heart.

As it was, she had to worry about whether what she had done to herself was permanent. What if she would never be able to move again? It was a horrifying thought, and one that neatly answered the question of what more she could possibly lose. Death might be preferable to life as a paralyzed body in Claw's care, though something told her he would quickly grow bored of a female who did not even move.

Actually… That was an idea worth trying, if she could pull it off. Maybe if she gave absolutely no reaction no matter what he did, he would grow bored of her and leave her alone.

"And I told you that others would suffer if you defied me," Claw continued, walking around to stand within her line of sight, glaring down at her. "But that does not seem to have stopped you."

Lily realized that she was in deep trouble. She had planned on convincing Claw that she had not at any point planned on running, and was just out cleaning herself before losing track of time. But she couldn't do that if she couldn't talk or respond in any way, and she had no idea how long that would be the case.

Right now, Claw was sure she was guilty. He believed he had caught her trying to flee. And he would act accordingly.

"So if threats to others do not hold you, I will have to use other measures," Claw said ominously, looking to the sky for a moment. He rumbled consideringly before moving out of sight again.

The next time Lily felt his presence, he was touching her stiff tail, pawing at her healing fins. A wave of panic shot through her; there was absolutely nothing stopping him from ripping them off, grounding her permanently, and he had just said he would resort to 'other' measures.

But nothing happened to her tailfins. A claw probed a few of the cuts, causing minor twinges of discomfort, but soon withdrew, having done nothing but irritate her injuries.

Then he was poking at one of her back paws, nosing at the somewhat calloused but mostly smooth underside.

A claw ran along the small crevice between the pads of her paw, tracing the depression.

"You tried to run," Claw said ominously. "We cannot have that."

The claw returned, this time doing more than lightly tracing the gap. Lily managed a very strangled whine as he cut a stinging line of pain between the calloused pads of her back paw, and then another.

Once Claw was done cutting between each of the pads, he moved on to the other paw, and then to her front paws, working slowly and leaving each dripping blood. The pain was not quite as bad as the cramps running through her body, but it was new and sharp, throbbing in a different way, and she knew that she would not be able to walk easily in the immediate future.

Claw reappeared in front of her. There was a disgustingly familiar look on his face, a leer combined with malicious satisfaction. He very deliberately looked to the sky again, confirming that they were still alone. "And while we are here, waiting," he said eagerly, "I think I will enjoy myself."

Lily's heart sank even further. She had guessed he might think of that the moment he had sent Cressa all the way back to the valley, but as bad as him punishing her by cutting her paws had been, she had hoped it would distract him. No luck there, either.

But she knew this was coming, if not so soon. She had resigned herself to it, and would have had to face it soon enough anyway. All she could do was grit her teeth and endure.

Well, no, she couldn't grit her teeth. She couldn't even move her jaw. A muted rumble of discontent was all she could manage, and he didn't even seem to hear her.

"Alpha!" a distant voice cried out.

Claw huffed in annoyance, turning to look over his shoulder. "Later," he promised Lily with an irritation that matched her relief. "Over here!" he roared.

A few moments later, three males landed on the sand by Lily and Claw. She didn't get a good look at any of them.

"I want you three to take her back to the cavern," Claw commanded sharply. "You will have to carry her."

"Good thing she is so thin," one muttered quietly.

"What is wrong with her?" another asked worriedly. "Is it catching?"

"I do not think so, but if it is, you three will be the test," Claw replied callously. "Do not interact with anyone when you get back, do not get close to anyone… Actually, leave her in the dark side of the valley, and spend the night outside of the valley, separate from each other. Do not reenter the valley until one of my mates has come and made sure you are not suffering from whatever she has."

"Alpha," one said timidly, "I have a mate and a hatchling. If this spreads-"

"You will just have to risk it," Claw snarled. "Now get to it. I want her in the dark side of the valley by dusk."

Once Claw had left, Lily was surprised to feel herself relax a tiny bit. Was it just her imagination, or were her muscles slightly less tortured and stiff, slightly more limbre? She wouldn't have noticed while he was around, being tense and worried about what he would do to her, to say nothing of the pain he had caused, so it made sense that she would only now be noticing the change.

She _really_ hoped what she felt was the first sign of this paralysis wearing off; she knew very well that it was not a spreadable illness like Claw and these males suspected, and she would very much rather be able to move on her own by the time they got back to the valley.

O-O-O-O-O

"Your turn," one of the three males grunted to the others, his body shaking slightly underneath Lily. He was panting, obviously worn out from carrying her on his back. Not that the other two were much better; they were switching her out more and more often as time wore on, and now that they were finally ascending the mountain, heading uphill, the switches were coming faster still.

Lily barely paid them any mind as they performed the frustratingly slow maneuver of changing whose back she rode on. It was an embarrassing maneuver, given one of them had to slide underneath her from behind to pick her up all at once, but after what Claw had done and was still yet to do to her, this was all nothing.

More important, at least in her mind, was the maddeningly slow release of the paralysis she had accidentally inflicted upon herself. The sun was setting, at least half a day gone since she had made the mistake that led to this, and she could barely wiggle her claws and move her ears. She felt claustrophobic in her own body.

The solution, as she had realized early on, was sleeping. If she couldn't move, she might as well take the chance to get some rest and hopefully skip some of the otherwise excruciatingly dull trip. But sleep was not coming easily, and she had not managed much.

"Finally!" one of them barked tiredly, moments before Lily felt herself sliding forward on her carrier. They were heading downhill now.

"I feel fine," another said in a tone of sincere relief. "Do you think she will be okay?"

"Do I care?" the one carrying her asked rhetorically. "This has to be her fault, somehow. She was fine yesterday."

"Not _that_ fine," one pointed out in a quiet voice.

"Shut up," the third barked disagreeably. "That was different. This is a serious issue."

Lily felt indignant at that. If she had to compare the two 'issues', this would be by far the less serious. At least this was both temporary and self-imposed, an accident with good intentions behind it. The other was terrible, premeditated perversion.

"And we still have to spend the night outside the valley," the one carrying her grumbled. "Just to be safe."

"We are fine, there is no-"

A loud snarl cut the speaker off. "No. Not only did the alpha order us to do so, I will kill you myself if my mate or hatchling catch an illness thanks to your laziness."

Lily was impressed. She had assumed that all the males remaining were spineless, and given how easily the same one had folded to Claw, that still might be true, but amongst themselves, they were still capable of standing up to each other. Some were less spineless than others, it seemed.

O-O-O-O-O

Just before darkness fell over the entire valley, Lily was dropped off, quite literally, in the burial grounds, left to lie on top of a rock near the center. She was just glad they had taken the time to climb up on top of a rock before leaving her; she had no desire to be left like a body in some forgotten corner. Even if they _had_ left her with a view of nothing but the burial grounds directly in front of her, it could have been much worse.

Her teeth could move now, and her tailfin was beginning to tingle in a way she usually only felt if she had sat on it in a bad position for too long. It was excruciating, but she was almost used to the constant pain by now, and she was far more excited by the returning mobility, however small, than dismayed by the less than pleasant sensations accompanying it.

Some time later, a light wing landed behind Lily. A worried croon betrayed the fact that whoever it was, it definitely _wasn't_ Claw or Cressa.

"How… What is this?" Crystal whined, quickly walking around to look into Lily's eyes. "Why is she not moving?"

"You tell me," Claw snarled, revealing his own presence in the air above them. He was for some reason choosing to glide above them rather than land.

"It looks like she was attacked," Crystal immediately asserted, eyeing Lily. "There are bruises, and her paws have bled a little…" Her muzzle moved in to inspect one of Lily's paws. "Small cuts… What could have done this?"

Lily knew the answer to that question. In both cases, the one responsible was a light wing, not an animal. But she still could not speak. A muffled groan was the best she could manage.

"Lily?" Crystal put her face right in front of Lily's. "Say something."

Lily groaned again, almost annoyed at her friend. It should be clear she physically couldn't, if she hadn't already.

"She tried to flee like Pearl and Gold," Claw snarled from above. "I told her that I would punish people she cared about if she tried that."

Crystal looked up defiantly, though she also crouched defensively over Lily's head. "If she knew that, she would not try to go anywhere. There must be another explanation."

She sounded so _sure._ Lily was ashamed of her own actions; she actually _had_ meant to escape, to leave and not come back for a long time, if at all. Pyre's choice or not, she had planned to do it. Crystal thought too highly of her.

But then, Crystal also didn't know the horrors Lily had experienced directly before; she had been mercifully unconscious the night before.

"I doubt it," Claw snarled. "So that leaves me pondering what to do to _you_."

"At least wait to hear from her first!" Crystal cried in a pleading tone. "Did you find her like this? Maybe she was going to come back. I know she likes the forest and the shore. She goes there all the time to relax!"

"Not anymore, in any case," Claw declared. "But I find myself considering waiting," he continued in a sly tone of voice. "You could _convince_ me to wait."

Crystal winced at that, but to Lily's surprise, her reply was not long in coming. "Yes."

"Come along then," Claw commanded.

"What about Lily?"

"I am waiting to defer your punishment, not hers," Claw growled. "She is going to stay here all night, or until she can move herself back to the cavern."

Lily winced at that. It was cold out, and windy. She would not freeze to death, it was not yet that cold, but she would be miserable and get absolutely no sleep.

"If I can come back and keep her warm after…" Crystal bargained.

"You will have to be _very_ convincing," Claw replied.

"I will be back," Crystal promised in a low voice, before flying up to meet Claw. In moments, Lily was once again alone.

Alone, and feeling more guilty than she had… Well, since that very morning, but she did not usually feel this guilty about anything, so that was an exception. Crystal was sacrificing so much for her benefit, willingly playing to Claw's desires in exchange for leniency, and Lily was distinctly aware she didn't even deserve her friend's trust. She _had_ planned to abandon Crystal to her fate for a time, threats from Claw notwithstanding.

Lily didn't understand how Crystal could manage to be so calm, either. She herself had broken down multiple times in the space of a day, and could barely manage to contemplate what Crystal would be going through. How could Crystal willingly agree to it?

Guilt, confusion, and pain were not a good mix of feelings to be left with, but Lily had no choice in the matter. And when Crystal returned a long time after dark had fully fallen, visibly exhausted and dirty in a way Lily knew all too well, Lily could not even speak to express her heartfelt thanks… Or her guilt.

She could only wait and promise herself to do better when choice returned to her. There was a long, torturous path ahead, and flying it would be hard enough _with_ her friend by her side. Crystal was all she had left, in a very real way, and Lily knew she had to cling to that, lest something inside her truly fade and die.

Lily considered Crystal family; like a sister, her best friend and now her closest ally. She had never thought of it like that before, but having lost the only one she had really thought of as family made her more aware of it. As long as she had Crystal, she would not have lost everyone. She had failed Granite, and Pyre, and herself, and Crystal to a large degree, but there was no choice other than going on and continuing to try.

Lily did not find sleep for a long while that night, kept awake by her thoughts and her pain, but Crystal's warmth against her side and wing over her back reminded her that not all was lost. Not all was broken, and not everyone left had failed the test of basic decency. She only had one friend left, but that friend would not abandon her. And she would not fail her friend, either.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Wow, I rewrote this chapter way too many times. Once in my first draft, once when that draft became plot-obsolete, again to fix the rambling mess that was the second draft, and then** _**again** _ **when I realized that I was trying to cram way too much into a single, introspective scene. And all of that was** _**before** _ **my beta got to see any of it.**

**Oh, and as a response to the Guest who stopped reading last chapter, and told me so in a review: Wait, come back, this is the low point of the story, it gets better! And then worse again, and then better, and worse** _**again** _ **, but still! Oh, wait, they'll never see this because they've stopped reading. Oh well. This does at least support my theory that darker stories inherently get less readers, all other factors being equal. And to be fair, this is about as dark as it gets…**

**Also, for those of you who can't get enough of this story (I think there are a few of you out there),** _**No Story Stands Alone** _ **has the first draft's version of Pyre's… well, you know. It's absolutely nothing like what we ended up with, involving eels, hallucinations, and Pyre's perspective.**


	14. Invisible

**_Author's Note:_ I almost forgot that I would need to post this a day early! A good thing I remembered.**

Lily woke to a pounding headache, a horribly empty feeling in her stomach, blood running slowly from between her back legs, and a body that was finally back under control. She really didn't know whether her current condition was an improvement over that of the day before; she might be able to move, but everything was sore, and it was hard to think through the headache, to say nothing of the distraction being absolutely ravenous posed.

Stretching out hurt, but it was a better kind of pain, the kind that she knew would go away imminently, leaving behind soreness and nothing more. Still on her side, she worked her way through the discomfort of stretching everything immediately, eager to get back onto her paws and walk around on her own. She would even be eager to fly if that was a possibility.

With most of her body back to something approaching normal, she hunched around to inspect the source of the slick feeling between her legs. She had absolutely no idea what to do about that, and it was a small trickle anyway. That she was bleeding there at all told her the plant had done its intended work; it was not that part of the moon-cycle yet, and this felt different.

So it was done; Lily closed her eyes for a brief moment, rolled to press the affected area to the stone to hopefully staunch the flow, and fought off a small wave of regret. She had not wanted to go down that path in life anyway; all she had lost was the opportunity to change her mind someday.

Back to stretching. Lily flared her wings and accidently smacked the light wing lying beside her, reminding herself that Crystal was present. "Sorry," she said quietly, not entirely sure whether or not she had woken Crystal enough to be heard and understood.

"I am up, Dam," Crystal rumbled in response, before snorting loudly and shifting in her slumber.

Lily chuckled at that, though there was something sad about it too. If the world was fair, Crystal would not be here, she would be with her family. Or if the world was _really_ the way it should be, she would be with Granite, the two of them having picked out a rock of their own.

It was tempting to extrapolate on that hypothetical scenario, but Lily forced herself to remain firmly rooted in reality. If she wasted time imagining a better life for herself and everyone else, then she would never make any progress toward actually improving anyone's life.

Lily stretched her legs out, one by one, and then stood. All four of her paws immediately protested, and she almost fell. She had forgotten about Claw cutting her as punishment for running away, which was a testament to how _terrible_ yesterday had been, that a painful wound didn't immediately spring to mind.

Lily did her best to weather the sudden onslaught of grief that hit her as she thought about the rest of what had happened. One soft whine was all she allowed herself; she had the rest of her life to mourn, and she wanted to spend as much of that life free of Claw as possible.

Lily hopped from the rock she had shared with Crystal over to another nearby, and almost collapsed again. Any kind of pressure on her injured paws made her legs buckle, but landing on them had been excruciating. If it was just one paw she would not use it until it healed, but all four were equally pained, and she could not fly. All she allowed herself was a quiet growl at the pain, determined to otherwise ignore it.

Claw had inflicted a very sadistic punishment; she would be in constant discomfort until her body healed, grounded and unable to walk easily. She hadn't thought him very good at planning things out in advance, but it seemed he _could_ come up with plans if he felt like it. And it seemed he had a sadistic streak when provoked. She would be sure to remember that.

"Ugh," Crystal groaned from behind Lily, sounding a bit more lucid. "I feel like a rock was dropped on my stomach."

Lily remembered her resolution to be a better friend to Crystal, and decided that her aching stomach could wait a short while longer. "I think you would prefer the rock," she said in a low voice.

"Oh… _Right_." Crystal yawned loudly and leaped over to the rock Lily was uneasily standing on. "Well, it could be worse."

"Worse?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Worse," Crystal agreed, walking around to stare directly at Lily. "It could be much worse. That is what I am telling myself, and it is true."

Lily got her friend's meaning; at least Claw was not Crystal's Sire. "For you, I suppose."

"Exactly," Crystal growled, lashing her tail angrily. "What did he do to you? I do not believe he just _found_ you like that."

"No, he really did," Lily replied guiltily. She wasn't going to enjoy explaining her actions to Crystal, but the truth needed to be told. Crystal would be saddened by learning of Pyre's fate, and possibly angered by hearing of Lily's intention to leave, but she would understand… hopefully. Regardless, she just couldn't bring herself to outright lie to her last remaining friend, not about this.

"So… Were you attacked, or did you make a mistake with plants?" Crystal nodded to herself at that. "Like with Pearl, but bad."

"...Basically," Lily hedged, thinking quickly. She trusted Crystal to keep the egg-preventing plant a secret, but Claw would be keeping a _very_ close eye on the both of them, watching for further escape attempts, and going out into the forest to get the plant was probably not possible for the moment. Given time, Lily was confident she could find a reliable way to procure more, but if she couldn't, she didn't want to get Crystal's hopes up. There was a small chance it was already too late, and that chance would only grow the longer it took to gain access to the forest once more.

"It was that bad?" Crystal whined. "Oh, what am I saying, of course it was." She flung a wing over Lily and pulled her close. "We will get through this. You have a plan, right?"

Lily shrugged her wings noncommittally. "Kind of, but it's going to take a long while." She was more than a bit bemused by Crystal's reaction to all of this; somehow, she had expected her friend to be as beaten down and depressed as she had felt the day before. But, now that she thought about it, that was unreasonable; Crystal had not gone through nearly as much.

Still, Lily had to ask, just in case she was missing something. "How are you so calm about what is being done to us?" she asked.

"Calm?" Crystal seemed to think about it. "Well, I am not. But this is not a surprise for me. Ever since we talked about who would get Gold, I have known it might happen, and now it has. And I know it is not forever. We _will_ kill him."

Lily glanced around nervously; they were still in the middle of the burial grounds, so nobody should be around, but one couldn't be too careful. "Yes," she agreed, "but from now on we do not say or even imply that aloud, even when alone. We have to be careful."

"I will do whatever it takes," Crystal replied seriously.

"Like last night with Claw," Lily whined. "You did not have to do that for me."

"It was for me too. He was talking about punishing me, remember?" Crystal said, sounding surprised Lily had brought it up. "You have a good explanation, right? He will ask."

"I woke up early, went out to the forest to clean myself, and in the process ate something bad," Lily improvised. "It is the truth, just with some pieces cut out."

"There is more to it than that?"

Lily bowed her head and closed her eyes, resigned to admitting it all. "I could not stand it. I went to Pyre and told him everything. I was hysterical, out of control… He helped me calm down."

"Good," Crystal murmured, her wing still over Lily protectively, holding her close. "He will be very helpful now that he knows."

"He would have been," Lily sobbed, nuzzling into her friend. "But Cressa and Claw came to his cavern. They couldn't be sure I had been there, but Claw didn't care. He…" She couldn't go on.

"No," Crystal whined. "Not him too..."

"Pyre was going to take me into the forest," Lily whined, forcing it all out before she lost her nerve. Crystal deserved the truth, if only so that she would be able to judge for herself whether Lily still deserved her unquestioning faith. "He was going to take me far from here. We were not going to come back for a long time, but we _were_ going to return eventually, to fix things."

"So… You kind of _were_ running away," Crystal realized quietly with a trace of a growl, her body tensing. "Even though-"

Her anger bled away as quickly as it had appeared, and she slowly shook her head before resting it on Lily's. "No, nothing has changed. I would suffer less knowing you had got away from him, whatever he did to me. Anyone who really cared about you would feel the same. You would have realized that."

Lily leaned against her friend, almost trembling with relief. "Somewhat… But I was not thinking of any of that. I was only thinking about myself. Pyre was only thinking about me."

"It would have been best regardless, whatever you thought," Crystal sighed. "We cannot go now. Claw will be sure to stop it."

"We cannot leave now," Lily agreed. "But I do have something of a plan."

"Good. Tell me what I can do to help," Crystal requested resolutely, taking her wing off of Lily and sitting back on her tail.

Lily ignored the visible remnants of Claw's recent activities, looking away. "First, clean yourself off. Use that as an excuse to see if anyone will stop you from leaving the valley." She wanted to know what was in place, if anything was yet. If she were Claw, she would have chosen a minder for each of them, somewhat like what Claw had done with Pearl, but there was no evidence he had done that yet.

"Good idea," Crystal agreed self-consciously, quickly dropping down to all four paws. "I will meet you outside the cavern?"

"It might take me a while to get there," Lily admitted, gingerly and limply holding up one of her front paws. "Walking hurts."

Crystal leaned in to inspect it with a sympathetic wince. "A lot of bruising… How… No, I can guess, and do not want to know." Lily shook her head, not particularly wanting to explain either; she'd actually forgotten about that too, further testament to yesterday's trials. "But where is this blood coming from?" Crystal asked, leaning to the side of the paw.

"Claw cut them when he found me," Lily admitted. "Part of my punishment."

"Let me look closer," Crystal requested, before shoving her face right up against the underside of Lily's paw, her eye staring upward in a position that made Lily nervous. One false move could have her stepping on Crystal's open eye, which seemed like it would be agonizing.

"A lot of dried blood," Crystal murmured. " _That_ looks _really_ painful. You know, I have never looked at the underside of our paws… They do not look like the rest of us. No scales, grey skin instead of white, no glint…"

Lily pulled her paw back, feeling strangely self-conscious about it, and shook her head. "I'll live."

"Do you want me to bring fish here before I get cleaned up?" Crystal offered as she stood. "You would not have to walk as much if I did."

"No, I need to get used to walking like this, and being hungry is good motivation," Lily reasoned. She also didn't want to ask any more of her friend for a while, given that Crystal seemed to be doing everything important at the moment.

"Okay… Well, wish me luck." Crystal leaped up into the air and flew off before Lily could respond.

Lily watched her friend go, wishing she could follow. She might not like flying, but after half a day of not moving at all, she was itching to stretch her wings and move. Flying would have to wait, which was annoying.

In the meantime, she would have to walk. That probably wasn't going to be very enjoyable, but like most of her life right now, she had no choice but to bear it.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily didn't think Crystal's attempt at going to the shore to clean up had worked out. Crystal was waiting for her at the fish pile outside the cavern, and it had not been very long since they had parted ways. Longer than she would have normally taken to cross the valley, given she had to walk slowly and carefully, but not slowly enough that Crystal could have gone all the way out to the shore, cleaned herself up, and made it back.

But the sight of the fish pile put that question on hold for a while. She had to stop herself from leaping forward and faceplanting in it, her stomach gurgling loudly enough that she would have been embarrassed had she cared about anything else at the moment.

It wasn't until half a dozen fish later that Lily could think clearly again. "So?" she asked Crystal with a sigh of relief while pawing through the pile.

Crystal was staring incredulously at the sizeable dent she'd carved out of the pile, but shook her head and made no comment on it. "There is a male watching the sky," she grumbled instead. "He turned me back. Apparently, Claw told him either of us might try to sneak out to go looking for Gold."

Lily wasn't surprised Claw had used that justification; he couldn't say that he was trapping his two newest mates because they were desperate to get away from him, after all…

But why not? What made him wary of that, but not of claiming his own daughter in front of the entire pack? There had to be a difference, but she couldn't see it. Unless the difference was that, at the time, he had wanted her too badly to care-

And _that_ was a thought that was entirely capable of spoiling her remaining appetite if she lingered on it, so she put it out of her mind for the moment. Just one more observation to add to her musings on the subject of Claw's rule.

A few more fish later and Lily finally felt sated, not to mention lethargic. "I'm going to go lie down somewhere," she groaned in contentment. "Meet me later today?"

"Claw will be looking for you," Crystal warned seriously. "I hope you can convince him."

"I'll be lazing around, not at all bothered to be back," Lily reasoned. "It won't be hard to make it plausible." If it weren't for Claw and Cressa knowing for sure that _someone_ had been lurking around Pyre's cave, she would even say convincing Claw was going to be easy.

Pyre… Lily walked away, hoping that the pain in her paws would distract her. When that didn't work, she tried to focus on where she was going. Somewhere Claw could easily find her, somewhere public, and somewhere she would be able to lie down.

There was only one place that fit all of those requirements. Lily turned toward the cavern with a resigned sigh. She would go just inside the main chamber, lie down against a wall, and help watch the fledglings.

As Lily walked, she began to notice something. At first, she wasn't sure what was different. Everyone seemed to be going about their lives as normal around her; light wings flew by above her, walked past her, and called out to each other. Everything seemed normal on the surface.

She still wasn't sure what was different by the time she reached the cavern, but she knew _something_ had changed.

The main chamber of the cavern was mostly empty when Lily entered. She easily found a place against the wall right by the opening and settled down, sighing with relief as the lancing pain in her paws subsided to a dull throb. Remembering what it had done for her tail, she gingerly brushed off the worst of the grime from walking across the valley, then licked a paw clean and inspected the damage. Thin, tidy lines spread evenly between each of the pads, identical to all her other paws once they were treated as well.

A part of her didn't feel comfortable in the cavern at all, but the few rowdy fledglings and chattering Dams helped ease her discomfort; the cavern might not be a safe place for her anymore, but she couldn't imagine anything bad happening here while little ones played and Dams watched.

Feeling relatively safe didn't prevent her growing sense of something being different, though. She watched the fledglings for a few moments, but whatever was strange, it was not with them. The three females and single male playing a simple game of chasing and tagging were acting perfectly normal. They were all far too young to pick up on anything subtle anyway; the females all looked less than two season-cycles old, while the male was at most three.

So if something was strange, and it was not with the children… Lily craned her neck to look at the two Dams sitting on their hind legs at the far side of the cavern. They also seemed normal, speaking quietly, their murmuring providing a soothing background to the fledglings' squawks and high-pitched warbles.

She still didn't see it. Maybe she was just feeling paranoid? That might explain why she was so certain something was different.

Another of Claw's mates walked out from the depths of the cavern, her older daughter trailing behind her. "You will watch her?" she asked the two Dams opposite her.

One of the two Dams immediately nodded, purring softly. "Of course, but we are leaving by noon, so be back for her by then."

The Dam who had dropped her fledgling off purred in thanks and walked past Lily, leaving her daughter to join the game.

Lily _knew_ there was something about what had just happened, something important. But it was all the same! She had seen the same scene dozens of times before, from this same spot. The actors and exact words changed a little, but the meaning was always the same, the transfer of custody for a time, the gracious offer extended and accepted with the implication that the one doing the accepting would be reciprocating sooner or later. The polite nods and purrs, acknowledging-

 _That_ was it. Lily felt her face scrunch up as she scowled at nothing in particular, finally understanding what was bothering her. Throughout the entire day, not a single dragon aside from Crystal had so much as acknowledged her existence. She had never really paid attention to how many greetings she received and thoughtlessly returned on a given day before, so the loss had not been immediately identifiable, but now she noticed.

No light wings had nodded to her as she passed. Nobody had called out a greeting. Nobody had even made eye contact. When she entered the cavern, neither of the Dams had said hello, or asked how long she would be helping them watch their children, or so much as looked at her.

Now that she could see it, she couldn't _stop_ seeing it. Both Dams were actively avoiding looking at her. Their eyes glanced right over her every time they happened to look in her general direction. It was obviously a conscious effort for them, too obvious to be unintentional.

Of course, the cause was just as obvious, if not the reasoning behind it. Only one thing had changed. But Lily cared more about _why_ this was happening, and on such a large scale. Everyone was ignoring her, and somehow she didn't think they had all gotten together and agreed on a course of action the day before, so they all had to be thinking along the same lines, whatever those were.

Lily's attention was abruptly taken by a large, imposing figure quickly walking in from outside and making directly for her. Claw was not ignoring her, for sure, though his stoic gaze was hardly helping her unease. She managed to remain mostly still, as if she didn't have a care in the world, though she couldn't hold in a flinch.

"So, Lily," Claw hummed, coming to a stop and slowly lowering to his haunches right in front of her, far too close for her liking. "Care to explain?" It was obvious to both of them what he meant.

Lily noticed with some annoyance that the Dams who had ignored her before were paying attention _now_. "I went to clean myself by the shore, but must have eaten something bad," she explained earnestly. "That's all I know, really."

"And I should believe you _why_?" Claw asked quietly, eyeing down at her suspiciously.

She let her eyes fall to the stone, still keenly aware that they were being watched, and rumbled in a low voice. "You made sure I knew why I could not go anywhere. I had no choice." No attempt at careful reasoning, no reference to how she definitely hadn't been anywhere else, no fancy attempt to outwit him, not even bitterness for already having been punished for the apparent misunderstanding. Just a seemingly sincere admission that he had a hold on her that she couldn't ignore. A simple lie worked best, and it wasn't even a lie at this point.

"You will warm to this," Claw said confidently, placing a paw under her chin and tilting it up, much to her disgust. He stared down at her with obvious desire. "Head up. I believe you."

But he was a dragon to carry out threats after they served no purpose… "So you will not-" Lily began, hoping to get confirmation of Crystal's safety, only to be cut off when the paw under her chin slid forward and poked at her neck, sharp claws unseen by anyone abruptly threatening pain and possibly serious injury.

"I will not be mad at you," Claw said in a voice that reverberated around the cavern. "Just try to be more accommodating, and I will have no reason to be angry."

"Of course," Lily answered, keeping her voice steady. The claws poking at her throat disappeared, and Claw put his paw down, letting her chin go. She got the message; no talking about his threats against the people she cared for. Even the threat he had just used to deliver that message had been hidden.

Another hint had just been given to her, if she could figure out what it implied. Claw did not want his threatening ways known.

"I will see you tonight," he hummed eagerly, before leaning down to lick the top of her head. She jerked away, pushed past the limit of what she could tolerate. She had a long way to go if she wanted to try boring him by giving absolutely no reaction to anything.

Claw ignored her disgust and made his way over to the two Dams, greeting them happily, and quickly began a conversation about the doings of some of his other mates.

Lily pawed the vile spit off of her forehead, disgusted but satisfied. If nothing else, she had prevented Claw from taking vengeance on Crystal; that was one less thing that could go wrong today.

An annoyed squawk caught Lily's attention; it sounded far more genuinely frustrated than the sounds that had been echoing around the cave recently. She turned her attention to the fledglings for a moment.

The three females were prancing in a rough oval around the male, who was sitting in the middle, looking confused. The female who had been brought in recently was trying to get past the other females to the middle, but was being blocked at every turn, loudly complaining all the while.

Lily stood, ignoring the pain in her paws, and walked over to them. The moment the female who was being blocked from the middle noticed her approaching, she darted over and started whining pitifully. "They not let me in!"

Lily eyed the other three females, who had all stopped running around the male to watch her. "Why not?"

"We playing," one of the females responded innocently. "It fun!"

"It was their idea," the male objected, pointing a paw at the females. He seemed to sense that she wasn't happy with what they were doing, and wanted out of any blame that might be assigned.

"It is fun to keep someone out?" Lily asked the females patiently. She knew better than to judge fledglings based on the mischief they got up to. Teaching them better was all that really mattered, and she could do that.

"Yes," one of the females squeaked happily.

"No," the female who had been excluded whined. "I wanna turn!"

"Keeping someone else out instead, you mean?" Lily asked, sensing a teaching moment. The similarity between what she was doing now and what Pyre had done for her was not lost on her, but she didn't let herself dwell on that. "So that they can be sad and want a turn?"

"Yes?" the female offered uncertainly.

Lily shook her head. "No. It's better to play something where everyone is happy." She eyed the other fledglings. "Can you do that?"

"Holly!" One of Claw's mates had noticed that something was going on, and had decided to intervene by barking from where she sat. "What did I tell you and your sisters?"

Holly, the female who had replied to Lily and seemed to be the ringleader of the three sisters, hung her head meekly. "Play nice with other sisters," she grumbled.

"Yes. You too, Aven, Cara," the Dam continued. "She is just as close to you as you are to each other. Be _nice_."

"It should not matter how close you are, anyway," Lily added, unwilling to leave it there. She was being rude to the Dam she was correcting, but after being ignored by said Dam, she didn't really care. "Be nice to everyone. Everything is better that way."

"Okay…" Holly agreed tentatively. "New game?"

Lily ushered the female who had come to her back to the others. "You tell someone if they do that again," she said quietly. "Now go have fun."

In moments, all was back to normal, and all five fledglings had begun a new game, one that seemed far more fair and fun for all. Lily eyed the Dam she had corrected, and the Dam glared back at her, before huffing and turning her back to Lily, rejoining the conversation Claw and the other Dam were still holding.

Lily, after a moment of deliberation, left the cavern. She was feeling annoyed and more than a little discouraged; that same Dam would have thanked her for taking care of it, if things were as they usually were.

What was going on with everyone? Lily put her mind to the task as she wandered to nowhere in particular, eyeing everyone who crossed her path, examining their most minute movements, and looking for meaning in everything.

The first general trend she discerned was that the females were far more adamant about not looking at her than the males. The second was one she had already seen; none of the fledglings treated her differently.

Beyond that, Lily had a harder time making out meaningful patterns. Some dragons flinched away from her, while others didn't seem that bothered. But there didn't seem to be any connection between who had what kind of reaction.

Then Pina rounded a corner ahead of Lily and looked in her direction. Her eyes widened, and her ears noticeably drooped… And then her eyes shifted to the side, and she kept walking.

Lily shrugged off the small pain that came from the only cavern-Dam she liked treating her just like everyone else did, and used what she knew of Pina to pick at the mystery itself. _Pina_ would never ignore her out of spite; that just wasn't who she was. But Pina _was_ ignoring her, or trying to, or trying not to think about her-

That was it. Lily purred grimly in satisfaction as the answer became clear. People weren't ignoring her, they were trying not to think about her, about what their alpha was doing to her, about how terrible she must feel. Some of them were just avoiding the thought, while others, like Pina, were genuinely bothered by it all.

Seeing it like that, Lily found their discomfort encouraging. They had all failed the basic test of decency, but there was _some_ decency left, buried deep or otherwise restrained. Else, they wouldn't be trying not to think about her.

Of course, that did not explain what was holding them back, why they did not speak or offer comfort or do _anything_. The true mystery and its solution still existed. But this was a huge leap in the right direction.

The next question, Lily reasoned to herself, was how she was going to exploit the nearly universal discomfort her very presence elicited. The people were one of Claw's supports, and thus a support she needed to undermine and subvert, if she was to become alpha in his place. She needed them on her side.

Her first thought was to play the part of an oppressed, miserable female. To act, to fully display how unhappy she was. If she did it subtly enough, nobody would be able to truly ignore her, and she was confident she could manage it in a way that would engender pity, not annoyance.

That would all be well and good… If she just wanted Claw dead. But she needed to take his place, and the pack would not support the pitious and helpless female taking over a position of strength.

Her second thought went the exact opposite direction. She could be a rabble-rouser, someone who flaunted her situation and forced everyone to confront what had been done to her. If they could not ignore her, they could not ignore the guilt.

But Claw would stop that. If she openly spoke against him or protested his treatment of her, the people she cared for would suffer. He really did have that hold over her.

The victim or the rebel… Lily didn't think either type of act would work for her. She needed something more careful, something more fundamental. Neither victim nor rebel was what the pack needed. One was an example to teach them better, but not someone who could lead, and the other was the opposite.

What did the pack need? In the face of Claw, in the face of buried guilt hidden for unknown reasons possibly unique to each dragon?

Lily's mind was drawn to Holly and her sisters, the childish dispute she had just solved for them. She had taught them to be better, and they had listened to her, because she was older and had authority over them. By that same measure, Claw could just as easily have encouraged the wrong behavior, if he had cared enough to, and they would have merrily followed his lead.

There were some striking parallels there, actually. Lily realized she had stopped walking and forced herself to start again, wandering randomly as she thought about the comparison that felt meaningful.

The pack was a bunch of fledglings. They were doing wrong because they had not been taught better, or because their abusive 'Sire' had taught them wrong. What did the pack need?

A Dam. Someone who taught because she knew better, someone who showed them the errors of their ways kindly but firmly, someone who made them _want_ to improve, to earn her approval. The counter to Claw's influence was being taught better, being shepherded in the right direction.

Lily rumbled in quiet laughter, feeling more cynical than she had in a very long time. The day after she had made herself barren forever, she realized that she had 'fledglings' of a sort already. The pack, her pack of flawed light wings. Her children, because she was the one taking up responsibility for protecting them, providing for them, and teaching them.

It meant nothing, really, but she liked that way of looking at it. She could accept that her 'children' would be cruel and do the wrong things for a time; it was not their fault, they had not known better, had not been taught better. She herself had needed to be taught to care for others, so she could not very well condemn any child for needing similarly basic lessons far past when they should.

Lily looked around with her new perspective, watching for a long moment the dragons moving around her. They all averted their eyes, and now she saw that as hope. There was something good in most of them, no matter how deeply buried. Something she could bring out, manipulate into the light, encourage and strengthen with the right actions and words.

But she was not going to do anything yet. She resumed walking, heading for the burial grounds. It would take time to decide exactly how she wanted to act, if she was to fit into the new role she intended to take, and she could think of no better place to think in peace and quiet, aside from Pyre's ledge-

The ledge that now probably overlooked his broken body splayed across the rocks below. Lily whined sadly. She could not even ask Crystal and her family to help send Pyre off properly; she wasn't supposed to know or particularly care that Pyre was dead.

For a brief moment, she considered doing it anyway. She could come up with an excuse, even if it was risky. Pyre deserved at least that much…

But if Pyre was still around, he would be telling her not to risk it. Probably along the lines that he was not worth it, actually, which she would then argue with him…

Lily sighed and continued walking, resigned to not doing anything for now. Once she had control of the pack and Claw was gone, though, she would send Pyre's body off, no matter how long it took. She would do it by herself, if necessary.

Someday. Not today, no matter how much she wanted to. Today, she needed to spend thinking about her responsibilities, and how best to go about fulfilling them.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily noticed the sun setting from her perch atop a shadowed boulder near the edge of the burial grounds, and reluctantly hopped down, aware that she _had_ to be in the cavern when Claw came looking. He would take it out on Crystal or someone else if she wasn't, and now she had a new reason, one that tied into what she had decided.

In order to reach the pack as efficiently as possible, Lily had decided that she needed to walk a fine line in demeanor. She needed to physically appear beaten down and broken so as to appease Claw, though not so much that anyone would truly pity her, while at the same time retaining as much dignity as possible. Calmly limping out in plain view while not calling any attention to it would do that.

Then there was her _other_ plan, the one she expected to get a chance to implement soon. If she could just not react when Claw did what he wanted, he might not find her very interesting. If he got bored with her, the life she was going to lead would become a lot more bearable.

Lily entered the cavern with the intent of calmly lingering in the main cavern until Claw ordered her into her side-cavern. That intent flew away the moment she got an eyeful and earful of what was going on inside.

There were no fledglings around, and the few females in the cavern were pressed against the walls, watching what was going on with obvious fascination. Nobody lifted a paw to intervene in the fight going on between two of Claw's mates, both of which were going at the other with tooth and claw, rolling in a tangle of wings and limbs.

Lily couldn't even tell who was fighting, or why. Both combatants were snarling, but neither said anything. Then they pulled apart for a brief moment, and she saw who was fighting.

A loud, authoritative roar resounded from close behind Lily, and she stepped to the side just before Claw shoved his way past. Both females froze in place.

"Break it up," Claw demanded loudly, walking right between Cressa and Pina. Both females were panting hard, and Cressa had a long, angry red mark drawn across her left ear, while Pina's frills were looking distinctly ragged, as if they had been chewed on.

"Of course, alpha," Cressa simpered breathlessly. "I was just defending myself."

Claw nodded and turned to Pina. "Why?"

Pina shrugged her wing shoulders. "She said something that made me mad," she spat angrily.

"Come on, now," Claw groaned loudly. "Surely you know better than to attack each other over a small disagreement."

"It was not small," Pina replied, calming down a bit. "I was out of line, though."

"What was it?" Claw looked to Cressa.

"Nothing important," Cressa replied. "But I do not want her in the same side-cavern as me any more."

Lily eyed Pina appraisingly, hoping against hope that she was right in her guess as to what they had been fighting over.

"That can be arranged," Claw agreed, before eyeing Pina significantly less pleasantly. "You started this, so I will move you."

"If you would, put me with Dew," Pina requested. "She has a young one, and I can be of help there."

"To do that, I would have to move Honey," Claw rumbled to himself. "But I was going to anyway… We can speak of what you have done more thoroughly later. Go, now."

Pina walked away, her head held high. She had gotten off surprisingly lightly, but Lily suspected the real punishment would come later, if there was to be one. Claw did make an effort to keep such things out of public sight, it seemed.

"Go back to what you were doing," Claw said to the rest of the cavern. "This is not going to happen again. I do not tolerate my mates attacking each other."

Lily tried to blend in with the other light wings filing back into the depths of the cavern, walking behind one of them, and managed to slip by without Claw noticing her. Once she was out of his line of sight, she made directly for the side-cavern that Pearl had once occupied with Dew. There was no way she was letting this go without hearing the full story from Pina.

But, Lily realized as she entered the side-cavern, she hadn't counted on Dew being there, much less her fledgling. She walked right into a quiet, intense discussion, and managed to stop just short of walking between the two females, neither of which immediately noticed her.

"Claw decided to move me," Pina was saying calmly, despite the blood dripping from a few of her frills. "But I asked to be put here. I hope I can be of help."

"You do not seem like a good influence for my son," Dew growled, hiding said fledgling under her wing, crouched near the far wall. "Have you raised any of your own?"

"No, but not for lack of wanting to," Pina sighed. "Look, you know Lily, right? I helped bring her up, and if you know Cressa and Grass, you will not doubt that the dragon's share of the work was mine."

Lily snorted at that; Pyre had by far done the most work in raising her, and in less time. Pina was a distant second, though still far out in front of Grass or Cressa.

Both dragons looked to the entrance and noticed her standing there. "Am I wrong in saying that?" Pina asked doubtfully.

Lily shook her head vehemently. "No, you did more than either of them." Not when it really counted, but she wasn't talking about that moment. In general, Pina had been a good cavern-Dam, and where she failed, everyone else had too. Everyone but Crystal.

"Why are you here, Lily?" Dew asked.

"To find out what Pina was doing, fighting Cressa in the middle of the cavern," Lily admitted.

"I would also like to know, if _that_ is why Claw decided to move you," Dew growled at Pina. "You did not tell me that."

"Because it was not important," Pina groaned. "Lily, we need to talk privately. I have some things to say."

"Sounds like a plan," Lily agreed hopefully. "Now?"

"We should go for a flight," Pina suggested.

Lily held up her tail and shook it limply, displaying the holes in her fins. "Not really an option right now."

Dew and Pina both gasped when they saw what she meant. "How did that happen?" Dew asked worriedly.

"Someone stepped on it," Lily hedged, not wanting to get into the details with the dragon who had just got done trying to tear the perpetrator apart. Not before she knew why, anyway.

"A walk then," Pina replied.

"Claw told me to be in the cavern by sundown," Lily said blandly.

"How about my son and I just leave?" Dew suggested irritably. "That sounds like it would be easier. Come on, Rain."

Lily didn't think Dew was serious at first; it was only after she stood and ushered her quiet, sleepy fledgling out in front of her that she realized the offer had been genuine. "Oh, thank you, Dew."

"You are welcome," Dew said sourly, before limping out of the cavern, favoring her back right paw.

Lily watched her go, wondering as she did why Dew's paw was hurt. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but it seemed odd.

"I did not hurt Cressa all that badly," Pina said, breaking the momentary silence.

Lily moved to sit in the middle of the small side-cavern, hoping that her lack of a response made Pina just a little nervous; nervous dragons often said more than they intended.

"But I did hurt her a little," Pina continued, looking Lily in the eye. "Lily, I am sorry."

"For what, exactly?" Lily asked neutrally. She needed Pina to explain exactly what they were talking about before she answered anything directly, because she wasn't entirely sure. It was possible Pina was about to apologize for hurting Lily's Dam over a truly petty squabble, and Lily wanted to know what approach she might need before committing to anything.

"You asked why nobody was saying anything," Pina whined, lowering her head in shame. "I should have."

So it _was_ about that. Lily could tell Pina had been thinking about it a lot, from the way she got right to it, assuming it was still at the forefront of Lily's mind as it was her own.

"Why didn't you?" Lily asked.

"I was shocked…" Pina murmured, not looking up. "I did not believe my ears. I thought better of him than _that_ …"

"Why?" Lily persisted. She had already forgiven Pina, along with the rest of the pack, but that was a forgiveness based on the assumption that they didn't know how to do better. It was not a true forgiveness because she did not understand what held them back, and because none of them had actually asked for it.

"I…" Pina shrugged her drooping shoulders helplessly. "What can I say that will not sound hopelessly stupid and wrong _now_? Suffice to say I thought I knew him. I thought I knew a lot of people, and now I am finding I do not."

"So you got into an argument with Cressa…" Lily prompted. Her heart hurt on Pina's behalf, but something told her that she should hear the full, unguarded explanation before offering solace. A cynical part of her, to be sure, but that did not make it wrong.

"I tried to convince Cressa to help me talk Claw into letting you go," Pina growled, still refusing to meet Lily's gaze, looking down at the ground. "I will not tell you what she said, just that it was horrible. It was so bad, even Grass called her out on it."

That was a surprise. "Really?" Lily asked.

"Really. I followed Cressa when she left the side-cavern, some insults were exchanged, and then she said something I cannot forgive. We were not fighting for long."

"You were trying to help…" Lily mused. That was enough for her. Everyone had to start somewhere, and any effort was better than none. She quietly walked over to Pina, and lowered her head to look directly into Pina's eye.

"I am so, so sorry for failing you," Pina whined, slouching miserably. "I abandoned you to him, just like everyone else."

"Because you did not believe it. Because you thought he was a good person. Right?" Lily knew there had to be more to the specifics; for instance, why did Pina think at all highly of Claw in the first place? But she couldn't let Pina continue to blame herself any longer.

"Yes," Pina moaned. "I should have done better."

Lily bumped Pina's forehead with her snout, and nuzzled her gently between the ears. "Yes. But I forgive you." She didn't think any more physical gesture would be well received; they were not that close, in the end, and it did not feel right for her to be comforting Pina.

"So easily?" Pina said with a disbelieving whine.

"If I held a grudge against everyone who did something bad that day," Lily explained sadly, "I would hate almost every dragon in this valley. You not saying anything hurt a little extra, but it's a small pain compared to just how _many_ dragons turned their back on me and basic decency. How many are _still_ turning their back to me and pretending it didn't happen, or that I don't exist." Really, she was just glad Pina seemed to truly regret not speaking up without any prompting or needing to be shown the truth.

"For all the good it does," Pina sighed. "Claw is unhappy with me, now. I will not be able to talk him into anything for a while."

"I highly doubt he will decide to give me up." Lily growled in disgust. "Don't bother with that."

"I cannot just do nothing!" Pina exclaimed in a mixture of helplessness, frustration, and pity. "…No, I will not," she said suddenly in poorly masked tension and uncertainty, then stepped forward to throw a wing over Lily and forcefully pull her close, huddling over her. "We will hide you somewhere, and… I will go to him instead. He will understand, and you will not-"

Lily broke out of her stunned silence and cut Pina off with a loud snort, then pulled her way free of the embrace. "There is no way that will work, it would only make things worse for you without helping me at all. You know that."

"But we have to do _something!"_ Pina whined desperately, visibly wilting and shrinking back to the ground.

Lily briefly considered bringing her in on the conspiracy, but decided against it. Pina had seen nothing wrong with Claw only two days ago; if she found out they planned to see him dead, she might try to oppose them. It was quite a jump from 'mate' to 'dead dragon walking', and she just didn't think Pina could or would make that leap in less than three days, even if this was a good start.

Lily realized that Pina was looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. "You _will_ be doing something," Lily said, stalling for time while her mind caught up with what needed to happen next. "Eventually. I don't plan to let things stay as they are." She couldn't say anything more than that, but at least that much was safe, and Pina would never expect her to just give up and accept the horror that had befallen her.

"Anything that helps you," Pina pledged sincerely with a hopeful lilt. "I still feel like I failed you when it actually mattered. I want to make it up to you."

"You will," Lily said vaguely, wishing she could trust her cavern-Dam more than she did. "Good luck with Dew, by the way. I think you moved up in terms of who you are sharing a cavern with. She's not bad."

"She has a fledgling, too," Pina said wistfully. "I missed caring for a little one. You are not so little anymore. As all of this proves." She shook her head sadly. "I thought I knew him…"

"Who did you think you knew?" Lily asked. "What did you think he was?"

"A good alpha, though with a wandering eye," Pina replied, lashing her tail in agitation. "And that was fine, because he had more than enough females to keep him occupied, and it being the way things were meant it was okay. He has a romantic side, too, with the females who like that…" She trailed off, looking away from Lily. "And now saying all of that feels like choking on rotten fish."

"It doesn't feel great for me, either." Lily had been keeping one ear on the passage outside the cavern, and now she heard a sleepy, high-pitched whine approaching. "Sounds like our time is up. I'll… See you around, I guess."

"I guess," Pina said hollowly. "We have to do something, though. I cannot leave you like this."

"See you soon," Lily repeated, backing out of the side-cavern before Pina thought to ask what she planned on doing to get out of her current situation.

"You two are done, I hope," Dew said shortly, holding her son back from running into the room with her tail. "My son is tired and riled up. That is not a good combination."

"Yes," Lily replied, trying not to get annoyed. Dew actually was right to be frustrated; she had asked for none of this, and was handling a fledgling, an injured leg, and a series of interruptions without lashing out at anyone responsible. "Sorry for the disruption."

"You are _far_ from the least pleasant disruption I have suffered these last few days," Dew murmured angrily. "Will you vouch for her?" she asked quietly, flicking her head at the entrance to the side-cavern.

"Yes." Lily didn't hesitate for a moment. "She's kind, loving, and unable to have any eggs of her own despite wanting to, so she'll dote on your little one as much as you let her."

"I do not really have a choice," Dew said, which was not the same as agreeing that she would accept Pina. "But Honey was not a good influence either, so I will not complain just yet."

Lily nodded absently at that. "Give her a chance," she concluded. "And Dew…"

"Yes?" Dew asked warily.

Lily decided against being too obvious; she had all the time in the world to be careful about how she approached all of this, and Dew wasn't in the best mood right now. She settled on a seemingly innocent remark. "Thank you for acting like nothing has changed. Almost everyone has been acting as if I am invisible today."

Dew nodded slowly, an unreadable flicker of emotion crossing her features, and ushered her fledgling back into the side-cavern, disappearing from sight.

Lily nodded to herself as she walked back to the chamber Claw had designated as belonging to her and Crystal. Two beginnings was not a bad start for her first day as the metaphorical Dam to the pack. Dew and Pina were two of the many dragons propping Claw up in one way or another, and she had just begun taking them down. Every small step was progress, and Dew's expression had not seem hostile or annoyed.

Lily's measured satisfaction lasted all of the short time it took her to reach the cramped, narrow opening leading to the chamber she refused to call home, or lay claim to in any way. It fell even further when she heard voices arguing.

"He really did!" a simpering, sickeningly sweet voice insisted.

"I really do not want to believe that," Crystal groaned. "It will be cramped in here if all three of us have to share this small space. And what did you do to make him put you here, anyway?"

Lily sighed and shook her head as she entered the side-cavern; she knew that voice, and she knew that said voice's owner had just been moved out of Dew's side-cavern. It really wasn't a surprise that Honey had ended up with them. Every time she managed to take two steps forward, her bad luck pushed her back at least one.

"He said it was only for a little while," Honey replied petulantly. "I do not like it here either. I will be happy to get back to a nice, big side-cavern. Like the ones he gives to his favorite mates, or the ones with eggs." She sighed happily at that thought.

Lily shared an annoyed glance with Crystal before pacing around the perimeter of the small room, putting Crystal between herself and Honey. She couldn't deal with Honey right now; all she wanted was to end the day before anything else happened to derail it.

As if in response to Lily's wish for peace, Claw stuck his head in, looking around with a low rumble of satisfaction. "I hear you are settling in," he purred at Honey.

"Of course," Honey simpered. "Will you be spending the night with me? Us, I mean?"

Claw hummed thoughtfully, his eyes sliding off of Honey and landing on Crystal for a long moment, before glancing over to Lily, who looked down at the ground. "Not the whole night," he decided, sidling into the cavern.

So, he didn't want to sleep here? Lily couldn't blame him; if he _was_ stupid enough to sleep within easy reach of her, he would deserve the slit throat she would give him.

"Me first!" Honey requested shamelessly, flaring her wings and rearing to her hindlegs-

Lily held in a very rude bark of laughter as Honey smacked her head on the low ceiling of the cavern and fell down onto her paws with a startled grunt. She heard a similarly strangled laugh coming from Crystal's direction.

"You will have to stay low to the ground in here," Claw said in a low voice, approaching Honey and licking her head, then-

Lily averted her eyes and tried to concentrate on not reacting to any of what was happening. She shouldn't be surprised Claw was getting right to it in front of them; she had known for a long time that he didn't mind that.

"Can you knock me out?" Crystal asked her in a low voice, sidling over to stand beside her, keeping her back to the increasingly loud and vulgar scene occurring behind them. "I preferred being unconscious."

"I won't be watching," Lily promised. "But I think hitting your head is bad for you long-term, so no." She _could_ hypothetically put Crystal to sleep with the pressure point Pyre had used on her, but that ran the risk of Crystal waking up _while_ Claw was having his way with her, and Lily couldn't think of a single worse way to wake up.

"Drat. I will not watch either, of course," Crystal offered. "Just… There is no good way to handle this, is there?"

"No, none at all." Lily had been doing her best to ignore the sounds and sights going on behind Crystal, but she was aware that they were reaching an endpoint, and she knew one of them would be next. "Just try to get through it and then forget it happened, I think."

Crystal winced as the sounds behind her hit a loud, high-pitched crescendo, and then subsided almost entirely. "This is disgusting."

"Yes." Lily saw Claw approaching from behind Crystal, leering at the both of them, and knew they had no more time.

"Who is next?" Claw asked in a low voice, eyeing the both of them. His eyes flickered to Lily, and widened momentarily. "You are delicate," he growled happily. "But I do not mind a little blood."

Lily flinched and turned away from him, hiding herself. She had forgotten about the intermittent bleeding, but hearing him so easily dismiss it was nauseating.

"I want Lily next," Claw continued, though his eyes slid over to Crystal and he otherwise made no move or demand.

Crystal cast Lily a disgusted and apologetic grimace, then stepped forward. "I will go next."

Lily understood why Claw had done that, and why Crystal had played into it so easily, but she didn't want to think about it. All of this was horrible enough even if she did not think.

A while later, time Lily spent with her ears firmly pressed to her neck to muffle the sounds, Crystal returned to their corner of the cavern, looking exhausted and utterly disgusted with herself. Lily knew there would be no more stalling. She turned to face him, not wanting to find out what he would do if she did not.

"Lily," Claw purred. "Come here." His eyes narrowed for a moment, a nonverbal reminder of why she had to comply whether or not she wanted. His threats still very much held her.

Lily approached him, but her mind was elsewhere. Every part of her was focused on _not_ reacting, as she had hypothesized would bore him eventually if she could pull it off. Her mind was carefully blank, focusing on nothing at all. She felt and heard it, pain and humiliation like before, but with an immense amount of effort, she kept herself still and silent, her eyes closed.

It was not perfect; she could not hold back every reaction. But she repressed _most_ of them, which was far better than she had anticipated for her first attempt. The act was still terrible, painful and humiliating, but not quite as viscerally horrible as before.

Lily dispassionately rolled to her paws once he was done and trudged over to sidle up against Crystal, doing her very best to continue blocking out what had just happened, to keep it out of her mind and memory.

Terrible, disgusting, humiliating… But just barely bearable. She could desensitize herself in time, and the worst had already passed for the night.

She could do this.

 ** _Author's Note_** : **And just as this chapter was a day early, next chapter will be two days late, for the same reason (namely, me going home for the week, and thus leaving reliable wifi). At least I'm not leaving you on a cliffhanger, right?**


	15. Wary

_**Author's Note:** _ **Wow, this chapter had a lot of false starts. I think I started it three different times within an hour, and ended up scrapping every single one. There was a reason for that, though; I was trying to skip events that really couldn't be skipped. Once I stopped doing that and committed to spending a little more time on the immediate aftermath, it all fell into place far more easily. Time does begin passing more quickly after this, though. I just needed to get all the pieces into place where the readers can see them, so to speak, before it all kicks off.**

Lily's first action after waking early the next morning was to go to the pond, ignoring the frigid wind swiping her side and tugging at her folded wings, and do her best to clean herself off. The odor in the side-cavern was musky and disgusting as it was, she would go insane if she had to smell Claw on herself all day as well. Pawing water onto herself was a poor substitute for wading in the ocean, but she couldn't leave the valley, and nobody was allowed to wade in the still pond water that everyone drank from.

Still, any sort of cleaning was better than none, and she didn't have to resort to licking herself, so she wasn't going to complain. The area around the pond was mostly devoid of other dragons too, so she even had some privacy for the moment, something she was sure would be in short supply for the immediate future. The sun had not yet risen, though the heavy clouds drifting in promised to block it when it did, and the valley was dark. Lily could see many lighter lumps lying on rocks in the distance. Not many dragons got up early.

Too bad, really. Lily planned to talk to and improve everyone, in time, and she would want private encounters to do that safely. It would be a nice, convenient occurrence if a few dragons did regularly get up early. She would have been able to take advantage of that.

The sound of flapping wings drew Lily from her musings, and she raised her gaze from the dark pond to look around. Nobody was there.

"Odd," she murmured to herself. She had not imagined it; she was not prone to fanciful delusions. She _had_ heard something, and that sound was not one that could easily be mimicked by anything else.

But there was no light wing around. At least, not one that was visible.

Lily squinted, looking around once more, straining to see any unusual shimmers in the air, but saw nothing. It would be strange for anyone to be camouflaged in the valley in any case, but she could not rule it out; it would be almost impossible for her to spot.

She shrugged her wing shoulders and gave up for the moment, turning back to look out at the pond. If someone was watching her, they would have nothing to see, and she was on guard if anything else was going on. Not that she expected to be attacked; she was Claw's mate, like it or not, and that meant an attack on her was a very dangerous mistake for anyone outside of Claw's circle to make. Possibly for those inside his circle of mates too, though he had not been very harsh with Pina and Cressa.

Thinking of Pina made Lily feel hopeful. The dynamic between them had clearly changed, but Pina was firmly on her side, if not yet so firmly against Claw. Progress had been made and would continue to be made. She got to share a side-cavern with Dew and a fledgling, not Cressa and Grass. That was definitely an improvement, even if it had been, or would be, dearly paid for once Claw got around to addressing her transgressions.

Lily's thoughts turned to Cressa and Grass. They were not going to be so easily corrected and set on the right path of thinking. Lily pawed at the still water, sending ripples out over the pond's surface. She didn't know what to think of Grass, but she was leaning toward assuming Grass would not take her side and would thus be a very risky target for undermining. She would avoid Grass for the time being, and strike at the easy, approachable light wings first. She had to become skilled at showing them the errors of their ways, at making them see her as a Dam, an authority figure, before she tried anyone as risky as Grass.

Lily settled at the water's edge, lowering herself to the ground, and thought about Grass. Lazy, easily annoyed, and very much happy with Claw, she might not be redeemable. It was possible she was one of the people who would support Claw no matter what Lily did.

Like Cressa. Lily felt her eyes narrow, and knew she was glaring at the pond, but as there was nobody around to consider that odd, didn't correct herself. A Dam who grounded her daughter and helped catch her when she fled from such an objectively deplorable situation was no Dam, and Cressa had a bad track record to start with. There would be some dragons in the pack that Lily could not help, and Cressa was one of them, right next to Claw. She hoped she would not have to add any other names to that list.

"There you are," a voice called out in annoyance. Lily jumped to her paws, caught entirely off-guard by the very dragon she was thinking about, and spun to see Cressa approaching on paw, a smirk plastered across her face.

"Here I am," Lily agreed, wincing as her paws complained about her so suddenly forcing her weight onto them. "What of it?"

"I thought you might have tried to run again," Cressa said smoothly, sounding as if she wanted to laugh at something she found hilarious.

"Again?" Lily did her best to seem confused for a moment. "I have not tried to run at all."

"Liar," Cressa hissed with a toothy grin, shaking her head dismissively. "We both know you were fleeing."

"I was doing no such thing," Lily countered calmly, aware of the possibility that Claw might be listening from somewhere. That would explain the otherwise inexplicable sound of wings where there were none. Really, it was just common sense to never admit that she had been fleeing, no matter who she was talking to or how private she thought the conversation was. The truth could not be confirmed if it never passed her lips.

"Of course you were," Cressa retorted. "And you are going to try again."

Lily snorted derisively, determined to nip that accusation in the bud here and now. She didn't need to be under any more scrutiny. "Please. Claw made it _very_ clear why I should stay." She shifted from paw to paw awkwardly, and flicked her tail to catch Cressa's gaze. The injuries were not what she was referring to, but Claw's willingness to harm was implied in them, along with the side-effect of mistakenly attributing the tailfin to Claw, which worked on a number of levels.

"Yes, he did," Cressa purred smugly, eyeing Lily with unconcealed satisfaction. She was _happy_ with all of this.

Lily decided, in a flash of anger, to dig into that. It was what she would do in any case, even if she wasn't working against Claw; such a blatant, obvious strangeness couldn't go uninvestigated when it struck so close to her. "Why are you so happy about this?" she demanded angrily.

Cressa stalked closer, stopping just out of reach, and purred smugly at Lily. "Because. You are getting what you deserve."

"That makes no sense. I did nothing to deserve this." Lily suspected she already knew what the real reason was, hearing such a vague, satisfied explanation that really didn't mean anything. She knew something of how her own Dam operated, how she thought… how she formed and held grudges.

Sure enough, Cressa's reply was clear. "I told you that you would regret defying me," she hummed malevolently. "You thought you were so high and moral, telling me off, defending that coward. Looks to me like you are now down in the dirt with the rest of us."

Lily shook her head. "I'm nowhere near your level of filth," she spat. "And never will be." It was obvious Cressa was just spiting her and supporting Claw. No more, and no less. There was something twisted here, but not something new. She had done as much with Pyre.

"I was better than that coward, and I am better than you," Cressa growled, seeming offended by Lily's denial. "Lowest of the low, daughter _and_ mate of the alpha, spurned by all. Your prospective mate betrayed the pack, your friend ran away with him, and soon you will have an egg from your own Sire. You cannot possibly sink any lower."

Lily shrugged her Dam's words off, letting them roll over her without taking them in. She knew Cressa well enough to anticipate and ignore the bile that had been directed at Pyre in season-cycles past. And she knew Cressa was wrong, too. It was entirely possible to sink lower; accepting and embracing the situation was the true lowest point possible for Lily, and was a point she would never reach. She also would never have Claw's eggs no matter how often he tried.

"And you will not get away," Cressa continued. "You are stuck here."

"Yes, I am," Lily agreed nonchalantly, "and I wasn't planning on leaving." She turned away from her Dam, looking out over the water instead. There was nothing more to be said; she didn't need to make Cressa any more angry with her, and she certainly wasn't going to betray any of her true thoughts or goals to her. Not saying anything more, even in condemnation, seemed like the best path.

"I am going to enjoy watching you suffer," Cressa hissed.

"I'm sure you will. And I'm going to do my best to forget that such a spiteful, horrid person is related to me." Maybe that would get Cressa to leave her alone.

Cressa huffed in annoyance and walked right up to Lily, staring at her side.

"Go away," Lily offered, watching her Dam out of the corner of her eye. Cressa was far too close for comfort-

Cressa lunged forward and knocked Lily into the shallows of the pond, and then jumped back out of reach. She growled wordlessly before taking off.

Lily calmly got to her paws, got out of the water, and shook herself off. Compared to Claw and what he did, being shoved into a little cold water was nothing. On its own, everything Cressa had said and done would bother her, but now it was just one pain in a myriad of them, and a dull, old one at that. She didn't care. Life would go on, and eventually Cressa would get what she deserved, whatever that was. Hopefully, she would stay away for the most part.

O-O-O-O-O

Later that morning, just before the rising sun topped the valley's mountains, males began flying out of the valley, toward the ocean. Lily watched them go from her spot by the pond, and felt an unfamiliar twinge in her wings as she did so.

She wanted to fly. This would be her third day stuck on the ground, and it was starting to bother her despite her dislike of flying in general.

Lily eyed her injured tail appraisingly, bringing it close to her face to examine the rents in the membrane. It seemed to be healing nicely, the holes closing of their own accord, but she didn't think it would be good to fly on for a while yet. That was frustrating.

After a few quick licks to the punctures to soothe the constantly nagging itch of injury, she put her tail away, out of her mind. Flight was not an option, so thinking about it in the present was no good. She could plan for the future, but there was no point in dreaming about flying now.

And thinking of planning for the future… Lily watched one last male set out across the mountaintops, only to stop and fly in circles above the valley. She suspected she knew what he was doing; Claw had set a guard the day before, one meant to stop her and Crystal escaping, or in the guard's mind, to stop them from looking for their friend and prospective mate.

If she could not fly, she at least wanted to be able to go out into the forest and along the shore. Those were her places, the areas she usually went to for solitude, or to be with Pyre. Being barred from them was galling, and she needed to get at the egg-preventing plant soon, for Crystal's sake.

Not today, though. She needed steady, reliable access to the forest, and that would have to come with Claw lowering his guard, not some risky way of getting past the dragon currently blocking her way. She needed to look into the situation more thoroughly before trying anything…

But if she did just sneak by now, or bluff her way past, she could grab a pawful of egg-preventing plants and hide them _inside_ the valley-

No, that wouldn't work. She knew all too well that plants died once uprooted, and there was no way they would be of any use after a moon-cycle. And something told her that Crystal would not want to be permanently barren, so that was not an option either.

Lily doubted herself, thinking that. She had chosen that path; who was to say Crystal would not, if given the choice? She should offer the option, even if just in hypothetical.

Offering the choice had its own issues, though. Crystal would want to know how, and if she explained about the other, less permanent properties of the plant, she would of course want that, and then she would be hoping for protection Lily could not guarantee would be obtainable in time…

Such a mess. There didn't seem to be a perfect solution. In a way, that was a comfort. She knew from the start that her plan for this would be flawed and imperfect, and it was not her fault.

O-O-O-O-O

"There you are," Crystal said in a light tone as Lily finished the fish she had stolen from the pile, having returned from the pond. "You were gone when I woke up. Honey, too."

"I got an early start," Lily explained briefly. "I don't know what Honey was doing. I've not seen her today." She would have thought Honey to be a late riser, but maybe that was not the case.

"I would be fine with not seeing her at all," Crystal grumbled. "I am going to go talk to my parents. Is there…" She trailed off, looking around to be sure nobody was close enough to hear, and then lowered her voice anyway. "Is there anything I need to keep secret?"

"I was just cleaning myself," Lily grumbled with a hint of offense shooting Crystal a meaningful look and keeping an eye out as they walked. Everyone was still ignoring her, which was actually an advantage at the moment, but she could not rely on that. "I am aimless, taking things one day at a time, with nothing to hope for."

"Bleak," Crystal mumbled, "but I understand. Nobody can know until they are on our side."

Lily flicked her ears at the lack of subtlety, but focused on that Crystal did not consider her own parents automatically on their side. "They are not now?" she asked tentatively.

"My Dam has something about Claw," Crystal admitted. "She does not like thinking or speaking badly of him. It is probably safer for you to work at convincing her to support us before we tell her about anything important." There was a sad note in her voice as she said that; it clearly wasn't easy for her to admit.

"And your Sire?" Lily asked.

"He will do what my Dam does, so she is more important."

Lily couldn't argue with that, given it fit with what she had observed, but she didn't particularly like it. She would be sure to put just as much effort into fixing Crystal's Sire as she did her Dam; ignoring the less assertive dragon in the pair seemed like a dangerous oversight. "I understand."

"But they _will_ commiserate with me, and I think they will admit what is happening to you is wrong, I am sure of it," Crystal said more confidently, the spring in her step returning. "Though I do not know why they did not support me in saying so," she followed on with a growl. "I will find out."

"Do you want me there for that?" Lily asked tentatively. She entirely supported Crystal getting those less risky questions answered, and would be eager to hear the results, but that sounded like a very private conversation and thus one she would not be helpful with.

"No, not really." Crystal looked over at her, warbling inquisitively. "What will you be doing?"

"Thinking, planning, and maybe acting if the situation requires it," Lily answered vaguely.

"So what you do every moment of every day and night," Crystal laughed. "Fine by me. I will see you later."

Lily slowed down, letting Crystal go on ahead, and watched her friend leave. She wished she could find it in herself to be so lighthearted and confident; it seemed like a much less painful way of coping than whatever she herself was doing.

A scrabble of claw on rock behind Lily caught her attention, but when she turned to look there was nobody nearby. The light wings around her were all either standing still or were too far away to have caused the noise, and none seemed to have noticed it.

Lily growled to herself and shook her head, though she was not dismissing what she had heard. She was being followed. Not very closely, so her conversation with Crystal was probably safe, but followed nonetheless.

 _There_ was a goal, a target for today. She needed to get to the bottom of this, and in a way that meant she would know who was doing the following, and why, without revealing her knowledge to the follower.

The first step, she reasoned to herself as she idly walked deeper into the valley while nodding to the dragons who all did their best to pretend they didn't see her, was to lose her follower. Then she could double back and identify them. From there, she would hopefully be able to shadow _them_ in turn, to see where they went and what they did. Would they report to Claw? Would they question people as to her whereabouts? Or would they just give up?

Hopefully, she could figure out how to negate the dangers of having a follower, because she didn't think she could actually rid herself of them, whoever they were. Not if they were acting on Claw's behalf, which they probably were. It would be the smart thing to do, from his perspective.

Lily walked between two particularly high boulders, and saw a chance. She stepped to the side as soon as she cleared them, and quickly circled around the boulder, stopping just short of walking back out into sight of the original path she had taken. If the pursuer was following closely, they would fall for it.

But nobody came along, or at least nobody obviously trailing her. Only Honey walked by, looking her usual vapid and confused self; nobody in their right mind would pick Honey to do anything complex and important. Lily suspected the one trailing her was Cressa, and Cressa was nowhere to be seen…

Meaning she had not fooled her Dam with the simplest of ploys. Fine. Lily literally had all day.

O-O-O-O-O

By midday, Lily was beginning to suspect something was wrong. She hadn't caught a single glimpse of Cressa, despite the increasingly complex maneuvers and evasions she had undertaken. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed her follower had given up. But that couldn't be right.

Lily walked across a small open area between rocks, nodded to two females who both acted like she didn't exist, and continued on her way. Whoever her follower was, they were too good at staying out of sight, or she had lost them.

Honey walked by, still looking confused, totally missing Lily where she stood.

Surely not Honey. Lily couldn't believe that; there was no way it was Honey, regardless of how much she was randomly walking around and looking as if she had misplaced her breakfast. If Claw had to pick one of his mates to trail her, it would be Cressa, not Honey.

Whatever the case, this wasn't working, so she needed to change her strategy. Doubling back in a crowded, populated valley did no good. Maybe if she went somewhere isolated?

Lily turned for the burial grounds, but her heart wasn't in it. She didn't want to go there now, not with someone on her tail, because she would have to act normal; in the burial grounds that meant private mourning, not sneaking around. She needed to go somewhere that would serve her purposes without making her look suspicious.

Nowhere came to mind. The cavern was not an answer; if she were trailing someone, she would just wait outside, as there was only one exit. Walking up out of the valley also was not an answer, as that would draw attention to her and heighten Claw's wariness if word got back to him about it.

There was nowhere private to go that fit her need. Lily gave up on that idea and tried to figure out another solution. She could not catch her pursuer out in the open among other dragons, and she could not go somewhere isolated…

The only obvious solutions that came to mind were just letting them tail her or getting someone else to help her. She could get Crystal to follow from afar and hopefully spot the one following, to see what she was not fast enough in doubling back to be certain of. But that meant waiting until nightfall, probably, which meant wasting the day doing nothing of worth.

But this was not going to be fast, in any case. It was not going to be consistent. She had to lay low _anyway_ , so as to get Claw's attention off of her. She had to do nothing suspicious anyway. This was just an annoying way of ensuring she kept that in mind.

Lily huffed in annoyance and continued to walk. If she was going to be tailed and do nothing of interest, then she was going to make her follower work for it. Her paws hurt, but she could do this all day, and constantly forcing people to avoid her, and thus to think about her plight, would not hurt her situation. She could think and plan today.

One day not used to its fullest potential. She knew she was going to have to get used to that, he had all the time in the world and absolutely no excuse to rush anything. Slow and steady would keep her safe. This was probably the first of many days of absolutely nothing useful being done; not every day could have progress like she had made with Pina and Dew.

Besides, Crystal was hopefully making progress in the meantime. Lily was thankful she had her best friend working toward the same goal; she would not want to do this utterly alone. It was hard enough as it was.

O-O-O-O-O

"This is not the worst," Crystal remarked, walking into their small side-cavern.

"What is not?" Lily asked, rising to greet her friend. She had eventually retreated to the cavern just to be away from her follower, but that did not mean she liked it there. It stank, and was too low to truly be comfortable.

"This," Crystal repeated, gesturing to the stone enclosure around them. "It could be worse. And I _know_ we will be alone tonight. I saw Claw going into another side-cavern while I was walking through just now."

" _That_ is good," Lily agreed vehemently. She was looking forward to a day where she could wake up and not feel utterly disgusting and violated. "It still stinks in here, though."

"We can flame the place and burn it out," Crystal offered. "We really should, actually. Want to?"

"Sounds like a plan." Lily was a little embarrassed by the simple solution she had totally overlooked, so she quickly got to work scorching every suspect patch of cavern. The pungent stench was initially even worse, but as they worked it was gradually replaced with the much lighter and more tolerable stink of char. Between herself and Crystal the side-cavern was soon cleansed, if also blackened and not exactly clean of the remnants left behind by their flames.

"Better than the alternative," Crystal asserted, looking down at her sooty paws. "You know, I wonder what we would look like if we were not totally white. Some variety would be interesting."

"Dark wings, you mean," Lily said without thinking.

"Well, yes, we would be dark. But you say that like they exist," Crystal said curiously.

"Because they do," Lily explained, unsurprised that Crystal didn't know. Pyre had told her, and most of what Pyre told her about didn't seem to be common knowledge, even if it really should be. "They're just like us, except different colors and no glint."

"Sounds nice," Crystal mused, rubbing her stained paw across her chest, spreading the soot. "Like this?"

Lily walked over to her and raised a similarly stained paw. "No, all over," she quipped, before patting Crystal's inclined forehead, leaving a blurry grey paw mark.

"Hey!" Crystal objected, hopping back and only barely avoiding the low ceiling. "I cannot lick that off!"

"You wanted to be a dark wing," Lily laughed.

"And so do you," Crystal growled lightly, darting forward and shoving both paws onto Lily's chest, similarly staining her.

"I do not!" Lily objected, feeling happier than she had in quite a while. She swiped the length of her tail along the sooty ground, being careful to keep her fins folded up out of the way, and spun to slap it against Crystal, leaving a long grey line across her side.

"It is on," Crystal growled playfully, deliberately doing the same. Lily grinned, preparing to fend her off, but Crystal suddenly stilled with a hesitant glance back at her tail. "Wait…"

"What?" Lily wasn't expecting hesitation.

"It just occurred to me what this stuff is," Crystal gritted in disgust, her eyes narrowing.

"No, it's just from our flames," Lily countered happily, having already thought about that. "He was never even over here."

"Oh. Good." Crystal leaped forward without warning and swung her tail around, only barely missing Lily as she hopped back. "Stand still and let me make you a dark wing!"

"No!" Lily barked. "I'll get you first!" She hastily scraped up some more of the soot with her paws, ignoring the pain doing so caused, and lunged at Crystal. Her efforts were met with a sooty tail to the face as she passed through where Crystal had been a moment ago, leaving her snorting through a cloud of the stuff. "Oh you will regret that!"

"No I will not!" Crystal shouted as Lily chased her around the cavern, then barked in surprise as Lily cut across and tackled her. "I regret it!" she laughed as her side hit the ground, struggling and ineffectually trying to push Lily off as she walked soot over her side and back.

Lily paused, then hurriedly jumped back as she realised what Crystal was really doing, quickly inspecting the many sooty pawprints and smears all over herself. Crystal had got her good.

She looked up and burst out laughing at Crystal, now standing again and well over half of her body a dark grey. "Ugh, well I guess I am a dark wing now," she grumbled, looking over herself. "In fact, I should thank you for this…" She walked slowly towards Lily, a menacing grin splitting her face.

"No thanks necessary," Lily said nervously, backing to the wall and eyeing the soot covering her friend.

"I insist!" Crystal lunged and simply stuck her neck in Lily's way, nuzzling and pressing against her as she squeezed past.

Just when Lily thought she was free, a tail swung around in front of her and lightly slapped her side, the fins broadly smearing the soot over her chest as she fled. "No fair, what can I do to you now?" she asked through uncontrollable laughter, still fleeing Crystal's advances.

"There must be some white on me somewhere. I am sure _you_ will find some!"

Lily couldn't stop laughing, feeling better than she had in days, like all of her cares had been burned away with the filth. She couldn't care less about being dirty right now.

"What are you _doing_?" a highly unwelcome voice interjected, instantly silencing them both and halting the chase. Honey had just entered the cavern and was eyeing them as if they had gone insane, grimacing in disgust.

"Having some fun," Crystal answered, holding her stained tail up. "Why?"

"Disgusting," Honey murmured as she edged her way into the side-cavern, stepping daintily around the more obvious patches of soot. "You are supposed to flap your wings and gather it all up into a pile afterward, not spread it around."

"This is more fun," Lily said, hefting her tail and considering something; she was not feeling very accommodating toward Honey at the moment, and an idea had just sprung to mind. "And I'm sure it will take forever to get off, but whatever. Want to join in?"

"No," Honey growled vehemently. "You are acting like fledglings. Claw would never approve."

Lily knew there was a dark joke there somewhere about how Claw didn't care how old his mates were, and thus how they acted, but she didn't feel like figuring it out. Instead, she took a step toward Honey, purring malevolently. "I think you'll have fun…" she said in a low voice, swinging her tail in wide arcs against the floor, coating it in more soot.

"Get that ashy thing away from me!" Honey barked, backing right out of the side-cavern, clearly ready to leave entirely at the first sign of Lily coming for her. "And clean all of this up!"

"Who says we have to listen to you?" Crystal barked derisively, looking over at Lily in amusement. "This is our side-cavern too. Maybe we will do this every day!"

"I will tell Claw!" Honey threatened desperately.

"Sure you will," Crystal drawled. "And we will tell everyone else that you are a boring airhead who never has any fun. I am sure you would not mind that, as it is true."

That elicited a scowl and a frustrated whine from Honey, who glared at Crystal specifically. "You will be sorry," she promised. "You are not acting like good mates of Claw should."

"No, we are not," Lily said firmly. "And I fail to see why that matters here. This is between us and you."

"He will hear of this," Honey again threatened. "He will make you clean this up and apologize for insulting me."

" _He_ will. Do you ever do anything for yourself?" Crystal asked angrily.

"What _can_ I do?" Honey cried out in frustration. "You are not listening to me."

Lilt felt a twinge of something akin to guilt. She was supposed to be setting a good example, acting like a Dam to the pack, but here she was playing like a fledgling and spiting someone who, looking back, had not started the argument with anger or spite. Honey had only been disgusted by what they were doing, which was fair. She was not the kind of dragon to enjoy playing in the dirt, and that was not a bad thing.

"You're right," Lily admitted, eliciting a confused grunt from Crystal. "Sorry. You want us to clean this up?"

"I… Yes," Honey murmured, seemingly as confused as Crystal was by the abrupt turn the conversation had taken. "It is disgusting, and I do not want to sleep in it."

"We would have cleaned it up before nightfall," Crystal objected. "Nobody would be sleeping in it."

"You said you were going to do this every day!" Honey objected indignantly.

"Just a misunderstanding," Lily said soothingly, lightly slapping Crystal's flank with her tail to try and get her to play along, and then narrowed her eyes at Honey. "But we did not take it well when you ordered us to clean up. We are equals."

"Yes," Honey agreed, "kind of."

Kind of… Lily didn't press that, because she was pretty sure she understood the general reason Honey did not entirely agree with that. One of them had chosen this freely, maybe two depending on how Honey saw it, and one of them had been publicly forced into it. They were not equals in that respect.

"So… You will clean it up?" Honey asked hesitantly. "Now?"

"When we are finished with it," Crystal replied petulantly.

"But it is already getting dark out, and I do not-"

"We're done with it now," Lily sighed, nudging Crystal again. "Help us, and we will be done cleaning faster."

"Okay." Honey reentered the cavern and began daintily flapping her wings, generating small gusts of wind that slowly moved the soot along the ground.

"We could have kept playing a little longer," Crystal griped quietly as she and Lily began to do the same, herding the dust into larger and larger piles, pushing it along.

"Not really, the mood was gone," Lily replied just as quietly. She certainly didn't feel like playing any more. It had been good while it lasted, but it had ended the moment Honey intervened.

Not to mention the lingering embarrassment Lily felt at having been caught in such an activity. She felt immature, and that was _not_ a feeling she needed to have now, of all times, when she had to be more mature than ever.

No more playing. Not when she needed to build her reputation, to be seen as a mature authority figure, someone calm and sure. Maybe when all was said and done, but no more in the near future. No matter how light and carefree it made her feel.

"What do we do with this?" she asked once the soot was all piled in the corner. Hopefully, Honey would take that as an act of reconciliation. Also, Lily really didn't know, and Honey seemed to understand how this worked, for some reason, despite not living her whole life in the caverns.

"Tell the males," Honey replied blithely. "They will come and get it in the morning. I can do that."

"Wait, they will come in here?" Crystal asked dubiously. "I did not know they did that."

"Of course, how else would they do half the things that are done for females with eggs?" Honey asked. "They are discreet, but they come in here all the time."

Lily nodded at that; she knew that Claw had the males helping with new eggs, though only from hearing about it in passing. She had never been in a position to see what that meant, but she knew it happened.

"Then I guess we're done here," Lily summarized. "Come on, Crystal, let's go get this stuff off of our scales."

"Be quiet when you come back in… please," Honey requested, throwing the polite addendum in at the last moment, before curling up in the middle of the chamber.

Crystal held her silence, though it was a heavy and unhappy one, until she and Lily were by the pond's edge, as alone as one could get in the valley; the closest dragon was a female and her fledgling on the other side of the water.

"We do not need her carrying tales," Lily began, interjecting her explanation before Crystal could even begin asking, and splashing some water over herself in the process. This was not going to be an easy clean-up, if the soot-stained droplets of water rolling down her chest was an indication. "And we _do_ have to share a small space with her for the time being. It's smarter to keep her happy, especially when we _were_ kind of in the wrong."

"I figured as much," Crystal sighed, batting some water at Lily to help her. "But it really ruined the moment, and we have not had many good ones lately."

"At least we had that one," Lily said, feeling just a little guilty about her resolution to not do anything like that in the future. "I think we both needed to relax a little."

"A lot." Crystal shook her head in annoyance. "This stuff does not come off easily," she observed.

"Not at all," Lily growled. "Anyway… What did you find out from your parents?"

"Nothing of use," was Crystal's reply. "My Dam flat-out refused to talk about your situation and switched the conversation back around at every opportunity. She wants me to 'make the best of it', and maybe to avoid you if you cause trouble. But she is not a bad person, she is just scared."

"Of what?" Lily asked, feeling discouraged.

"Claw, I assume, though she never came out and said it directly. There is something going on there, something she will not tell me. Maybe you can get it out of her. She tries to shelter me from the worst of things."

"I'll certainly try, but I need to practice my persuasion on easier marks first," Lily agreed. "So it might be a little while. This is all going to be very slow."

"It has to be, I guess," Crystal sighed, before rubbing a paw across Lily's shoulder. "This works a little better… Maybe we should have played in something less staining."

"You wanted to be a dark wing," Lily joked. "And yes, it has to be slow. Also, I need your help tomorrow."

"Anything," Crystal agreed without hesitation.

"I think someone is trailing me around the valley," Lily revealed. "Tomorrow, I want you to wait a few minutes after I leave for the morning, and then follow me from afar. See if anyone trails me."

"Any ideas as to who it is?"

"A few, but I can't be sure." Lily leaned into Crystal's rubbing, hoping that her friend was accomplishing something other than smearing it all deeper into her scales. "Maybe Cressa, or maybe Honey, or even Claw. I haven't seen him today."

"I have, but only just before coming back here, so that is no proof," Crystal growled. "Ugh, Lily, hold still. I am going to try and lick it off."

"No, don't do that," Lily objected, leaning away. "That's disgusting." They had forgotten to be careful where they trod while play-fighting, and she was sure they had used soot from every part of the cavern. It was not so bad, given it _was_ just soot now, but still.

"Well, how else am I getting this off?" Crystal asked, gesturing to Lily's shoulder. "Everything just does nothing or smears it in."

"I'd say we…" Lily purred as an idea came to her. "Actually, don't bother. Let's use this to our advantage. The best way to clean ourselves would be to take a dip in the ocean. We'll just sleep like this and then get Claw to let us out to clean ourselves up tomorrow." She could grab some of the plant on the way and sneak it into Crystal's food, like she had with Pearl. That was a good way to help her friend temporarily without getting her hopes up before it was assured to be a reliable protection.

"Sounds like a plan, and it is not as if we have not slept dirty the last few nights," Crystal reasoned approvingly. "Perfect. It will be good to get out of the valley for a short while."

"Yes, it will." Lily was looking forward to the day she could reveal the plant and its benefits to Crystal, but she was still wary of raising her friend's hopes just to dash them against the rocks of reality, as had happened far too often to herself in the recent past. For now, silence was the kindest path forward. Hopefully, it would not need to be so for much longer.

O-O-O-O-O

"No." Claw drew the word out, obviously relishing her dismay. He lounged on his side, hunched over just enough that his underbelly and neck were not easily attackable. At least he respected her enough to consider her a possible danger when he didn't have the physical upper paw.

"Why not?" Lily asked, forcing herself to be calm. Anger was a normal response, but they were in public; even if nobody seemed to be paying attention, she needed to cultivate an image of being calm and in control, not angry and powerless.

"I do not trust you." Claw leered at her. "Maybe _we_ could go, alone, and you could spend the day convincing me to let you clean yourself. I would enjoy that. But not today." He did not sound particularly set on doing so, but the way he was looking at her made sure she knew he was not dismissing it out of paw, either.

"I think I can find another way," Lily declared, turning away, humiliated and disgusted. He held all the power for now; setbacks like that were to be expected if she relied upon his mostly nonexistent goodwill for her plans. She needed more solid, reliable techniques to get anything she needed from him, and those techniques could not be what he always hinted at. Not if she wanted to retain her will and sanity.

"Should have seen that coming," Crystal admitted sourly when Lily rejoined her. "Now what?"

"Now?" Lily needed a win after that humiliatingly simple setback. "Remember, I have an uninvited tail. We're going to catch them."

"But… The ocean…" Crystal heaved a sigh of regret. "I do not want to know how he said no, do I?"

"Not in the slightest. I am just glad he did not consider his alternative worth the effort." Lily didn't want to approach Claw at all in the future after that horrible suggestion. He was totally capable of forcing her, through threat and physical violence, to comply, and her new resolve to not react would never survive extended, focused attention from him. Not when she was just beginning to become numb to it all.

"We will figure it out," Crystal growled. "At least you will be easy to keep track of in the meantime. I will have no trouble trailing you from afar."

"Hopefully the one tailing me does not think the same," Lily remarked, before setting off. She planned to wander in what would look like an aimless path but was actually a very specific one. If she walked a path that looped back on itself several times in a row, a circle of sorts, then Crystal would easily notice anyone following. Nobody else had business walking in literal circles all day.

Walking in a large circle for what promised to be a long time wasn't going to be very interesting. Lily knew that and didn't care. But as the boredom set in, she began paying attention to everyone around her, hoping for a distraction.

"It is nice out today," a fledgling pleaded, pawing at his Dam, who looked down at him condescendingly. "Can we go flying?"

"You do not know how to fly yet," his Dam said quietly. "You are not old enough."

"Carry me," he replied hopefully.

Lily slowed down, wanting to hear the response. The fledgling looked old enough to at least begin learning to glide, so the Dam's objection seemed like an excuse.

"And you are too heavy to easily carry," the Dam chuckled. "Maybe when your Sire comes back, he can."

"He is bigger," the fledgling agreed. "Okay."

Lily kept moving, thinking about what she had overheard. For once, she had no issue with any of that. All seemed normal there. Except for the horrors going on around them, of course. The Dam was just as thorough in ignoring her as everyone else.

That felt wrong, though Lily knew it was probably her new mentality making her think so. Just because she had to care for everyone as her own did not mean everyone else would feel the same. For that loving Dam, she was not someone to consider, even if the same atrocities visited upon her own children would probably get a more properly enraged response.

Or would it? For all Lily knew, that Dam had already lost a son to Claw in the past; it was entirely possible she had stood by, mourned, and moved on, like Granite's Dam.

At that… Lily thought back, but she couldn't remember the last time she had seen Granite's Dam. She would be around, but Lily had not seen her.

She should probably seek her out. If anyone would be willing to stand against Claw, it would have to be the Dam who lost her son to him not a season-cycle ago. Although, by that measure, many of the Dams should have been willing to stand against him long before now…

Lily tucked that thread of reasoning away for later, sure that it led somewhere, but also sure that she was missing some of the information needed to pursue it. Until she started digging into the reasons so many dragons held for ignoring her, the deepest motivations, there was no point in speculating about one particular group of them.

A quick glance upward revealed that Crystal was still circling, her grey-stained body distinctive among the other light wings flying. Lily's pursuer had not been identified yet; Crystal would come meet her once that happened.

Lily kept moving, circling around for the second time. The fledgling and Dam from before were gone, presumably out flying, meaning the Sire had returned. Other families lounged on their rocks, enjoying the sunlight. Many likely would not get up for a while yet; the morning was still new. Some were probably going to sleep until noon.

Of those who were awake, all invariably looked away from her. It was even more obvious to her now, as she was so distinctively stained. She would have expected to be asked about it by now, if only by inquisitive fledglings who would not be aware of the pack's unconscious decision to shun her, but even that had not happened yet.

Until, suddenly, it did. "Why do you look like that?" a female asked, dropping her tail down in front of Lily to stop her for a moment, looking down from a boulder next to the path.

Lily shrugged her wings, as if to signal that she didn't really know. "I would not, but I am prevented from going to the shore to clean myself off."

"That is stupid, surely the pond is good enough," the female asserted. "Did you even try the pond?"

"Of course," Lily replied, keeping her calm. She was pretty sure this female was not quite an adult yet; by her size and attitude, she was in her fourth season-cycle, smaller than Lily, but not by much. Rudeness was to be expected in someone of that age, if not encouraged or tolerated past a point.

"And it did not work?" Now the female seemed confused. "What is that stuff?"

"Soot. Apparently, it stains." Lily shrugged her wings again.

"I am surprised you are walking around," the female said loudly. "I would not want to show my face, looking like that. Everyone would stare."

Lily saw a very easy opportunity and leaped at it, flicking her ears down and looking around pointedly. "I think that does not matter for me."

The female fledgling followed Lily's gaze, her face scrunching up a little more as she noticed what she was referring to. Eventually, she looked back at Lily in confusion. "What did you do?"

"Absolutely nothing," Lily sighed. She wondered what this fledgling had been doing during Claw's big announcement, to not understand what was wrong about her and her situation. Obviously, she hadn't been paying attention, for whatever reason.

"Surely there is something," the female insisted. "Nobody gets ignored for nothing. I have never seen this before."

"You'll see it a lot more often from now on, I think," Lily replied, letting a hint of disappointment bring her voice down. Not sadness, specifically disappointment, as if those ignoring her had failed to meet a standard. "I make them feel guilty."

"Should they?" the female warbled curiously.

"Yes."

"Then why do I not know about this?" the female huffed. "Seriously, what is going on? Why do you make _everyone_ feel guilty all of a sudden? This was not happening a few days ago. And who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Lily," Lily said quietly. "Ask around, and you'll understand." She thought, given the nature of fledglings at this one's age, that it would be more effective for her to have to ferret out the answer than to be told right away.

"I might as well, nothing more interesting is going on," the female muttered. "Well, aside from that one female claiming she is with egg and trying to get everyone's attention with it."

Lily snorted derisively, understanding why the fledgling found that contemptible. "Let me guess, her mate smells it."

"Everybody knows you cannot smell eggs before they are about to be laid," the fledgling agreed scornfully, glaring off into the distance. "But she says this is different."

"What does she say is different about it?" Lily asked, curious in spite of herself. She knew from Pyre that smelling eggs, viable or not, was too tricky to do with any accuracy because of all the other, conflicting scents day-to-day changes in the body made, so it _would_ be a stupid, impossible to prove claim.

"I think I heard she was saying it was fate rewarding her patience and punishing… Somebody…" the fledgling hummed. "Something stupid like that. If she _does_ actually have an egg soon, she will be insufferable. Dam says that, anyway, and she is right."

"Well, we'll know soon enough either way." Eggs took about a moon-cycle between being created and being laid, so the female's ridiculous claims would die down quickly enough. "Who is it, anyway?"

"I forgot her name. Not one of the alpha's."

"Thanks anyway." Lily left the fledgling, trusting that the mystery of her situation would be effective at getting the fledgling to investigate without further prompting. One more tiny crack in the supports that held Claw up; that fledgling would be an adult next season-cycle, and by then Lily fully intended to have said adult's support, wherever she ended up.

And thinking of things she intended to have done… Lily glanced upward, and then openly stared when she couldn't immediately find Crystal. Sure enough, her distinctively marked friend was absent from the sky.

Lily began to walk quickly, abandoning her planned route to head for the edge of the burial grounds, where she and Crystal had arranged to meet if Crystal for whatever reason couldn't come to her. All in all, assuming Crystal had positively identified the one spying on her, that had been quite fast. She was eager to find out who it was.

O-O-O-O-O

When Lily saw Crystal, she knew immediately that the answer was known. Crystal seemed satisfied, lounging on a rock right inside the shadow of the mountainside, not frustrated as she would be if she had failed.

"So?" Lily knew they were alone; Crystal had checked beforepaw, as planned.

"Guess." Crystal sounded amused.

"Honey," Lily offered, going off of Crystal's emotions, not her own best guess. It would not be funny if it was Cressa.

"Yup. She is terrible at it, too, which made her even more obvious." Crystal laughed, shaking her head. "She lost you three times within the first lap, and she was really obviously looking for you each time. I do not think you have anything to worry about, if she could barely keep up with a simple circle."

Well, at least it all made sense now. Lily had happened across Honey far more often than normal the day before, and if Honey kept losing her, which explained why Lily hadn't caught her as regularly as she would expect to. But she didn't find it all that funny. "She's still trying to spy on me, and probably on Claw's orders."

"She is not a threat," Crystal asserted confidently. "Annoying, and boring, but no threat."

"Anyone suspecting me is a danger," Lily corrected. "At least I was already going to have to lie low until Claw settles down and stops suspecting me of trying to flee."

"I suppose…" Crystal eyed Lily appraisingly. "And we still have to find some easy way to get the soot off. It looks like the pond water kind of worked, but we will have to try harder."

"Looks like it," Lily agreed, inwardly thinking that at least that was something innocent they could do. She suspected she was going to get bored of biding her time long before the attention on her lifted enough to allow more. At least she had gotten a good start these first few days. The doubts and hints she had planted would flourish on their own for a time, and she could use said time to decide where next to plant such things in the pack. There was an abundance of opportunities, at least.


	16. Patient

Somehow, when thinking of her future, Lily had not envisioned settling into a routine. She had imagined a constant string of unpleasant experiences, a life dominated by Claw's presence and actions. A life lived day-to-day, reacting as much as planning, unable to rely on anything being the same each day.

In reality, her life was largely the same as before, on the surface, and routine existed whether she liked it or not. She rose, stole from Claw's fish pile before he got to it, and went about her day. The spare time she used to spend with Pyre was now filled by wandering the valley and thinking. Lily very deliberately did not make any further moves toward undermining Claw for a while, knowing that Claw's eyes were on her more often than they should be; both through Honey and in person, however ineffective the former was.

His eyes, and other parts of him too, when he was around. He visited their side-cavern every few nights, far more often than any other group of his mates, and every few nights she grew better at blocking it all out. She really wasn't able to gauge his reaction to her lack of response due to the nature of what she was trying to do, but she hoped it was working; he would have to lose interest, at least a little, before she began making real moves.

In this early afternoon, almost exactly half a moon-cycle after her life had been shattered and warped into what it was now, Lily was taking some time to herself, perched on a boulder at the very edge of the burial grounds and watching the sky. Low, heavy clouds promised rain, or given how cold it was, snow.

That meant crowding into the cavern, everyone packing together for warmth. There would be arguments, many small conflicts exacerbated by close confines, and Claw would be busy at all times. Everywhere that was usually crowded and public outside the cavern would be mostly abandoned, save for necessity.

In other words, it would be perfect. Lily anticipated the close confines distracting Claw and everyone else enough that she could begin working against him more effectively. She couldn't wait for the first snow to drive them all mostly inside.

And when it did… Lily had a list, of sorts, one she had built up in her mind in the last half-moon-cycle. There were people she wanted to approach, weak points that could be undermined and subverted with the right series of pushes and nudges, and while she could not work openly yet, she thought she had come up with a few strategies for helping certain dragons see the error of their ways.

For that was what she was going to be doing, in a sense. She was undermining Claw, but she would be doing so by showing her fledglings where they had gone wrong and imploring them to do better when the time came. First would come remorse, and then guilt, and then respect. Every dragon taken from supporting Claw would be added to her own ranks.

And it would all be done so carefully that none of those she co-opted would know there was a deeper plan to it all. Each would think she had approached them specifically, and each would be left wanting to help her, wanting to make it up to her; like Pina, and hopefully like that fledgling, who she had not seen since setting up to discover the horrors happening under her nose.

By the end of her efforts, the majority of the pack would look up to her as someone who had taught them better, someone who could lead, and they would throw down Claw in favor of her at the right push.

That was the goal, anyway. The specifics might change as circumstances demanded, but it was all aimed at the same target. Claw.

Lily shuddered and pulled her wings in around her body. Claw would be overthrown, and then he would die. Pyre would be avenged, and she would make sure her fledglings knew better than to ever let someone like him hurt them or one of theirs again.

The sound of flapping wings reached Lily's ears a moment before she spotted Crystal flying over, Honey in tow. Lily was actually surprised Honey was openly following Crystal, and not clandestinely watching her.

"What brings the two of you out here?" Lily called out, knowing that the seemingly innocent question would be a sufficient excuse for Crystal to tell her why Honey was there without it being obvious that neither of them wanted her around. She didn't want to get on Honey's bad side without an actual reason to do so; knowing that Honey was spying on her didn't count unless she wanted to reveal that knowledge.

"We need you to settle an argument," Crystal growled, landing right by Lily. "You know this stuff. Can dragons smell eggs in each other before they are laid?"

Lily eyed Honey, who landed on the rock opposite them and puffed her chest out importantly. "I can!" Honey volunteered.

"Not easily if at all," Lily answered, wishing she had an absolute to easily end the disagreement with. But, like most things in her life, the answer was not clearly one or the other. "It's not impossible, but the smell of other things gets in the way, and those other things would happen anyway." For instance, if it was a female's time of the moon-cycle, nothing could be determined thanks to that acrid scent overpowering anything more subtle. That was the most obvious example, but every small shift in one's scent would block out or falsely signal the single, subtle change that they were looking for. It was very much the same reason nobody smelled each other to determine if they were hungry, or angry. Those things _did_ change the scent, but it was difficult to pick them out.

"It is not impossible," Honey crowed triumphantly. "Just wait and see! I am going to be right!"

"What do you think is going to happen?" Lily asked politely. She was curious, if only to know what to look for. It was not impossible that Honey might get a prediction right.

"Well, Diora is going to have an egg, that is where I started," Honey began happily. "Then I noticed it on Crystal, and then myself!"

Now Lily understood why Crystal was so annoyed. She was annoyed too, on her friend's behalf, and a little worried. "Three predictions. Why do you think you can be so sure?"

"It is faint, like you said, but it is there. It is the same smell hatchlings have, but harder and a little different." Honey sounded sure and not at all confused, a rarity for her.

"The same but different," Crystal scoffed. "Sure."

Lily held up a paw. "No, that is right." Pyre had told her that much in passing. It was not that there was no scent, or that it was unknown or unrecognizable, just that it was far too hard to identify amidst the tumult of more powerful, similar scents it resided among. "But we can test her a little more."

"Test me!" Honey agreed. "This is fun."

"Try it on me," Lily offered. She knew that it would be a proof of failure if Honey said she had even the slightest chance, because she didn't. They could try Pina too, if Lily felt it was necessary to go that far. The fact that Honey had apparently smelled it on everyone she had tried so far was suspect, so giving her a definitive negative was a good test.

Honey hopped over to her rock and began walking around Lily, inhaling in short bursts. "Lift your back leg," she requested shamelessly.

"Did she make you do this?" Lily asked Crystal, doing as requested. It was embarrassing, but not compared to everything she had gone through in the past.

Before she got an answer, Lily abruptly became not fine with what Honey was doing when the other dragon shoved her snout right up against her underside. She immediately hopped away, growling at the intrusive female. "Hey, too far," she said angrily.

"I had to be sure," Honey objected. "I cannot smell _anything_ like that on you. There is absolutely no way you are having any eggs right now."

Lily winced as she realized that said diagnosis was probably going to work its way back to Claw no matter what she made Honey promise now. It shouldn't make him any more interested in her, given he in no way tried to prevent her having his eggs, and it might even make him bore of her more quickly, but she couldn't be sure what he would do with that information.

Crystal grumbled discontentedly. "Lucky," she murmured.

"I thought you did not believe!" Honey objected indignantly. "And why is that lucky? Having eggs means having all the males waiting on us tail and paw. It will be great."

"Think, Honey," Crystal snapped, putting a wing over Lily. "You _know_ this is wrong, even if Claw says otherwise, and an egg from this twisted pairing would be even worse!"

Lily nodded quickly, glad her friend was taking Honey to task for her insensitivity. She wasn't sure she could do it and dance around her 'luck' in that department without dropping any hints that it wasn't pure chance. Honey was thick enough to not pick up on subtleties, which paradoxically made her a little harder to deceive, because her density limited Lily's options.

"He is alpha," Honey objected, though there was a small pause before she spoke, and her voice was low. "He must be in the right."

"My instincts say otherwise, and so do yours," Crystal growled.

"I…" Honey shook her head in annoyance. "No, there has to be something I am missing," she objected unhappily, sounding disturbed. "Stop talking about this."

"Okay," Lily immediately agreed, sensing that they did _not_ want Honey to consider this argument worth reporting to Claw. "You may be right. All I know is that I am fine with not needing to think about that."

"Yes… Yes, that is true," Honey replied, visibly brightening, her ears and tail rising back to a more neutral position, where before they had lain limp. "You are right. So, Lily? Do you believe me?"

"Let's wait a moon-cycle and see," Lily suggested, dodging the question because she needed Honey to leave happy and thus unlikely to mention any of this to Claw, or if she did to paint it in a positive light. "You made four predictions, so if all of them come true, then we will all _have_ to believe."

"True!" Honey crowed. "I am going to go make more!" She sprang up into the air and flew away with wild abandon.

"You do not truly think she can smell it, right?" Crystal asked once Honey was out of sight. "If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it, and I cannot smell anything like what she says, or if I do it is on everyone, even the males."

"It would be very useful," Lily agreed. "That points to it being rare or nonexistent as an ability. Maybe she just smells better than we do."

"Maybe," Crystal grunted. "But if she is right…"

If she was right. Lily felt a familiar foreboding in her heart, but it was easily assuaged by logic. "There were only two real answers she could give for any of us," she reasoned. "And none of them have been absolutely proven yet. Her guess as to me proves nothing; 'not having an egg right now' is likely to be true of any given female, and an easy guess. If anyone else has one…"

"Then I can worry," Crystal sighed. "Yes, you are right. I just hope it is a female if I do have one."

"Why?" Lily asked, glad her friend wasn't freaking out about having one of Claw's at all. She knew she would, were it her Honey had pointed out as expecting, but that was for a reason Crystal did not have.

"Alive is better than dead, and males are at risk," Crystal reasoned unhappily, lashing her tail against the rock.

"But… So are females, just in a different way," Lily objected. To her mind, being hatched male was objectively better right now, so long as one had some common sense and was kept from needlessly challenging. For the males, it was a single danger easily avoided. For the females, it was a constant, recurring threat that she knew all too well.

"Not as bad as males," Crystal growled stubbornly. "Granite… He is gone. I do not want to lose anyone else."

Lily nodded, understanding now that Crystal's opinion on the relative dangers was probably warped by losing the male she had wanted to be mates with in such a fashion. At least she had not _lost_ either Pearl or Lily, though their fates were close to as bad, or worse depending on who was asked.

"Well," Lily decided, sidling over to Crystal and bumping her side companionably, hoping to get her out of the slight funk she had descended into, "at least it's out of our paws. No need to worry about what we don't have to decide." They could not choose whether or not the egg, if there was one, would be male…

But, Lily realized in a flash of guilt, _she_ could have tried to get Crystal immediate protection. She could have decided to tell her friend long ago, before any of this was in question. There were plenty of ways she could have cut off this possibility for her friend if she had just thought about them when the plant was available.

It was true that Crystal could not have had any effect on what might be to come, but Lily very well could have. The lack of worry that Crystal could hold to did not apply to her. This was her fault.

"You are right," Crystal agreed, spreading her wings. "I need to get my mind off this. Can you fly today?"

Lily pulled her tail around for them both to look at it and sighed loudly. "Looks like the answer is no," she admitted, looking at the small tears that were closing a little more with every passing day. "Soon, but not now."

"It should heal faster," was the reply. "Before it gets so cold that flying is a pain. Before the first snow, if you can manage it."

Lily looked up at the ominous clouds. "I don't think I'm going to win that race."

O-O-O-O-O

True to Lily's unintentional prediction, the first snow came long before she could fly, falling that very night, a quiet invasion of the valley that none of those who slept in the cavern noticed until the next morning.

Early the next morning, in fact. Lily woke with a jolt, something driving out all remnants of sleep in an instant. She was on alert, ready for anything in a way that was utterly foreign to her.

Crystal had risen too, and Honey was looking around wearily. "What was that?" Crystal barked urgently.

"A screeching fledgling," Honey supplied, her ears flat against her head. "So loud… "

Another screech, this one just as loud and far more drawn-out. Crystal winced and started for the exit, moving quickly. "It sounds like someone is dying out there," she growled.

Lily held her ground, trying to remember why the sound was familiar to her. She had heard it before, but it wasn't clear enough for her to remember when.

Then another, somewhat more articulated shriek from a lower, but still childish voice filled them all in. "Snow!"

Lily relaxed, her memories flooding back with that reminder. "Right," she exhaled, lying back down. "Snow. I forgot about that." In season-cycles past, she had been out of the cavern long before any of the younger fledglings were up, so she hadn't heard the customary shrieking of delight for several season-cycles, not since she was young enough to be one of those shrieking. Crystal and Honey had not grown up in the cavern and would not ever have known that such a thing happened.

"That was not pleasant," Honey grumbled, pinning her ears to her head and lying on her side, obviously intending to block the intermittent shrieking out and get some more sleep.

"I think I am going out, if this is all that I have to look forward to this morning," Crystal decided, shaking herself as she continued moving toward the exit. "Lily? It sounds like fun out there if one does not care for one's ears."

Lily knew that she was being invited to do more than just go outside; there was an edge to Crystal's voice that spoke of hopeful apprehension. Crystal wanted to play, to frolic with the fledglings, and was inviting her to come along, likely hoping for another carefree moment like they had found with the soot… and a much less difficult cleanup this time.

She almost sprang to her paws in excitement, her alertness and spike of energy demanding release, but remembered her decision to avoid anything that made her look immature in the future, to protect the reputation she was struggling to establish. There would be no outright, carefree romping through the snow where everyone could see, and she still was not allowed out of the valley.

But there were other, more restrained, more excusable ways to play, and Lily decided that she was going to seize upon those ways. "Yes. We can go make sure none of the little ones get into trouble. The Dams will need help with that, they always do. White dragons in white snow get away too easily."

"We can do that," Crystal eagerly agreed, bouncing on her paws. "Come on!"

Lily followed her friend out, and gladly immersed herself in the chaos alongside her. Nobody was ignoring her _now,_ with all paws needed to manage the many screeching fledglings racing around in the waist-deep piles of snow and slush. Nobody even had time to think about why they should be ignoring her; there was no pointed lack of greetings because there were no greetings for anyone.

For the moment, everything was as it should be.

O-O-O-O-O

"Got him?" Lily barked urgently.

"Yup, that makes three," Crystal growled, pulling a fledgling out of the pond's shallows with a paw, having hooked his tail. She had not used her mouth because she needed it dry for what came next.

"Toss him here and flame," Lily continued, holding her wing out against her side. The fledgling, who was shivering so violently it looked like he was vibrating, impacted her wing a moment later and slid down unharmed.

The heat from Crystal's flames bathing said fledgling a moment later made Lily shiver, distinctly aware by contrast how cold the rest of her was, and how tired. But this was important, possibly even vital, so she ignored her body and continued to help out. They had just now found three fledglings literally freezing their tails off in the shallows of the pond thanks to what seemed to be a stupid dare instigated by another fledgling who was not even present, and the immense cold was likely to have sickened or even killed the three had they not been caught and stopped.

Crystal coughed, and her flame ceased, too early by Lily's estimation. "No more fire," she rasped, shaking her head.

Lily shrugged her wing shoulder and quickly pulled the fledgling in between her paws and her chest, having run out of her own fire with the second one they pulled out. On-command heat was far too useful in these circumstances for the taboo against using fire to hold today.

"I-I-I am fi-fi-fine," the fledgling chattered. "I-I wa-was win-n-ning!"

"You were winning if winning means losing your tail to freezing," Lily corrected sternly. "And you feel like ice."

"Still wi-winning," was the stubborn reply.

"That was the last one," Crystal huffed. "Lily, I feel like I am going to drop."

"Really?" Lily herself was nowhere near that point yet, and she was less fit than her friend. She was tired, but not that tired. "Okay, head back. I'll be with you after I return this one to his Dam." She was looking forward to sharing body heat and fire if either of them had any, and it was getting dark out, so the day was almost over anyway. It had passed in a frantic flash, it felt like, given how busy they both had been.

"I do not want to-to go to Dam," the fledgling trapped between her paws and chest complained, squirming restlessly. "She will be mad."

"For good reason," Lily growled gently, then set a stern edge to her voice. "If I catch you at this again, I'll make sure your Dam doesn't let you out to play in the snow at all next season-cycle." She didn't think she had the authority to try and enforce that, but what mattered was what the fledgling believed.

But she got no response. She poked her head down to stare at the little one, only to find that he was dozing, limp in her grasp, wheezing softly as his breathing returned to normal.

"Yes, you were winning all right," Lily grumbled. "Winning your death." She knew all too well that young ones had no sense of what was dangerous beyond the obvious 'scary and angry is bad' sort of danger, but today had been a stark reminder of all they could get into at a moment's notice. It was good that things only got this hectic once a season-cycle; for whatever reason, subsequent snowfalls lost their frenzy-inducing appeal. The snow was only new once a season-cycle, and everyone, fledglings included, was going to soon remember why they didn't mind the warm seasons coming around.

Lily shivered as a cold wind drifted across her, and abruptly realized that she was lying on a pile of slush with a slumbering fledgling for no good reason. She stood, picked the young one up by the front legs, and managed to maneuver him onto a wing, from which he was easily slid to her back, totally unaware of the movement.

From there, it was just a quick run back to the cavern, where all the fledglings were being brought to be more easily warmed and claimed by their parents. Lily let the one on her back slide off into a pile of similarly exhausted young males, avoiding the pile of females in the other corner, and stood back to let the Dams around the pile check to see whose he was.

"Thanks," one of the females watching the pile purred, not even looking at Lily. "He is mine. All tuckered out?"

"You should talk to him, we caught him and two others sitting in the freezing water at the pond's edge," Lily explained, watching the Dam take her son.

"Oh, you must be kidding," one of the other females exclaimed. "Why would they do that? It is cold enough as it is!"

"Someone, I don't know who, put them up to it." Lily didn't know the inter-fledgling dynamics enough to guess at who it was, but odds were somebody would follow up on it. This was too big a danger to be ignored.

"I will get it out of him once he is awake and begging not to be punished," the Dam currently situating her fledgling on her back promised with a growl. "I will be lenient if he talks. Thank you…"

Lily looked the Dam in the eye as she looked up and noticed who she was talking to, and saw the inward flinch as recognition dawned.

But to the Dam's credit, she kept going with the customary reply. "… Lily. I will have my son thank you and apologize for putting his own life in danger and forcing you to go out of your way to save it."

Lily nodded politely. "I respect that," she replied. Of course, it was just what was done in the not-unusual case of someone saving someone else's child from a stupidity-fueled brush with danger, a way of both thanking the rescuer and driving home that whatever the child had been doing _was_ stupid and ought not to be repeated, but she was just glad to get the normal reply.

"Are you going out again?" someone asked, though who she was asking was unclear.

Lily chose to reply in case she was the one being spoken to. "I've no fire left, so I'd be little use. No, I'm not going back out." Not having any fire was more than enough proof she had done her fair share. Nobody objected when she slipped away and past the pile of females, heading deeper into the cavern-

Until somebody she had almost forgotten about blocked her way. "Cold and tired," Claw hummed, squeezing past her to stand at her rear, blocking her way back. "I am going around to all of my cold and tired mates tonight, as thanks for their help. I will be sure to remember you."

Lily nodded wordlessly, resigned to his attention and unwilling to do anything that might interest him. Silent, boring, and when it came down to it, utterly unresponsive. It had not yet gotten any real response from him, but it helped _her_ withstand his attention, so she saw no reason to change her approach. She made to keep walking, only to be restrained by a paw on her tail, just above the fins.

"These are healing nicely," Claw remarked. "I expect an answer."

"Yes, Claw," Lily said dully, hoping he would accept that.

"An enthusiastic answer," Claw growled, before releasing her tail. "I will assume you are just tired right now, but be more interesting when I visit tonight." There was an edge of frustration and warning in his voice.

Lily held in a smug purr and nodded before quickly leaving him behind. Her strategy _was_ working. He was not interested in her lack of reaction. Things were going well.

O-O-O-O-O

The next morning, Lily held the exact opposite opinion. She roused with a groan and took a moment to compose herself, then hissed in pain trying to climb to her paws.

"Lily?" Crystal was at her side in an instant. "You were crying out… last night…" she said slowly.

"Was I?" Lily huffed, feeling an odd tickle at the back of her throat, alongside the soreness in her chest and hips. "I don't remember." Her resolve had cracked last night, if not actually shattered, and she didn't understand why. She had managed to stay aloof enough that she didn't know what had changed.

"But I do," Crystal hissed. "Remember what happened with Pearl?"

"He left her alone…" Something clicked in Lily's mind. "After being more and more brutal with her," she finished sourly. "Seems like I'm in for a rough cold-season."

"He was not any worse with me than usual, so something is different," Crystal fretted. "Maybe there is a way to get him to be less terrible."

"Oh, there is, and it's not one I can take." Lily was sure that if she changed her tune and acted eager he would let up, but she didn't have it in her to do that, no matter what he did. That would be giving up, giving in. "Remember, he did let up soon enough with Pearl. I can endure until then."

"Maybe, but you will be enduring here, not out there," Crystal said sternly. "At least until I see what he did. Roll over."

Lily did as told, remembering how they had helped Pearl. She would take all the aid she could get, and lacking pain-dulling plants from outside the valley, Crystal was all she had. Which was much better than nothing, Lily thought with a sigh of relief as the more surface wounds were treated, though in the process it was much harder to stop them triggering flashes of memory.

"I cannot do anything for all of these bruises," Crystal growled when she finished, her paw hovering over Lily's stomach. "Does anything feel broken? Is there anything I cannot see?"

"No… My throat hurts," Lily admitted in a rasp.

"That could very well just be from running around and breathing cold, dry air all day yesterday, because mine does too," Crystal reasoned. "And I still feel wiped out. We should stay in late today."

Lily let herself slump onto her side and curled up a little, her aching body more than happy to just relax. "Sounds good." She was not in the mood to deal with anyone right now. The setback in withstanding Claw hurt almost as much as the actual injuries did.

O-O-O-O-O

Two days and a lot of sleeping and boredom later, and Lily was beginning to suspect something was amiss. She was fine, her body had recovered, and Claw was busy managing the move-in of light wings into the cavern which was in full swing; she fully expected that their cramped side-cavern was soon going to get some extra occupants.

None of that was the problem. The problem, or rather the problems, were slumbering in the same side-cavern as her right now, one beside her and one in the far corner.

Both Crystal and Honey were growing more and more lethargic and listless as the days went by. They slept more, ate more, and left the cavern less and less, Honey more so than Crystal. Honey might have just been taking advantage of the weather to laze around more than usual, but Crystal was not one to do the same, and yet she was.

Lily suspected she knew what was amiss, but she held her tongue. It was _possible_ she was just seeing things that weren't really unusual, linking things together that had no connection, made paranoid by Honey's predictions.

But that rang of self-delusion, and she didn't believe it. There was something going on, and the evidence all lined up to point in the same direction. Honey's predictions, none of which had been proven wrong yet, the timing, the lethargy on the part of both dragons Honey had said were carrying eggs…

Against that was the weight of skepticism and logic, though. Lily knew very well that one could not smell anything useful on oneself, an objection she had only recently thought of, but an important one given Honey had said she herself was carrying. There was also the total lack of proof as of yet; Lily had not heard of any eggs being laid recently, and Honey had predicted one from a female named Diora.

And of course, Lily couldn't smell anything useful on her friend, though she had ample time to take Crystal's scent in and pore over it, lacking anything more interesting to do most of the day. But that meant nothing; if any light wing could do it, the possibility would not be in question, so Honey _would_ be an exception if she really was smelling anything definitive.

And time was passing, if not very much of it, and slowly at that. Given the sporadic but frequent visits Claw made to them, it was impossible to pinpoint a specific time the eggs should be laid, but it was possible to work backward from Honey's prediction and come up with a range of possibilities corresponding to his visits. The first of those possibilities, the earliest, was less than a quarter of a moon-cycle away, and the last, going from Honey's time of prediction, almost exactly a moon-cycle.

The answer would come soon, and she could not affect the outcome, but still she pondered the question; she had nothing better to do amidst the chaos of the rest of the cavern, and the sleepy silence of her own side-cavern. Once things settled down she could scope out the setup and pick a few targets for persuasion, but for the moment all she could do was wait.

O-O-O-O-O

"Scoot over."

"No, you."

"Your tail is under my leg."

"Then move your leg!"

"Get your rear off of my fledgling!"

Lily held in an immature snicker at the frantic apologies that last angry screech elicited, and continued picking her way through the main cavern, stepping on the few open spaces between white limbs and bodies.

She was heading out to take a long drink from the pond, and then to check whether there was still a sentry braving the searing cold to watch the ways out. Her tail was mostly healed, but not quite, and she wanted to know if a trek over the mountain on paw would be possible. The egg-preventing plant aside, she wanted to enjoy the silent beauty of the snow piled high in the forest, undisturbed. It would be a good change of pace.

The moment she stepped outside she regretted everything, but she kept moving, turning her shoulder to the biting wind. It was bearable, and she would soon adjust, but compared to the almost stifling warmth of the caverns it was a shock.

Nobody was outside, save for a few males hurriedly loping back to the cavern from the pond; likely out for the same reason she was, running low to the ground to avoid the wind. At least the boulders offered some modicum of shelter, the wind was much worse above them.

The pond was not entirely frozen; everyone drank from the same place in the cold season, and constant traffic kept one spot entirely unfrozen. Lily flamed the open patch of water, not wanting to freeze her insides if she could help it, and drank her fill. It was still icy, but she didn't really mind.

She did, on the other paw, very much mind the bright patch against the low, grey clouds in the sky. Claw still had someone watching for her and Crystal trying to leave, even though they would almost surely die if they actually tried to flee, lacking any experience in the wild. Probably by freezing to death.

Lily huffed, shivered in the renewed wind, and quickly made her way back to the cavern. She would have to come out again to relieve herself later, and then again for fish before turning in for the night, but it looked like those were going to be her only excursions for the time being. There would be no pleasant trek through the woods.

The heat of the cavern sank into her scales reluctantly, as if scared off by just how cold she was, so she lingered in the entrance where it was warmer. Even with the heat of three additional light wings who had been crammed into their side-cavern, it was not as warm as the dozens of light wings all crowding together here.

"Hey, everyone!" a female voice screeched, as a light wing with a red tint and orange eyes poked her head out of one of the deeper passages. "Guess what!"

Nobody seemed willing to volunteer a reply; in fact, Lily saw several dragons groan and sigh in annoyance.

"I just laid an egg!" the female screeched triumphantly. "I told you all so!"

"Somehow," a nearby male growled quietly, "I pity the egg."

Lily watched as a small crowd of well-wishers followed the smug female deeper into the cavern. She dreaded the answer to the question she was going to have to ask, but dreading it would not make it any less likely to be what she expected.

O-O-O-O-O

"Crystal," Lily sighed, gently nuzzling her friend awake. She certainly wasn't going to make the news she bore any more unpleasant by rudely poking her best friend awake.

"Is it morning already?" Crystal asked, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes. "I still feel tired."

"No, it's the middle of the night." She had initially intended to break the news to Crystal in the morning, but Crystal rarely left their now crowded side-cavern, and this was the best time possible to have a private talk without risking being overheard.

"Oh… So what are we doing?" Crystal asked blearily, looking around carefully, her eyes wandering to each of the slumbering dragons sharing their side-cavern.

"Nothing right now," Lily sighed. "I have some targets, and there might be one or two you can approach," even more so now that there would probably be an egg giving Crystal an excuse to socialize, and if she played it right, to talk to other Dams in private, seeking 'advice' that would come with pointed questions and hints-

Lily shook her head, driving away her planning to focus on the less positive side of Honey's first prediction coming true right on time. "…But that's not what I need to tell you. Diora laid an egg today."

Crystal's face fell, and after a moment she let her head drop down to land on her paws. "Oh. I had heard someone did, but I hoped…"

She had hoped that it was anyone other than Diora. "Yes, me too."

"It is not even just for my sake that I hoped it was not her," Crystal continued in a low voice. "Think about the timing. What happened one moon-cycle ago?"

"Many terrible things," Lily replied without thinking. "Why?"

"You do not see the connection?" Crystal asked dubiously. "Diora is Pearl's Dam. Pearl disappeared. What are the odds they were trying for an egg for a while, and only now got one?"

"Near nonexistent," Lily replied, trying to process what she had just been told. Diora was Pearl's Dam? It was not a surprise that she hadn't known, given her interest in Pearl had only extended to Pearl herself, but still.

"So they had to have just begun trying when she disappeared," Crystal growled. "They wanted to replace her."

"That seems spiteful," Lily observed. "Does that fit with how Diora and her mate usually are?"

"Yes." The way Crystal said it, Lily was certain there would be plenty of evidence if she asked for it, but for the moment she was more concerned with Crystal's assessment, not forming her own; Crystal knew them better than she did.

"Is it a problem?" Lily asked.

"If the hatchling is female, _yes_ ," Crystal snarled softly, glaring at nothing in particular. "We will have to intervene. I am not letting her hurt anyone like she did Pearl."

How she hurt Pearl… Lily could guess, but that would need a proper explanation later. "Maybe she can be convinced to be better this time around, as Pearl did not turn out to her liking," she offered cynically. "I'll try and change her mind with that argument first."

"We will go tomorrow and make sure she knows not to hurt the hatchling or teach them twisted things," Crystal growled. "You will reason, and I will threaten."

"No, that seems like a bad plan," Lily objected. "For one thing, she's going to be surrounded by well-wishers and people helping her and her mate pretty much until the egg hatches. And for another, Claw _likes_ what she did with Pearl. We can't be seen preventing it, not if it will get back to him."

"So?" Crystal asked, sounding annoyed. "How do we do it? I am not leaving her to her own twisted ambitions."

"I'll lay some groundwork after the initial flood of light wings dies down," Lily improvised. "Then, when it hatches, I'll offer to help out, and watch her. Once I see what she does, I can think of a way to counter it. If it needs countering at all, it's possible she learned her lesson." She didn't know much about Diora, so she wasn't going to condemn the female out of paw.

"And I will do nothing?" Crystal growled.

"Crystal, I think you might have other things taking your time very soon," Lily sighed, poking her friend's side with her paw. She didn't want to bring Crystal's attention back to that, but it needed to be said. "Honey called one egg successfully, and she was not just guessing, she had some sort of method. That means she might very well be right about you." Not to mention all of the circumstantial support that theory had. Lily still wasn't sure how Honey had diagnosed herself, but everything else fit.

Crystal wilted at that reminder and closed her eyes. "I hope not," she whined. "I do not want his eggs."

"I understand," Lily replied.

"Not that the hatchling will be inferior or bad," Crystal continued urgently, cracking an eyelid to look over at Lily. "Being half Claw does not mean evil or terrible."

Lily purred, reassuring her friend that she took no offense. "I think not," she agreed. "But you didn't want this, so of course you do not want the results." She didn't want it for her friend either, but she was stuck here, unable to prevent it. At least Crystal had not been given false hope. That would make this moment twice as crushing.

"No, but it is happening…" Crystal closed her eye again. "Lily, we will finish this and remove Claw long before any fledgling of mine is in danger, right?"

"I wish I could promise that," Lily whined. "But I don't know how long it will take. In any case, we will make sure yours comes to no harm. We will protect them all." She was the Dam of the whole pack, and she was _not_ going to let Claw's predatory ways continue, not with those he most violated, his own children and those too young to be considered by any normal dragon.

"If there is an egg of mine to protect," Crystal remarked sleepily, her body relaxing minutely. "Maybe it was just luck."

"Maybe," Lily agreed. She didn't think so, but it wasn't impossible.

"Like with you… No eggs, no chance of them for now… Luck," Crystal breathed.

A flood of guilt washed over Lily, one so strong she nearly cried out in grief. It was not luck, it was something she could have given to her friend if she had somehow foreseen the need in time. This was all her fault…

But there was nothing she could do about that now, except keep her eye on the way out to the forest, and make sure this one egg was all Crystal would have. It seemed unlikely she would have more anyway, but Lily didn't want to trust anything to luck.

O-O-O-O-O

The next day brought no new developments when it came to eggs. Lily tried to put her mind on other things. Approaching Diora was going to have to wait, given the constantly moving crush of light wings wishing her well, so she could focus on something else.

Then that something caught her eye, exiting the crowd and making her way over. Lily nodded significantly at the fledgling she had spoken to on the subject of why she was ignored, and stopped moving, letting the younger dragon make her way over.

"Like my Dam said," the female remarked, flicking her tail over in Diora's general direction, "insufferable."

"Is she that bad? I have not yet been to congratulate her," Lily admitted.

"Do not do so at all, her head is swollen enough already," the female grunted irritably. "She is predicting it will be female, and beautiful beyond compare too. I am predicting it will be spoiled rotten."

Lily doubted that would be this light wing's prediction if she knew just how _not_ spoiled Pearl had ended up, unhappy, isolated, and forced into things no good Dam would ever condone. "Maybe. Or maybe it will not be able to stand her attitude. And if it is male…"

"I will laugh at her if it is," the female declared. "When I have eggs, I am going to keep it quiet and teach them humility."

"Planning on that being soon?" Lily asked curiously.

"Yes, probably," the female replied, shrugging her shoulders. "There will be competition for males, but there always is, and I am the most attractive so I will get whichever I choose."

"Yes, you will teach your children humility, as you were taught," Lily quipped with a friendly grin, stepping toward the exit. "We should go outside and get out of the way."

"We should," the female growled, clearly piqued by Lily's remark, but unable to formulate a good retort.

Once outside, Lily continued the conversation. "Any male in particular you like?"

"No," the female replied quickly. "Root's Dam is smothering, and the others are stupid. I do not know which I want yet. But like I said, at least I have my pick…"

Lily picked up on the female's hesitation and interpreted it to mean she had not thought about how that would sound, given who she was talking to, which in turn meant that the fledgling was no longer unaware of Lily's own plight. "I take no offense," she said quietly.

"I found out," the female quite unnecessarily supplied.

"And what do you think?" Lily asked, speaking just as quietly.

"I think I am glad I am not you," was the reply. "And I think talking to you at all makes me stand out, and not in a good way."

"Wrong," Lily murmured, leaning in close to the other female. "Talking to me makes you stand out in a very good way. It means you are not ignoring what has been done and refusing to think of it."

"It makes me stand out, is what I am saying," the fledgling retorted, pulling away and taking a few steps back. "Sorry for this, but I am not going to be seen talking to you anymore. It feels dangerous."

"You'll be throwing away something precious if you do stay away," Lily replied calmly, letting just a hint of disappointment into her voice. She knew exactly how to handle this. All that was needed was the right approach. "And you'll feel guilty, just like everyone else."

"I can ignore it."

"If you could, you really would not be worth talking to," Lily retorted. "Of everyone in this valley, you and I are some of the few who are _not_ at fault for any of this. Do not spurn me just to join everyone else in condoning it."

"It would be safer to avoid you…" the female said uncertainly. Some part of what Lily had argued, or possibly just her overall tone, had gotten through, and she was no longer sure. That was more than enough for Lily to work with.

"You'll soon be a mated adult, with eggs of your own, and surrounded by people who allow terrible things to happen, turning away from the victims," Lily hissed, moving closer once more, stepping through the slush and snow to push her forehead against the fledgling's. "Or you'll be one of Claw's. Either way, it is smarter for you to follow your conscience, not your fear."

"I will not be one of his, he does not appeal to me at all," the fledgling objected, not moving away this time. Her words probably rang just as hollowly in her ears as they did in Lily's.

"You don't say," Lily said wryly, lifting a paw to inspect the faded remains of the latest set of bruises, just to ensure the fledgling understood how very little that meant in the end. "And that puts us on the same side."

"There are sides?"

"Are there?" Lily glanced over at the cavern entrance. "Should there be?" She couldn't say it outright, but hopefully the implication would be enough.

" _That_ does not feel safe to answer," the fledgling growled.

"It is not, you are right. But if the time comes where you can stand among many _and_ follow your conscience?" Lily supplied.

"Of course, I will do that." The fledgling eyed her appraisingly. "And it is coming, eventually, if you have anything to say about it."

"No," Lily replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I will just suffer for my entire life and do nothing about it."

"I am going to stay away from you," the fledgling asserted quietly. "I will act like everyone else, but I will not mean it. And if there are enough people acting like I want to that I do not stand out…"

"And if I come to you in secret, asking for a favor, you'll help me?" Lily suggested. "I would do the same for you, of course, whatever you may need."

"I would consider it."

"Then I will do the same," Lily concluded, pulling away. "What is your name, anyway? You know mine."

"Mist," the fledgling replied.

"You act very mature for your age, Mist," Lily complimented. This in itself was a test of what effect she had had on the fledgling. Usually, such a condescending compliment would be taken badly by a fledgling on the cusp of adulthood…

"Thank you," Mist purred, sounding sincerely happy with the praise. "And I am almost an adult. It is time I started acting like it."

"If only others thought the same," Lily sighed, casting another glance at the cavern. "Have a good day, Mist."

Mist left without saying goodbye, slipping back into the warm bustle of the cavern, leaving Lily alone outside.

Lily looked all around herself, confirmed that she was utterly alone. Then, she ran for the nearest pile of slush and plowed into it, recklessly scattering it like a child might. She was so happy with her success, both at getting Mist's support, and at getting her respect, that she had to show it somehow.

After she had satisfactorily demolished the pile, Lily rolled onto her back and relaxed, ignoring the cold and wet for a short while. That was one light wing firmly in her corner. Mist wouldn't betray her intentions, because she agreed with them, and could not betray any specifics, because she didn't know them, but if Lily needed something she could do, she would do it.

Lily hoped Mist got a male when the time came, and not Claw. A supporter among the mated pairs was likely going to be more useful than a supporter in the same position as her or Crystal, and Mist wanted the former anyway. Maybe she could exert some influence in that direction. Maybe Mist could work on whichever male she ended up with, adding another willing light wing to Lily's ranks.

But that was in the future. For now, Lily basked in the warmth of having one more person firmly on her side. Sure, Mist was a fledgling, and thus far easier to convince than an adult, with far fewer complex motives and likely no previous experience with Claw to deter her, but it was a start. Just like having Pina and Dew thinking on her situation was a start of a different kind; every single light wing she enlightened was a tree no longer supporting its neighbours.

At that, it was high time she checked in on those two. Something for later. Right now, she wanted to bask in her success…

Inside, as her back was growing numb. The warmth of success was well and good, but it was freezing outside, and only going to get colder as the cold season progressed.

O-O-O-O-O

That night, Lily was woken by strained grunt. She looked around with bleary eyes, looking first to Crystal, and then out at the rest of the cavern once she had confirmed that her friend was still asleep.

Another grunt drew her attention, and she quickly realized that Honey was the one making the noise. Said light wing was hunched over in her part of the side-cavern, quivering with effort, but not moving at all. Her eyes were closed, and Lily had no idea what she was doing.

A third, more pained grunt, and Honey's body shuddered. Lily considered intervening but was stymied by having absolutely no idea what was going on, aside from the obvious.

And then, only moments after Lily had been woken by the noise, Honey relaxed and straightened out, her movement revealing a large white oval beneath her which she immediately curled up around and obscured from sight.

Surely that could not be it? Lily had to assume she had only woken for the tail-end of the process, for it to be so quickly done. Though she didn't know how long it was supposed to take, only that a few moments seemed far too quick.

But if Honey had been straining, laying an egg, for longer than that, why had Lily only woken at the end? Surely Honey would take this opportunity to wake everyone and get attention.

Then again, Lily would have expected Honey to try and get attention _now,_ regardless of how long it may or may not have taken, but to all appearances she had gone back to sleep.

"Wha's going on?" Crystal slurred sleepily.

"Nothing," Lily hummed. "Go back to sleep." If Honey was not going to draw attention to it now, in the middle of the night, she certainly wasn't. Crystal didn't need to know right now, and would only be more worried by the increasing proof of Honey's strange talent being real and accurate. At this point, it was almost a certainty that Crystal would soon be following in Honey's pawprints anyway.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Sometimes people confuse me. For instance, a guest reviewer just recently left a question they clearly wanted answered… on** _**When Nothing Remains,** _ **chapter 1. That story is done with, the question had nothing to do with it, and they're a guest reviewer so I can't reply to them in any way save for an author's note** _**here** _ **, in an entirely different story. How did they expect to get an answer aside from reading everything of mine and hoping for an author's note about it?**

**Well, I suppose I** _**am** _ **replying here, so there's a small chance they'll get their answer. No, Guest Reviewer 'Joe', I actually have absolutely no plans to write about or even watch the new holiday short, as by all accounts it simply compounds all of the issues in the third movie even further, among other things. In my eyes, the important canon ended with HTTYD 2, timeline-wise. There's no reason to subject myself to further frustration when others who have similar views to me on the subject have already seen it and helpfully provided their opinion on it. It'll all just go into the bucket of 'canon I ignore entirely', along with Valka defining Toothless' age, almost the entirety of HTTYD3 (I'd say the absolute entirety, but I like the flight suit upgrades, the basic concept of the Light Fury if not some of the specifics, the basic concept of the Hidden World, and the very basic concept of Grimmel), and the so-called official names of Hiccup's children as given by Cressida Cowell, who is a fantastic writer but really doesn't have much authority to define things for a movie series that totally went its own way from day one.**

**Anyway, that question answered, back to this story. More specifically, back to some details about this story's world, specifically Fury young. It's actually kind of weird that I never had to define the timespans and details of this part of life for this universe until now, given this is the third book. This information is spread across this story, but I figured I'd condense it here for clarity.**

**Time: It takes a month between conception and egg-laying. The egg is sat for approximately two to three months after that. (This is somewhat short, actually, but it fits thematically with how fast the other parts of their growth occurs).**

**Growth: Hatchlings grow at a prodigious rate mentally, and vary widely on intellectual level by age depending on how much stimulation they receive (and this also applies to the last stages of being in the egg, as we saw from Ember's earliest recollections in the very first story in this series). It can even be hard for dragons to judge a hatchling or fledgling's age within six months, because the variance is so large mentally but so small physically. By age three or so this settles down and evens out, just as the body is about to make a similarly extreme increase in physical growth rate, one that tapers but does not stop until about age six, though here the agreed-upon age of adulthood is about five.**

**Scent: Basically, just as recap, general fertility, current fertility, and current egg-carrying state cannot be reliably smelled (unless one's name is Honey, for some reason that either does not matter or cannot be discussed yet without spoiling something). This may be** _**slightly** _ **unrealistic, but it's basically a necessity in terms of the story, and I think the excuse of many shifting scents making any such interpretations generally unreliable and thus not used is a plausible one.**


	17. Attentive

_**Author's Note:** _ **Another chapter, another week. Kind of. Next week's chapter is coming a day early, but past that I can't really be sure, as I'll be out of consistent wifi for the holidays. As of now, I think I'll be dropping chapters on Mondays, but it'll all be reliant on far too much chance for me to promise that. Things will** _**roughly** _ **keep to their normal pacing of posting.**

It was morning, according to Lily's best guess, but she let herself drowse long past when she would usually have gotten up, waiting for Crystal, who was sleeping even later than her new normal.

Honey was also defying her usual, though in the opposite way, already awake, and from what Lily could tell between clandestine glances her direction, impatient. She was curled around her egg in a way that made it extremely obvious, flaunting it for everyone to see… If anyone was awake to notice.

That, in turn, made her actions the night before slightly less odd to Lily. She must have been tired and intending to get all the attention she surely considered rightfully hers in the morning. It was even a considerate plan; Honey had surely understood that being woken in the middle of the night would be unpleasant for everyone else, and whether she had held back out of altruism or out of a desire to not dampen the enthusiasm she felt her due, the result was the same. She had not disturbed anyone's sleep.

Though, Lily mused sleepily, if Honey had _really_ wanted to get the most attention possible, she should either have held her laying of the egg until the morning, or if that was impossible, begun faking it right about now. Of course, that would take either discomfort or effort, so Honey had obviously opted for the passive plan if the alternative had ever occurred to her at all.

A while later, long after Honey had begun looking around impatiently, one of the light wings near the exit began to stir, dragging herself up and blinking slowly, seemingly befuddled by the end of her slumber. Lily held in a small laugh at her bemused, half-asleep rumble; it seemed there were some light wings who were even less suited to mornings than Crystal.

Honey had noticed the movement too, of course. Her reaction was to huff loudly, trying to draw attention to herself without being obvious about it.

Lily watched with half-lidded eyes as the drowsy light wing slipped out of the chamber without so much as looking in Honey's direction, so out of it that the obvious noises had not caught her attention. She was probably going to go stand outside so that the cold could shock her awake, if Lily had to guess, but whatever the female's befuddled mind had decided, it didn't involve investigating Honey.

Really, the other light wing had the right idea, half-asleep or not. If the crowd that formed around Diora and her egg the day before were any indication, when Honey eventually did get the attention she craved their cramped side-cavern would become very loud and crowded.

Lily made a show of yawning and stretching her wings, bumping Crystal a few times to wake her in the process, having decided to be proactive in getting them both out of the throng's way before it had a chance to form. Crystal would appreciate not being crowded or woken by a raucous group of well-wishers.

"Ugh," Crystal groaned, flapping a wing at Lily lethargically. "Just let me sleep. I feel awful."

"You will feel more awful if you don't come with me," Lily said quietly. "Trust me on that. Honey laid her egg. We should go before everyone finds out."

"Oh… Yes, we should," Crystal agreed, lurching to her paws. "I am up."

"I can see that," Lily purred, rising slowly. "You go on ahead." Crystal could easily get away with ignoring Honey, but Lily didn't think she should do the same; it certainly did not hurt to be in Honey's good graces.

Crystal nodded agreeably and quickly left the side-cavern, not even looking at Honey, who seemed even more frustrated by the lack of attention now. Lily quickly slid into Honey's line of sight, keeping her eyes wide. "Is that what I think it is?"

Honey relaxed, her frustration visibly fading away. "Yes," she purred smugly. "I have an egg now. Jealous?"

"Not in the slightest," Lily replied, suppressing her irritation at the ludicrous heights of ignorance that went with the taunt. "But good for you, I suppose. I look forward to helping you look after it." That also was truth; she could already see ways to use caring for Honey's fledgling to build the image she was cultivating for herself, not to mention ensuring that this blend of Claw and Honey was raised well enough to not be as bad as both parents combined.

"You will not have to do anything for a while," Honey simpered smugly. "Go tell Claw. He will want to know."

Would he? Lily was once again reminded that this was one part of living in the caverns she didn't know about, being the only offspring in her own side-cavern. Her first instinct was to deny that Claw would care in the slightest, but Honey sounded sure and was more likely to be basing her opinion off of actual facts in this instance.

"I will pass the word along," Lily promised, specifically avoiding mentioning Claw in any way. The word would get to him soon enough if she announced it in the main chamber of the cavern.

"Good. It is perfect, right?" Honey looked down at the white orb she was flaunting. "I think so."

"I see nothing wrong with it," Lily agreed, looking at the egg. "Congratulations."

"Maybe you will get one soon," Honey said condescendingly, draping her fins over it. "Crystal surely will."

Lily huffed in annoyance and turned away, leaving the side-cavern. She was not worried about having an egg herself, but Honey's smug attitude was already insufferable and the praise had barely started. Living with her was going to be even more annoying now.

"Honey laid an egg," Lily announced as she picked her path through the main chamber, deftly avoiding sprawling limbs and wings. She didn't even bother looking to see if anyone had heard; the growing murmur of voices told her that the message had been spread.

And then she stepped outside, and the cold wiped away all other thoughts. She yelped, paws briefly struggling to find purchase in the slush immediately outside the entrance, and bolted for the pond, resigned to needing water but unwilling to spend a moment more than necessary in getting it.

Crystal was still there when Lily arrived, just turning away from the water. "Be quick, it is terrible out here," she growled, throwing a wing over the hole in the ice that she had just drank from, sheltering Lily as she quickly sated her thirst and then some.

"It's not _so_ bad," Lily replied, nonetheless grateful for her friend's wing. "We're just not used to the cold. Pyre wasn't bothered by most of the cold season." He had been chilly and miserable at times, but at others he had laughed at her reaction to the icy chill and held her close, unaffected by the wind…

"We should get back inside," Crystal murmured, holding Lily close with her wing for a moment longer.

"We should," Lily agreed, her mood sinking like a rock. It still hurt whenever she remembered that he was not waiting in his cave, that his body was broken on the rocks below it, out of sight but there nonetheless.

"And we should go talk to Diora," Crystal continued, pulling her wing away and starting down the path. "You know why?"

"Why?" Lily asked, still feeling miserable.

"Nobody will be bothering with her thanks to Honey," Crystal barked, beginning to lope along the path. "And if I am going to feel nauseous, there might as well be a reason."

"Nauseous?" Lily called out, catching up to her friend. "What do you mean by that?"

"What the word usually means. My stomach hurts." Crystal shook her head as they ran, her ears and frills flopping around wildly with the motion and the wind. "It is not a problem. I probably just ate some bad fish."

"If you have to bring it up, try to hit someone annoying," Lily joked.

"Why do you think I want to go congratulate Diora now?" Crystal said seriously, skidding to a stop just short of the entrance to the cavern. "You lead, though. I do not want to actually talk to her, so you can get and hold her attention."

"Sounds great, if she's as bad as that," Lily groaned dramatically. Really, she was curious now, in a morbid, cynical way. Crystal seemed to despise Diora, and likely for good reason, but Diora couldn't possibly be like Grass or Cressa. Lily had yet to meet a Dam who both participated in their child's life _and_ was terrible, so this would be a new experience.

Lily wove her way around the now somewhat diminished piles of light wings, making her way back into the corridors and slipping around into a side-cavern that she recalled being crowded and inaccessible the day before. There was nobody around now, proving Crystal's guess right.

Inside, on the other paw, there were a few light wings. A male, a female, and an egg, the male sleeping a good distance away from the female, the egg resting against his side.

Lily knew that Crystal's dislike and Pearl's plight were coloring her perception, but she couldn't help but read into that arrangement. Not only were the Dam and Sire sleeping apart, the Sire was barely holding the egg close enough, and the Dam wasn't even bothered by that. It certainly didn't look good to her.

"Oh, good, someone remembers us," Diora said loudly. "Ivy, wake up."

"I would have come sooner, but the crowd was in the way," Lily said politely, for the moment playing the part of a normal well-wisher come late.

"Not today," Diora growled. "They are all off ogling that little trough and her egg."

Lily heard Crystal bark in surprise, but she was too confused to be similarly shocked. "I don't know that word."

Diora stared at Lily with wide eyes, seemingly caught off-guard by that admission. "Everyone knows that word."

"I don't." She had only heard it once before, applied to herself by Gold's Dam when Gold was missing and it was not yet apparent that she wasn't involved. Once was not enough to discern an exact definition, even if she had a pretty good idea.

"It is not important," Diora grumbled. "So, what do you think?" Her tail flicked in the direction of her sleeping mate and the egg resting against his side.

"It is impressive," Lily said, walking over to get a closer look. She had seen a grand total of two eggs now, and neither seemed all that special. Both were white, both were about the same size, and both seemed to have the same texture. Honey's might have been a little larger than this one, but that could just as easily be her imagination, and aside from that they were identical.

"And I knew it was coming," Diora agreed happily. "It will hatch female, of course."

"As likely as not," Lily said agreeably, taking a small amount of pleasure in correcting Diora in a way that the other light wing would think was her agreeing unless she ignored the tone and puzzled through the words.

"And a much _better_ female than my last," Diora continued, walking over to the egg and nuzzling it. "I will teach her better."

"You will teach her worse," Crystal grumbled quietly, lurking at the back of the chamber, near the exit.

Diora looked up, apparently having noticed the sound if not actually heard the words. "Oh, another well-wisher." Then her eyes narrowed. "The same female that Pearl always spent time with. Stay away from my new daughter. You are a bad influence."

"One of us is a bad influence," Crystal agreed with a snarl. "But it is not me."

"Get out," Diora said sternly, slapping her mate's back with her tail as she spoke. "Ivy, get up."

"Gladly," Crystal snarled. "You make me sick."

"She should not be blaming _me_ for Pearl's issues," Diora said loudly, turning her attention back to Lily. "Pearl never did obey fully. Always complaining, resisting. Clearly, her obnoxious 'friends' were bad examples."

Lily nodded politely, her eyes slipping to the unremarkable egg resting against Ivy's side. She had heard all she needed to from Diora to form her own opinion of the vile female, but she wasn't about to betray her true feelings and earn Diora's ire. Not now, not yet if ever. The hatchling growing inside that egg needed help more than Lily needed to let out all of the disgust she felt, listening to Diora.

"See, others get it," Diora exclaimed loudly, purring at Lily. "Some people remember courtesy."

"I will come visit again in a few moon-cycles to see your hatchling," Lily offered, grateful that she was more than skilled at holding in her true feelings by now. Diora clearly suspected nothing of her true opinions, even though she and Crystal had arrived at the same time.

"Please do," Diora agreed, before turning and glaring down at Ivy, who still seemed to be asleep. Another, heavier tail slap made him flinch. "Get up, Ivy! And go get our fish before I faint of hunger."

Lily stepped to the side, out of Diora's line of sight but edging closer to the egg. Something in her heart was pulling at her, telling her that she couldn't leave, not when the egg was in the middle of heavy tail-slaps and a sleeping dragon waking with a start.

Ivy's eyes opened, immediately fastening on Diora, and he heaved himself up with a sigh. The egg rolled over, totally unattended for the moment.

"Yes, mate," Ivy rumbled quietly, cringing away from Diora, and quickly made his way out of the side-cavern.

Diora looked down at the abandoned egg on the floor, heaved a loud sigh of annoyance, then walked over to lay down beside it, holding it close with her tail but otherwise ignoring it.

Lily, seeing the egg relatively secure and herself forgotten by Diora, slipped out of the side-cavern. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, and she honestly couldn't tell whether fear or anger drove it.

The egg was fine for the moment; really, Diora _wanted_ the hatchling that it would in turn produce, so she wasn't going to forget it or let it be damaged or killed. Lily knew her worry was irrational, to some extent, but at the same time, how could she _not_ worry about an egg left in the care of a Dam so clearly unfit to care for it?

"I told you she was horrible," Crystal remarked, startling Lily, who had not noticed that she was lingering just outside of view of the side-cavern. "Was I right?"

"Definitely." Lily eyed the side-cavern dubiously. "Why is she like that?"

"No idea," Crystal grumbled. "So, what are we going to do about her?"

"Nothing for the moment," Lily immediately responded. "Once it hatches… If it's male, we don't know how she'll treat it."

"Badly, if how she treats her mate is any indication," Crystal supplied helpfully. "We need to stop her."

"Or counter her," Lily offered, turning and heading in the direction of the main chamber. "You were Pearl's friend, and that helped her cope. We can make sure this new hatchling has plenty of friends and outside influences, not just Diora and loneliness." Honey's hatchling was going to come in very handy if it was female; it would be easy enough to manipulate watching a female hatchling and a false friendship with Diora into plenty of social time and clandestine counter-teaching for Diora's newest child.

"I feel like we should do more than that," Crystal complained. "But I do not know what, short of stealing her egg and fleeing, and that would not work."

"Definitely not." Lily could imagine sending someone else away with the egg, someone who knew how to survive on their own in the wilderness, someone who knew how to raise a child, but neither she nor Crystal fit those requirements. Neither of them could leave the valley in any case.

"Do you have any idea how long it will be before our side-cavern will be back to normal?" Crysta asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Probably by midday?" Lily guessed. "I don't think it's worth checking until then. Why?"

"My stomach still hurts," Crystal admitted. "I want to just lie down and sleep it off."

"You can do that somewhere else," Lily offered. "The main chamber. I can clear a spot." She was entirely capable of shoving a few tails and wings aside if necessary; there was always a spot available if one pushed hard enough.

"No, I will just wait," Crystal decided. "It is not serious."

O-O-O-O-O

By midday, Crystal was irritable, and Lily was pretty sure she knew what was coming, even if Crystal hadn't put two and two together yet. It stood to reason that the immediate buildup to laying an egg would be uncomfortable, and by this point it was pretty much guaranteed Crystal was expecting.

But Lily didn't mention it, partially because she wasn't certain and partially because she didn't think it would do Crystal any good to worry about it ahead of time. As long as she was in a nice, quiet place by the time it actually began, she would be fine.

Or, that was what Lily assumed. She didn't know what was best for a female about to lay an egg; she was working off of personal preference. _She_ would have preferred privacy and plenty of space to stretch out in, were it her in the position of expect an egg.

Of course, that meant that where they were at the moment was wholly unsuitable. Lily rose, allowing the two encroaching tails that had been shoved up against her side to flop down into the open area under her. "Come on, we should go check the side-cavern."

"Good plan," Crystal grunted, standing slowly. "I was going to bite the next light wing to trip over me. We are not even sitting in a pathway!"

"With such a fat tail, it is hard not to step on you," a feminine voice called out from their left.

"Say that to my face," Crystal snarled, turning to look in that general direction.

"Come on," Lily encouraged gently, quickly stepping away and hoping that Crystal would follow. "Your stomach ache is making you cranky."

"Yes, and I do not care," Crystal grumbled, following Lily out as she spoke. "I do not remember it being so annoying last cold-season."

"There are more of us every season-cycle, so it probably wasn't _as_ crowded last cold-season." Lily explained as they walked. "Really, at some point we're going to have to start keeping the more fit parents out. There is only so much room in here." That was going to be a problem eventually.

"Sounds horrible," Crystal groaned. "Is it optimistic to hope that Honey has driven everyone away by being unbearably smug?"

"There's nobody around the entrance, at least," Lily noted, turning the corner and seeing the narrow crack in question. "That's promising."

"I can hope," Crystal groaned.

Lily slipped through the crack, poking her head around to look into the chamber, and saw a very odd scene. Three light wing males were sliding their tails across the ground in a haphazard pattern, pushing away from themselves and backing in her general direction, awkwardly looking back to see where they were going.

"So? Is there a crowd?" Crystal asked impatiently.

"I don't know what I'm looking at," Lily admitted, moving just far enough into the chamber to let Crystal follow her in.

"Lily?" Honey called out from somewhere on the other side of the males, blocked from view thanks to the constant movement and low ceiling of the chamber. "Do not get in their way!"

Lily decided not to ask the obvious question, and instead walked over to the far side of the chamber, moving around the slowly advancing trio. Once she had gotten far enough around, the rest of the chamber was visible, and she noticed the other dragons present. Honey, watching the three waving their tails around the ground, and two more males pawing at one specific patch of stone near where Honey usually slept…

And Claw, watching over it all with a bored look, his eyes immediately going to her as soon as she came into view. He said nothing, but his wandering gaze was more than enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

"What… Oh," Crystal huffed, coming up on Lily's other side and seeing what she had. "This is no better."

"This is _much_ better," Honey objected indignantly. "Look, they're clearing and smoothing the floor! They are going to do the ceiling next."

Lily noticed a very unhappy wilting of ears and tails among every male present but Claw, which was absolutely no surprise.

"Yes, they will, if that is what you want," Claw said graciously. "And I have assigned two to bring you fish every morning, as well as two more to watch the egg whenever you need. Any other requests?"

"Oh, not right now," Honey simpered, slowly tapping the tips of her tailfins on the egg by her side. "Stay in case I think of anything? Or tell them to obey me for a little while."

"I might be sick for real," Crystal grumbled unhappily in a much lower voice than before. "Here seems like a good place. They will just clean it up for us."

"Go for it," Lily hissed back, entirely open to that idea.

"No," Claw said, replying to Honey's request with a patronizing hum, "I think I will stay. It is not a gift if I am not here to give it."

"We will come back later, then, so as to not get in the way," Lily offered. There would be no peace and quiet to be found here, and Claw made any location undesirable just by existing in the vicinity.

"Be back by nightfall," Claw commanded off-paw, staring at Lily intently, and then turning his gaze on Crystal. "I want all three of you here."

"Yes, Claw," Crystal intoned lifelessly, edging toward the exit, her gait unsteady. Lily nodded and quickly followed her friend out, feeling Claw's eyes on her hindquarters as she left but too worried about Crystal to care about the lecherous gaze.

"Crystal, how bad-?" Lily began urgently the moment they were out in the corridor.

"I feel absolutely awful," Crystal groaned, looking around wildly. "There is nowhere good to go! It is freezing outside, the main chamber is crowded, and Claw is in the way here. I just want to lay down somewhere and die in peace!"

Lily stumbled, her thoughts freezing. She had been keeping a heavy paw on the frantic planning and concern for Crystal's probably imminent delivery, but that particular turn of phrase had her head spinning with worry. She _couldn't_ lose Crystal! Not now, not soon, not later, not ever! The fact that she would usually be offering help in the form of plants for the pain but couldn't was not helping either. "You're not dying," she managed to say firmly, pouncing and trapping her thoughts as if they were particularly unruly fledglings racing around the main cavern. The cavern that was currently packed full of light wings taking up all available-

"Well I certainly am not having a good day!" Crystal complained.

"I know!" Lily closed her eyes for a moment, trying to settle herself to coherency. Crystal needed somewhere to rest, somewhere safe and peaceful. It had to be somewhere in the cavern because outside was mostly open and freezing. It couldn't be the main chamber or the corridors, which by extension meant it had to be a side-cavern, and to be considered safe they had to be invited in by the occupants.

And just like that, the answer was obvious. "Come on," Lily requested, turning her tail on the crack in the wall and Crystal. "We're going to Pina and Dew."

"What can they do?" Crystal whined. "I feel like I swallowed a rock."

"You're more than likely about to lay an egg," Lily revealed, surprised Crystal hadn't considered that possibility yet, "and we are going to them because they have a side-cavern, a fledgling which means one of them is probably around because fledgling can't be outside long in this weather, and knowledge about laying eggs."

"Of course I am," Crystal groaned, apparently unsurprised. "I would prefer stomach issues. But that is a good idea."

"It's the only idea," Lily admitted. They rounded a cramped corner, passed through an even more cramped section of corridor, and turned down the tall and thin passage that led to the side-chamber in question. Lily barked a polite but urgent greeting, too rushed to actually say anything.

"Lily?" Pina asked, her voice echoing loudly. "Come in, come in."

"I hope we're not disturbing anything," Lily said automatically, giving the polite reply even though she thought their situation more urgent right now. "Dew. Nice to see you. What do either of you know about how it feels to lay an egg?"

Dew looked up from her sleeping hatchling, appearing as if she had been sleeping herself moments ago, and eyed Lily suspiciously. "Why do you need to know?"

"You tell us," Crystal blurted out, lurching through the entry arch and collapsing on her side just inside the chamber, her shoulders rolling with her deep breaths.

Dew's eyes widened, and she partially stood, crouching low over her fledgling. "Surely your Dam told you what to expect," she said quickly. "Is this not like what she would have spoken of?"

"I did not ask," Crystal said, managing to sound both sheepish and pained at the same time. "I did not want to know. And my parents are out flying today, so I could not exactly go ask them."

Lily saw the moment Dew's concern overrode her surprise and lingering suspicion; the female glanced over at Pina, who was already approaching her, and silently stepped aside, letting Pina take over in lying with her son.

Then Dew quickly strode forward, stopping by Crystal's heaving stomach and side. "Well, I can tell you," she said in a much friendlier voice, crouching by Crystal. "Sometimes it is painless and sometimes it is not. Seems like you are not a lucky female in that regard, but do not worry, it will pass."

"The egg or the pain?" Crystal asked.

"Both. Just wait it out," Dew advised, gently laying a wing over Crystal's stomach. "Relax your muscles. How long has it been hurting?"

"All day, but not very badly until just now."

"Then this might be a while yet." Dew shook her head. "Mine took all day, but it can be much faster. It depends on the female. As long as you do eventually lay an egg, it will all be fine."

Lily could see that there was nothing she could do at the moment, and it was clear Crystal was in good paws, but that didn't stop her from worrying. "I'm glad Dew knows what's going on," she remarked to Pina, hoping for reassurance and trying to keep herself from clawing at the ground.

"I am surprised you never sought out this kind of knowledge," Pina murmured back, looking over at Lily. "It seems like something you would want to know just because."

"I've had a lot on my mind recently," Lily admitted, unable to take her eyes from her friend. Being told that she could have been better prepared stung, even if Pina hadn't meant it that way. It would have been the work of moments to correct her lack of knowledge on the subject, and she certainly hadn't lacked free time in the last moon-cycle.

"And you also had a Dam who would not feel like taking the time to tell you," Pina agreed. "Sorry. I should have stepped in and done that long ago."

"Well, now it does not matter," Lily said firmly, not wanting Pina to feel bad about that tiny oversight, not when it really didn't matter any more. Pina's guilt in the matter was small and insignificant next to her own, anyway.

"I hope not," Pina said sadly. "Lily, I still will do anything that might help your… situation. But I cannot see anything that _would_ help."

"Like I said, I'll tell you if there is anything," Lily asserted. "Help of this sort is more than good enough in the meantime. We had nowhere else to go." That, at least, was Claw's fault, not hers.

"Your own side-cavern was not an option?" Pina asked curiously.

"Hey," Crystal called out in a strained voice, "are you two having a nice talk without me?"

"Yes?" Lily offered guiltily, looking over at her and Dew.

"At least _someone_ is having a good time," Crystal asserted vehemently, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Carry on."

"You know," Dew said conversationally to her, "the pain might make you tense, but that is no excuse to be rude."

"My life is an excuse," Crystal retorted humorlessly. "Now what were you saying about breathing exercises?"

"She seems overly unhappy, even for the situation at paw," Pina observed quietly, drawing Lily's attention back to her. "I do not know much of her. How does she feel about this?"

"She is as discontent with her lot in life right now as I am," Lily replied carefully. "In all aspects. She had wanted to be Granite's mate."

Pina winced and sighed sadly, her ears drooping in sympathy. They sat in silence for a while, watching Crystal, or in Lily's case looking in Crystal's direction but not really looking _at_ anything in particular, as it felt odd to just stare at her friend for no reason. Dew moved over to sit by Crystal's head, and Crystal remained on her side, breathing slowly and deeply, occasionally wincing or groaning in discomfort.

Watching and hearing her friend go through this, Lily was glad that she was not at risk of undergoing the same thing due to Claw, but she couldn't ignore the lingering guilt she felt at not having managed to save Crystal from this fate. This was Claw's fault, but it was also hers, for not finding a solution to the problem at paw.

Crystal's breathing picked up in pace, and she abruptly rolled onto her stomach, moving just as Honey had the night before. Lily respectfully looked away, knowing what was coming and feeling no desire to observe. She had seen it once already in watching Honey.

A low sigh of relief marked the end of Crystal's physical torment, and the beginning of something else entirely. When Lily looked back to her friend, she saw a very unhappy, tired light wing staring at a white egg as if it was something entirely foreign to her, not something from her own body. She could sympathise, her own relief was shadowed by some tumultuous feelings too.

"Healthy," Dew remarked, not catching Crystal's distress, or not thinking it appropriate to remark upon it. "Now you should sleep. The lingering pain will go away quickly if you do."

"I…" Crystal let her head drop to her paws and closed her eyes. "I did not…"

"Just sleep," Dew said firmly. "You are welcome to stay, but if I know Claw, he will want you back in your own side-cavern as soon as possible."

"Tonight," Lily volunteered. "He told us to be back by nightfall." She had no intention of actually trying to make Crystal move if that would be bad for her, of course, just stating fact.

"Then you have time for a long nap," Dew said to Crystal. "Sleep." She put her paw on Crystal's forehead for a brief moment. "Should I let anyone know? Bring your Sire and Dam to see?"

"No," Crystal murmured. "Not them… Tomorrow, maybe."

Dew, Lily, and Pina waited silently until Crystal's breathing evened out and slowed. Once that had happened, Dew wrapped her tail around the egg and slid it away from Crystal, carefully bringing it over to Pina.

"She will feel better if she can spread out without fearing for the egg," Dew said by way of explanation, immediately returning to Crystal and nudging her into a different, more natural sleeping position, one slow push at a time.

"You seem to have done this before," Lily noted. She admired skill, and Dew clearly knew a thing or two more than one would expect the Dam of a single egg to have learned through experience.

"I have helped others," Dew replied shortly, still preoccupied with rearranging Crystal. "It was something to do, something useful and distracting."

"I prefer what comes after the egg," Pina remarked. "But it is good you help."

"Of course," Dew replied matter-of-factly, returning and taking the egg back from Pina, then nestling it snugly between Crystal's front paws and chest. "There. On her stomach, back legs spread out, tail straight. She will recover quickly. But not," she continued, looking to Lily, "quickly enough for Claw's intentions, so she will have to sit out any visits for the next few nights unless she wants to suffer needless pain."

"Understood." Lily was not naive enough to hope that Claw would act like any decent dragon and consider Crystal's comfort, let alone that he would act anything like the Sire of her egg, but she _did_ hope that he would not think it worth forcing when it was only a few nights' delay, and only one of his many mates.

"I am going for a walk," Dew announced. "I want water, and she could probably use a few fresh fish for when she wakes. Lily, your help would be appreciated."

"I don't know how to fish," Lily admitted, "and my tail is still healing." She didn't like that it sounded like she was giving excuses, but as both were true, she had no choice in the matter. "I will repay your kindness once those are no longer problems."

"Do not bother, I would do this for any female with a new egg and her… friend…" Dew said slowly, trailing off and eyeing Lily. "Close friend?"

"Best friend," Lily replied without hesitation. "Definitely."

"I see." Dew glanced over at Pina. "I do not think I need to tell you what to do in my absence," she purred.

"Go." Pina agreed. "He might wake soon, and it is your turn to take him out to play."

"Sharing responsibilities?" Lily asked once Dew had left, letting a hint of amusement into her voice alongside a large helping of pride. "Given you showed up bleeding and disgraced, I think I should congratulate you on winning her over so quickly."

"Sharing privileges, more like," Pina said happily. "Taking him out to play is the most enjoyable part of our day. It is the trips to the waste pit in the middle of the night that we argue and haggle over like two light wings fighting over food."

Lily paused in confusion, envisioning Pina frantically pleading with Dew to let her have the privilege of braving the freezing cold so that a fledgling could relieve himself in the intended place instead of the middle of their side-cavern, before she realised what she'd meant "There's got to be a better comparison," she laughed.

"Maybe," Pina agreed. "In any case, we have much in common, and she is a very agreeable change of pace from Cressa and Grass. I think I had forgotten what pleasant company was like."

"I think I'm forgetting about that too, aside from Crystal." Lily looked around, marvelling at the modest but thankfully clear chamber around them. "And personal space. How do you and Dew not have others crowding in here on Claw's orders?"

Strangely, that innocent question elicited a subtle wince from Pina, though she quickly covered it up by shifting and pretending that she had just meant to move anyway. "Oh, he decided not to burden us with others," she said, then looked down at the male fledgling "This little one _does_ sometimes wake up and screech for attention."

"That's not a reason," Lily asserted bluntly. "Or not the only reason. I'll figure it out if you don't tell me, so save us both the time, please."

"Claw came and had a 'talk' with me about what I did to Cressa," Pina admitted with a resigned sigh, not looking at Lily. "And Dew still limps from her own 'talk' from back when Pearl disappeared. I suspect he does not want anyone spending too much time close enough to us to notice."

Lily felt a rush of pure rage, one fueled by guilt. She had not even noticed anything off about Pina or Dew, and she was supposed to be better, more observant, than the rest of the pack! "What did he do to you?" she snarled.

"Nothing that is obvious," PIna said bitterly. "Nothing I would not have reasoned away as him 'getting carried away' before all of… this. But it _was_ painful, and is still visible if I lay on my side, so it makes sense. We certainly are not in his good graces and getting this privacy as a reward for good behavior."

Lily made a note of that; practically speaking, she needed to remember that Pina and Dew were not perfectly innocent of wrongdoing in Claw's eyes. That made going to them for assistance in anything clandestine slightly more risky, for both them and her.

But on the less practical side of things… "I want to see," she requested.

"No," Pina answered firmly. "Please, do not press me on it. It is not important."

"If you say so," Lily agreed, resolving to pay very close attention to Pina until she had an idea of what had been done. Her paws and tail and entire _life_ at the moment told her all she wanted to know about Claw's methods, but every bit of information she could glean made her assessment of him more accurate and thus more useful.

"I am glad you understand. Now," Pina warbled, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What is Crystal to you?"

Lily tilted her head, confused, and shrugged her wing shoulders aimlessly. "I just told Dew, she's my best friend. Is something about that unclear?"

"With you, anything can be unclear, because I am not sure I would know a cover-up from unspun truth," Pina said bluntly. "So I am just going to take a shot in the dark here and tell you that what you are feeling is totally acceptable."

"Okay…" Lily rumbled. She had no idea what Pina meant, but clearly Pina had some sort of mistaken idea as to what was really going on, so the easiest way to understand was to just wait and hear Pina out before admitting she really had no idea what was meant by any of it.

"And your situation makes it entirely okay because there is no such thing as being faithful in an abomination of a commitment that you did not choose," Pina continued consolingly. "But for your own safety, keep it very, very hidden. Claw would either be very angry, or very interested, and for you I cannot say which would be worse."

Lily nodded noncommittally, wondering what she was missing. She didn't see the connection; Pina was speaking of breaking commitment to Claw that wasn't really commitment, which was clear enough, but had also spoken of Crystal. Were they talking about a male friend she would understand, but…

She warbled uncertainly, looking over at Crystal, and then back at Pina. "Honestly," she admitted, "I do not understand." It really felt like she should, like she was missing something obvious, but the pieces just didn't fit with what she knew.

"I am asking if you are attracted to your friend," Pina revealed, flicking her tail in Crystal's general direction, her voice soft. "But since you did not even understand the question, I suppose you have already answered it."

"I wasn't aware that could _happen_ ," Lily replied, still turning the idea over in her head. She didn't even know how that would _work_ , and it seemed pointless unless she was totally mistaken about there needing to be a male involved _somewhere_ to get an egg.

"It certainly is not common," Pina agreed, "but it was a possibility. You are very close with your friend, and given your situation, I thought it more likely than not."

"Well, that is not happening," Lily asserted, confident that she could speak for her own heart. She liked males, though there were none around that she specifically wanted, and many she would not have anything to do with no matter what. When she imagined her ideal mate, her mind immediately went to a male light wing, one with strong features and a strong mind to match.

"I would not disapprove if it was," Pina offered. "Do not worry about that. I can see the appeal."

Lily shook her head, dropping back down onto all four paws and looking Pina in the eye. "No, really. I am not lying. I do not want anyone right now, but if I did, I would want a male. What you are talking about doesn't appeal to me at all."

"I just wanted to be sure." Pina shrugged her wings casually, her eyes dropping to stare at the floor, her ears drooping slightly. "I cannot help but feel terrible for you."

"And I cannot help that," Lily replied, lying down next to Pina and extending a wing over her back, subtly acting far more like a Dam than she probably would were she not mindful of the reputation she was trying to build. Even with Pina, it could not hurt, and might even help Pina cope with her guilt by removing some of the responsibility she felt she held.

"I should be doing this for you," Pina grumbled. "You are the one trapped in a bad situation."

"You're just as trapped," Lily countered. She initially left it there, but only a heartbeat later something else occurred to her. "Unless, that is, you were also being serious a moment ago."

"About what?" Pina asked, a confused lilt to her voice.

"You said you could 'see the appeal'," Lily said carefully, not wanting to accidentally come off as accusing. "And you told me to be very careful to keep it secret from Claw. Is there something I should know?" Now that she knew it was a possibility, she had to ask, though nothing she had ever seen from Pina leapt out at her now as being meaningful in retrospect.

"No," Pina chuffed. "I am… _was_ … loyal to Claw." She whined softly. "It is all so broken and wrong now…"

"How did that start?" Lily asked, partially to keep Pina's attention and partially out of curiosity. "I mean, it seems like you had even more options than most females."

"Not really," Pina huffed. "Back then he was strong and young and charming, and I definitely did not mind the idea of ending up one of his. I did not particularly like any of the males available in my season-cycle, and did not really look to the females, because nothing would have come of that even if I did find one who felt the same."

"Why not?" Even as Lily asked, she saw the obvious answer. Even if it was commonplace, which it definitely was not if she was only now finding out that it existed, Claw would never allow something that took two potential females away from him in one fell swoop. Something like that, were it allowed at all, would irritate him, to say nothing of any other problems it might have.

"It simply is not done," Pina explained. "And as I said, I was more than happy to let the inevitable happen. Back then, he had far fewer mates, so we all got more attention."

"So basically, you didn't mind and just let it happen," Lily summarized, going back to staring at her now totally relaxed and gently snoring friend. "And it wasn't obvious how terrible he was, because…"

"Because I was not looking and because it is not easily noticeable," Pina continued in a low voice. "Pearl was the first real sign that something was wrong, the first one that I could not ignore and explain away as an unfortunate fit of anger or some other benign chance, and it took you implying that there was more to even get me looking. Then, of course, he made it obvious."

"Yes." And that would be his downfall. Taking his own daughter openly was a bold move, and it _was_ coming back to bite him already, giving her an easy crack in his authority to exploit with people she didn't even know, like Mist. It seemed that he tried to keep his more flagrant abuses quiet, but that one couldn't have been hidden, and in going for it he had made a large mistake.

Really, Lily realized, Claw had let greed and lust get the better of him. If it were her, she would have ignored the temptation, dismissing it as too destabilizing to her image to be worth it, and moved on.

"This will not last forever," Pina rumbled sadly. "But I _was_ happy for a long while, even without an egg. Now… Even if he let you go tomorrow, I would not be able to go back and be happy with him again. I know too much."

Lily, lacking any sort of verbal response that felt adequate, shifted her wing on Pina's back, reminding the other light wing that it was there, and settled more firmly against her side. Wordless comfort was all she could offer, and all that Pina could in turn provide, because neither of them had the power to promise a better future. To work toward it, yes, but not to promise it.

O-O-O-O-O

"Yes, pick it up like that," Pina instructed, her mouth wide to demonstrate how Crystal was supposed to be holding her egg, though devoid of an egg or prop to symbolize one, she looked far more silly than instructive. "Now let your teeth out to block it from sliding right back out."

"'Ike 'is?" Crystal asked, her voice all but unintelligible, her tongue blocked by the egg that barely fit in her mouth. Her teeth slowly slid out into place, her gums contracting and forcing the needle-esque spikes out into position.

"Yes, perfect," Pina praised. "Now let us go quickly, because that does not feel good to hold long. Your jaw will be sore."

Lily followed along behind her cavern-Dam and best friend as they quickly made their way out into the corridor, Pina taking the lead with the air of someone entirely willing to bite and shove if that was what it would take to get wherever she was going quickly. Luckily for everyone, nobody got in their way.

Lily felt like she was an observer at the moment, though she certainly did not mind Pina taking the lead for the time being. It was obviously making Pina feel better about herself to have something to do, and it might be easier for her to get everything done and settled if Honey and Claw were still messing around with the side-cavern.

Crystal wasn't objecting to being led around and told what needed to be done, either. She had been unusually quiet since waking, though not so downtrodden as to truly worry Lily.

Pina did not slip through the crack in the wall that let out into their side-cavern so much as push her way through, somehow avoiding scraping her sides on the sharp edges. Crystal followed her in, and Lily quickly did the same, hoping against hope that-

"Ah, Pina," Claw purred as they entered. "What brings you here?"

"Just helping a new Dam out," Pina said briskly, her voice deceptively light. "I will not be long."

"Honey needs no help," Claw replied. "She has males waiting on her paw and tail whenever she wants."

"Oh, good," Pina replied quickly. "They will be able to help Crystal too." She ushered Crystal along with her tail in such a way that her own body was between the two of them, somehow making it not look as awkward to accomplish as it undoubtedly was. "She had a hard laying."

"Did she, now?" Claw asked, sidling around, only to be blocked by Pina's outwardly innocent movement. Lily purred quietly in approval; she would have to figure out how Pina was making her movements seem so random and unintentional while totally blocking Claw. It was an act of subtlety she hadn't thought her cavern-Dam capable of. "I did not know she was with egg."

"Neither did she," Lily offered, having looked around and ascertained that Honey was not at the moment present to object. Claw had been waiting alone in the chamber, which was in itself disturbing if she thought about it.

"Right here," Pina instructed, turning her back on Claw and subtly flaring her wings to keep him from getting too close. "Set it down and curl around it, yes, that is right. If you start cramping up in the night, wake Lily and pass it off to her. Lily, you see how it is done?"

Lily walked over, helpfully contributing to Pina's blockade with her own body, playing along. "Yes, I see. And we do not have to do anything but keep it warm and wait?"

"Well," Pina hummed, making it sound like she was just thinking of it for the first time, "Crystal will need to heal and rest, but other than that, no." She narrowed her eyes and flicked her ears in Claw's direction, her small movement unseen by him. "That is just common sense."

Lily nodded eagerly, deciding to add her own ploy to Pina's fairly thorough attempt to dissuade Claw without outright telling him what to do. "Yes. If she cannot rest, she might be permanently hurt."

"Not that," Crystal rumbled. "I am tired, anyway." The alert look in her eyes defied that statement, and Lily knew she had just slept for part of the day, but it was obviously a lie meant to contribute to driving Claw away.

"I think she is settled," Claw said firmly, walking around Pina's wings to rudely poke his head in and stare at Crystal. "Now, do you have somewhere else to be, Pina? I did not send you to share a side-cavern with Dew just to have you sleeping elsewhere when the mood strikes."

"No, you did not," Pina agreed. "But it is not a bad side-cavern. Visit us tonight?"

"I have other plans," Claw rumbled. "But I will walk you out." His tone made it clear that he wasn't making an offer so much as telling her what was going to happen.

Lily huffed a tentative sigh of relief once Claw and Pina were gone. "How likely do you think it is that she'll tempt him enough to get him to forget about us for tonight?"

"I do not know. But she certainly tried," Crystal said quietly. "Did you ask her to do that?"

"No, but that's just who she is," Lily replied proudly. "She knows you need to avoid Claw at least long enough to recover, so she did what she could to make that happen. You did pretty much the same for me when I couldn't move."

Crystal grumbled noncommittally and closed her eyes, never having moved from the position Pina had led her to assume, her body curled in a tight circle around the white orb-

"Odd," Lily said, realizing something. "Honey must have taken hers with her." Carrying an egg around seemed to be an annoying task, though. Maybe one of the males Claw had assigned to her was doing it for her.

"I do not care about hers," Crystal said slowly. "Lily…"

"Yes?" Lily sat down across from Crystal, positioning herself so that her back was to the majority of the chamber. Crystal would tell her if someone came in without making any noise and thus without catching her attention.

"You will help me, right?"

"With everything. Of course."

"Thank you. I would do the same for you… Though I hope I never have to."

"You won't," Lily said, knowing that what Crystal would take as a hopeful assertion was actually stone-cold fact. It didn't bother her, but at the same time it did, if only because she could not change it if she ever wanted to.

A heavy silence fell over them, one unbroken by their quiet breathing and occasional shifting of position, scales sliding against newly-smoothed stone. Every heartbeat brought Lily a little more relief, because the absence of Claw as time passed made it more and more likely that Pina had succeeded in distracting him.

"Today was a terrible day," Crystal murmured, breaking the silence only briefly.

That certainly was true, at least from Crystal's perspective. A pained day full of uncertainty and likely conflicted emotions over the egg did not seem like a good day by any measure.

But, looking at it objectively… Lily couldn't call it a bad day. It was a necessary one, and a resolution to uncertainty. Now it was no longer in question whether Crystal had an egg, and therefore there would be no more uncertainty or worry on that subject. That, combined with the interesting conversation with Pina, and the apparent success at keeping Claw away, seemed to at least balance Crystal's discontent.

At least it had not gone any worse. Lily could imagine a dozen different ways things could have gone wrong, and she was thankful she was only imagining them in retrospect. The egg was here, Crystal was being allowed to recover, and life would go on. Everything was still in motion, slowly but surely, and the egg would not slow either of them down much in working toward their ultimate goal. Claw would fall eventually, and that day had not been postponed.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Wow, not a lot happened this chapter, even by this story's standards. But these were all scenes I certainly could not skip; imagine me just flipping to the next morning and starting with 'oh, and Crystal had hers too', to say nothing of skipping our first meeting with Pearl's now-named Dam and Sire.**


	18. Persistent

_**Author's Note:**_ **Did I say a** **day early? I meant nine** _ **late**_ **. No, not really, just that it ended up being that way anyway. Past this little delay, everything should go up on Mondays for the next few weeks, and with no delays due to lack of time to write.**

Lily didn't like the feeling of having forgotten something important. It was a nagging worry that just wouldn't go away, one that she couldn't ignore because it was entirely possible she _had_ forgotten something. She knew better than to dismiss it, no matter how much she might hope it was a baseless fear.

She shifted, her eyes still stubbornly closed, though the irrational racing of her heart promised no more sleep to be had. She had woken with a start, but there was no reason. None aside from the certainty that she was missing something.

A quick look around yielded no hints. Everyone was where they usually slept, everyone was asleep, and nobody else was around. There were no intruders, no clandestine conversations being held in secret. The latter really was something only she and Crystal did, anyway.

Her next check was not one done by sight. She shifted her tail, feeling along Crystal's side, and quickly located the end of her tail, sliding it aside to feel the warm, smooth texture of her egg. All was well with that, too.

So it was not something currently going wrong. She still felt as if she was not noticing something, or had forgotten something important. What was it? She had so much going on, so many little hints and threads left hanging, that she might never notice if one had gone wrong, but then why would she be worried at all?

Crystal shifted in her sleep, her side pressing against Lily a little more firmly. Her breathing quickened for a while, and then slowed back down to something approaching normal, all without any apparent reason.

What was bothering her? Crystal and her egg were fine. Pina and Dew had seemed more or less content, barring the injuries Claw had inflicted on them, and there was nothing Lily could do about that. Diora was a problem, but one Lily planned to deal with when the time was right. None of that was going to come back and bite her if she did not do anything about it, so her unease did not stem from any of them.

But who else was there, if not them? The obvious answer was not helpful; of course, Claw was a danger, but what mattered was _how_ , and that required she know what she was missing. If she did nothing, what would he do? How would inaction come back to bite her?

What did Claw normally do that she would not want to see happen again?

Lily exhaled loudly as it came to her. If she didn't do anything, if she continued on her current course, another ceremony would soon come around, and more young males might die. She should be interfering, stopping that from happening in one way or another. Now, when everyone was packed together and privacy thus easier to obtain if one was willing to be outside, was the perfect time to start on that.

She needed to prevent any more deaths, and in the process ideally gain a few more like-minded fledglings on the cusp of adulthood. And she needed to do it now, before Claw got around to manipulating the males into wanting to challenge, before anyone got their minds set on what was going to happen.

That had to be it. The lingering sense of having forgotten something important didn't disappear with her realization, but she felt comfortable ignoring it now that she understood the cause. Forgetting something terrible and preventable that happened every season-cycle _was_ a stupid and gut-wrenching thing. Suddenly remembering it even made sense, given what had happened just that day; seeing Crystal with an egg of her own would of course draw her mind to the male who _should_ have been the one to Sire said egg, and thus by extension to how he died.

Not to say she _consciously_ thought of any of that, but clearly it was lurking in the back of her mind, for her to wake in the middle of the night worrying about it. Maybe she had dreamed of it; she didn't remember, but many dreams didn't last upon waking.

And now that she had reminded herself to take action, she could try and salvage the rest of the night. Between her usual subtle insinuations and hints, helping care for two eggs, withstanding Claw, and now also somehow managing to prevent deaths at the next ceremony, she was going to need all the rest she could get.

O-O-O-O-O

The sound of wet fish slapping against stone was a strange one; on the one paw, annoying because it pulled Lily from a pleasant doze, and on the other, extremely appealing because it was fish. Lily wavered between annoyance and hunger until the smell wafted over. Her stomach settled her internal conflict with a loud rumble.

"Is this enough?" she heard a male asking diffidently. That combined with the presence of fish was more than enough to clue her in as to what was going on.

"For now. Come back later in case I want more," Honey replied happily. "Wait, no, stay here and wait for me."

"We have our own families to provide for," the male replied with more than a hint of irritation. "Claw only told us to bring fish to you in the morning."

"I can get Claw to change that," Honey threatened.

"Fine," the male sighed. "My daughter can wait, I suppose." His voice was so downcast Lily was almost certain he was faking it, or at least exaggerating. "She always whines when I am late, and I suppose now she will have no food at all for as long as you keep us here…"

"Just go," Honey whined, sounding extremely guilty. "I have enough, go."

"Of course," the male said quickly, leaving as he spoke, if the sound of claws on stone was any indication.

Lily pushed down her surprise and thought about what she had just learned. Honey could be guilt-tripped into certain things with the right approach, and at least one of Claw's males was adept at exactly that sort of manipulation. She would have to discreetly find out who that male was; skill at manipulation was not something she could ignore. He would make a particularly valuable ally.

Or a particularly dangerous foe, if she could not coopt him in a safe way. Without knowing who he was, she couldn't be sure that he would be susceptible.

Then again, she thought to herself, she had yet to find someone who would not listen when she actually _tried_ to convince them of something, aside from the obvious outliers of Bone, Claw, Cressa, and possibly Diora. It seemed unlikely that some random male who had at least a small amount of intelligence would be like them; they were exceptions, not the rule.

Then her stomach rumbled again, and she realized that she was lying almost within reach of a pile of fish, hungry but not actually doing anything about it. Her eyes snapped open almost of their own accord, and she put aside her musing to deal with more immediate concerns.

"These are mine," Honey immediately hissed, glaring directly at Lily. A small pile of fish, more than one dragon could comfortably eat in one sitting but not so large as to be ludicrously more than needed, was right in front of her. There was something amusing about the way she glared at Lily from behind the pile.

"If you will not share, then I will not ask," Lily declared, giving up the hope of easy food. She would just steal from the pile meant for Claw and his mates, as she always did. Having food delivered right to one's chamber was only necessary if one couldn't leave.

Like, say, if one had an egg. Lily looked over at Crystal, and then at Honey, who was busying herself with pawing through the pile and looking at her food, only occasionally taking one. The contrast was painfully obvious. The compliant, happy mate got pampered, and the unhappy, resistant mate got absolutely nothing.

"Will you share with your fellow new Dam when she wakes?" Lily asked softly. She expected that the answer would be no, but if she thought of Honey as her fledgling, just like the rest of the pack, she could stop herself from being angered by that, and possibly even correct it.

"Claw said not to," Honey replied quickly. "He said I should not share."

"I did not ask if you _should,_ " Lily continued in a soft voice, meeting Honey's gaze with what she hoped was a calm, expectant look. "I asked if you _will_."

"Claw does not want me to."

"Why?"

"I do not know and I do not care," Honey declared. "You just want some for yourself."

"If you offered me some right now I would not take it," Lily said firmly. "This is not about me. Will you?"

"She can get her own," Honey grumbled. "Claw had them bring fish for me, not her."

"Why?" Lily asked, keeping her voice calm. She hadn't even risen from her place by Crystal's side, which was an intentional decision on her part. This had to remain a calm, quiet discussion, so as to not wake anyone else or get Honey mad and uncooperative.

"Why?" Honey seemed confused by that question. She tilted her head, staring at Lily. "Because."

"Why you and not her too?" Lily asked. She thought she had the tone and attitude right; Honey was acting more and more like a fledgling who was being lectured by her Dam, and hadn't once protested Lily's tone. That meant she was subtle enough that Honey didn't realize that was _exactly_ the feeling she was trying to impart.

"Because..." Honey shrugged her wings. "I do not know."

Lily felt like she was going in circles, but she pressed on anyway. "Can you guess?"

"No," Honey said sullenly.

"I can," Lily replied. "And I think you already know what I would say, so we can just go without saying it." Worst-case scenario, if Honey told all of this to Claw, Lily wanted to be able to truthfully deny saying anything against him. She could easily spin all she had said to Honey into being an attempted lesson in sharing, and a mistaken belief that Honey had lied about Claw's request of keeping her food to herself. It would be simple to deflect any suspicion on Claw's part; he already knew Lily cared about Crystal, and the rest could all be attributed to that as long as she kept it vague.

"I will share if it gets you to stop bothering me about it," Honey announced petulantly, not meeting Lily's gaze, now, staring down at the pile that was _just_ a little too big to be a coincidence.

Lily would bet, were there anything of value to wager and anyone to wager with, that Claw had given the males he assigned to Honey very specific instructions on how much fish to give her. It fit with why he had not moved her out of this small side-cavern in the first place, if he wanted to pamper her. He wanted to make the contrast obvious[3] . Crystal being with egg was just a lucky coincidence to make it hurt all the more.

None of that was as important as what Honey had just said, however. "You will?" Lily asked, trying to keep the incredulity she felt out of her voice.

"Yes, so can we stop talking about it?" Honey requested rudely, lowering her head to hide behind the pile of fish.

"We can," Lily granted, still surprised. She had not expected Honey to so easily change her mind and go against Claw, even if in such a small way.

Then again, she hadn't expected Honey to be guilted into letting that male leave, either. She needed to revise her opinion of Honey; she clearly had a conscience, even if it didn't always show in her actions or words. There was good in her, buried but present.

That made Lily happy; she purred quietly to herself. She felt like progress had been made, however slight, and was content with it. When Crystal woke, she not find a tantalizing pile of food barred from her out of spite on Claw's part. It would be an unexpected and decidedly pleasant surprise, coming from Honey, which could only serve to improve Crystal's mood further.

"Who will watch the eggs today?" Honey asked, breaking the brief silence between them. "I want to go out flying tomorrow, so I cannot do so then. It is you and Crystal who will cover for me, right?"

Lily nodded agreeably. "Right, I can take care of the eggs tomorrow," she offered. Her days were mostly unproductive out of necessity _anyway_ ; this at least was an activity that she would have to partake in whether or not lying low was necessary. She would not feel she was wasting time when she cared for the eggs.

"I can do today, then," Honey concluded, "And Crystal the day after you."

"Of course." Lily knew for a fact that Crystal had as much free time as she did; that addition to her responsibilities would not be difficult for her to manage.

The rotating schedule they had just set up did have another consequence, Lily realized. She would be devoid of a spy one day out of every three, with Honey reliably stuck in their chamber. Assuming Claw did not set someone else to cover her, that was…

But if he was going to do that, he probably hadn't yet. Lily resolved to keep an eye out for a potentially more competent spy.

Then her stomach complained once more, gurgling so loudly she flinched at the noise, and she rose to her paws. Finding out whether she had a new light wing tailing her could wait, and so could looking into the next season-cycle of fledglings. Right now, she had a routine bit of thievery to perform and a simple need to sate.

O-O-O-O-O

Her hunger assuaged and her options limited, it wasn't even noon before Lily found herself seeking out information on the next season-cycle's upcoming adults. Crystal was nowhere to be found, apparently having gone for a long flight to clear her head, and so Lily found herself turning to her next best source of information on the younger side of the pack.

Not directly, of course; Mist had made clear her desire to be indistinguishable from the rest of the pack. Lily just _happened_ to plop down right next to Mist by way of visibly seeking a good place to hunker down and warm up in the crowded main cavern, by _chance_ deciding to wedge her way between Mist and the snoring male next to her.

"That is my Sire you are poking," Mist observed quietly, looking straight ahead as if she didn't care.

"He's a sound sleeper," Lily replied, not at all embarrassed by being caught carefully shoving at the sleeping male next to her in an attempt to gain just a little more space. "I have a question for you."

"Ask and I will try to answer," Mist said quietly, still refusing to even make eye contact. In the loud commotion of the cavern, their words would go unheard by anyone around them, so as long as she did not appear to be engaging in conversation, nobody would notice.

"I need to know everything you know about the males and females who will be joining you at the ceremony this coming hot-season," Lily said bluntly, "starting with how many of each there are, and their names."

"That is easy," Mist purred, sounding relieved. "There are six of us. Myself, Danda, and Liona are competing for Root, Cedar, and Ash."

"Three each," Lily mused. That would make things easy; she had feared there would be more males than females, like her own season-cycle. All she had to do to prevent death was ensure the natural outcome of such a grouping proceeded as it should. "Tell me about them."

"The males?"

"Everyone you spoke of," Lily clarified. "Start with the males, though." She wanted to match the males to the females, not the other way around, because the males had to be sure of their choices in order to _want_ to ensure they remained alive to actually choose. Convincing the females to go along with her matchups would be necessary, but beginning with the males made more sense.

"Root is quiet, easy to tease, and totally his Dam's little hatchling sometimes," Mist said quickly, her eyes slowly travelling around the crowded chamber, lingering on everyone _but_ Lily. In that respect she was entirely indistinguishable from everyone else, though for a different reason.

"Cedar," she continued a moment later, "is a show-off who truly believes he should have the pick of us females. He likes to chase whoever he thinks is going to be the most impressive as a mate, an opinion that changes with every passing day. Ash is an idiot who likes to ram his head into trees out in the forest just to watch them shake."

The trees… Something twinged in the back of Lily's mind, but she ignored it. She knew that she needed to get out into the forest for Crystal's sake, but the males were still taking turns guarding the frigid skies and ensuring neither she nor Crystal left the valley. For now, there was nothing to be done.

"As for the females, Danda and Liona are sisters," Mist revealed. "Danda is older by three moon-cycles, and from what I have heard, Liona's egg was an accident. Having two so close together does seem like a bad idea, so I believe that."

"It does seem hard," Lily agreed.

"Yes. But do not say anything about it to Liona. Danda uses it as an insult when she is really mad at her little sister, and it is a sore spot," Mist advised. "Danda is spiteful when angered, but usually calm, so you only see that every once in a great while. Liona is quiet and careful. That is all I have for you."

"Thank you," Lily purred. "But there is one more thing."

"Yes. Why do you need to know?" Mist asked bluntly. Her eyes flicked over to Lily for a single heartbeat before returning to their ranging of everything _but_ her.

"I plan to ensure that no male dies, and no female lacks a mate," Lily revealed. It was a goal that had no obvious treasonous undertones unless one knew that Claw verbally pushed the males into challenging so as to have more females for himself, so it was relatively safe to reveal, and Mist-

"A very good goal," Mist remarked vehemently, almost turning her head to look at her before remembering why they were not conversing normally in the first place and correcting herself. "How will you know who should be paired with who?"

"I will reason through it," Lily replied confidently. "Do Liona or Danda have preferences?" That would need to be taken into consideration.

"Not that I know. I just know that Danda may very well choose the same male as Liona if she is feeling spiteful when she makes her choice. I myself cannot choose. All three have their weak points."

"Best to look at the bright sides, then," Lily said carefully. "Tell me one good thing about each of them." She knew Mist and had asked her for her help in getting started, so it seemed only fair she figure out Mist's part of the puzzle first. There were only three possible pairings, so it shouldn't be hard.

"One good thing?" Mist shrugged her wing shoulders. "I suppose Cedar wants to be respected, if he wants the best possible mate. Ash would be easily led around if I wanted. Root seems to think everything is a story in the making. He is funny like that."

Lily purred at the amusement in Mist's voice. "I think it's obvious that you'd be best suited to Root," she said. "He is the only one you could come up with a positive for that did not sound forced."

Mist blinked, otherwise hiding her surprise quite well. Only her eyes gave it away. "I had not thought of it like that," she admitted. "I do not really like him so much, but he _is_ entertaining to listen to when he gets like that. I could do worse."

"I'll get back to you on it," Lily decided, standing and deftly avoiding Mist's Sire as she stepped away. "Any idea how I could find any of the others without obviously asking around?"

"We all get together to do things every few days," Mist revealed. "We fly around over the valley, most of the time. Just follow us when we do that."

"I will," Lily promised. That was convenient; not only would she be able to find them all discretely, she would be able to observe them together. She had only just started, but already her plan to avert death and deprive Claw of any new mates was well on its way.

O-O-O-O-O

That night, Lily returned to the side-cavern to find something abominable already occurring. She slipped through the entrance and hunched over in the far corner, hating herself for being able to do nothing more than cover her own ears. The muffled sounds of pain that got through her imperfect defense hurt her heart and made her hope a single day's reprieve was enough. Pina had not been around to lure Claw away this night.

Then it was her turn, and she bore it, though her body felt battered and abused once it was over. She slept badly that night, and did not feel as though she had rested at all.

But life continued on, regardless of whether she might want it to pause and let her rest a little before continuing, and early the next morning Honey set her egg right in front of her.

"Take good care of it," Honey warned, sounding uncharacteristically solemn. "Please?"

Lily, groggy and aching all over, looked up at Honey with bleary eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," she quipped, forcing herself to ignore the pain. It would not help anything to have Honey worried over nothing, though it was another good sign that she would worry at all. "I promise."

"Thank you," Honey purred.

Lily pulled the egg down to rest between her and Crystal, tucking it up right next to Crystal's own. There was no fear of mixing them together and losing track of whose was whose; each had its own distinctive smell, a mixture of Dam and Sire along with the sharp scent of eggshell and whatever else lay within. Lily was entirely sure she could have sorted any number of eggs out so long as they were all from different pairings.

Crystal shifted and woke, possibly confused by the multiplication of round, heat-absorbing objects against her side. "It is early," she moaned.

"Honey does not seem to care," Lily remarked. "You can sleep late. I know I will." Ignored or not, her pain meant that her body needed time to recuperate. The same was undoubtedly true for Crystal.

Crystal groaned unintelligibly, shifting on her stomach. She sounded miserable. "No flying… Today."

"Not today," Lily agreed. She would much rather her friend rest, even if it was one of her days free of the responsibility of caring for her egg. Claw's attention had not been kind to either of them, but that was just one of the hazards of the horrible place they found themselves in. It could only be weathered in the present, and hopefully stopped in the future. For now, all they could do was endure.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily couldn't remember the last time she had been truly alone, entirely out of sight of absolutely anyone else. She was not alone even now, though the chamber was empty aside from her and the eggs she kept warm. Someone could walk in at any moment.

This was not solitude. It was close, but not quite. Lily was staring at her tailfin, willing the few tiny patches of thin membrane to thicken up and pull together faster. She _could_ risk flying now, and it would more than likely be fine, but to fail would be to deprive the pack of the only one who could save and fix them. It was irresponsible to risk herself when she could _see_ that a little more time spent waiting would guarantee a favorable outcome.

So, for now, she could only think back and contemplate just how long it had been since she enjoyed the freedom of knowing that absolutely nobody could walk in on her at any moment, or fly up to her, or seek her out. Since Cressa had grounded her, for sure, but in the days leading up to that she had not really seen a need for solitude, so possibly even longer than that. She missed it.

Maybe Crystal missed it too. She had said she was going out for water, fish, and nothing more, but it had been far too long for that to be true. Lily did not begrudge her friend deciding to stay out longer; if she felt up to it, she might as well. Only one of them had to remain behind for the day, and Lily had volunteered to be that light wing today. Crystal would be taking her place tomorrow.

So, for now, alone but not _really_ alone, Lily eyed her tail and occasionally hummed something soft and meaningless for the benefit of the eggs. She felt as if she should be doing something more, like talking to the eggs, telling stories or teaching lessons, but it all came back around to solitude and privacy.

She did not want to risk talking when anyone could walk in at any moment. They were not truly alone, the three of them, so she could not say anything for fear of accidentally crossing from innocent topics to something dangerous. It was a silly fear, given she had more than enough self-control to keep herself from doing so, but it held her back all the same.

It also gave her something to ponder and distract herself with, which was why she was thinking about it at all. Distraction was good, and it just wasn't possible to keep her mind on important things like planning and strategizing all the time; she knew all too well what it felt like to run her head into a mental wall over and over again in frustration, only to solve the problem the moment she stopped agonizing over it.

A soft bark broke Lily out of her introspection. "Come in," she called out, knowing only that the one barking was polite and female, thus ruling out anyone she would want to keep out.

Granite's Dam cautiously entered the chamber, glancing upward as her raised ears brushed the low ceiling. "Is Crystal here?" she asked.

"Not today. Tomorrow she will be here all day," Lily replied politely. "Did you come to congratulate her?"

"In a sense," Granite's Dam agreed, her voice quiet and withdrawn. She didn't seem all that happy, though that could very well just be her current disappointment at Crystal's absence.

"Well, she might return soon," Lily offered. "You can stay and wait a while." She wasn't going to let Granite's Dam feel unwelcome, and she _certainly_ wasn't going to let a chance at beginning to convert someone slip by untaken when it was so perfect.

"No, I will come back," Granite's Dam decided. She didn't leave immediately, though, looking at the eggs against Lily's side.

"When you do," Lily said, trying to lead Granite's Dam into a conversation, "try not to mention Claw."

"They are his," Granite's Dam said. "I should complement the Sire."

"She wouldn't really appreciate that." Lily wasn't liking what she was seeing in the other female's demeanor; there was far too little motivation and far too much caution.

"Maybe, but it is his due," Granite's Dam retorted.

"You didn't come here to complement _him,_ " Lily shot back. "And given we both know whose eggs Crystal would rather have had-"

"He is dead," Granite's Dam whined loudly. "We all have to move on."

"Moving on doesn't mean forgetting." Lily could sense that she wasn't getting through to her. The annoyed, resigned expression on the face of Granite's Dam was as far as one could get from being open to new ideas.

"But forgetting does mean I have moved on," she countered neutrally, seemingly unaware of how terrible that sounded, and slipped out of the chamber.

Lily was glad she had left when she did; that last comment was enraging, but she couldn't do anything with the eggs in her care. Even getting up to chase after Granite's Dam and continue the argument would endanger them, and she was _not_ going to fail her best friend and break her trust, not when there was any way to avoid it.

Besides, she shouldn't be mad at her anyway. She was just trying to cope _and_ not hate Claw, whatever her motives. The pain was still fresh, and Claw still all-powerful in her eyes. Surely she would not be so fatalistic and cold once there was a little more time between her and her loss.

Or perhaps not. Lily knew that she didn't need every single light wing to openly support her; in some cases, it might be enough to know that certain individuals wouldn't _oppose_ her aims. She wasn't about to settle for that just yet, but for the moment there was nothing more she could do except take Granite's Dam off of her mental list of easy marks. She would not be easy to convince if it could be done at all.

O-O-O-O-O

It was cold and windy outside, and Lily only bore it out of necessity. Crystal was watching the eggs, Honey was likely in the cavern as Lily could not imagine her bearing the cold outside just to spy, and the six light wings Lily was interested in were flying in the sky above.

This was where she needed to be, so she bore the wind, hunkering down between two high boulders near the pond. If anyone asked, she was just trying to get some fresh air, but in reality she was trying her best to watch those in the air above.

At first, even picking out who was who posed a challenge. They were too far away to easily note eye color when the wind forced narrowed eyes anyway, and the sun was obscured behind thick but intermittent clouds, meaning that glints were only visible upon occasion… And Lily didn't know the glints for anyone but Mist.

But once she picked Mist out in a moment of sunlight, she had somewhere to start from. It wasn't hard to discern male from female past that point; Mist was far more comfortable around the females, not having the prospect of mating with one of them in the back of her mind.

That, in turn, also clued Lily in to who Root was, because of the three males Mist always seemed to be watching or otherwise aware of one in particular.

Then, accompanied by a burst of frigid wind that had Lily hunkering down and shivering, another ray of sunlight gave her more information to work with. Root, fittingly enough, had a brown tint, while the females Danda and Liona both had shades of yellow. The other two males had a much more reddish-brown and an odd grey, which in turn named them for Lily. Cedar and Ash.

The fledglings were only up in the air for a short while, which was no surprise given the cold, but by the time they were swooping down to land near the plateau, Lily could put names to four of them. She couldn't tell which was Danda and which was Liona, but that was the only uncertainty left.

Lily ran low to the ground, keeping out of sight, and soon came to a place where she could observe the group, though the wind came from behind and blew her tail around conspicuously if she didn't concentrate on holding it still.

"It gets colder every day," either Danda or Liona was complaining, holding her wings close around herself, as if trying to trap in the heat being stolen from her by the biting wind.

"Next cold-season we will have each other to keep warm," Cedar remarked casually. "But for now…"

"For now, I do not care if nobody likes us doing this," Mist said firmly. "Root, are you in or out?"

"My Dam…"

"Would never know if you did not tell her everything," Ash interrupted. "Mine does not know."

"She likes to know," Root complained.

"And do you like to be lectured about how using our flames is impolite? I doubt it." Lily was fairly certain the sister that had spoken both times was Danda, by Mist's descriptions of her personality. She and her sister were nearly identical, save for differing tints of yellow in eyes and glints. Liona was a lighter yellow in both cases, but not by much.

"No… Fine, I will not tell if she does not ask," Root grumbled, inhaling deeply.

"I mean," Liona volunteered quietly, "you are the one who will get in trouble. You should not tell at all."

"I do not lie to my parents," Root replied, before unleashing a torrent of flame on the light wing closest to him, who happened to be Cedar. Cedar groaned in relief and leaned in, turning in a tight circle to let the heat cover him as thoroughly as possible.

Lily watched in amusement as the other fledglings all did the same, soon reducing each other to mostly-camouflaged shimmers in the air. She certainly didn't disapprove of them breaking the unspoken rule against flames in the valley; it was only practical that they do as much. In fact, their willingness to break that rule was encouraging. She didn't think she'd have a hard time with any of them.

"Now we have to wait until this wears off to go back into the cavern," Cedar remarked. "Remember that, Ash."

"I only forgot twice," Ash grumbled. A limb thumped into a body, probably him hitting Cedar with his tail. "Stop reminding me."

"If he does not you might up that count to three," Danda purred. "Which might be the highest you have ever counted."

There was an amused rumble that sounded to Lily like it came from several different light wings, and an annoyed grunt from Ash. "Which one are you, Danda?" he asked, inadvertently confirming Lily's assumption as to which voice and thus which sister was which.

"Right here," she volunteered. A single shimmer jumped up onto the plateau, heedless of the biting wind. "Come and get me!"

"I will!" Another shimmer, presumably Ash, leaped up to the plateau, only to be bodily knocked right back off, falling on top of the others.

Lily let herself rumble in amusement, sure that she would not be heard over the annoyed and startled barks from the fledglings. She was fairly certain her own group of fledglings had not played so easily with each other. Or she had not been present when it happened, but between herself and Pearl, who wouldn't be allowed to join such roughhousing, she was pretty sure it just didn't happen, not like this.

"I have the high ground!" Danda crowed.

"And I have allies!" Ash retorted. "Come on, help me Liona!"

"I do not want to pick sides," Liona demurred. "Cedar, you help him."

"Sounds fun," Cedar agreed. "On three, Ash?"

"On three, because I _can_ count to three," Ash growled. "I can count as high as I have claws." He said that with a perfectly straight voice, as if unaware that most light wings did not need their claws to count at all.

Nobody called him out on it, though, which impressed Lily. The countdown came and went, the males both leaped, and Danda knocked them both down. Of course, that wasn't the end of it; they had time and energy to burn and couldn't go back to the cavern until the evidence of their minor rule-breaking had dissipated.

Lily settled in to watch, contemplating possible matchups as she did. They all seemed to be on good terms with each other, which might have been why nobody had paired off yet; none of them would want to start fights and arguments with the others by doing so.

Of course, her intervention could circumvent that issue. She just had to get them all aimed at the right partners at the same time; that would mean there would be no arguments.

As for who the right partners would be? Lily was pretty sure they'd be more or less happy no matter how she arranged them, so long as everyone had a mate. She was pretty sure Mist would be _least_ content with Ash, simply because she thought of him as stupid, so that gave her a place to start.

Liona, Lily thought to herself as their games went on, probably shouldn't be put with Ash either. He might not be very bright, which was in itself not a bad thing, but he would need an assertive mate to correct him on occasion because of that. Liona was not assertive.

By elimination, that left Liona with Cedar, which seemed like a fine matchup, assuming Lily could convince Cedar and Liona that they wanted it. Cedar seemed full of confidence, and with the right prompting he could direct that toward helping Liona where she lacked in that area.

Cedar and Liona made one third of the puzzle complete. The other two thirds were easier to think about now. Danda and Mist were both assertive, but Mist shouldn't be with Ash, so Danda and Ash made the second pair, and Mist with Root the third, which was nice as Lily had already advised Mist that Root was best for her.

She shouldn't have done that, in retrospect, not knowing the full arrangement. At least it had worked out that way regardless, so her small mistake didn't matter.

Lily nodded to herself, watching the good-natured brawl that had descended upon the group of fledglings, though she could see little more than a tumbling mass of blurs from which sounds of laughter, annoyance, and defiance echoed out. She could set them to rights easily enough, and by the end of that all six of them would be grateful for her interference. That would make three mated pairs on her side, a huge gain compared to what she had now.

All was well, aside from her freezing, aching body. Lily tried to ignore the throbbing in her hips, hind legs, and chest, but it was getting harder as she got colder. Claw's work, souring even this moment of victory.

But even the pain was a victory. It was worse than before, which meant, by Pearl's example, that she was getting closer to the end of his abuse. He was expending more and more effort to get a rise out of her, but she had not broken completely, meaning he was working for almost nothing.

That must have been how it was with Pearl, too, but for a much sadder, darker reason. She had not been intentionally practicing blocking it all out, but she _had_ been growing more and more distant from everything, sad and withdrawn. The result was the same.

"Quiet!" Root hissed, garnering both the attention of his fellow fledglings and Lily. His voice was insistent and alarmed. "Someone is coming!"

The roiling mass of fledglings fell still and silent, becoming far less noticeable as it did. Lily herself might not have noticed it at first, which meant that most light wings wouldn't give them a second look.

Lily herself was just as intent on not being seen, for much the same reasons. She didn't want to be caught out here, spying on fledglings. At best, it would result in awkward questions.

"Get your tail out from between my legs," Mist hissed quietly. "Or I promise you I will bite it once they are gone."

"Sorry," Ash murmured. There was a small movement, and then everything was still and quiet again.

Lily caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. A light wing passing between the boulders off to the far side of the plateau, just within sight, heading out in the general direction of the burial grounds. They didn't even pass by closely enough for Lily to make out who they were.

Lily made a snap decision then, and carefully backed away from her vantage spot, leaving the fledglings to their soon to be resumed game. She was intrigued by the mystery light wing, because they were on paw and going somewhere that nobody had any real business going, not in this weather.

The problem with trailing stealthily in this scenario, she almost immediately discovered, was that she had to stay far enough back that if the other dragon looked over her or his shoulder they wouldn't see her, meaning she only sometimes caught glimpses of their tail. She still couldn't tell who she was following, though that tail seemed vaguely familiar.

They passed into the dark side of the valley, and she risked getting a little closer, because she knew this part of the valley better than most. She caught a glimpse of hindquarters, definitely feminine in shape, and limping slightly.

Then the other light wing stopped, and Lily dove for cover behind a low rock, crouching down and circling around to look at whoever this was from another angle.

Crystal. Lily blinked in surprise. Crystal was supposed to be watching the eggs today. She must have gotten someone else to cover for her, but why? Why was she out here in the cold, alone?

Lily felt the urge to announce her presence, but she held back. Something told her that she was not welcome here, now. Maybe it was the way her friend's shoulders slumped, or the way her head hung low, or the way she was staring at nothing in particular.

Lily had barely made the decision to stay out of sight when her friend began sobbing.

There was no other word for it; howling implied loud and vehement sorrow, while whining implied a piercing, simple sound. Crystal, standing in the burial grounds, looking down at the ground, was doing neither of those.

It was an ugly, painful sound. Her chest heaved and her voice cracked constantly, the halting sounds she made only barely recognizable as sorrowful. It was also an immensely sad sound, the kind that made Lily feel as if her heart had been torn out, thrown to the ground, and stamped on. The kind of sound she might have made out in the forest, mourning Pyre.

Lily abandoned all pretense at observing in secret only heartbeats after that sound started. She _could not_ listen impassively to that coming from _anyone_ , let alone her best friend. She slipped out from behind the rock and came up behind Crystal, saying nothing, letting her actions speak for her.

Crystal did not stop when she realized Lily was there, but not from lack of trying. She tried to get away from Lily's comforting wings, to speak, but she couldn't stop that terrible sound, now that she had started.

Lily, for her part, didn't let Crystal get away. She followed until Crystal bumped into a dead end, keeping her wings on her friend, trying vainly to comfort her. When Crystal realized she wasn't getting away, her head drooped even lower than before, and that terrible sound redoubled.

It was a terrible, ugly sound, one that wracked Crystal's whole body, but Lily didn't for a moment feel disgusted or driven away, even as it continued on for what felt like a very long time. She had absolutely no idea what to do aside from what she was already doing, so she just kept doing that and waited for it to stop. Only Crystal's words could tell her what had gone so terribly wrong, what new twisted strike of fate had broken her so completely, and Lily did not want to guess prior to being told, though she felt cold and worried beyond belief.

What had happened? Lily did her best to ignore that question, because speculating would only torture herself, and the answer would come eventually anyway. For once, there was nothing to be gained by anticipating and planning, because no matter what she planned, she could not leave her friend, and by the time she could leave she would know whatever the truth was anyway.

A long time later, the convulsions of sorrow that shook Crystal slowed, and then stuttered to a stop. She tried weakly to push Lily away, and failed. Lily held her friend close, Crystal's head against her chest and her back covered by wings stretched to their limit.

"You… y-you…" Crystal stuttered slowly, coughing in between words.

"I'm here," Lily hummed soothingly. "Whatever it is, I'm here."

But Crystal firmly shook her head, shying away. "You… were n-not… not suppo-osed… to see."

"Why not?" Lily asked comfortingly, holding the confusion from her voice with some difficulty. She had thought her friend trusted her.

"Not f-fair," Crystal gasped.

"What's not fair?" Lily had an inkling of what might be going on, but she couldn't be sure.

"It is…" Crystal inhaled deeply and tried to push away again, with no more success than before. "Not fair. You h-have it… s-so much worse."

Lily whined sadly. "I don't understand," she admitted.

"It is not fair!" Crystal insisted shrilly as she finally succeeded in pulling away. She stumbled and then stood there shakily, no longer attempting to flee, and looked at Lily's paws with her ears flat and her face the picture of sheer grief. "I cannot complain to you!" she continued, speaking in nothing but a single piercing whine that was just as difficult to understand as the sobbing. "It is all so much worse for you..."

"You comforted me," Lily murmured, beginning to understand, "but you don't think it's fair I do the same for you?" It was a stupid, wrong way of looking at it, but one she totally understood; one did not complain about a sprained paw if the person one was talking to was missing a paw. It would feel infantile and selfish to do so, even if it wasn't.

"How long have you been coming out here and breaking down?" Lily asked, unable to hold the question back. She had to know. How long had she fallen for her friend's façade and missed her suffering? How long had she been blind to this?

But Crystal just whined, shying back and head swaying as if trying to turn away. "You should not have seen…"

"Shut up." Lily said it firmly, but kindly. She felt terrible for Crystal, but Crystal felt far worse, and for once she knew exactly what to do without even thinking about it. "You're wrong."

Crystal shook her head, her bleary eyes wide and disbelieving.

"No, you are," Lily countered, walking forward and pressing her forehead against her friend's side. "You never had to hide your pain because you thought it _wasn't_ _as bad_ as mine."

"It is not, though!"

"Not as bad doesn't mean not worth showing," Lily growled. "Lay down."

Crystal did as told, though she buried her face in her paws and started sobbing again.

Lily lay down beside her, penning her in against the rock, and hopefully sheltering her from the wind. She threw a wing over her friend, this time unopposed, and settled into a comfortable position to look directly at her. "Tell me everything, and don't you _dare_ hold back because you think I suffered worse. What happened to medoesn't matter, not when what happened to _you_ is tearing you apart inside."

"You already know it all," Crystal moaned.

"Maybe, but this isn't about me." Lily was making this up as she went, but the general idea felt like a good one. Her friend was _too_ selfless, to hide her pain and come out to suffer in private. The only way to fix that was to force her to be selfish for once, to unburden herself and accept that it was not wrong to do so.

"I do not want to talk about it," Crystal ventured in a weaker voice, then shifted slightly to present Lily with the back of her head.

"Just tell me enough so that I know what you're feeling," Lily compromised, speaking gently and offering a comforting nuzzle. When that was met with only shaky breaths and sniffling, she gave a prompting nudge and tightened the wing's embrace. "Start with Claw." There was no way he wasn't a big part of this.

Confirming it with a strangled growl, Crystal tensed and hunched in on herself. "He is not the one I wanted," she said softly, so softly Lily had to strain to hear her. "I despise him. I want him _dead_. Every time he looks at me, I want to fly away or attack. Every time he…" A paw lifted to dig claws into her head. "I just wanted Granite," she said in the same continuous piercing whine, though not nearly as loud this time. "Just him. Not Claw. Not any of this. My friends are all gone, my mate is gone, you are all I have left, and you are suffering too."

Lily said nothing in response to that, sensing that Crystal was just getting started.

Sure enough, she continued in that shrill and distorted voice, a voice overflowing with hurt and longing and confusion. "I hate Claw. I want Granite. But now I have Claw's egg, and I love it because it is mine, because I should. But it is his too, and I do not want his. When I sleep, I smell the egg and smell Granite's scent mixed with mine, and it is so perfect and _right_ , and when I wake I feel like he died all over again. Every night, the same thing. I cannot even hate the egg for it, not when my best friend and my mate were both the same. Both Claw's." She suddenly looked up, though she still couldn't meet Lily's eyes and instead stared at her shoulder. "That egg is your sibling. Your half-brother or half-sister. Just like Granite. It is all so messed up."

Lily was glad she was good at hiding her emotions, and forced down that little revelation to stress about later; if she showed just how deeply that had struck her, Crystal would feel she was right to keep all this from her. But to be told it at all was good, a sign of trust. "Keep going," she urged. "I want to hear."

"It is not _fair!_ My parents do not understand, I cannot go to them for advice, or comfort, or anything, my Dam does not understand, Granite's Dam just seems to be trying to forget him, my friends are either dead, or missing, or not friends anymore because I am an adult and they are not." All said in a single breath, becoming increasingly strained, and then followed by a single sob and a long, keening whine.

"Just breathe," Lily advised gently, keeping her worry from her voice. "Keep going, but slow down and breathe." Calm and relaxation seemed the best mood to push, so as to not stress Crystal any further.

It appeared to work, as she took a shaky breath before speaking a little more coherently. "All I have is you, and our plans, and the egg now, and they are just not enough. I miss being happy..."

Lily whined, her composure cracked by that heartbreaking sentiment. "I understand," she managed. "Is there more?"

"W-when Claw m-mates me, I close m-my eyes and try to th-think of Granite," Crystal whimpered, her voice ashamed. "And it is s-so terrible of me, because Claw is h-his Sire, and he would not b-be so r-rough and uncar-ing, and I f-feel like I am defiling his m-memory, but it is the only way I can stand it!" She completely broke down again with that, sobbing and making long, wearily sad sounds that Lily had never heard from anyone before but that tore her apart even more viciously than Pyre had with his mourning. Pyre had never sounded quite so destroyed, possibly because by the time she knew him, he had already spent decades dealing with his losses.

Lily nuzzled into her friend, struggling to keep herself composed and completely at a loss for any words to respond with; on the one paw, she very much would rather not know that sort of intimate detail, but on the other she _had_ asked for everything, and Crystal had literally nobody else to turn to. She was still eager to get off the topic, though she felt terrible for it. "Anything else?"

Crystal took some long breaths and calmed a little, her wide and bleary eyes blinking heavily. "I hate everyone around us. I want to bite them and hurt them for not doing anything, for forcing us to suffer because they do not have any courage, but then I hate myself for wanting to hurt them. And I cannot make any new friends because how could I be friends with any of _them_ … I just feel so alone…"

That struck home, in a strange way that could not possibly have been intentional. Lily could not help but hear it as a condemnation of her own actions, of her failing to obtain the plant that would have prevented the egg that was confusing Crystal on top of everything else going on. Of her not even giving hope, because she thought disappointment would be worse, when her friend so clearly needed some sort of hope right now, more than anything.

"Anything else?" Lily repeated, feeling miserable.

Crystal moaned a few unintelligible words that Lily had to ask her to repeat, and they were moaned a bit louder. "Just how terrible a Dam I am going to be."

Lily stared incredulously at her friend. Where had _that_ come from? "How can you even say that?" she asked with a measured offense that her friend would think so poorly of herself.

Crystal keened, a long and pained tone, and leaned into the embrace. "I am going to be a terrible Dam because I will forever be disappointed that my child is not Granite's," she whined. "They will _hate me_ and be right to do so. Then Claw will kill or take them and I will be forced to watch them suffer..."

Before Lily could tell her what absolute nonsense that was, Crystal glanced across at her and then buried her face in her paws again, her voice rising back into a miserable shrill whine. "But at least my egg is _healthy_ , and my parents are not _forcing_ themselves on me-"

Lily pressed her wing down on her friend again and cut her off with a firm but light growl, seeing exactly where that was going. "No, that does not make what is happening to you any better, that is more than anyone should have to deal with," she said vehemently. "Never think your suffering is not worth speaking of just because you think mine is worse. You are right to be worried and upset and confused." She specifically did not add 'guilty' or 'depressed' to that list of adjectives; Crystal should be neither, and ideally none of the words she had said aloud, if she had anything to say about it.

"But I feel terrible for telling you all of that," Crystal admitted quietly.

"I feel terrible you felt you had to keep it from me," Lily retorted. "Not telling hurts more. I _want_ to help. You're my best friend. Even if I can't help, I want to know."

"I still feel bad about it, even knowing that."

"You have more than enough to feel bad about without adding baseless guilt to the list," Lily said firmly, nuzzling her friend's ear. "Not me. Never me. You haven't hurt me, and you haven't hurt your egg, and you haven't hurt Granite." That was obvious to her; many of Crystal's problems were worries about what someone would have or might think, when the former could never be known, and the latter not known yet.

"I guess that helps… A little…"

"Granite hurt _you_ , if anything, by challenging," she continued, heading off Crystal's objections before they could become more than a wordless grumble of protest. "But he was a good person and could not have done nothing, so I think you both just wanted him to win, to make everything right. He would understand that you miss him. How you cope with everything is nobody's fault."

Crystal sullenly pawed at the ground. "And the egg?"

" _My_ fault," Lily insisted, making a snap decision that she sincerely hoped would not ruin everything, even though it was risky.

Sure enough, Crystal didn't understand. "You are telling me _I_ am being ridiculous, do not start yourself."

"There is a plant in the forest," Lily explained, sticking to her decision, though it felt like the wrong one now. There was no turning back anyway. "With it, you could have avoided having eggs for as long as you wanted. I couldn't figure out a way to get it for you in time."

Crystal was silent for a moment.

"I am sorry," Lily whined. "Please forgive me for failing you. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to get your hopes up, and I still can't see a way to get it with that stupid guard stopping us from leaving at all…"

"The guard Claw put there," Crystal moaned. "Why does nothing work out for us? He does not even know but he kept us from it by chance."

"Terrible luck," Lily agreed. "I'm sorry for not telling you."

"You... You thought it was better that way." Crystal huffed sadly. "I do not know if it would have been any better to know... I trust you."

That was a surprise to Lily; she had expected the exact opposite, Crystal not trusting her because she had kept something this important secret. She certainly wasn't going to argue Crystal's trust, though. If that was how she felt, then that was that.

"And... this plant stops eggs?" Crystal continued quietly. "For as long as you want?"

"Yes."

"So... we just have to get past the guard... and there will be no more eggs... none for you and none for me?" There was a strong hint of hope in Crystal's voice, though Lily could scarcely believe she was hearing it, given everything else she had just heard. "Lily, that is great!" She lurched backward and awkwardly tried to embrace her, whining in a way that sounded upset but was almost certainly relief.

"Yes, but..." Lily stopped herself before she could poke holes in the idea bringing Crystal's mood up. So what if there was a guard and they couldn't get to it at the moment? She knew that she was in no danger, and Crystal had just laid an egg. It would all work out the same whether or not she reminded Crystal of the difficulties.

"But?" Crystal quavered, ceasing her attempts to embrace Lily. Her eyes were still wide and belied her unstable mood, she definitely didn't need to know the finer details of this yet.

"Nothing," Lily said firmly, also putting aside the possibility of revealing her own condition for the time being. She wanted to focus on her friend, not herself, and revealing that would just make Crystal all the more determined not to complain, as backwards as that was.

Lily shivered as a particularly strong blast of wing hit her back. "Can we talk more back in the side-cavern, or do you not want to be there right now?"

"Do we need to talk more?" Crystal didn't sound like she wanted to.

"Yes," Lily said sternly. "You've hidden things from me for days on end. I want to hear about all of them in detail, if you can manage that." She was pretty sure Pyre had once told her that once someone started talking about something that bothered them, it was important to let them continue. It sounded to her like Crystal had just scratched the tip of an iceberg, and she wasn't going to let her friend down in any way if she could help it.


	19. Scheming

Lily had heard things she never wanted to know from Crystal, and she felt all the better for it. Not because she was happy with the knowledge her friend had imparted to her in whines and whispers over the course of the last few days, going through her problems one shaky explanation at a time in far more detail than that first, impromptu session.

No, she would rather not rememberthe details. But telling everything had unburdened Crystal, and the change, while not total, was so obvious that Lily was surprised nobody else noticed. Crystal was _lighter_ now, standing taller and moving more gracefully.

"We are going to go do some persuading tomorrow, right?" Crystal asked hopefully, tapping her tailfins on the top of her egg. Her voice was low but eager, and her eyes so shifty Lily worried she might draw attention to them both.

"Honey is watching the eggs, so yes," Lily replied quietly. "You remember how we're going to do it?"

"Of course. I will try to make them my friends again, and you will pretend to be along out of curiosity and slip plenty of hints."

"Yes," Lily praised. She was proud of herself for coming up with that; it might not be the most efficient way of making sure the next season-cycle's fledglings paired up without issue, but it also got Crystal to reconnect with the friends who had without exception dropped her around the time Gold and Pearl disappeared. That, she now knew, had hurt Crystal, who of course hadn't complained because Lily had lost Pyre right around that time.

Lily still sometimes felt like biting herself for not noticing her friend's spiraling unhappiness before she had, but Crystal had hidden it well, and was far more deeply affected by losing casual friendships than Lily herself would be. It just wouldn't have occurred to her to wonder whether going from a large group of friends and family to _just_ one person might hurt Crystal so deeply.

All she could do was acknowledge her failure and try to do better, which in this case meant watching Crystal more closely for unhappiness, making sure her friend confided in her, and solving as many of the issues Crystal suffered from as thoroughly as possible.

Such as getting Crystal a new circle of casual friends to spend time with. First, they would go after the younger light wings, but Lily had plans for Crystal to develop at least a few connections among Claw's mates, though that would be harder for her. Her best friend forming connections with said females would also allow Lily to more easily approach and convert them when she needed to, so it was a win-win for the both of them.

Crystal's tailfins continued to tap the egg, and Lily glanced over at them. "I wonder what that sounds like from the inside," she remarked.

"I do too," Crystal agreed, her tail stilling. "I do not want to frighten them."

"Maybe hum to it," Lily suggested. Another problem, another pain Crystal had tried to hide from her, another thing to address. The lingering fears of inadequacy and future struggles were not so easily addressed as Crystal's lack of friends, but they were no less important. Lily just wished she had an easy fix for them too.

O-O-O-O-O

This time around, the group of fledglings landed from their flight just short of the entrance to the cavern, clearly not meaning to linger outside at all. Lily understood that; every day was colder than the last, and it was fast approaching the point where flying, even for fun, would not be worth doing.

Not that such a thing mattered to her; at this point, though her tail had healed, she was pretty sure trying to fly in the freezing wind would put her off of flying for good. She had decided to wait until warmer weather to officially return to the air. It didn't bother her.

Crystal, however…

"Come on, Lily," Crystal urged, "you cannot seriously want to stay on the ground after not flying for so long! I would be up there until icicles formed on my wings!"

"Eyes on the prize, Crystal," Lily admonished, "not on the sky. Remember, they think you will just ignore them. That's probably all that is stopping them from approaching you." And good old-fashioned laziness, but that wasn't something one mentioned in the middle of a pep talk.

"I know, I know," Crystal barked, shuffling from side to side in the entrance to the cavern, clearly eager to be doing _something_. Whether it was flying or reconnecting with friends wasn't entirely clear.

The fledglings were noticing that Crystal was intentionally blocking the way into the cavern by now, and that Lily was beside her. Lily sighed as she noticed the now normal reaction even the sight of her caused. "Like I said, you know what to do." She stepped back and to the side, moving out of sight and accidentally treading on someone's ear. The main chamber of the cavern was still as packed as ever.

By the time Lily was done apologizing to and generally calming down the angry female she had stepped on and could return her attention to her best friend, things were clearly already well underway, and extremely awkward.

"Have not seen you in a while," Liona mumbled, not meeting Crystal's eyes. "How have you been? We have been… busy… recently."

"I have been well," Crystal said stiffly. "And you, Ash?"

"Same," Ash agreed, obliviously stifling the conversation even further with his ridiculously brief reply. The other fledglings were already dispersing.

Well, if Crystal couldn't break the ice, Lily would help. She spotted Mist, bounded over to her, heedless of the annoyed grunts and barks her hastily-planted paws caused, and seemingly tripped right in front of her.

"Stop your friends from driving Crystal away," she hissed as she righted herself, subtly slapping Mist with her tail. "She wants to be friends again, and it was not _her_ who chose to stop."

Mist stared at Lily for a long moment, looked back at Crystal, who was still awkwardly trying to make conversation with Ash, and nodded, looking down at her paws. "You have a way of making me feel guilty about everything I do," she groaned under her breath.

"And you know the way to fix it," Lily replied sternly, walking away and discretely making herself scarce before the various light wings she had stepped on could figure out who had done it.

"So," Lily heard Mist calling out, though she couldn't see anything useful at the moment, too busy placing her steps to look back, "Crystal, where have you been?"

"Here," Crystal replied.

"Well then, I guess we missed each other in all the chaos," Mist said kindly. "I do not think I have seen you in a moon-cycle! What about you, Cedar?"

"Well, no. She could have joined our flights…"

"No," Mist shot back, "we always kept away from adults, and I guess nobody thought about how that would work for Crystal. You could join us next time, you know."

Lily purred happily, found a spot she could maneuver into a place to sit down, and watched as Mist pulled Crystal and various members of her little group of friends back together. Maybe Mist was doing it partially out of guilt, but by the easy way she and Crystal interacted once the ice had been broken, it didn't matter how it had started.

After a few minutes of watching, Lily realized something truly annoying. She had planned on using this time to bring the fledglings around to the realizations as to who they should be wanting as mates, but five of them truly wanted to avoid her, and the sixth wanted to keep up appearances. What was more, they were all occupied at the moment. She would have to make time for her own plans later. Still, that was fine. What mattered at the moment was watching the slowly closing gaps between Crystal and one group of friends who had accidentally abandoned her. They might not be _close_ friends, to even be able to drop her like that, but that was fine. Crystal just needed connections to other people right now. Casual friends worked for that.

O-O-O-O-O

"Thanks for the push," Mist muttered the next morning, walking up beside Lily as she was getting a drink from the pond. "We should have followed up when she stopped hanging out with us."

"I don't think it was really her choice," Lily murmured back. "I have another task for you."

"Already?"

"Just tell me whether it would be easier to get your friends to acknowledge my existence, or to tell you what pairings I think are best and let you do the convincing," Lily requested. She had spent a good part of the last night thinking about that choice, and she was pretty sure it was a good one if it would be easier. Mist not only had the inherent advantage of being on the good side of her friends, as opposed to basically being invisible, she also had the inbuilt trust of friendship, and a stake in the matter herself. She was the right light wing for the job, and if called out she had the perfect excuse to protect herself with.

"Oh, me, definitely," Mist confirmed. "It would not be hard to get Liona, Root, and Danda to talk to you, but Cedar and Ash? I can do it. We should go somewhere else."

Lily wasn't surprised by the seemingly abrupt change in subject; several other light wings were approaching the pond, and it would soon become obvious that they were talking if they did not leave.

"Agreed." She backed away from the pond, shook her head to be rid of the freezing droplets of water under her mouth, and made for the waste pit, the only other place they could reasonably go without being obviously up to something. Mist followed.

Of course, Lily didn't intend to _actually_ go to the waste pit; it was just a convenient direction to head in until they were out of sight of anyone. She veered off of the most direct route as soon as that happened, and took a few random turns before hunkering down between two tall boulders. "There. This is better."

Mist crouched opposite her and shivered dramatically. "Hurry, it is freezing out here. I can convince them if I know who to talk to."

Lily nodded. "You and Root, Cedar and Liona, Ash and Danda. I think Cedar can help Liona be confident, Danda can keep Ash from doing anything stupid, and you don't dislike Root. I suspect you should make sure Cedar sees Liona as the best choice, and point Ash toward Danda as well, just to be sure they do not challenge. Of course, you'll also need to handle Root."

"I am not used to manipulating my friends, but it is for their own good, and I can handle it," Mist agreed. "Give me until a few days after we all move back out to the valley. We're planning a little celebration for then, and I think I can have it done by then."

"Agreed." Lily considered that plenty of time to spare if Mist didn't succeed; three moon-cycles before the ceremony was more than enough breathing room, especially considering Mist would surely succeed in attracting Root, if nothing else.

"I can do it. And Lily?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for doing this. You are not just helping yourself, and that makes me happy to help _you_." Mist leaped up onto the lower of the two boulders and flew away.

Lily purred happily to herself as she took a longer, ground-bound path back toward the cavern. She wasn't entirely comfortable with delegating her manipulation, but she supposed it was inevitable, and this was the perfect opportunity to try it. No risk, high possible reward, and plenty of time to do it herself if Mist failed. Not to mention a built-in observer in Crystal, just to see if Mist had any obvious successes or failures.

O-O-O-O-O

In the moon-cycles that followed, Lily was grateful for three things above all else.

The first was that Crystal had managed to continue the tenuous connections she had reforged with the fledglings. Pursuing that and by extension spending time with them gave her something to do through the long, boring cold-season days, made her happy, and gave Crystal something to talk about when there was nothing else to do, though there was little to nothing on Mist's progress most of the time. Lily was content to let that play out as it would until Mist's self-imposed deadline, so having no news didn't bother her.

The second was that as the cold-season worsened, everyone became more and more sluggish. Not like Crystal and Honey had gotten while they were carrying their eggs, far less pronounced, but far _more_ useful when it came to the atmosphere of the cavern. Fewer and fewer arguments broke out as the cold-season wore on, though one would have expected more as venturing outside more than absolutely necessary became even less desirable, and thus everyone was more confined. Sleepy light wings did not start trouble so much as ignore each other, it seemed. Nobody wanted to start anything when they were tired, and everyone was tired more often than not. Not everyone was peaceful and content all the time, far from it, but things did not get worse as the snow piled high outside and the clouds blocked the sun for days on end.

The third, possibly most important thing Lily was grateful for was the way time seemed to fly by every time she looked away. Days passed as if in a hurry to be gone, and even the most boring, eventless day did not linger overmuch. She wasn't sure if that feeling was another side-effect of the season or just a subconscious effort to stop from going insane through inaction, but she was grateful for it all the same. The days slipped past unless something interesting happened, which was not often.

O-O-O-O-O

"You heard, right?" Crystal asked urgently.

"No, what?" Lily hadn't expected urgency; Crystal had just come from spending a day with Danda and Liona specifically. She had expected contentment, or maybe annoyance if a petty argument had broken out. 'And how would I have heard? I've been here all day."

"Diora's egg hatched," Crystal revealed, flopping down beside Lily. "Female, because of course it is. We have to do something for her, remember?"

"Yes, I do." She had put Diora out of her mind for a while simply because there was nothing to be done, but now there was no ignoring her. She needed to either be corrected or countered. The former was risky and the latter likely to be an ongoing task, but both needed to be tried.

"Good. You can go now," Crystal insisted. "I can take the eggs for the rest of today."

Lily stood, though she doubted that she would get a good chance to work on Diora the same day her egg hatched. Crystal clearly wouldn't be put off of her urgency without an argument, and it would easier to just go, politely fawn over the hatchling for a short while, and then return if there was no chance to do anything more.

"And do not let her insult Pearl," Crystal called out just as she left. "She does not get to talk about her!"

Lily snorted to herself as she made her way through the corridor; what did Crystal expect her to do, shut Diora up by slapping her every time she bad-mouthed Pearl? It was probably a good thing Crystal was not coming along; she obviously felt far too strongly about all of this to be helpful, unless Lily needed outright defiance on her side.

But enthusiasm was still vastly preferable to the subdued moods Crystal had been prone to previously, so Lily wasn't about to complain. It was good that Crystal felt strongly; she should, Pearl had been a good friend, and Diora responsible for at least some of her suffering.

But none of that was useful when it came to preventing new suffering, so Lily did not let herself dwell on Pearl's pains for too long, pushing them to the back of her mind. Regardless of what any good light wing should feel, she needed to be calm and manipulative, not worked up and angry over past actions. There was still a chance she could get Diora to change her ways and going in angry wasn't going to help with that.

Lily stopped just in front of the entrance to the side-cavern she was fairly certain she recalled Diora sharing for the cold-season, and crooned politely. Again, she was not going to sabotage herself by provoking Diora in any way, even if she would rather not show her any respect whatsoever.

"Oh, come in if you must, but be quiet!" Diora hissed irritably. So much for not starting off on the wrong paw. Lily obligingly slipped in without greeting the female, taking in the situation as she approached.

Two sleeping light wings Lily did not know by name were lying at opposite ends of the cavern, their paws pressed over their ears. Ivy, Diora's mate, was nowhere to be seen, and Diora herself was lying in the center of the chamber, her hatchling nowhere to be seen.

"What do you want?" Diora hissed.

"To see your hatchling and congratulate you again," Lily offered diffidently, wondering where Diora had her hatchling hidden. Her wings were folded up against her back, and there was no telltale bundle of white scales and skin huddled against her side or chest, or even under her tailfins.

"Come back when she is awake," Diora hissed. "You know how it is with them, always wailing or bawling for no reason for the first few moon-cycles. It takes time to teach them better."

Lily _didn't_ know how it was, not really, but she doubted it was as bad as Diora made it sound for everyone. Maybe it was just what she already knew of the female coloring her perception, but what Diora described didn't sound normal at all.

Still, she had been told to come back later; she could return to Crystal and plan to come back at a better time. Or, she could press the matter, because this was as close to alone as she was likely to get with Diora and her hatchling.

Lily decided to press the matter, seeing no real advantage to waiting. "Surely you can just let me see her while she sleeps," she suggested politely. "I have never seen a hatchling so young, and I hear they grow fast."

"Not fast enough," Diora grumbled. "If I show you her and she wakes, you have to deal with her until she falls back asleep."

Lily was momentarily taken aback, though perhaps she shouldn't have been, knowing what she did of Diora, so it took her a moment to respond. "I… Yes, of course I can."

"Oh, good," Diora sighed. "She is a whiner, so have fun losing your hearing." With those words, she lifted her body, revealing that her daughter was sleeping under her, resting between her lower stomach and the ground.

Lily resolved to ask Dew or Pina whether that was a normal place to keep a hatchling; it looked risky to her, but short of trying it herself she didn't know whether it actually was. She certainly didn't trust Diora to give her an accurate assessment of the possible dangers, so asking her was out of the question.

"She _is_ beautiful, and I will teach her to be quiet soon enough," Diora said proudly. "Look at her glint."

"She does not appear to have one," Lily observed, leaning in. "Am I missing something?"

"Oh, the glints are almost impossible to see at this age, but there is some on her ears and forehead," Diora explained. "Silver. Can you think of a more attractive color?"

Lily could think of several; it was not as if one color in particular topped all of the others. She was pretty sure any bright color would be striking in the right lighting. "Silver is certainly unique," she said instead, thinking that Diora wouldn't appreciate what she really thought.

"Yes, it is," Diora purred. "And she has-"

A small, tentative whine worked its way out of the small body in front of them, and oversized eyes flicked open. The hatchling struggled to move her head around, hunching her body up and continuing to whine.

"And there she goes," Diora said fatalistically. "You get to deal with her."

Lily wasn't sure she understood; surely the hatchling was only whining because she had been woken and was no longer warm and cozy under her Dam? That seemed like it would have an obvious, easy solution, but Diora acted as if it was unsolvable.

If this was anyone else, Lily would have sought clarification, but she needed to teach Diora better, and if it turned out she _was_ just oblivious to a simple solution, then it would work better to just demonstrate and use the results to establish a precedent.

With that in mind, Lily crouched in front of the hatchling and offered a paw, placing it alongside her, crooning wordlessly in order to hopefully soothe the little female further.

"That will not work," Diora huffed. "See?"

Sure enough, the little female continued to whine and cry, even as she laid her head on top of Lily's paw.

"She _has_ been fed, right?" Lily asked, laying her own head on the ground within the female's line of sight to hopefully distract her.

"Of course," Diora scoffed. "This is not my first child."

Lily flicked her tongue out at the hatchling, lightly tracing a line across her side. She was just trying things at random, hoping to hit upon a simple distraction, but she hadn't expected to get a response immediately.

The whining stopped. The hatchling pushed her little body around with stubby paws, her pale blue eyes coming to a stop on Lily.

"You like that?" Lily hummed, darting her tongue out and licking the little female across the face. Her blue eyes narrowed and she tried to bite Lily's tongue.

Lily chortled at that and stuck her tongue out tauntingly. She was pretty sure the hatchling wasn't mad at her, though trying to bite her tongue could be interpreted that way.

"I suppose that works, if you want to risk getting bitten," Diora huffed. "I do not want you teaching my daughter such crude behavior, though."

Lily dared another quick lick to the female's snout and just barely avoided the clumsy lunge, all the while burying her displeasure so that it didn't show in her voice or actions. She was here to fix Diora if she could, so hearing her issues on full display in statements like that was just helping her get a better idea of how to approach the problem. She couldn't get angry at any of it yet.

The hatchling began to purr, a tiny rumble that shook her body, and she lunged forward, hitting Lily's nose with all the force a hatchling small and light enough to fit under her Dam's stomach could muster, which was to say almost nothing.

"You just wanted to play, didn't you?" Lily asked in a happy voice, nuzzling the little female. "Only a day out of the egg and already playing."

"They can move around and make noise right from the start," Diora growled. "That is what makes them so annoying until they are taught to shut up."

"I think this one would need less correcting if you kept her busy," Lily proposed, keeping her tone casual both for the sake of staying on Diora's good side and to keep the hatchling happy. Growling with her face right there was just asking to scare her.

"That would just teach her to always want to play," Diora replied dismissively. "And when she begins crawling, I do not want her in the habit. No, learning to be still and quiet is better."

Not in the habit of _doing things_? Lily was finding it harder and harder to keep her calm, particularly given that she knew from experience how stifling and horrible it felt to be raised like that, but she managed nonetheless. "Does that even work? My cavern-Dams raised me in a similar way, and I do not think it was best, looking back."

"Clearly they did not try very hard, given how you turned out," Diora replied dismissively. She had long since sat down a good distance from Lily and her daughter, and was looking out of the chamber, into the corridor. "I started with Pearl too late, but Silva will learn from the very beginning."

Not if Lily had absolutely anything to say about it. She snuck another lick across the hatchling's front, catching her by surprise, and took the excuse of playing with her to calm down for a long moment.

"Why do you want her still and quiet?" Lily ventured. "I, personally, would want a daughter as outgoing and active as possible. That way, if I am to be stuck tending my offspring anyway, it will be interesting and active."

"Are you calling me fat?" Diora growled.

"What?" Lily yelped, completely caught by surprise. She almost reared back and looked at Diora directly, only in the last moment recalling that she was keeping the hatchling - Silva, Diora had called her - busy and not moving. "I wasn't calling anyone fat, I was just saying that if one had to spend time with one's child, better they be active and interesting than dull and boring."

"What you call boring, more intelligent light wings would call calm and polite," Diora hissed, stalking over to Lily. "Good females do not fly around carousing with anyone and anyone they meet, running off with the first male to make promises to them."

And just like that, they were no longer talking in hypotheticals. Lily took a moment to introduce Silva to the concept of a large paw lightly poking her instead of a tongue licking, and when she immediately began to nip toothlessly at that paw, rose to face Diora directly.

"Good females are faithful to their mates, yes," Lily replied tactfully, though she could not keep a slight tension from her voice, "but that is not what I meant. I myself am not as active as I should be, and what I mean is that running, flying, play-fighting, and just socializing with others my age are all things I did not do enough of, and I regret that now. I may have been able to win Gold over were I fitter, faster, more attractive, and had I known him better, and being active throughout my time as a fledgling would have accomplished that." She was proud of that line of reasoning; it was a little personal, but all the better for it.

"She will not be competing for a mate," Diora scoffed. "So no, I do not want her more able to win one. Personality is more important than looks."

"Yes, it is," Lily agreed, working that into her argument on the fly. "But shy and sheltered is not a personality, it's a _lack_ of personality, or at least a hindrance to anyone seeing she has one."

"Why am I arguing with you, of all dragons, about this?" Diora snarled. "This is _my_ daughter, and how I raise her is _my_ choice. Besides, you are a trough who couldn't seduce a substandard male and ended up the lowest of the low because of it. I should not even be letting you near my daughter."

Lily shrugged the insults off like water, if only because they carried no weight, coming from the vile light wing in question. She would have to value Diora's opinion to be hurt by it. "Your methods of raising a daughter did not really work with Pearl. Maybe that means they are flawed?" She didn't expect the lackluster argument to succeed where more persuasive ones had only made Diora angry, but the answer might be informative. At this point gathering knowledge about how Diora planned to treat Silva, and how it differed from what she did to Pearl, was more important, as it seemed intervention and subversion was the only way to go.

"I did not start early enough with Pearl," Diora hissed. "I let her play with females who taught her to resist my teachings. She was always whining and complaining. Silva will not do any of that. Silva will know better by the time she is old enough to talk."

Lily could still feel Silva's weight, now half hanging off the top of one of her paws, and she felt more protective toward it than she had to anything in a long time. She wanted nothing more than to just lean down, pick the little female up, and walk away, but that would lead to screeching and possible attacking and in the end having to give her back, probably traumatizing her in the process.

"Give my daughter back," Diora demanded, seeming as if she sensed some of what Lily wanted to do. "Right now."

"Take her," Lily retorted. "I cannot make myself give her to you right now. Not after hearing that." She contemplated striking Diora once she was close enough, and then discarded the possibility from her mind. It would do no good, and more importantly, it would do no good for Silva.

"I do not want to see you in here again, or around my rock once the cold-season is over," Diora hissed, reaching down and plucking Silva off of the ground with her mouth, holding her haphazardly by the scruff. Silva began to whine unhappily.

"You will not see me," Lily promised, still holding down the now boiling anger in the pit of her stomach. Only the self-control she had long since mastered out of necessity held her back now, and she could not rely on it forever. So, she turned her back on Diora, left the side-chamber, and hated herself for abandoning an innocent to yet another twisted Dam, all while plans for separating Diora and Silva rushed through her head.

Diora planned to have Silva silent and broken to her will by the time she could speak? Well, Lily had another plan that involved exactly the opposite as soon as possible. They would see who succeeded.

O-O-O-O-O

"Diora?" Dew asked, sidling from side to side to balance the hyper fledgling currently jumping around on her back as she walked. "Yes, I know her. Why?"

"I need to call in a favor from you and Pina, and any friends you have with younger fledglings," Lily said quickly, walking alongside her. "Try to set something up where she leaves her hatchling in your care every so often. As often as you can manage, ideally."

"It is not so much extra work, watching two instead of one every so often, and I know Pina will not mind in the slightest, but why?" Dew asked curiously.

"Silva, her hatchling, _has_ to have friends and better examples than Diora and Ivy," Lily said shortly. "I don't care what it takes, it has to happen." This was just one of many small plans she had on the subject, as once she had truly thought about it a multitude of different approaches had occurred to her.

"You say it like she will not have friends, otherwise…" Dew murmured.

"Silva is Pearl's little sister, and Pearl didn't, aside from Crystal," Lily explained. "And Diora thinks she wasn't strict _enough_ with Pearl. We need to counteract her for the good of Silva."

"I will do my best to set up what you suggest," Dew promised. "But would it not be easier to use Honey and Crystal as your potential solutions? They both have hatchlings on the way."

"Possibly, and I may set that up, but I am not leaving this to one attempt." She also hadn't thought about that in the short time it had taken to leave Diora, walk around in an angry huff, and decide on an immediate course of action before finding Dew, but there was no need to mention that. Especially not when the answer she had given was also true.

"That is wise of you," Dew agreed.

"Just fulfilling my responsibilities as Dam of the pack," Lily said to herself, far too quietly for Dew or anyone else to hear. "Just doing what's right."

O-O-O-O-O

A loud, laughing rumble alerted Lily to Claw's presence in the chamber he had assigned to her and Crystal long before she actually reached it, but she didn't turn around. Crystal and the eggs were in there, and Lily didn't trust Claw with anything, let alone fragile, breakable eggs. It sounded like he was just talking at the moment, but that meant nothing.

"So, I said not to tend to you as well," he was saying as Lily slipped into the chamber, talking to Crystal, who was looking up at him with narrowed eyes, not having moved from the two eggs she held safely against her side. "I hope you understand."

Both Crystal and Claw caught sight of Lily at roughly the same time, and their faces both brightened, though for very different reasons.

"Oh, good, you are back," Claw called out. "I was just telling Crystal something you will likely soon need to hear."

"Which is?" Lily carefully replied, keeping to the edge of the roughly circular chamber as she made her way around Claw and to Crystal.

"When you have an egg, you will not be getting any special treatment," Claw explained blithely. "Like your friend, here."

"Fine, then," Lily agreed, safe in the knowledge that Claw was planning ahead for something that would never happen.

"So long as you know," Claw purred. "Are you going to ask why?"

"No. I assume you will tell me or not regardless." Lily was vaguely aware that she could be more tactful, but this was Claw, and she was already angry thanks to Diora. As long as she kept herself to boring, uninteresting responses such as that one, her plan to bore Claw away from her was proceeding as well as it could.

Claw leered at her and sighed condescendingly, though with a hint of frustration that made Lily feel just the tiniest bit smug. "You still are not cooperating," he explained. "Only my favored mates get special treatment. You can watch all you want, but unless you change your attitude, you will get nothing."

"Understood," Lily said shortly, sensing that she wasn't getting him to go away without a verbal response. She didn't really understand what he meant about watching, but it didn't matter.

"I will be back tonight to see if you really do understand," Claw purred. He left with a flourish of his tail, as if waving goodbye, or flaunting himself in front of them.

"I _hate_ him," Crystal hissed once a few long moments had passed and the sounds of Claw's paws on the stone had faded away into the distance. "I really do."

"Agreed." Lily was just glad to hear her friend's vitriol, knowing as she did that it had been restrained and left to fester before. "Did he actually say anything useful?"

"Useful? No. Enraging, maybe," Crystal responded irritably. "He came in, bothered me until I put him off by pointing out that Honey would never stop wailing if he stepped on her egg, and tried to get me to beg for the same privileges Honey gets even though my egg will hatch any day and I have not ever said I care before."

"He did not come close to stepping on an egg?" Lily asked, horrified at the thought. That was so deeply wrong, and she might have been able to stop it if she had come back sooner. If something had happened, it would have been partially her fault for taking so long with Diora and then Dew.

"No," Crystal said reassuringly, "because I used that excuse the moment he started pawing at me. Do not worry, they are both fine."

"With Claw, that was in question," Lily grumbled, laying down opposite Crystal. She was able to keep one eye on the narrow entrance and one on her friend that way, which was useful as they weren't exactly saying things they would want overheard were someone like Honey to walk in.

"I was careful," Crystal insisted. "Lily, he really tried hard to make me beg."

"Did you?"

"Once I realized he was not going to leave until I did, yes," Crystal admitted. "And you know what he did then?"

"Told you no," Lily guessed.

"Yes!" Crystal exclaimed, sounding equal parts angry and bewildered. "He just laughed and said I am not 'compliant' and 'adjusted' enough! It was like he was just there to make me hate him more."

"That's…"

"Cruel? Antagonizing? Evil?" Crystal supplied, her eyes narrow and glaring at nothing in particular.

"Overly tactless," Lily finally finished, feeling sure she was right. "He's not that stupid. If he wanted to win you over, that was the absolute worst way to go about it, and he would have approached you immediately, not now." It just didn't add up, either. According to Pina, he had won over other females in the past, albeit ones likely less violently opposed to him.

"I guess he is just that stupid," Crystal growled.

"No, he's not," Lily argued. "There's only one explanation for this that makes sense. He doesn't actually _want_ you to conform and give in for real."

"He sure tries to make me give in and do things I hate a lot if he does not want that," Crystal said skeptically.

"Yes, but…" Lily forced herself to ignore the awkwardness of what she had to say in order to continue. "But if you were willing, he would not get to force you to do things. If _that_ is the part he enjoys, then it makes sense that he wants you resentful and more opposed to him. If that was his goal, he _would_ show up now instead of before so that it feels like you are being made to beg for something worthless." She wasn't entirely sure about that last part, but clearly something of the sort had been running through his mind, for him to have waited so long.

"Ugh," Crystal shuddered and gagged dramatically. "I think I like assuming he is stupid better than thinking of it like that."

"So do I, but what we would prefer doesn't matter, only what is actually happening," Lily said firmly. "And we know he is passable at manipulation, because he uses it on the males to get them to challenge. So, he came in here to taunt you and make you more resistant, not less, even if it seemed like he wanted you totally compliant." She thought that he had also probably derived some sick pleasure from basically forcing Crystal to beg for something he always intended to deny, but telling Crystal that would serve no purpose other than to upset her.

"Should I be doing something different to make him stop?" Crystal asked. "I mean, if he likes it, then I should… Do what he wants?" She scowled even as she came to that conclusion.

"That's the problem," Lily sighed. "If you resist, he's happy, and if you don't resist, then he's still probably happy, and it's all the worse for you because he might try and see how far your new compliance will go. You could just try and ignore him like I do, but that has its own problems."

"It definitely does," Crystal agreed. "I suppose I will just keep doing what I am doing if it is all the same anyway."

"Well, if that means using the eggs to ward him off, it might not be possible for much longer," Lily joked.

"I will get a few more days out of it, at least," Crystal replied in a light voice. "So, how did it go with Diora?"

"Not well," Lily groaned. "We're going to have to intervene, because she's not listening."

"I could have told you she would not, but at least you tried."

"I did, and we're not giving up. We just have to be less direct about it."

"When you say less direct…"

Lily flicked her tail in the direction of the eggs by Crystal's side. "Diora doesn't like you, and she doesn't like me, but odds are that between you and Honey there will be a female hatchling near Silva's age in our side-cavern. We can get Honey to reach out on our behalf if we tell her the right things, and we can get regular, unsupervised time with Silva that way. I have other plans, but that's the one we can do soon." Really, the hatchling didn't _have_ to be female, but it would be easier if Honey didn't need to be convinced to lie to Diora about something so easily disproved.

"We cannot do that until we have a hatchling to use as an excuse, though," Crystal objected.

"That's fine. If Diora is any indication, it won't be long now," Lily explained, her eyes on the eggs. Aside from their usefulness in tricking Diora into letting them corrupt her new daughter, there was a host of other concerns and complications that would come once those eggs broke open, but like so many things in their lives at the moment, all they could do was wait.

O-O-O-O-O

The first Lily heard of Honey's egg hatching was a wailing from her side-cavern, followed by a harried crooning that sounded desperate. She had just been returning from a frigid but necessary trip to the pond following a long, pleasant talk with Pina about nothing in particular, and had expected to find a quiet, peaceful side-cavern. So much for that.

"You fed the hatchling," she began as soon as she entered the side-cavern. It was an obvious thing, but she had to be sure with Honey.

"Crystal brought him fish," Honey said quickly. "How do I get him to go to sleep? Everyone says they sleep a lot."

"Maybe cover him and hum to him?" Really, why was Honey asking her? It wasn't like she was an authority on the subject.

"I am already covering him!" Honey complained, shifting her wing aside to reveal a small white hatchling lying on its back and flailing feebly. It was still wailing.

"Well," Lily said sternly, crouching down and nosing the hatchling onto its stomach, "maybe start by not putting him on his back." Given the wail cut off as soon as paws met stone, Lily was pretty sure that was the problem.

"Why does it matter?" Honey asked sullenly.

Lily resisted the urge to bull Honey over and teach her by example, settling for a low growl. "How would you feel if you were stuck on your back with a full belly and no idea what is going on?" She was surprised the hatchling hadn't thrown up; that was a singularly uncomfortable feeling, and one of the main reasons nobody slept on their back after eating. Food just did not sit right like that.

"Oh… I understand now." Honey sounded embarrassed, which was a step up from defiant. "I did not think of it like that. What do I do now?"

"You should go to your Dam, or any Dam if she isn't around, and get some tips on this," Lily suggested. "I'll watch him and the egg."

"Okay," Honey agreed, standing and moving aside so that Lily could take her spot with the hatchling on one side and Crystal's egg on the other. "I will. I did not hurt him by keeping him on his back, did I? I just thought it would stop him from crawling around."

Well, it seemed Honey was feeling the responsibility now, given her worried expression. Lily felt a little pity for her now that she understood the stakes. "He will be fine, and he's too young to do much crawling right now anyway. What is his name?"

Honey grimaced. "I do not know yet. My Dam suggested Wax for a male, but that is such a simple name..."

"Think on that too," Lily added as Honey left.

Wax. Lily peeked down at the tiny hatchling, who looked up at her with wide, uncertain eyes. What color was wax? What _was_ wax, anyway? She only knew what honey was because Pyre had told her. Her own namesake did not even grow around here. Pyre was not even a word, for all she knew, or if it was, he had never told her what it meant. And what was a crystal?

Really, most of the names she knew she did not know the meaning of or even the actual word. Pina was probably Pine, a tree, but what was Cressa? Cress? That didn't seem like a thing. At least Moss and Granite were common things Lily could put an image to in her mind.

Wax, or whatever Honey would end up calling him, stirred next to Lily, yawning widely. There was still a little patch of odd-smelling wetness behind his ears, a clear fluid that made Lily's nose twitch. She licked it off before she could even think about what she was doing.

Strange. She wasn't used to instinct taking such a strong hold. It was almost discomforting; this wasn't even her hatchling.

No, he _was_ hers. He was hers in the same way every other light wing of the pack was hers, barring people like Cressa and Claw. The actions of a Dam were only appropriate for her, regardless of cause.

Hers, and innocent. A combination of Claw and Honey, but innocent at the moment, and if Lily had her way, a good person. She hadn't ever had to raise a hatchling, or help raise one, but this was one challenge she could rise to easily enough. Pyre's example and her own apparently powerful instincts on the subject would be more than enough, to say nothing of asking advice of Pina or Dew.

"You will be a good male," Lily hummed, patting the hatchling with a gentle paw, looking him over with a searching eye. He burbled happily and flailed his stubby little tail around. "Strong and kind and honest." She might have added smart and cunning to her list of ambitions for him, but given who his parents were, it was probably kinder to only ask of him things both Honey and Claw were or could have been, just in case. She didn't know if he would take after one or the other, or end up completely different.

The little male showed no signs of understanding, blinking wildly and making occasional little noises of no meaning. Everything, even this boring grey cavern and grey-eyed female, was new to him. He probably would have found his own eggshell interesting if it had not already been removed, probably by the males that had attended Honey these last few weeks.

There was a good thing. That was over now; Lily had noticed that all of Claw's commands had hinged upon 'the egg' not 'the new Dam' or 'the child'. As far as she could tell, the morning fish and other little perks had just come to an end.

This also made two of three, when it came to eggs imminently hatching. Lily tapped her tail on the egg Honey had been absently sheltering on her other side, glad she had not left it in the cold in her preoccupation with Honey's hatchling. However interesting and important Honey's hatchling was, she was sure Crystal's would be even more interesting when it hatched. The hatching was coming soon, too. Very soon. The eggs had been laid less than a day apart, and while that did not necessarily mean anything, the little pulses she had been feeling in Crystal's egg now took on a new, more imminent meaning.

It was possible that Lily would be the only one around when Crystal's egg hatched; Crystal herself would not be back until nightfall, and it was just after noon now, with the egg possibly ready to hatch within the day. But as there was nothing to be done to prevent that, Lily decided not to worry. It would happen, and if her friend could not be here, she would be more than happy to take her place and welcome the last of the three hatchlings into the uncertain world.

O-O-O-O-O

As it turned out, the little disturbances Lily had been feeling did _not_ mean the egg was about to hatch, but by chance Crystal _still_ almost missed it when it finally happened twelve days later; by the time Crystal returned to their side-cavern from her day of doing whatever she wanted, the egg was shaking against Lily's side, occasionally rocking away from her. Honey's hatchling, who really hadn't done much of note yet in his life aside from eating and relieving himself on the stone floor, was lying quietly by her other side, entirely unaware of the imminent arrival of another like himself.

Lily barked in relief the moment she saw Crystal peering through the crack. "Just in time!" she called out. "Your egg is about to hatch."

"Good thing I did not miss it!" Crystal said quickly, squeezing through the narrow opening and hurrying to Lily's side. "I do not need to do anything, right?"

Lily resisted the impulse to ask why everyone seemed to consider her an expert; it was probably just because she was knowledgeable about other things and hadn't made it obvious that this was one area she was mostly oblivious about. "Just do whatever seems right," she said vaguely.

"Okay…" Crystal lay down facing the egg trembling against Lily's side, not moving to take it for herself. "Are you sure something is going to happen?"

"Unless eggs shake like this for some other reason, yes," Lily explained. "It probably won't be long now. Which do you think it will be, male or female?"

"Female. I really, really hope it is a female," Crystal admitted, her voice worried.

"A male would not be so bad," Lily countered. "Why do you want a female?"

"I do not ever wish to see a son of mine killed by Claw," Crystal whined, "and I also do not want to see him weak and spineless, or sworn to someone he hates. Best this is a female. We can set her up with a good male if nothing else. Claw will not have her."

Lily wasn't sure if she agreed with Crystal's assessment of the relative dangers, but she couldn't argue that it would be easier to keep a female safe, not after running into at least one male determined to challenge and die for no obvious reason.

The egg's shell cracked a little more, and both adults settled in to watch quietly.

More cracking, more rocking, splintering visible on the outside now. And then, in a moment that seemed to pass far quicker than it should, the egg split, and a white hatchling sprawled out, tumbling forward.

Crystal absently licked it clean, doing exactly as Lily had for Honey's hatchling, proving in the very least that it was instinct that had driven Lily and not just some strange urge. "Male."

Lily did not like the resignation in her friend's voice. "He is still a beautiful, healthy hatchling. You should be happy."

"I would be happier if I could be sure he would _live_ ," Crystal said vehemently, reaching out and pulling her son over to her. "Live, and not bow fearfully to Claw."

"We're working on that," Lily said, reminding her friend of that important fact. "And any danger to him is a long time away. Don't be like Granite's Dam. Don't stay distant out of fear."

"I do not want to," Crystal agreed quietly. "I want to do right by him."

"Then you will," Lily said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Do you have a name for him picked out?"

"No, actually. I am going to wait a while for that." Crystal hummed comfortingly to her little one. "I feel as if I should give him a name that fits his personality, and it will take time for me to know what that is."

That was not normal, as names generally were based on looks, but Lily liked it. "Sounds like a good plan."

"You know what else sounds like a good plan? One of us going for fish." Crystal shrugged her wings. "Can you do it? I would, but…"

"Of course!" Lily leaped up and bolted out of the side-cavern despite being all too aware of the fact that she still didn't know how to fish. She knew people who were sympathetic to new Dams and who _did_ know how to fish, which was almost as good.

O-O-O-O-O

"Thank you," Lily said enthusiastically. "Are you sure you don't want to come in and give them to her yourself?"

"No," Pina purred, backing away from the small pile of fish she had flown out and caught. "A first-time Dam will be tense around anyone she does not know very well, and I doubt I count. No need to stress her. I will just go back to Dew and try to regain feeling in my frills and tail."

"How will you do that?" Lily asked curiously.

"Shared body heat, probably," Pina said, for some reason looking aloof and vaguely uncomfortable. Actually, that was probably the cold's fault.

"Don't let me keep you, then," Lily replied. "Thanks again."

It was the work of only a few moments to gather up the dozen small fish Pina had selected in her mouth and maneuver her way back into the side-cavern. She dumped her delivery right next to the new hatchling, then purred as his eyes widened and he lunged at a fish almost as big as himself. While he was voraciously but futilely attempting to consume it, she tore off some smaller, more manageable strips for him to devour. "He will grow big."

"If he lives long enough to do so." Crystal sighed as he gulped the meal down. "I am trying to be positive, but I do not want him... here. I want him, but not here."

"Where else is there?" Lily asked. "I'm not sure I understand."

"I just want him safe," Crystal said sadly. "However that can be done. I thought, since Pearl left to be safe, maybe somewhere else would be better."

That made more sense, but Lily felt she had to ask the obvious question. "But how do we know anywhere else _is_ safer, or where to go, or how to-"

"It was just a stupid wish," Crystal interrupted. "Here is where we are staying. I just wish things were different."

"We both do," Lily murmured, before lifting her head and fixing Crystal with a stern stare. "But we should focus on the positive for now. He is healthy, he will be safe for the next five season-cycles, and we can work our hardest to make absolutely sure Claw isn't around by the end of that time."

O-O-O-O-O

Later that night, Lily lay awake, her eyes closed but her mind on the warm, moving presence occasionally pushing at her from his place between her and Crystal. Even the thought of Crystal's little son made her heart warm, far warmer than Honey's son or Diora's daughter, and on some level that bothered her. It shouldn't, but it did, and she lay awake puzzling over the faint but undeniably negative emotion buried somewhere in her mind.

Why would how she felt about Crystal's son bother her? He was Claw's son too, but that had never mattered to her, given both herself and Granite. He was also, technically speaking, her brother, but again, she didn't mind that either. Given she would have a paw in raising him, it might end up being impossible to treat him like a brother, but in that case she could just consider him one of her own, or just the son of her best friend, and nothing huge would be lost because she would be close to him anyway.

Maybe that was it; the sinking feeling hit her stronger than ever at the idea of considering this one her son. Because it was strange and twisted? She would have thought herself at the very least numb to that after all that had happened.

Or was it because this was the closest she would ever get to having an egg of her own?

The moment she thought it, she knew it was true. He reminded her that this particular part of life was forever closed to her, necessarily so or not. She had no particular desire to have her own offspring now or at any point in the future, but this little male was showing her what she had decided to miss. Lost opportunity, a chance taken away, hurt regardless of whether she would ever have actually chosen it.

But it was done, and this was almost as good anyway. She banished the little regret to the same part of her mind that she kept her worst memories, locking it away. It wouldn't help her, not with her life, and not with helping raise Crystal's son. She didn't need it.

There was nothing to regret. Just a choice she might have made had her life gone totally differently.

**_Author's Note:_ ** **A special shout-out to _YouYou098,_ who pointed out a massive mistake in this chapter that somehow slipped past both me and my beta. I don't know how I forgot that Wax and Crystal's egg shared a Sire. That seems like kind of a _big_ thing to forget.**


	20. Stupid

Lily was pretty sure the people around her had all lost their minds. It was still cold out, there was still snow on the ground, and the wind was fierce at times. Sure, the cold-season had been wearing on for a long while now, and _should_ be coming to an end soon, but not yet! That much should be obvious!

And yet, despite the obvious, the main chamber of the caverns was in absolute chaos as the first, most unobservant or just plain stupidest families decided that it was time to return to their unsheltered, unwarmed rocks out in the valley.

To be fair to her fellow light wings, it was an exaggeration to say that _everyone_ had lost their minds; it was really only a small pawful of dragons actually making the stupid choice she was witnessing. Some people were even making fun of them for it-

Lily ducked as a tiny fishbone was accidentally flung in her direction by a wailing fledgling who could not be more than two season-cycles old. Some people were stupid enough to actually do it, some were taunting them, and others, like that fledgling, were mad their own parents weren't quite that stupid.

Maybe, she thought to herself as she observed the chaos, her own position was also influencing her opinions on all of this. She did not have a rock to return to and was not used to the small amount of personal space out in the valley everyone seemed ready to reclaim for themselves, weather permitting. She had lived in this cavern, for better or for worse, her entire life. She was used to it. Everyone who only sheltered here for the cold-season clearly was not.

All of that to say that desperation to be free of the crowded space might be diminishing the cold in the minds of many of the light wings who had committed to going. It was all a matter of risk and reward. Sure, they were risking a very uncomfortable moon-cycle or two, but the guaranteed reward was some much-needed space to stretch out and a quiet like no other; even the ambient noise of the valley was absent, as if absorbed by the snow.

What would that be like? She tried to imagine it. Willing to brave the cold, willing to look like an optimistic fool if a late storm drove her back to the cavern, all for space and solitude. Willing to leave the cavern for Pyre's cave, to spend the days and nights with him, maybe a little colder but all the happier to help him cope-

She shook her head and choked back a sob, startled and saddened by the sudden, enticing fantasy. It could never happen, and she did not normally fantasize about such impossibilities for exactly this reason, but now she definitely understood. Maybe they did not have old family members out there who would welcome them and be warmed by their very presence, those light wings preparing to brave the cold, but they knew that a similar feeling was waiting for them, alongside the other benefits.

She almost turned her back on the main chamber then and there, disheartened by the sudden and unexpected stab of grief in her heart, but someone chose that moment to come in from the cold, a male who looked half frozen.

A female immediately bounded up from where she had lay, actually quite close to where Lily sat watching the commotion, leaped over to him, and led him back to sit with her.

"So soon?" the female asked worriedly. "I mean, good, because you are as cold as ice, but why?"

"We are moving out today, right?" the male asked, his body quaking as he warmed up, pressed against his mate. "I could not leave you to move the little ones yourself."

"Well, yes, but Claw…"

"Claw set me to guard, but he also told me to take breaks," the male explained. "He does not want me dying of cold on the job. I am taking an extra-long break to help you."

"Well you could have waited a bit, it will be a while," the female said happily, "but I am not complaining. Besides, it is not as if you will miss anything. If they have not gone searching yet, it is because they know it is hopeless."

Lily was now _very_ aware of the fact that the chatty couple in front of her didn't know she was eavesdropping. She didn't want to mess that up, so she refrained from leaping up and running to find Crystal; that might give her away. As long as neither light wing looked back and recognized her as one of the two they were supposed to be guarding against, she could afford to sit here and wait.

As luck would have it, she didn't have to wait long; the female who had been watching the couple's three young fledglings brought them over, and the resulting distraction was more than enough for her to slip away with confidence that not only had nobody noticed her departure, nobody would ever know she had overheard. With more luck, nobody would know what she and Crystal were about to do, either.

O-O-O-O-O

"It sure was lucky Honey did not mind watching the hatchlings for a little while," Crystal purred, flapping hard against the oncoming wind. "Lucky you overheard, too, and lucky the guard was one of those intending to move back out here today. Today is our lucky day!"

Lily could hardly argue with that, though she thought that Honey being willing was less luck and more laziness coupled with greed. She had been sleeping in anyway, and Lily had promised to cover an entire day in return because she had been obstinate at first. Honey had definitely gotten the better end of the deal, if one didn't count the immense peace of mind for her friend that Lily anticipated having for the next moon-cycle.

"And you know what is even more lucky?" Crystal asked eagerly, looking over at Lily with an incredibly smug expression. "You are flying, and it is not yet the end of the cold-season. I told you!"

Lily laughed at that, though she was more happy that Crystal was so positive than amused by the joke at her expense. Her friend was practically beaming with anticipation.

As for her flying? She grimaced, pulling an ugly face. "And I was right, this is putting me off flying for good," she quipped. "It's a grounded life for me, I think."

"Do not even say that," Crystal barked, shuddering as they crossed over the top of the mountains, beginning the downward glide toward the forest. "It is not good to joke about such terrible things."

"Being grounded stinks," Lily admitted, "but it's bearable." It certainly wasn't the living torture Crystal made it out to be. Then again, this might once again be a matter of perspective. Lily knew very well that she was unusual in her ambivalence toward flight, and she had the role model of Pyre, too. If anyone would be able to adjust to being permanently grounded, it would be her, so of course it didn't scare her as much as it probably should.

"I do not think so," Crystal said firmly, landing just shy of the white-coated trees on the edge of the forest. "Okay, what are we looking for?"

"A blue-green little bush with plenty of leaves," Lily reminded her. "They're pretty common around here. Just do not do anything once you find one, call me over." She wanted to be sure Crystal didn't make a mistake in identifying the bush, though that was unlikely, and she also wanted to give a last-minute lecture on the limits and dangers of the leaf…

And maybe, if she felt it was appropriate, to reveal what she had done to herself. She didn't know whether she should, or whether she should even tell Crystal that being permanently barren was a possibility. It was dangerous, and Crystal still might not be in the most stable state of mind to make permanent decisions when it came to eggs and the very uncertain future they both faced.

She would face that decision when it came time, she supposed. It all depended on how things went. First, they needed to find a bush. That would be easy enough.

Lily set off into the forest, Crystal by her side, and began pawing at white-frosted clumps of low-hanging branches and checking colors.

Or… She _would_ be checking colors if there were any to be had. A sinking feeling was growing in the pit of her stomach, and an obvious fact she should have long since remembered came to mind.

"Lily?" Crystal asked, just as Lily was about to speak. Her voice was as downcast as Lily felt. "These do not _have_ any leaves." She swatted at a barren bush in agitation. "None of them do. Is the one we are looking for supposed to?"

"I am such an idiot," Lily groaned, flopping onto her side and lying in the snow, not even caring about the wet cold. "Of course, there are no leaves, the cold-season is still going on!" She had made the same stupid mistake the light wings who were moving out today were making, and for the same reason, being overeager and seeing no problems with something the cold-season precluded. In their case, the weather, and in hers, the natural response of plants to the weather.

"We cannot just chew on the branches?" Crystal asked despondently.

"No, not even if we could figure out which bush it is," Lily moaned. "I don't even know if the branches do anything, or how strong they would be. They could do nothing, or they could kill us outright." It was the sort of thing Pyre had warned her against; not to just assume one part of the plant worked like another. Certain plants had poisonous tops and harmless roots, or vice versa, and that was just one way they could be different. There was no clever workaround for not having the leaves.

"Surely that is an exaggeration?" Crystal asked glumly, pacing in wide circles around Lily. "Kill us?"

"The leaves could if we ate too many at once," Lily revealed. One bush had _almost_ killed her outright, and if she had fallen just slightly the wrong way she could have choked and suffocated on her own vomit. She didn't even know if the branches had added to that danger or not; there was no way to be sure aside from rigorous, careful testing that would take moon-cycles and far more patience than she possessed, to say nothing of the difficulty of coming out to the forest to do so.

Although she _did_ actually know that the branches wouldn't kill, if she went by the fact that she had survived eating a whole bush, branches and all. That still didn't help them here, as the branches of other, now indistinguishable bushes may not be as safe.

"So we came out here for nothing," Crystal huffed. Anger seemed to be replacing disappointment, at least for her. Lily still just felt like a total idiot. She shouldn't have gotten their hopes up, she should have remembered…

"Nothing," Lily agreed. "And the guard is only going to be gone for a little while longer, so we cannot even enjoy being out here. Getting caught would-"

"I know what it would do!" Crystal barked. "Come on, get up, if we cannot get the leaves now then we should at least not ruin our chances later."

Lily rolled to her paws and set off at a quick trot after Crystal, who lashed her tail at anything within reach. Puffs of snow exploded to either side of Lily as she followed behind, coating her face and sides, but she didn't complain; it was her fault Crystal was disappointed and angry.

"We should camouflage ourselves," Crystal barked once they had cleared the forest. "That way we can lose the guard if we get spotted coming back. No point risking anything now."

Once that was done, they were up in the air, but Crystal wasn't satisfied. "I am not going to give up," she growled angrily. "We should watch the guard, wait for a shorter break, slip by the moment the snow melts and plants start growing again."

"Yes, that could work," Lily agreed, glad to see Crystal's anger channeled into planning, of all things. She had expected a more physical way of coping. Maybe it was because they had been so easily thwarted by pure chance.

"And we do not even have to guess at when that is, you can send Mist to go check the bushes and tell us when there are leaves," Crystal continued.

A horrified silence fell over the both of them as what Crystal had said sunk in. Lily had a hard time following her friend's camouflaged form with the sheer amount of guilt and self-hatred that had just struck like a hefty paw-blow to the head. No, a paw-blow was over with too quickly... More like the cavern collapsing on top of her, as it was more painful and suffocating the more she thought about it.

How had she been so _stupid?!_ It was such an _obvious_ solution! It was so obvious, Crystal had come up with it out of sheer irritation!

"Lily." Crystal's disembodied voice was ice. "Tell me why that would not work. I am missing something. Something obvious, something stupidly clear that I just cannot see. Right? Tell me, I will not be offended."

"I…" Lily hesitated, but she knew there was no stopping the truth from coming, not now, and she couldn't make herself cover up her own stupidity. "I could have told Mist to go out and get leaves from the blue-green bush in the forest and bring them back. I could have asked Pina to do it, or Dew, but Claw might have left orders to stop them. Mist and her friends fly out past the valley all the time, so I know that would work. And Dew could have-"

"Lily, stop messing with me!" Crystal barked, cutting off her guilty rambling. "There has to be some reason you did not! Tell me why it would not work!" She sounded desperately angry, clearly hoping beyond hope that things were not as they seemed.

"It would work!" Lily cried out, tossing her head in the frigid wind. "I just did not think of it!"

"It cannot work!" Crystal roared back. "I _trusted_ you! You were supposed to know, to know what to do, to see all the tricks and clever workarounds! You are seriously telling me that you missed one _now?!_ Now, when the stakes are _so high?!_ "

" _I know!"_ Lily screeched, only vaguely noticing that they were gliding aimlessly above the valley now, arguing though they couldn't even see each other aside from as a shimmer in the air. "I was stupid! I missed the obvious! I hate myself for it, I know it is my fault, I _know!_ There's no excuse and I am not trying to make one!"

Crystal roared, a wordless exclamation of pure frustration and anger and betrayal, and dove, the blur that marked her place dropping out of Lily's sight. Lily tried in vain to follow, but she had lost track of Crystal and could not find her again.

She did not call out to her friend, because a large part of her could not bear to continue that horrible moment, and if she found Crystal again, more roaring and disappointment and betrayal would greet her, and she couldn't handle it. She soon gave up looking, knowing all too well that she would never find her friend in the boundless sky unless her friend wanted to be found, and settled for berating herself.

Stupid, so stupid! How had she missed it? If she and her best friend were barred from leaving, but only them, just get someone else to do it! Anyone could have done it with only a little suspicion, she could have asked a favor of a different light wing each moon-cycle. Or if that was too suspicious, she could have had Dew do it! There were so many easy answers along that line of approach, and she had missed them all!

She choked out a strangled sob of rage and guilt. This was _her_ fault, all of the worry and fear Crystal had over her egg was her fault because the egg wouldn't exist if she had seen this from the start, it was all her fault. When would she finally be done making stupid mistakes and missing obvious things? All of her plans and plotting had gone well for a while, but now it turned out she was making a mistake every moment of every day in not realizing what she was missing.

Another failure, another person close to her suffering for it. But she had to continue, because to give up would be even worse. She knew that, and she wasn't going to give up, but failing her best friend still hurt like nothing else.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily spent the rest of that day flying aimlessly, unwilling to be around other light wings for a long while, wanting to be alone with her thoughts; however bleak and guilt-ridden they were. When the guard flew up to her and nervously made sure she knew not to leave the airspace above the valley, she easily assented and said something reassuring about just wanting to stretch her wings. She wasn't sure exactly what she said, just that it was enough to get him to leave her alone without leaving him any the wiser.

But eventually, though she held out long after her stomach began growling and her wings aching, the sun set, and the new bone-deep chill permeating the air drove her down to the ground out of self-preservation.

She knew there was no more stalling to be done; Crystal would be waiting in their chamber, and Claw would hear of it if she spent the night anywhere else. He had never entirely given up on hurting her during his visits, and she was not about to give him any excuse to try harder. She would find another place in the chamber to sleep, because Crystal wouldn't want her anywhere near, and maybe in the morning she could apologize.

When Lily crept into the side-chamber, she saw that of the current occupants, most were asleep. The only one still awake was, of course, Crystal. Her hatchling was still up too, lying on her back and gumming at one of her frills.

Lily tried to slink along to an open patch of stone in the far corner of the chamber, but a warning growl from Crystal stopped her. "Claw will be suspicious if he learns I did not sleep her for some reason," she warned, feeling utterly miserable. "Do you really want him butting in and making this worse?"

"I am not telling you to get out," Crystal said quietly. "Get over here."

Lily did as told, though she was already dreading what was to come. "I am sorry," she whined, sitting tentatively across from Crystal.

"No," Crystal sighed, "I should be."

Lily blinked at her, but then lowered her gaze to the ground. "You really shouldn't. I deserve your anger." If she had more energy, she would be protesting far more vehemently, but she was just too weary to make a fuss, and wary of scaring Crystal's hatchling. That had to be the reason Crystal wasn't angrily hissing or otherwise laying into her once more.

"I have had all day to think," Crystal said quietly, her eyes locked on Lily. "All day to calm down. I was overreacting earlier. I was upset."

"For good reason!" Lily objected. "You trusted me, and I totally missed something obvious." She couldn't help but argue for her own guilt, not when Crystal had every right in the world to be angry like she had earlier.

"It is not fair of me to be mad at someone for missing something," Crystal continued as if she hadn't heard a word of what Lily said. "Anyone could have missed it. I did not come up with it the moment you told me of the situation."

"But I'm supposed to see these things, I was stupid," Lily moaned.

"Yes, I counted on you to have thought it through," Crystal agreed. "Next time, I will think about it myself and ask the obvious questions sooner. You are not infallible. I really should not assume otherwise, no matter how good you are at making it seem like you think of everything." All said in a calm, reasonable tone of voice.

"You really are not mad?" Lily asked in a small voice.

"Not anymore." Crystal shook her head a little, jostling the hatchling on her back and making him growl. A faint purr rose from her chest. "I might have ended up with him anyway," she added. "If the leaves only work for a moon-cycle and are not available in the cold-season, there was more than enough time for Claw to do what he does. Nothing would have stopped this."

"Nothing… If you ate enough of the leaves, it might have made you barren forever," Lily offered in a low voice. "That would have stopped it."

Crystal narrowed her eyes and was silent for a long moment, then shook her head, again doing so slowly as to not seriously unbalance her son. "I would not want that."

"Really?"

"No. I want to have hope." She said it quietly, sadly, without meeting Lily's gaze. "I need to hope for a life after this. Right now that does not feel possible, but I know that the pain will fade someday, and I will not take that away from myself now. I do not think I would have done it even when I was most unhappy. There has to be something to look toward."

"So, there was no way to keep you safe," Lily murmured, trying to ignore her friend's unintentional condemnation of what she had done. Her situation was different, the stakes just a little too high to make the risk worth it. It was a personal choice, and just because Crystal would not make it did not mean making it for herself was wrong.

"And you say 'safe' like this is terrible," Crystal objected. "I cannot think like that, though. He is mine, and I can hate his Sire, but I cannot think of his coming as bad. Not when it might affect how I treat him."

"No, you're right, don't do that," Lily hastily agreed. Crystal's self-confidence when it came to raising her son was still shaky at best; no further blows to it could be allowed.

"So, you see, there is really nothing to be mad at you _for_ ," Crystal concluded. "I was just upset. If I had been thinking clearly, I would not have blamed you."

"I'm still sorry," Lily said vehemently, leaning forward and pushing her nose against Crystal's chest. "Even if you are not mad. I made a mistake." Two, really, given Crystal had come up with the answer before her. One mistake in missing it, and another in not letting her friend in on the potential solution immediately. Maybe, even if she had not seen it, Crystal would have in time… But as Crystal said, it probably wouldn't have mattered in the end, though that did not totally absolve her of guilt.

"I forgive you," Crystal hummed, resting her head on top of Lily's. "And I think," she said with a strange little jump in her voice, "that my son should thank you. Maybe when he is old enough to understand."

"Was that a joke?" Lily asked, pulling away and staring at her friend.

"I tried," Crystal muttered, ducking her head in embarrassment and accidentally sliding her hatchling right down to the cavern floor. He burbled happily all the way down.

"It was a little too dark to be funny," Lily admitted, scooting around to lay beside Crystal as was habit.

"At this point, any humor is going to be dark humor," was Crystal's retort. "We are good?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you?"

"I have forgiven and moved on," Crystal replied seriously. "Have you?"

"I'll try." She knew she wouldn't be able to just forget, and it felt like Crystal had let her off too easily, but it was over and done with, and Crystal wouldn't tolerate her bringing it back up. She would have to do her best to move on.

At least moving on would be easy now, with a solution ready to go the moment plants began to bloom again. If nothing else, Crystal's protection was assured.

O-O-O-O-O

The sun was shining, the fledglings were shrieking, and Lily was enjoying a new scene, one brought about by the ever-weakening grip of the cold season upon the valley.

"You are _sure_ the slush is not too cold for him?" Crystal asked worriedly, watching her hatchling paw at a large puddle that he lay on his belly in front of.

"As long as you are here to warm him afterward, he could roll around in it and be fine," Dew said calmly. "Just do not let him drink too much, or his throat will ache from the cold."

"Dam, I wanna play!" Dew's son complained, tugging at her tailfins. "You promised."

"I am almost done here," Dew said firmly. "Anyway, Crystal, just relax. They are sturdier than they look, even at this age."

"Dam…" her son whined.

"Okay, okay," Dew warbled. "We can go now."

Crystal's son burbled happily and slapped his paw down on the still puddle, splashing himself and Lily's paws. He looked up at her with wide, yellow eyes before doing it again.

"I mean, he doesn't look like he plans to go rolling in it anyway," Lily commented. He still didn't walk properly, either, so he would be crawling, meaning Crystal would have plenty of time to stop him. There really was nothing to worry about.

"I know," Crystal sighed. "But I worry anyway. I should, I think."

"That's…" Lily shrugged her wing shoulders. "Okay, I don't know any better than you, but worrying when nothing is wrong sounds excessive. Have you asked your Dam?"

"We are not really on speaking terms," Crystal sighed. "I went to her for advice once, and it did not go well."

"Really? When was this?" Lily cast her friend an unhappy look. "And why did you not tell me?"

"Because nothing changed," Crystal said defiantly. "She has some sort of mental block when it comes to Claw, and I could not stand to hear her say positive things about him. She cannot stand to listen to me bad-talk him either, so we really cannot be around each other. That is not new."

"What about your Sire?" Lily suggested. "Sure, he's sworn to follow Claw, but that does not mean he has to like him. Maybe he would be more reasonable."

"He mostly does what my Dam says," Crystal groaned. "I am sure she will change her tune once Claw is gone. We can reconnect then. It is her fault if she stays away and misses my hatchling's early days."

"It's your life, and I certainly cannot claim to have handled my own Dam any better," Lily admitted, "but I do not _want_ to reconnect with her. I think you letting yours be a stranger will not make that easy."

They were both momentarily distracted by Crystal's son crawling a little further into the puddle, flailing both front paws happily, but once he settled in to his new method of splashing himself and all around him, Crystal shrugged her wing shoulders sadly. "Maybe. I do not know, I will think about it. What about you?"

"What do you mean?" Lily wasn't entirely content to let the conversation turn to herself, but she knew there would be ample time to bring the topic up again later. Even if Crystal seemed resigned to it and not _that_ miserable about the situation, that did not mean it was good, or could not be improved with the right approach.

"Well, you say you do not plan to reconnect with your Dam," Crystal explained. "I am realizing that I do not know what is going on there. You two were at odds long before all of this, right?"

Lily thought back, and realized with no little surprise that she really hadn't told Crystal anything about Cressa past that. Maybe she had mentioned being disowned after it happened, but that was it. "Oh, there is absolutely no chance we are ever going to see eye to eye again."

"What did she do?"

"Let me think… Well, first of all, she never really cared much about me," Lily began. "She spent one afternoon every season-cycle ranting at Pyre and feeding his despair, when she knew he was most vulnerable. She disowned me when I stood up for him, which is probably when you are thinking of."

"That _is_ bad," Crystal admitted, her eyes wide. She looked down at her son. "I could never do something like that, and I would have more of an excuse than her."

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Lily ranted, now more than happy to continue. She hadn't even _thought_ of Cressa as more than an aggravation and an enemy for quite a while, but her actions remained even if she hadn't done anything recently. "Who do you think grounded me? She stomped on my tail with her claws out when I wasn't looking, right before Claw decided to claim us. _Then_ she led Claw to Pyre's cave and got him killed, _and_ she did it to help Claw catch me."

Crystal's mouth was hanging open by this point, eyes wide in disbelief.

Lily shrugged. "I don't think her involvement was important in the end. It was just one more thing to remember. He could have done everything he did without her help, it just would have taken longer." Except for finding Pyre; she didn't think he would have managed that in time to stop them from fleeing. Actually, thinking about it now, a lot would be different if Cressa had not led him to them, or had just been a little slower about it…

Crystal's son helpfully pulled Lily's attention away from her unhappy thoughts by leaning forward and smashing his face into the puddle, and by extension the ground underneath it. He didn't seem bothered by the impact, happily snorting and blowing bubbles with his nose.

"That does _not_ make it any better," Crystal quietly hissed to her before leaning in to watch her son carefully. She had to blink every time he snorted out, but she didn't seem to mind that so long as he pulled his nose out to breathe often enough.

The conversation died out for a while after that, both of them more interested in watching the hatchling than talking about painful subjects. Eventually, Crystal deemed her son worn out and pulled him from the puddle, to his growled protests.

"Just wait until he starts adding words to his objections," Lily joked, hoping to lighten the mood again. "Think his first word will be 'no'?"

"Maybe 'more,'" Crystal mused, setting her son down and licking him clean of the silt and mud splattered across his tiny white scales. "Or 'please,' if we can teach him manners this early on."

The mention of teaching a hatchling manners brought an unpleasant memory to mind, one of Diora claiming that she would do so for Silva, and she shuddered. Dew had not been able to get Diora's approval for taking Silva on occasion, but she had reached out to a few friends with older, well-mannered but spirited female fledglings and gotten Silva some socializing that way, so something was being done for her, but something more needed to happen sooner or later. Aside from maybe manipulating Claw into taking Silva from Diora for good, which was a huge risk and a terrible idea aside from as a last resort, none of her plans could be applied until Silva was old enough to cooperate with her, which was a nice way of saying old enough to be manipulated by more than growls and croons.

"Maybe," Lily agreed. "Have you come up with a name yet?" Honey had decided to go with Wax after all, and Silva had been named from the first day out of the egg, so at the moment Crystal's son was the only one of the three without a definite name to go by.

"Not yet." Crystal let her son crawl free of her grip, only to snatch him up again and hold him more firmly in her jaws. He dangled limply, his eyes fluttering closed ever so often.

"How about-" Lily began, only to cut herself off as a familiar female landed with a splash in front of the both of them, scattering the puddle and startling her.

"Lily," Mist began without preamble, "I need your help." She leaped up into the air only a heartbeat later, and was gone so quickly nobody would have noticed unless they were already watching.

"That sounds really bad," Lily admitted. "You've got him, right?"

Crystal gestured impatiently with her wings, not wanting to nod her head due to the little one hanging from her mouth. The message was still clear enough. She didn't need the help.

Lily flung herself into the air, seeking Mist, who had already disappeared above one of the few clouds in the sky, a giant ball of white.

The moment Lily was in the clouds, she was ambushed by a well-meaning light wing. "Up here!" Mist cried out, bouncing her paws off of Lily's back and almost startling her out of the sky.

"What's gone wrong, and how bad is it?" Lily barked, her nerves frayed by the rapid-fire surprises. "That was risky!"

"I know, I know," Mist moaned, gliding up beside her. The cloud bank they were flying through was great for privacy, but terrible for vision, and Lily could barely make her out. "It is not extremely urgent, it could have waited, but I want this to be resolved quickly."

"Next time, be more subtle," Lily said sternly. She could forgive the occasional bout of immature impatience, but Mist had put her in a small amount of danger by doing that, and it wasn't going to happen again. "Someone could have seen and gotten suspicious."

"If anyone asks, I am going to say I was just startling a random female on a dare from Ash," Mist explained. "And the thing is, I was, because he did actually dare me to do as much yesterday. It was a convenient excuse."

"Be that as it may," Lily grumbled, mollified by hearing that Mist had a great cover and thus had not really been so reckless at all, "what's the problem?"

"A big one," Mist groaned. "Okay, so you know how you wanted Cedar with Liona, Ash with Danda, and me with Root?"

"Yes. Something went wrong with that?" Lily was pretty sure her pairings were the best overall, but she could _maybe_ see Cedar and Danda deciding they liked each other, or Liona going for Ash or Root for some reason.

"Well, I told Liona that Cedar likes her, and I told Cedar that I thought Liona was 'too aloof and uppity for her own good,' which was as good as me admitting I resent her, and that got Cedar to think that she is the most prominent, best choice, so that was one pairing down pretty quickly," Mist recounted.

"So there's no problem with them."

"No, not at all. They are dancing around each other, because Cedar is planning some grand gesture and Liona does not have the courage to approach him on her own, but they are not looking at their other options anymore. Getting Danda and Ash to look at each other was harder because Ash is so oblivious, but I think I have pointed Danda in the right direction. The problem is with Root."

"Has he set his heart on one of the others?" She hoped that was the issue, because it was not _actually_ a problem so long as all three males saw a reason to live, and thus would inevitably end up with _someone._

"No, he has set his heart on being a hero," Mist snorted. "I was having a hard time getting his attention, so I tried to go through his Dam, because he listens to her more than anyone else. It is quite offputting, actually, but I could wean him away from her if I had an opening, so I thought it would work, and it did," she rambled. "But when his Dam told him to consider me, he kind of…"

"Yes?" Lily asked, immensely curious. She could tell that Mist was _still_ off-guard from whatever Root had done, so it had to be something truly shocking.

"Well, _first_ he gave in without even questioning her. But the moment she mentioned not challenging, he got all weird and quiet, and when she pressed him, he told her, to her face, that he was challenging no matter what."

"So, it is _that_ kind of problem," Lily exclaimed. "I know the feeling. Believe me, I do. Did he give a reason?"

"Yes, that was the crazy part," Mist complained. "He started spouting all of this nonsense about how there 'had to be a hero' and how he must be the one, because nobody else was even trying and everyone was ignoring all of the terrible things happening, and all sorts of other things I did not even understand, much less agree with. I have _never_ heard him snap at his Dam, and he always listens to her, but this time he went crazy instead."

"Okay… That _is_ odd." It seemed like the sort of thing she was going to have to see and hear for herself, really. Mist's explanation didn't make much sense. "Where is he now?"

"He flew off, and I trailed him from afar long enough to see that he was heading for the shore. Lily, I do not even know how I would talk sense into him at this point, because I do not understand what he means. Can you try-"

"Of course, I'll try my hardest," Lily promised, knowing that she had already committed herself to doing so anyway, in claiming the pack as her fledglings. "Having you along might help, though. A combination of reason and more physical persuasion would probably work best."

"He will flee if he sees me. He did once already." Mist snarled aimlessly. "I am not happy with him at the moment, either, so I would not be much help persuading."

"I'll try to get him to see reason, but if I succeed he'll probably come looking for you to apologize, so try not to rip into him too harshly when he does," Lily warned. "I'm sure he has a very good reason, to defy his Dam. And didn't you just say you did not like how easily he listened to her? Maybe you'll see this as an improvement once it's not so self-destructive."

"I would have to understand it to see it as an improvement," Mist grumbled. "He is going to need a lot of work to make a good mate."

"Most males do," Lily agreed, thinking of all of the spineless, stupid, or otherwise undesirable males she had seen around the valley. She had yet to encounter a male who would make a great mate without some adjustment in one area or another, aside from Granite. "I'll see what I can do."

O-O-O-O-O

By the time Lily spotted Root, a ways down the shoreline and staring out at the ocean, she had a pretty good excuse ready for why she would be intervening, and she was feeling confident.

"If you are my Dam or Mist, you already know where I stand," Root called out without even looking back. "Cedar or Ash, go away before I bite your frills off. Liona or Danda, sorry but I want to be alone."

"How about none of the above?" Lily asked, standing beside him. She had never talked directly to him before, so she wasn't surprised when he looked over, his expression pure confusion-

Which melted into surprise and recognition once he took in her features. "Grey eyes, purple glint… I had not thought my Dam or Mist understood enough to send you. Clever."

Now Lily understood why Mist had been so off-balance; not a dozen heartbeats into the conversation, and she felt the same. "What do you mean by that?"

"It is not obvious?" Root asked, turning his head to look directly at her. His brown eyes were unremarkable, but they way they stared unsettled her. "They sent the victim to dissuade me."

Lily wasn't sure how she should take being called a victim, so she ignored it. "I'm here because I heard there was a-"

Okay, and what is _he_ doing here?" Root exclaimed, his eyes fixing on something over her shoulder.

As if on cue, a breathless male voice barked out at them. "Stay right there! The alpha said you are not supposed to leave!"

"I guess that is what he is doing," Lily deadpanned, turning to look at the male running toward them. She hadn't even thought about the guard, too caught up in puzzling over what Root could possibly be thinking. She must have gotten a pretty good head-start to have made it here before he caught up. "I'm not leaving, I just wanted to talk to Root."

The guard skidded to a stop short of her, throwing sand up in her face. "Claw said not to let you go. He will be mad at me for not catching you. Can you please just go back to the valley and talk to your friend there?"

Lily blinked, thrown off both by the sand and by the polite, sensible reaction to her explanation. "Well, yes, I can, if Root will come with me. I was only out here because he is."

"And you will not tell anyone I failed? Not even Claw?" the guard requested.

"Your secret is safe with me," Lily pledged, inwardly purring at the handy leverage she had accidentally obtained against at least one male on guard duty. Had they not already come up with a solution to the issue of obtaining things from the forest, she would have been ecstatic.

"And me, I guess," Root agreed.

A short flight later, Lily sat opposite Root on a handy little ledge halfway up one of the valley's mountain. She had almost taken him to Pyre's ledge before remembering what would be nearby, well within view, but this ledge, far from there, was just as good.

Root glared at the guard, who had resumed his flight above the valley. "He does not do anything."

"I mean, he certainly does _try_ to stop me or Crystal leaving," Lily lightly retorted. "He just isn't very good at it."

"That is not what I mean." Root transferred his glare to the valley below. "They do not either."

"Look, I was curious when I heard Mist ranting about you saying things she didn't even understand, so I came out here. You're going to have to fill me in on what you're thinking, because I don't already know." She really needed to know more before she could come up with any sort of strategy for talking sense into him. At the moment, she wasn't even sure he was sane.

"You know the stories?" Root asked, still looking out at the valley. "The ones Sires tell fledglings when they are bored, or the ones fledglings tell each other?"

"No, not really. Are you asking about one in particular?" She still felt entirely off-balance, and his strange segue wasn't helping at all.

"No, just whether you have heard a few."

"Probably?" She couldn't remember, and stories that came from Pyre didn't count, but it couldn't be _that_ important if he wasn't asking after specific ones.

"Good enough. You know how a lot of them have the same things? Happy innocents, a big threat, a hero who is either special or absolutely ordinary but rises to the occasion, a pretty female or attractive male in need of saving, a big overlying lesson?"

"Yes. Why?" She did not add that Pyre's stories often mocked or subverted those ideas; it wasn't important. They were just stories, told to pass time and relieve boredom, and maybe to teach a few lessons along the way, nothing more.

"I like stories," Root admitted. "I listen to them even now, and I come up with some every once in a while. It is not hard to follow the pattern. What is hard is being original."

"And this relates to you challenging Claw _how_?"

"A few nights ago, I started looking at all of this as a story, just for fun," Root explained, looking over at Lily. His eyes were hard and solemn. "And I noticed that we had a lot of the things we needed. A group of innocents, a pretty female in need of saving, a big threat… All this story is missing is a hero."

Lily held in her first response, which was to laugh in his face. He sounded so serious that she couldn't ruin it like that. Instead, she held her silence and hoped he would continue.

"We do not have a hero," he continued, still looking her in the eye. "Claw kills and takes what he wants, and everyone accepts it, because nobody is willing to stand up and defy him. Crystal did, once, and then never again, and Claw won. He took you, and everyone knows that is evil, but nobody stands up and defies him, because everyone who does dies. If this is a story, it is a bad one, because it is missing the hero and the happy ending and the lesson."

"And you think you are the hero we need?" Lily asked seriously. She was no longer amused; he was expressing his thoughts in a very strange way, but she saw the underlying point, and it was a familiar problem, the one that made her creep around and build support and bide her time instead of doing something faster and easier. Nobody was willing to stand up and defy Claw. Nobody, to put it in his terms, wanted to stick their neck out and be the hero.

"I think I am willing to try and be one, because who else is there?" he asked rhetorically. "How else does this end? Someone has to challenge him and win, _someone_ has to take over and put it all to rights. I know I can do the second part if I can just manage the first, and I do not know if anyone else would be able to do both."

"Nobody else?" Lily asked, annoyed in spite of herself. He had so easily dismissed both her and Crystal.

"Crystal, but she has a weakness now," Root sighed. "She cannot do anything without Claw doing something terrible to her son. You, but you seem to be enduring, nothing more. I cannot see you standing up and challenging Claw to his face, let alone succeeding."

Lily opened her mouth to argue that, and then closed it again without actually objecting. Of course, he couldn't see her doing anything like that; she was working hard to _not_ seem rebellious and courageous in that way! If he did think she would do that, then Claw would think the same. She shouldn't be annoyed, she should be content, knowing that a surprisingly astute, if strange, observer didn't suspect what she was doing.

And really, she didn't want to be the hero, like he was saying. The hero stood up, defied, and counted on luck or skill to win through. She was setting things up so that it was all skill and minimal risk. She wasn't a hero, she was a leader, but only the stories Pyre told ever had anything like that.

"What makes you think you will be different?" she asked instead. "My brother, Granite, thought something similar. I am sure others went into their challenge sure they would be the flukes, the ones to win by skill or just by dumb luck."

"I know what I am doing," Root explained calmly. "I can think about it. Claw will have a flaw, all villains do. Something that can be exploited."

He _did_ have a flaw, Lily thought to herself, but it wasn't a physical one, or anything that would help in a fight. His flaw was that he was powerless without the acceptance of the pack, and she _was_ going to exploit that for all it was worth. But Root couldn't use that.

"I am going to fight Cedar every day and train," Root continued. "I will work on my strength, on my aim, on my tactics. And if this was a story, I would say it was close to the end, because what he is doing cannot continue."

Lily closed her eyes for a long moment.

"And most importantly, I will not let myself be talked out of it," Root said defensively. "That always ends badly in stories."

"Life is not a story," Lily said slowly, her eyes still closed. "There is no fairness, no balance, no lesson that everything has been working toward giving, no plot to follow, no patterns, not like that. It is foolish and dangerous to think that it is."

"But if I do not try then I will never know, and I cannot live with that," Root said calmly. At no point had he lost his temper while they were talking, which was a far cry from what Mist described, but Lily almost wished he would. At least then she would know she had challenged his beliefs in some way, that he felt the need to strike back and drive her away. This just felt like unshakable certainty.

"There are other ways to fight," she offered. "If I could show you one of those, would you at least hold off on challenging?"

"No. I have made my choice. I will be the hero."

"You will be the corpse added to the dark side of the valley. You will be the reason another female is consigned to Claw when she would rather have you." Lily opened her eyes and fixed him with her strongest glare. "Does that sound like a good story?"

"No. But like you just said, life is not a story." He met her glare and stared back confidently.

"You are a fledgling who is making a stupid mistake out of foolishness," she said bluntly. "Your heart is in the right place, but not your mind."

"I will save you," he replied. "You, Crystal, everyone. You will thank me then. I will be someone worth thanking, then."

Lily shook her head and leaped off of the ledge without another word for no more reason than she was _out_ of other words; she had never seen such a strange confidence. He seemed… righteous, almost, and she could not muster any real argument that she had not already tried.

She wasn't giving up, of course. If nothing else, this was a challenge she couldn't resist, because he was so _different_ compared to everyone she knew. Different to what she had heard of him before now, too, which was something she was going to look into soon.

But not soon enough; she was going to have to tell Mist that an apology was not yet on Root's mind.


	21. Considerate

_**Author's Note:** _ **Why yes, this is going out about 12 hours early. It was either that or 10 late, and we've already missed a week.**

**Sorry about that, by the way. I should have anticipated the end of my break being hectic, but somehow that anticipation didn't include crossing highways at 3 AM in the bitter cold, losing internet connection, and having my beta remind me of something important enough to merit another chapter in between this and the next. As it turns out, a little extra time was needed to keep up with all of that.**

Lily had never encountered such a strange mentality as the one Root had shown her the day before, and she certainly wasn't going to leave it at that, with Root politely and even honorably ignoring or disregarding everything she said to him. She was going to understand him, whatever it took. Understanding might literally be the difference between him living or dying.

And he _would_ die if he challenged; he was less prepared than Granite and planned to do only as much for less time. Root only had three, maybe closer to four moon-cycles to ready himself. Granite had been training with Bone for longer than that, though Lily wasn't sure when he had started. Before Crystal had confronted him on his intentions, at least.

This whole situation was too similar to Granite for her liking; it made her sad when she needed to focus. Root was not her half-brother, he was not hiding his intentions from her, and he was not planning to challenge on Pearl's behalf. There were plenty of differences; she barely knew him.

But he reminded her of Granite all the same, because he didn't think he would lose, and because he was challenging on someone else's behalf. He was trying to do the right thing, as he saw it. Of course, the way he saw it was naïve and dangerous to his health, but that didn't change much. She couldn't just call him immature and leave him to die, and all of the easy arguments had gotten no response.

So, she needed to learn more about him, to find his underlying motives, the way he worked. The first stop in that little journey was obvious, which was why she was here, wondering whether she had the right rock.

"Excuse me," she ventured, addressing a light wing on a neighboring boulder, "is this where Root and his parents sleep?"

"Yes, Whirl and Flare," the male answered politely. "They always go for a family flight in the mornings, so if you wait they will be back sooner or later. Who are you?"

Really? Well, she supposed she was not the _most_ recognizable dragon in the pack, and the male wasn't really looking at her all that closely, but still. "Lily."

She didn't enjoy the abrupt silence from him, or the way he was suddenly staring very hard at whatever he had already been looking at, but she did take comfort from the fact that such reactions were dying off. People still reacted if she reminded them of her existence, but it was no longer overwhelmingly obvious. For better or for worse, her apparent lack of activity was serving to help everyone forget her plight and their discomfort as long as they were not reminded.

She wasn't sure whether that would make it easier or harder to do what needed to be done. On the one paw, less notoriety meant it would be easier to just ignore and dismiss her. On the other, her reputation still affected people once they were reminded, which might give her a potent tool to shock them into lowering their guard. It would be easy to use, if she could just figure out a way to go from remembered guilt to anything useful without just negating the guilt anyway.

"Hello?" a male called out, and a bulky light wing landed on the rock beside her. "Are you looking for my son?"

"What gave it away?" Lily asked curiously.

"You are Lily, and he mentioned you talking to him," the male, who Lily assumed was known as either Whirl or Flare, explained diffidently. "He and his Dam are out, and will not be back for a long while. You may want to return tomorrow."

"I might very well do that," Lily agreed, "but I also wanted to talk to you, so I can do that now."

"Me?" the male tilted his wings back to gesture to himself, as if to be sure she knew what she had said. "Not Whirl or Root?"

"Them too, but I have some questions for you. I am helping a friend." All truth, though investigating Root in order to learn how to manipulate him in order to convince him not to challenge so that Mist could have him as a mate was a pretty far remove. "What is Root like?"

"What is he like?" Flare, for that by deduction had to be his name, sat back on his tail and stared down at her. "Well, he is a private person, for one. I do not think I want to say anything to you. You are not exactly the best person to be seen talking to, anyway."

Lily sighed dramatically and decided to see if her reputation could be used as a blunt persuasive force. "As if I don't have enough problems in my life without you adding to them. Please, just talk to me. We can go somewhere less open if you care about being seen with me."

Flare dropped back onto all four paws. "Explain why I should violate my son's privacy for your sake, and we do not have to go anywhere as long as you make your questions quick."

"It's for his own good, to stop him from challenging," Lily corrected him. "I want to understand why he does what he does so that I can help Mist convince him not to throw his life away. That is why." Surely, as his Sire, he would agree with that goal.

Flare purred contently. "I see. If Whirl were not at this very moment dissuading him, I would praise your efforts."

"Let's assume she does not succeed for whatever reason," Lily offered. "I would still like to know what Root is like. Who does he listen to, what drives him, what does he want? Just those things, and I will go." She could come back for more information tomorrow; Whirl, by all accounts, was very much involved in her son's life and would probably be far more amenable to sharing more details.

"He listens to his parents, does what his Dam asks, and not much more until now," Flare said slowly. "A few days ago, I would have said he was content just to live a quiet, happy life. He has never shown much drive to do anything before now. This decision and outburst surprised us as much as anyone else."

That wasn't very helpful, aside from giving Lily the feeling that Root wasn't a very open person to begin with. That, or his Sire was not very observant, but Flare seemed far more aware and careful than most of the males she knew, so that didn't seem right.

"Thank you for speaking with me," Lily hummed politely. "I take it you do not want to see him challenge any more than the rest of us?"

"Of course not. Even if he did win, he would be stuck in charge of the pack, and someone else would take over soon enough. He would die either way. I just want him to live past this next season-cycle."

O-O-O-O-O

"Are you Whirl?" Lily asked, flying up behind the female she had seen lick Root goodbye like one might expect a Dam to do for a far younger fledgling before flying away in the general direction of the ocean.

"Yes, I am," Whirl called back without even looking. "You are Lily? My mate told me about you questioning him. Come with me while I fish."

Lily followed along as Whirl headed out over the water, mentally organizing her questions. In retrospect, she could have been more precise with her questions with Flare, and she was not going to make the same mistake twice. "You know what I plan to do with the answers you give?"

Whirl glanced back at her. "No. I know what you told my mate you want to do, but not how you will turn my knowledge into an argument that will succeed where I have failed. I also do not know why you are involved in this at all." She sounded conflicted.

"I owe Mist a favor, and she thinks I can help. I think I can too, if I get the right information."

"Mist is a nice female. A little too controlling, but nice."

Lily took note of the fact that Whirl, who by all accounts ran far more of her son's life than she probably should, had just called Mist controlling. It was impossible to say whether she was sensitive to another female usurping her influence, noticing Mist's attempts to direct the future of the fledglings Root associated with, or just plain projecting her own issues.

"Tell me," Whirl continued, leveling out over the blue waters below and staring down, "do you just want me to talk about him, or do you have actual questions?"

Lily snorted at the impatient tone. If anything, she should be the one feeling impatient. "My first question is whether you had any hints that he was planning this before now."

"No, none at all," Whirl growled. "He does not usually keep secrets from me. Some things he does not share with others, but I hear about everything. This is new, and I do not like it. I just want to help him."

"But he won't listen?"

Another, louder growl. "He always listens, but not this time. He just looks at me like I cannot possibly understand what he is thinking."

"Do you?"

"I do not need to, I just need to know that he is going to get himself killed." She looked down at the ocean passing below them and growled. "What makes you think you can do better than me? I raised him from an egg."

"I understand that," Lily agreed, not mentioning that it didn't seem to be helping much _now_. "I don't want to get in your way, I just want to help."

"Then stop talking like you are trying to shove me aside and take over as his Dam!" Whirl growled. "The _only_ female I am willing to tolerate trying to take him from me is whichever one he chooses as a mate, and even then, I expect to reach an _agreement_ with her. You are no such female and have no right to butt in."

Lily stared at the back of Whirl's head and briefly entertained the notion that the Dam was as crazy as the son. They both refused to let her help, as just one example of similarity.

"I am here as a favor to a friend, and out of the goodness of my heart," Lily eventually replied, careful as ever. "I don't want to take over for you," but she had anyway, but Whirl didn't need to know that, "I just want to prevent his death because that is a bad thing that seems to be coming if nobody can dissuade him."

"That is all?" Whirl asked hesitantly. "Truly?"

"Truly," Lily agreed, wondering if she had finally gotten through to the defensive female. She was focusing on Root for the moment, but she would come back around to Whirl soon enough, given helping Root would lend her a powerful in with his parents, and having it clear that she wasn't trying to step on Whirl's paws would be a great advantage there.

"He was always quiet as a fledgling," Whirl remarked seemingly out of the blue. "Always careful, always listening to stories and repeating them to me later, even if I was the one who had told them. He loved stories and never complained about anything."

Lily flew silently behind Whirl, recognizing this as its own sort of apology and not caring. She was more interested in the information she had come for.

"He is shy, too," Whirl said fondly. "It took moon-cycles to get him used to just the other fledglings that lived around us. I had to step in and make sure he did not just leave and go do his own thing whenever he wanted, else he would never have seen them. But he always listened to me and never resented it."

"Never?" Lily found that hard to believe; most fledglings pushed away from their parents at some point near adulthood. She _certainly_ had, assuming one only thought of her cavern-Dams. Not so much Pyre, but the point remained as she was no sane light wing's definition of normal.

"The only complaint he has ever had is that sometimes the others mock him for it," Whirl said confidently. "And that is their issue, not his. He relies on me."

"It certainly seems he did before now," Lily suggested. "Maybe he is just choosing a very bad time to assert his independence?" Usually, one didn't try to gain control of one's life by seeking to have it ended, but Root didn't think he would die, and if he won he would _undoubtedly_ be above his Dam taking charge, given he'd be the new alpha and thus obligated to obey nobody but himself.

"He does not need independence," Whirl complained sullenly. "Independence is for getting away from bad people. I want the best for him."

"But he might not see it that way," Lily suggested. "Maybe you would have more luck if you told him he was free to do what he wanted, but that you would rather he be alive to do it?" She didn't think Whirl's clinginess was the actual driving force behind Root's strangeness, but it was more than likely a factor.

"That would not work," Whirl grumbled, "but I might try it anyway. Do you have any other questions before you do the impossible and convince him where his own Dam has failed?"

"No, not really," she admitted. "I don't know what else to ask." She could see where Root's current attitude and outlook matched Whirl's description of him, and it no longer seemed sudden so much as just how he was, finally coming into play. He had spent his life thinking in stories, and just now realized he was living in one that needed a hero. Of course he would latch onto that.

"Well, if you can do it, you will have _my_ gratitude," Whirl said, looking back at her with not entirely unfriendly eyes. "One of the few things he said recently that I do not disagree with is that you have had a bad lot in life. I do not know how I did not see that before now."

"A lot of people don't want to admit it," Lily agreed, trying not to push her luck too much. She had Root to thank for this particular opening; given they had started this encounter off on the wrong paw, she'd take the unwitting help.

Whirl nodded, before looking down, squinting at the water, and firing into it. She then dove, effectively ending the conversation.

Lily didn't stick around to watch her fish; she had some new information to ponder, though at the moment she couldn't see how any of it was helpful. None of it had given her new angles of attack so much as explained why all the ones she had already tried were doomed to failure.

But she still had time, and soon there would be another chance to get more information about Root. She had questioned his family, and she could ask Mist to get information from his friends, but there was one easy chance coming to observe him in the moment.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily glided above the valley, looking down in the darkness. The forest was still mostly lifeless out in the distance, all of the seasonal plants and trees still barren, but it felt balmy and warm out this night. The cold-season was well and truly over now, and everyone had moved out of the cavern. Everyone but her and those who lived there through all of the seasons.

Now, feeling the light breeze under her wings, she wished she could look forward to finding a rock in the valley, or going to Pyre's home to sleep on the ledge. It would be stuffy and warm in the cavern system, but the weather was perfect outside.

But that was not to be, not this season-cycle. Maybe not the next, or the one after, either. She would take as much time as was needed to ensure she succeeded. Someday, she would sleep out in the open and not need to think about Claw's wishes. Someday, they would all be free of him.

"There does not look to be any guard at all," Crystal hissed excitedly from above her. "I think Claw just decided that since we have not fled yet, we will not at all."

"Possibly." She wasn't so sure; it would be easy for him to tell the guard to camouflage himself and lie in wait. Now would be the perfect time to flee, if they were going apparent lack of oversight had only started two days ago; it could very well be a trap, Claw himself could be waiting for them if they tried to escape.

Nevertheless, they _were_ going to leave the valley on this moonlit night. They had a good excuse to. It was the night of the celebration amongst the oldest fledglings, and that celebration was happening on the shore.

"Here they come," Crystal hummed, looking behind them. "Liona, Danda, over here!" she called out.

"Crystal!" Danda barked. "Were you waiting for us?"

"I was not sure exactly where this is happening, so yes," Crystal breezily replied. "I am not late, am I?"

"No, we are just going down there ourselves," Liona volunteered. "Follow us. And your friend too?"

Lily looked back at her, keeping her eyes wide and friendly. She ignored the telltale flinch of recognition. "I can come, right? We did not have one of these last season-cycle, and I would like to see."

"As long as you stay out of the way," Danda allowed briskly, not even seeming to hear how rude she sounded. "You might bring the mood down."

"I will," Lily promised, hiding her annoyance. The important thing was that she had just been invited; that was more than enough excuse, when half a dozen other people were all going. Nobody could claim she was trying to leave while flying among fledglings and going to a celebration.

Well, nobody stupid. A smarter light wing would suspect she planned to slip away and make her escape by paw when the celebration was in full swing and thus the perfect distraction. She _would_ have had that plan if she meant to leave.

On the other side of things, nobody who thought it through would suspect Crystal of trying to escape the valley and leave. She had left her hatchling with Honey, and escape would mean leaving him behind to Claw's vengeance. Even if the threats he had leveraged against the rest of her family were not enough to hold her, that would be.

As they flew over the dark forest, Lily noticed a bright light on the shore, one that just as suddenly disappeared. "What is that?"

"I have no clue," Danda admitted. "Well, obviously it is fire, but whywould anyone need that there? Cedar and Ash were supposed to get the fish before sunset."

They began their descent, and Lily began identifying white shapes on the shore, picking them out by their glint when it reflected in the intermittent flash of fire being used for some unknown purpose by one of them. Cedar, Ash, Root, and Mist were already there, gathered around whatever was being flamed, and there were a few light wings Lily vaguely recognized as being from the next season-cycle, fledglings who would become adults in the next hot-season. One of them was even from the cavern, a daughter of Claw and thus one of Lily's many half-siblings.

Lily landed in the sand just shy of the tideline, veering off from Crystal and the others at the last moment so as to approach from another angle. She was here to observe, and under Danda's rudeness had resided a fair point; she _would_ bring the jubilant, carefree mood down if too many people saw her and felt guilty. That wouldn't help her at all in this case.

As she moved closer, unnoticed but present, she began paying attention to what was going on.

Cedar was the one flaming, and he was doing _something_ to a pile of sand surrounded by rocks, occasionally tossing a pawful on and burning it. The others were all watching closely.

"No, I am not saying what this is," he replied when someone asked what he thought he was doing. "It is a surprise for later. Nobody step on it."

"It looks funny," Ash commented.

"That is because it is so hot it melted," Cedar explained. "If you step on it, you might lose a paw."

"I can flame my own paw without it hurting," Ash retorted.

"Over and over again?" Danda asked brusquely. "I do not think so. Just stay away from whatever madness he is cooking up. We are here to celebrate, not gawk!"

Lily had to purr at the way Danda corrected Ash's imminent stupid mistake; she could do with a lot more tact, but it was a good start, and the reason she had chosen to suggest Mist work to pair them off. Along that same line of thought, hadn't Mist said that Cedar was planning a big thing for Liona tonight? Maybe his weird creation even now cooling between the rocks was a part of that.

And of course, the reason for her attendance was here too, standing by Cedar and talking amiably enough. Root didn't seem all that excited, but he also didn't seem disinterested. She suspected he saw himself as an observer here, just like she did.

Then the festivities began, and Lily lost track of time. First there was a game of fish-tossing, where Mist and Danda threw food from a large pile and everyone else tried to catch it, and then there were races that everyone participated in, even her, though she found herself struggling to even stay at the back of the pack.

Eating challenges came next, at least for those who were stupid enough to think eating after strenuous flying was a good idea, and Lily stood well back, anticipating the unintended regurgitation of food long before it happened. She wasn't entirely sure who had won that specific contest, but Ash had clearly lost, given he looked sick for a long while afterward.

Past that point, the planned activities seemed to be over, and fledglings mingled, talking and joking and occasionally taking to the air to show off or work off some excited energy. It was a small celebration compared to the massive, official ceremony coming in a few moon-cycles, but it was also one with a good, light feel to it. There were no pending deaths or disappointments here.

"It is good, is it not?" Liona asked, coming up to her. "We thought of it a while ago. I have heard the ceremony is too often sad to be much fun."

Lily didn't show any surprise at being addressed directly by someone she had yet to make overtures toward; she would take good luck if it showed itself like this. "It is. I wish my season-cycle had thought of such a thing."

"That is why we invited them," Liona revealed, nodding at the younger fledglings. "They are a little immature, but they are having fun, and they will remember for the end of the next cold season. With luck, they will invite the next group, and so on…"

"You've started a new tradition, I think," Lily said appreciatively. That was a good plan, though it could fail if the organizers of the next event shut the younger ones out. Or maybe being purposefully excluded would just make those younger ones more intent on having their own when it was their turn.

"That was the idea," Liona purred.

A loud roar from near the middle of the group caught their attention, and Liona turned to see what Lily was already looking at. Cedar had pulled together a mound of sand and clambered up to the top.

"Everyone!" he called out, roaring again. "I have an announcement! The thing I was making is done!"

"So?" one of the younger fledglings roared back at him.

"So, it is for my future mate!" Cedar crowed. "I have my eye on one female in particular, and I want her to know."

So, it _was_ part of his grand gesture. Lily was glad she hadn't missed such an obvious deduction, and also to see the hopeful look on Liona's face; it would be sad to see her hopes crushed, but Lily had the advantage of having seen this coming.

"Over-" Cedar barked in surprise as he misplaced a paw on the way down his hill and tumbled forward, head over tail. He rolled to a stop at the bottom, his paws flailing in the air.

"Oh," Liona laughed, running over to get a good look without being blocked by the laughing crowd. Lily allowed a smile, reminded of a time she herself had been clumsy in her own body. A much happier time...

Cedar, to his credit, hopped up and shook himself off confidently enough. "We all do it," he said loudly. "I just have bad luck with when it happens to me. Anyway, the thing I was making."

"What is it?" Mist called out.

Instead of answering, Cedar began clearing out the rocks from around the thing he had burned and apparently melted, kicking them away with his paws. He then dug out a little hole in the sand beside what to Lily looked like just another chunk of sand, and stuck his muzzle down in the hole.

What he was doing became clear a second later as a huge chunk of sand began to _move_. He levered it out with his head, pushing hard to stand the strange, sandy rock upright. It was irregular and reminded Lily of nothing so much as a perfectly flat stone, complete with an oval underside.

Then he began brushing it off with his tail, and she felt her jaw drop. It was _clear_ and like ice but not, with frozen flames of black swirling around inside, and little pebbles suspended inside. Not even ice looked like that, and this was not ice, he had made it with fire. It was almost as tall as she was when standing on all four paws, and as wide as her too. A murmur of awe and surprise rose from the amazed crowd standing around him.

"I do not think it serves any purpose," Cedar admitted. "But, it is pretty and sleek and fun to look at, just like the female I am thinking of. Liona, this is for you."

Liona stared at Cedar and what he had made, her eyes wide. "Really?" she asked in a hopeful voice.

"Really. I would like you to be my mate, and I wanted you to know before the ceremony. It is your choice which male you go for, but if you choose me you can be sure what my response will be."

"Cedar is going to get all three of them to pick from," someone near Lily said in a low rumble. "I wonder if I can do that next season-cycle?"

"You will just look like you are copying him," a female hissed back.

"I do not know what to say," Liona murmured, walking up to him and looking into the clear rock.

"You do not have to say anything," he replied generously. "It is for you regardless."

"It is very pretty," she said happily. "I do not know where I would keep it, or how to move it around, but it looks nice here."

That seemed to be everyone's cue to start talking again. Many of the younger fledglings crowded around Cedar and the rock, some of the males asking him how he did it.

Lily was more interested in the two pairs of older fledglings. Danda was saying something to Ash, and Mist to Root. She couldn't get any closer without obviously listening in, and she couldn't hear them from where she stood, but she thought she knew what was being said. Ash looked thunderstruck, and Mist-

Mist stamped a paw and turned away from Root, pointedly looking at Ash and then saying something angrily.

Root bowed his head, looked away, and then replied in a low voice.

Mist all but stomped over to Ash and Danda and engaged them in a conversation, totally abandoning Root.

Only an idiot would think that had gone well, but Lily was encouraged by the way Root listlessly cast around in the sand, clearly not happy about what had transpired. She sensed an opportunity.

So, she approached him. "What was that all about?"

He looked up and sighed. "She does not understand, still. I do not like making her mad, but it is for the best."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I do not particularly want her, and I am challenging, too," he explained, looking out at the crowd of fledglings around Cedar. "Best she set her sights on someone else now, while she thinks I am just rejecting her for the obvious reason. That way, her feelings will not be hurt."

"Wait, so even if you were not challenging-" Lily began.

"Even then, I would not really want her," he confirmed. "She is nice enough, but I am looking for something more. When I am alpha, the first thing I will do is rid us of the tradition of the alpha having multiple mates. I just want one special female, even if I have not yet met her. Mist is not her."

"Is this also from your obsession with stories?" Lily asked skeptically. Again, she could not exactly call his desires wrong, he was just going about acting on them in a bad way. "Finding the perfect mate?"

"No, not really," he answered. "I want someone strong and fierce but _not_ controlling. My stories just tell me that such a person can exist, even if I have not met them yet."

She sensed the impact of his Dam on that want, if only in the last specification, and she couldn't say he was wrong to want that… But it was extremely inconvenient, as it deprived her of yet another possible angle of attack.

"And anyway, it is for the best," he continued. "She is going to compete with Danda for Ash, and he actually _could_ use someone to tell him what not to do. And when I win, whichever of them he does not pick will be free to wait and find a male later. Everything will work out."

"Not Cedar?" She would have thought his revealing an unexpected creative side would sway Mist to choose him, if not Root.

"I think she would feel bad about trying to get between Cedar and Liona," Root explained. "I know I would. Liona is having the best night of her life right now, and Mist butting in to try and take Cedar would ruin it for her."

"Well, at least someone is happy," Lily rumbled, glancing back at the two light wings in question. Liona was now talking to Cedar a short distance from the rest of the group, near the tideline, and even as she watched they nuzzled tentatively.

"Everyone will be once I take over," Root vowed. "Also, are you aware you are being watched?"

"I suspected as much," Lily said blandly, not showing any surprise. She hadn't even bothered checking the treeline for suspicious shimmers, knowing that she wasn't going to try and escape, but Root noticing them caught her by surprise.

"I will fly you back to the valley, just in case," he volunteered.

"How nice." She felt like rejecting the offer out of annoyance, but it represented more time she could spend interacting with him, and thus more time to pry at his convictions, so she didn't let her annoyance show. "Let's go now."

"The celebration will probably go long into the night," he said. "You want to leave now?"

"Yes." There was nothing more for her to see or do here, and the reason she had come in the first place was offering to fly her back. She might as well go.

Once they were in the air, she set a slow pace, barely flapping enough to do more than glide, so as to stretch out their time. He flew with her, occasionally casting glances behind.

"I'd rather you not look back," she said. "They'll realize I know they are there. It looks more innocent if I seem to have no thoughts of escaping even when the coast is clear."

"Do you have thoughts of escaping?" he asked. "Pearl and Gold did. It might work for you."

"No. This is home, and I am not just going to flee to let everyone else suffer."

"I am going to fix it soon anyway," he purred confidently. "Only a few more moon-cycles."

"Are you? Really?" She let all of her doubt into her voice, hoping to overwhelm him. "Did you know that he can defeat two desperate, cornered adults at once?"

"Since when does he fight more than one on one?" Root asked, looking over at her.

"Since that terrible day," Lily snarled. She had come up with this on the fly, but it felt like a good blow to his blind self-confidence. "He cornered Crystal and I in a small cavern, and we attacked him together. We didn't land a claw on him."

"I did not know you fought at all."

"Because he beat us so easily it made absolutely no difference," Lily growled defeatedly. "What makes you more likely to win than us?"

"I will have training-"

"Granite had training. Bone had training. Something else."

"I am smart."

"Granite was smart. Bone wasn't, but Granite was. Next." She didn't know if she was actually getting through to him, but at least he wasn't able to shut this course of argument down as easily as the rest.

"I am fighting for someone besides myself," he offered.

"So was Granite," Lily countered. "He fought _only_ because he found out someone else was suffering under Claw." It felt _right_ to use Granite to dissuade Root. He wouldn't have wanted another like himself to die a needless death, so he would have approved.

"Who?"

"It does not matter now, does it?" Lily growled. "What else makes you more likely to win?"

"I am the hero."

"For all you know," she said viciously, "there is no hero. Maybe the way this ends is him being struck by lightning because he was stupid enough to fly in bad weather. Maybe one day the pack will wake up and decide they've had enough. Maybe someone will slit his throat as he sleeps. That is no reason to think you will live."

Root growled at her, his pupils angry slits. They passed over the mountains and just kept going, not descending. "Stop trying to talk me out of this!"

"Stop trying to fly to your pointless death!" she retorted with exactly the same tone. "There has been _enough_ pointless death!" She swerved right up to him, their wings overlapping, to get as close to being in his face as one could in the air. "Only one other person in this valley needs to die, and you'll not be able to do it."

"Then who will?" he demanded. "It is not as if some powerful male from abroad will fly in one day and dismember Claw, and even if that _did_ happen, he would probably be just as bad in new ways! No, it has to be me. I must be meant to do something, or else my life is worthless."

Lily halted her objection before it reached her mouth; that last part didn't fit with the rest. "Since when are you worthless?"

"Since I have not done anything worth saying," he growled. "I am more than willing to risk my life to fix all of this, and it does not hurt that when I do, I will be remembered as more than a Dam's son who did nothing with his life!" He snarled at her and dove, departing in an instant.

Lily continued to fly slowly above the valley, thinking about what she had tried, and why it had failed. The conclusion she came to was not a good one, but it was at least a familiar one.

Like Bone, Root would not be persuaded by words. He was so set on his path, for so many reasons. He wanted to be a hero, he thought there had to be one, he wanted to be remembered, he wanted to fix the pack's many problems, he wanted to save _her_ from Claw, he wanted to win free of his Dam, he wanted the freedom to wait for the kind of female he desired to come around… If she had a few _season-cycles_ she could change his mind, but no less would suffice. There were too many motivations that needed to be circumvented.

Here was where she had given up on Bone. Realizing that his mind could not be changed. But she wasn't giving up on Root. If he would not be swayed, then she had to attack the problem from some as of now unknown angle.

She didn't have season-cycles, but she did have moon-cycles, several of them. That was enough time to come up with an answer and put it into play. Root would not die, even if she had to thwart him _and_ Claw to achieve it.

O-O-O-O-O

"Is there a reason you are watching hatchlings and fledglings play from behind a rock?" a friendly voice asked.

"Simple," Lily purred, turning and nodding at Dew, before gesturing with her tail at the rough play-fighting going on in the small clearing beyond. "I needed to watch something going right, and I needed to talk to you or Pina. This kills two fish with one blast."

"The thing going right is Silva, I presume?" Dew asked, coming up beside her and openly watching the fledglings. "I _am_ proud of how I managed that."

"I am too, and curious. How did you get Diora to let her play with _anyone_?" Lily asked. There were no males in the clumsy, slow-moving conflict going on in front of them, but she didn't consider that quite as important as Silva socializing at all. Just seeing Silva included in the rough play without getting hurt was good enough for her; if Diora were here, she'd throw a fit at her daughter's loud crowing and lack of composure.

"I simply complimented her," Dew purred. "All I had to do was say I was impressed by her daughter's composure, offer to watch her, and then say it would be a relief to get away from my rowdy male son. She thinks Silva is alone with me in the cavern, sitting still and maybe blinking once in a while." The disdain was heavy in her voice.

"Okay, that explains how you have Silva," Lily agreed, "but the others? And how do you know Diora won't notice this?"

"The others are from Dams who know and trust me," Dew continued. "And I have Pina flying above the valley with my son." She looked up.

Lily followed her gaze and saw a large light wing form alongside a much smaller one that did not flap. "Gliding lessons? I did not have those at his age." Hers had only come halfway through her third season-cycle, while she was under the impression Dew's son had not quite made it to two yet.

"He cannot actually fly, but he can always get used to the air." Dew purred proudly. "Pina did not know that until I told her. Gliding is not something that relies on age. As soon as their wings are thick enough at the base and long enough, they can glide. It varies with every fledgling, like when they start talking. And they can act as lookouts. I know Diora and Ivy went to the ledges, so they will have plenty of time to warn us when they see either flying back."

"Clever," Lily said admiringly.

"I thought so," Dew purred. "But you did not answer my question. Why are you hiding? They would love an audience."

Lily peeked out at the mock-combat, purring to herself as the oldest of the four fledglings gently batted Silva's wings down, playing with surprising restraint for someone her age. Silva lunged at her paw, only to fall flat and roll over purring with laughter.

"Me?" she eventually responded. "Oh, I told Diora she would not see me near her daughter again. I try to keep my word, and I wasn't sure if she was here."

"I do not think that was exactly what she had in mind," Dew chuckled. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Exactly what I wanted," Lily confirmed. "Can you do it regularly?"

"Definitely. I am not going to bring any males into it, but only so that if Diora finds out she might not totally lose her trust in me. For Silva's sake."

"It's not the most important thing right now," Lily agreed. "There will be plenty of time to introduce her to the other half of her peer group once she's old enough to be discreet."

"Yes. You also said you needed to talk to me about something else?" Dew flicked her tail out at the commotion in front of her. "I cannot take my attention away from them too long."

"I'll make it quick. What, exactly, are the signs that someone is carrying an egg?" Lily asked.

Dew hummed thoughtfully. "Growing lethargy, occasional bursts of temper, eating more… It certainly is not obvious, but those are predictable for the last quarter-moon-cycle or so." She cast Lily a pitying glance. "Do you ask for yourself?"

"No," Lily sighed. "I suspect Crystal might already have another." She had seen the signs in the last few days, and even Crystal's more upbeat attitude could not hide them entirely. Honey hadn't said anything this time around, but she also hadn't been checking Crystal's scent, so that meant nothing.

"So soon?" Dew chuffed in surprise. "That is impressive, really. She will have many over the season-cycles if she can have two that quickly. I hope she likes hatchlings, because Claw certainly will not let up if she asks. Most of us only have one every few season-cycles, if at all."

"Maybe it's just a fluke," Lily offered, setting that idea in Dew's mind for later, when Crystal certainly would not be having any more eggs. It was terrible bad luck that she had one now, when the leaves were just beginning to bud on the bush that would have protected her. "Is there anything _else_ that could cause the same changes in her without meaning an egg?" That was why she had come to Dew, though she knew it was a small, unlikely chance.

Dew shrugged her wing shoulders. "You had best hope it is an egg. The only other thing I can think of is illness, and that is a far worse turn of events."

"Depends on what kind of illness," Lily retorted absently, thinking of what Pyre had taught her on the subject. "Some can come and go in a matter of days."

"And some can kill," Dew reminded her. "Give her my congratulations, would you?"

"Sure," Lily agreed. "We might come see you some day soon." If Crystal couldn't talk to her Dam, Dew and Pina would be good substitutes.

"Be sure to give us warning," Dew hastily advised her. "I would rather not be surprised too badly."

"More warning than last time, for sure," Lily laughed, thinking back to when they'd first run to the pair for advice and subsequently lain an egg in their side-cavern.

Dew tilted her head to look down at Lily in amusement, before bounding out into the open to handle the fledglings and hatchling she had under her care. Lily watched her go, unable to fully shake the feeling she was missing something, but it was a small thing. Dew had just proven capable of handling herself, and what was more important, knew she could come to Lily if she really needed aid, as Lily owed her a favor or two anyway.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily stopped in the narrow entrance to the side-cavern, unsure she was seeing correctly. She did not _remember_ hitting her head hard enough to cause hallucinations, but then again, she might not if such a blow had happened. What she was seeing was not _obviously_ a hallucination, it could really be happening, but she certainly had not been expecting it.

"Lily!" Crystal called out, "over here!"

"Yes, I can see you," Lily agreed cautiously. "What, exactly, are you doing?"

"Celebrating!" Crystal exclaimed, leaping over her hatchling, who was screeching randomly and clearly having the time of his life, possibly because his Dam was jumping around randomly and acting like a crazy person, darting in to lick him and then jumping back, playing with what, to Lily, had a decidedly frantic appearance. Maybe Crystal had hit _her_ head.

"And…" Lily trailed off. "This seems strange."

Crystal stopped in front of her, sighed, and let her ears droop. "I will not be a bad Dam."

"And he _certainly_ is liking this, so I'd say you're doing admirably," Lily agreed, slipping into the cavern.

"I can be either depressed or happy and excited," Crystal continued, her ears still drooping, "and I will not be sad or resentful around him."

"Around him…" Lily nodded to the hatchling, who bobbed his head back in imitation, gurgling cutely. "Is there a _reason_ you would be depressed right now?" She had her own, potentially depressing news to share, but she hadn't shared it yet, so this had to be-

"I am probably with egg again," Crystal said bluntly. "I noticed it today, after sleeping in for the third day in a row. I recognize that pattern."

"Oh, that." She had only rarely felt this pre-empted, but she took it in stride. "Yes, I was going to bring up the possibility tonight. I suspect as much. So you are doing," she waved her tail at her, "this? To celebrate?"

"I am _reminding_ myself that it is not fair to be upset," Crystal said forcefully. "And I am doing that by playing with my son, who is now going to get to grow up with a sibling almost his age. If it had to happen, then I can at least be positive about it."

"But it is okay to be upset," Lily objected, not liking that her friend wasn't letting herself feel as she would. "It's terrible luck, and you did not want another one, not from him."

"Oh, I know, and I spent most of today moping," Crystal readily admitted. "But I have just felt so much better lately about everything that I cannot stand to go back to feeling terrible again."

"That is… good?" Lily was feeling terribly uncertain at the moment; she didn't know if she should accept that Crystal had apparently already worked through the news on her own, or if she should try and get Crystal to properly process and accept it. She couldn't tell whether this determined enthusiasm was the end-result of adjusting to the idea, or her very much _not_ adjusting. Either way looked the same from the outside.

"It is good," Crystal said firmly, bounding over to her hatchling, who had started to crawl in their direction as they spoke, apparently feeling left out. "Right, son?" She licked him from tail to head.

"Good!" he barked in agreement.

Both Lily and Crystal froze at that.

Then Crystal laughed. "I guess that is his first word, then," she said. "Good."

"Good!" he barked again. "Dam!"

"And that is his second," Lily purred, deciding to wait and observe. If Crystal was not really as okay with this as she was trying to act, it would show through soon. A few days, maybe, or maybe when the egg came. All she could do was wait, and comfort her friend when it happened, if it did, or be happy that she wasn't too upset about the near miss. A few more days, and protection would be available.

"Yes, Dam," Crystal hummed, rubbing a paw along his back and wings. "I am your Dam."

"Sire?" he peeped, looking over at Lily.

Lily burst out laughing at the odd expression on Crystal's face. "I guess he's been saving them up," she chuckled. "That's three. No, little one, I'm not your Sire. Can you say 'half-sister?'"

The hatchling's face contorted as he eyed her and thought about that. "Sire."

"I guess not," she huffed. "How about 'cavern-Dam' or 'Lily?' Either would work."

"Lil'," the hatchling slurred, bopping his muzzle against her paw.

"Close enough," Crystal declared.

"You know," Lily suddenly realized, "he should really have a name by now, if he's learning ours."

"He should," she agreed, "but I cannot see a good one for him yet. It will come to me, I am sure of it. Give me a while longer."

"Take as long as you need, but do not be surprised if I give him a nickname in the meantime," she said, thinking that if Crystal didn't hurry up, the nickname would become her son's real name, if only because there would be another hatchling to talk about soon.


	22. Cunning

Lily lurked behind a particularly jagged boulder, watching intently. None of the males she was observing knew of her presence, which was exactly how she wanted it; Claw would not take kindly to her spying.

Of course, she wasn't the only one watching. She didn't know why he had decided to call the three males to the plateau instead of meeting them in the cavern as he had those of the previous season-cycle. This was public, and what he was undoubtedly about to do would need to be in private. Provoking the males into challenging him in a few moon-cycles was not something he would do in front of anyone who happened to be around, was it?

Surely not. She already had a plan ready for when he inevitably took the first of them aside. If they left on paw she would follow, and if they flew she would flame herself and glide above them.

"You asked for us, alpha?" Cedar said respectfully, bowing his head. Lily ignored the similarity to how Gold had acted around Claw; Cedar wasn't quite so bad, and was by all appearances simply choosing to have his chosen female rather than try for glory.

Ash, on the other paw, glared, only barely bending his neck when Claw eyed him. He seemed surprised his defiance didn't get any sort of reaction, but to Lily that was just further proof. Right now, defiance was what Claw wanted, and he would not be mad if Ash was already one step ahead.

Even if it _was_ suspicious to anyone who knew him and was watching closely enough. Lily couldn't help but think someone as smart as her or Pyre would be able to figure out what Claw meant to do based off of the clues Claw was voluntarily giving away, no insider knowledge necessary. It only made sense, once one thought about it…

But she couldn't be too disappointed in her unobservant fledglings. She had been just as blindly ignorant, and with far more hints than what Claw was doing now.

"Root first," Claw announced, flicking his tail dismissively at the other two males. "You both wait until I return." He spread his wings and took off perilously close to the three fledglings, his strong downward thrust catching their partially spread wings. Root managed to turn the unexpected gust into just another little push to help himself take off in kind, but Ash and Cedar stumbled backward, Ash almost falling off the plateau.

Lily grimaced, ducking further back and looking around furtively to be sure none were watching her. She had a pretty solid alibi if anyone did notice her camouflaging herself and then presumably following them, that of trying to help Mist out of the goodness of her heart or just curiosity as to what was wrong with Root. That didn't mean she was going to just do it openly, nobody could question an excuse she never needed to give.

The few light wings she could see were all watching Ash and Cedar, who were now arguing about something. Most were not watching openly, but to Lily, the subtle glances were more than enough to know where their attention really was.

She flamed herself quickly and took to the sky, trailing the two males flying out over the mountains. Claw was taking his talk with Root out of sight of the valley.

Flying close enough to the two males to hear their conversation wasn't hard; neither was in a habit of looking up, and neither noticed her camouflaged form following along above. They both spoke loudly, too, which made eavesdropping almost too easy.

"I hear you have been stirring up trouble lately," Claw began, his voice casual.

"This is the first I am hearing of that, alpha," Root replied just as casually. The sudden stiffness in his shoulders and back betrayed his unease, but only Lily could see that, so Claw would not notice anything amiss. "What trouble have I caused?"

"Disobeying your Dam, and having such a reputation for spinelessness that people are talking," Claw rumbled. "You are faking it, of course."

"Faking _thinking for myself_?" Root asked, raising his voice. "How could that possibly be faked?"

"To impress a female," was the confident reply, though it wasn't actually an answer to the question that had been asked. Lily noticed that Claw was ignoring Root's disrespectful tone; she supposed that made sense, given the whole point was to subtly egg him on, not actually correct him.

"If you have heard of my recent actions, you will know that I-"

"No," Claw interrupted smugly, his voice practically dripping with condescension, "I know what you are _really_ doing. Saying you will challenge, rejecting your female of choice, and planning to _give in_ at the last moment. I have seen it before. I approve." He looked over at Root, allowing some smug triumph through his ever-present facade. "You could not possibly hope to defeat me, so what else could it be?"

Root was silent for a while. His pupils gradually narrowed, so slowly Lily wasn't sure she was seeing it.

"Well?" Claw prompted with a warning growl. "I expect an answer."

"Does this often work?" Root asked flatly, looking over at Claw. "Is this why so many challenge you when they had said they would not?"

"So many challenge me because they are stupid," Claw retorted casually.

"And their stupidity does not let them see that you are not aiming where they assume," Root said quietly. "I will take that as an answer. I intend to challenge anyway."

"You will die," Claw threatened, turning and forcing Root to turn with him, angling back toward the valley.

"I choose to believe otherwise," Root replied coldly. "More important is that you try and _trick_ males into-"

"Do not finish that accusation if you want your death at the ceremony instead of sooner," Claw snarled, leaning to the side and knocking into Root with his bulk, shoving him down at an angle and almost fouling his wings. He continued to snarl and threaten even as he did it. "If you want your parents to outlive you. Not a word of what you think I do."

"Not a word," Root agreed, dropping and trying to flee Claw's repeated strikes, flapping awkwardly to the side and descending rapidly. They were reaching the point where their path was almost a dive, and Lily found herself unable to keep close, incapable of matching their odd halfway speed and unwilling to overshoot them instead.

By the time she had caught up again, it was over. They were both acting as if nothing had happened, and Root even followed Claw back to the plateau and down onto it.

Lily, remaining in the air a way above them, let out a loud sigh of relief as Root finally left Claw's presence. She was glad he hadn't done anything stupid, like so many of the people she knew would have at that sort of threat. It seemed Root was smart enough to bow his head and plot defiance later, if not quite smart enough to hide the intended defiance outright. He was lucky Claw _wanted_ him to fight, and it was a measure of how twisted this all was that she almost wished Claw wanted just another weak subordinate.

No, she thought to herself, dismissing that idea out of paw. She didn't want Claw's unwitting aid in saving Root's life, not like that. If she could somehow _get_ it, though…

There was an idea. Not much of one, but she would grasp at anything useful when it came to Root's predicament.

Claw and Cedar rose into the air, following the same general course as before, and Lily tagged along, watching closely. Root's encounter with Claw had been the least important; he was already set on the course Claw sought to encourage. Cedar was not, and should not be.

"I hear you have made your intentions clear," Claw began, starting out much the same as he had with Root, which made Lily snort. "Which female was it, again?"

"Liona," Cedar offered diffidently, bowing his head as he flew. "Alpha, I am loyal, I have no desire to challenge you."

"Surely you have _some_ desire," Claw rumbled. "Or are you truly that spineless?"

"Possibly I am," Cedar replied neutrally. He didn't even seem bothered by the accusation, which impressed Lily. She would have predicted him bristling and protesting.

"Possibly," Claw agreed, glaring over at the fledgling he was failing to provoke. "And your female must be too, to want one like you. If she does at all."

"Maybe," was Cedar's only reply. "Alpha, do you need something from me?"

"No, I think I have heard enough," Claw growled. He turned in the air, though they hadn't even made it out over the mountains yet, and Cedar followed.

Lily stared after Claw as he descended, distinctly unimpressed. Was that the best he could do? Really? It didn't even feel like he had been trying. _She_ certainly would not have stopped after two weak insults got no reaction. He either didn't care that much, which was certainly a possibility, or wasn't at the top of his game when it came to provoking younger males.

Either way, she was glad Cedar knew when to give in. Later she would need to uncover his will to fight and defy, but only _after_ he was safely mated and no longer under threat of imminent death. Right now, keeping both him and Liona safe from Claw in the short term took precedence.

Claw and Ash came up, and Lily followed once more, glad this was the last talk Claw planned on having. She was actually growing bored of the repetition despite the stakes involved.

"I want to know what you plan on doing at the ceremony," Claw began, looking over at Ash with an expression of obvious disdain. "If you have even thought about it yet."

"Bowing to you, alpha," Ash said loudly, acting as if he hadn't even needed to consider the question. He was not a good actor; Lily could easily see the lie in the way he flew, focusing on each wingbeat as if unconcerned. He wasn't good enough at deception to hide how he really felt, not from her.

Claw, however, didn't seem to notice any of that. "That is not your only option," he suggested casually.

"Danda says it is, and Mist agrees," Ash objected.

"But _I_ am alpha, and I say you may choose to fight me instead," Claw offered. "Do you think you could do it?"

"Probably," Ash said confidently. "Maybe I will."

"All I ask is that you _consider_ your choices carefully," Claw rumbled.

Lily stared down at Ash, trying to read him. He still seemed uneasy, but she couldn't tell what he meant to do. She could not remember Root or Mist or anyone else saying what Ash had originally intended, before Danda spoke to him.

But she _did_ know what Danda was like, and something of what Ash was like. Danda would make sure he didn't challenge, and had all the reason in the world to try her hardest. So long as she kept a wary eye on them, maybe getting Mist to check in on that, she could leave it be.

Lily fell back and then powered upward, abandoning Ash and Claw to their short flight, and tried to sort through what she had heard and seen. What had she learned, aside from what Ash, Root, and Cedar did in reaction to Claw's intended trickery?

The first thing that came to mind was just how _badly done_ said trickery had been. She could scarcely believe Claw would give up so easily with Ash and Cedar. Root made sense, as he meant to challenge and thus give Claw what he wanted, but why the other two?

Maybe, she reasoned, he really didn't care all that much. He thought he was getting at least one new female no matter what, as Root meant to challenge.

She discarded that theory almost immediately, growling in disgust. No, Claw would never be satisfied with fewer mates than he could have had.

Another, far more worrying idea then came to her, just as she passed through a thin, watery cloud on her way up into the cold winds, now far out over the ocean. Maybe he had not bothered trying because he had suspected he was being watched. She _thought_ she had gone unnoticed, but it was something she would do in his place. Something she _did_ do all too often. If she thought she was being watched, she refrained from doing anything suspicious.

That, however, assumed he would _care_ if someone was listening in. She had everything to lose and could be destroyed on a whim. He was not in such a precarious position; the whole reason he still ruled was that he couldn't be toppled easily. If she went down into the valley and claimed Claw was trying to manipulate the males into challenging, absolutely nothing would happen. Maybe, if she was lucky, a few people might become uneasy or even angered, in the cases of those personally affected.

There was an idea. She purred to herself, gladly noticing the small tactic she could use later. Whirl and Flare were already on the short list of light wings she wanted to turn against Claw, and knowing that he had tried to trick Root into challenging, however ineffectively, would be one more little push in that direction.

That didn't help her figure out what she had seen, so she put it aside. Her scales were cooling down, and she could feel her camouflage dissipating, but everything else was secondary.

Why was he so ineffective? Logically, there were two possible sets of reasons. Either he was not motivated, or he was. If he was not, then that was in itself the answer, and the question became _why_.

If he _was_ motivated, if what she had just witnessed was him trying… Maybe that was just the best he could do. He had used similar lines to start with on two of the three males, and his manipulations did all seem pointed at the same, generic target. She could envision those same spurs working on Bone, but not Granite or Gold, so that would be consistent.

Somehow, she had assumed he would be better at manipulation. He had shown more skill in other situations, hadn't he?

She recalled thinking that he wasn't very good at his duties as alpha, back when spying for Pyre. Then she thought of him pinning her and Crystal in verbally, disarming both of them with similar threats, forcing them into a corner.

He wasn't _incompetent_ , but she could not honestly say he was _gifted_ , either. He didn't have to be when the entire world seemed set up to support him and give him all the advantages. He was just good enough to use those advantages well and not easily squander them.

She growled to herself, flicking her wings out and dropping down through another cloud. It was good to have a reminder that she was not working against someone like herself or Pyre; Claw was dangerous and powerful, but not as much as she would be in the same position. She would never be so passive in his place. There would be checks of loyalty, positive rewards for those under her, and…

Well, there would also be fair rules and no taking multiple mates and no killing fledglings or _anyone_ on a whim, so she wouldn't have to deal with something like her own subtle undermining. It wasn't a useful comparison to make. All she could take from this was that things could have been worse. An intelligent, scheming alpha with all the power he held and bad intentions was her definition of worse.

O-O-O-O-O

A pained moan worked its way up through Crystal's clenched teeth, and she squirmed miserably. Lily huddled over Crystal's son, trying to distract him, and by extension herself, from the noises. He looked up at Lily with big, worried eyes, his tiny ears and frills flat to his neck, then went back to peering through her paws and trying to escape.

"No, don't worry," Lily cooed, pawing at the little hatchling's back and holding him beneath her. "Dam is fine. Right?" She looked over at Dew, who was crouching by Crystal's side.

"Right," Dew said confidently, watching Crystal's heaving stomach. "This will pass. Keep him away."

"I am not… Going to kick him…" Crystal panted angrily, her paws twitching with every breath. "This is stupid."

"You are not going to worry about it, so stop arguing," Dew replied briskly. "You can comfort him the moment this egg has passed. Focus on that."

"I should have gotten her some pain dulling plants," Lily murmured to the hatchling. "Right, Burble?"

Apparently she hadn't been quiet enough, because Crystal groaned again. "Lily, please, that is _not_ his name..."

Lily shrugged her wings. As far as she was concerned, until Crystal came up with a proper name for her son, that was what she was going to call him. It was a sound he often made, and a cute name to fit a cute little hatchling. There were worse things to be called.

Burble, as she insisted on calling him, whined and tried to crawl over her restraining paws, not liking the sounds his Dam was making. She simply raised her paws higher, holding him to her chest and trapping him further.

"There it is," Dew called out, looking further down. "One more push-"

"Finally!" Crystal barked, heaving and then collapsing, all the tension fading from her body. She slowly curled to the side and wrapped herself around her egg, panting all the while.

"See," Dew murmured, "it was fine. A healthy, normal egg just like the last one."

"It did not feel healthy," Crystal said wearily. "Lily, my son?"

"Already on his way," Lily replied, shifting her paws and opening a path. Burble looked up at her suspiciously, then crawled as fast as he could over to his Dam, who welcomed him into her embrace and nuzzled him with a weary purr, much to his delight.

"Lily," Dew called out, heading to the exit.

Lily followed her, curious as to what she might have to say that Crystal could not hear. "What is it?"

Dew stopped just outside the side-cavern. "She is right," she admitted with a sympathetic glance at the entrance. "Having eggs so close together is not good for her, and I suspect that was why this one was harder on her body."

"And she could not hear you say this because?" Lily prompted seriously.

"Because I know that Claw is hard to keep away, and I do not want to worry her," Dew huffed. "She needs time to heal, and I do not see Claw giving that to her. I worry we will see a third soon, if she has eggs this easily. He will wear her down and not care."

Lily nodded, not all that surprised by the blunt assessment. She worried along the same lines, though not when it came to eggs, thanks to the plant that had just become an option once more as the hot season slowly approached.

"I do not know how to stop him," Dew admitted. "Pina does not either. What she did last time did not work for nearly long enough. It will have to be something else, but I do not see what."

"I can come up with something," Lily decided. "Can she sleep here with you tonight?" All it would take to justify that was saying Crystal had collapsed into slumber after laying her egg; it was almost nightfall already. That was believable, and would give Lily time to organise a plan.

"Yes, but it would be suspicious after tonight," Dew said. "It is good she has your help. She is going to need it, now more than ever."

"I know." She resented Claw more than ever for forcing this, and for not even being decent enough to afford Crystal the same benefits his other mates took for granted when they had eggs. He was going to come into their side-cavern tonight, or maybe tomorrow night, and expect Crystal to endure his vile attention regardless of what she had gone through. He would enjoy it; her pain wouldn't bother him.

But maybe, just maybe, something else _would_. Lily purred, connecting something she had learned a while back with something she had said to Burble moments ago, a solution and a method coming together out of nowhere. "I think I already have one way to keep him off of her."

O-O-O-O-O

By pure luck, Claw did not come to their side-cavern the first night, when Lily lay alone, devoid of the warmth Crystal and Burble provided. She was glad to avoid that argument. But she knew he would come the next night, once word of Crystal's new egg reached him, that was just the sort of twisted thing he loved to do to them both.

"You are sure?" Crystal asked nervously, tapping a paw on the brown fragments Lily had brought her, a large, wet mouthful of bark.

"Definitely," Lily grunted, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Just carrying it all back in her mouth made her stomach turn, and she felt nauseous. That was what it was meant to do, after all.

"No, son," Crystal hummed, placing her paw on the pile and shooing Burble back to her side. "You really do not want to try this. I will not unless he shows up."

Lily glanced over at Honey, who was paying them absolutely no attention, busy trying to wear Wax out. It was her own fault he still had so much energy, given she had kept him inside most of the day, and Lily had no sympathy for the other female, who had ignored Crystal's new egg with the intensity of someone who felt they had been one-upped.

"He does not need it, anyway," Lily quipped, recalling the times Burble decided he wasn't happy with his fish and spat it back up.

"True. Do you think I-" Crystal stiffened at the sound of claws on the stone outside, and then scraping, scales against stone. She ducked down, her muzzle hovering over the chipped wood.

"Not yet," Lily hissed, rising to stand between Crystal and the entrance. If this was some random light wing, not Claw, she didn't want Crystal suffering for nothing.

But they were not lucky enough for it to be someone else. As soon as she saw Claw's face, she tapped the pile with her tail, stalking forward to intercept him and keep his attention long enough for her friend to choke down the bark she had painstakingly stripped from a tree earlier that day.

"You are eager," Claw purred, seeing that she was walking to meet him. He tilted his head and eyed her. "Finally coming around?"

"I feel nothing," Lily said neutrally, risking a more provocatively defiant statement than she might have had she not needed to buy time. It was nowhere near the limit of how defiant and insulting she _could_ be, but she knew she would regret even this much.

"I will make you feel _something_ ," Claw hissed at her, getting so close that he stepped on one of her paws, glaring down at her. "Pain or pleasure, your choice."

"Pain."

His claws shot out, and she gasped as they dug between her scales, piercing her paw.

He stepped away after a long moment, his eyes bright with anger and satisfaction. "I am happy either way."

Lily nodded stiffly, stepping away from him and ignoring the pain in her paw. She knew she had stalled long enough; she could hear Crystal murmuring something soothing to Burble, which meant she had already swallowed the bark.

"Be rid of the hatchling and egg," Claw commanded, flicking his tail dismissively. "I am here to _congratulate_ you." He left no doubt as to what that meant.

"She had a hard time with her egg," Lily interjected, knowing that the plan was already in motion. She moved over to collect Burble and the egg, hoping that they would offer her some protection from Claw's attention once Crystal was no longer an option.

"I do not care," Claw replied.

Crystal chose that moment to groan and hunch down. "I feel sick."

"Faking will not-"

Lily watched with a mixture of satisfaction and worry as Crystal leaned over and vomited all over the stone between her and Claw, tossing up what looked like a few days' worth of meals. Burble warbled curiously at the sight, probably thinking that his Dam was bringing up food for Claw like she sometimes did for him when it was more convenient than having someone go fishing.

"Control yourself," Claw snarled, hopping backward, barely avoiding the rapidly spreading pool of vile liquid and chunky fish parts. Lily snarled softly at that; did he seriously think it was a matter of willpower? She had hoped for a more visceral reaction, ideally Claw running out of the chamber and staying away for a long while, but maybe that had been unwarranted optimism.

"Cannot," Crystal moaned, lurching forward and adding to the puddle.

A small groan of disgust reminded Lily that Honey and Wax were present too. They had both been silent throughout this entire encounter, which now that she thought about it was not normal. Honey should have been leaping at the chance to get Claw's attention and affection, or loudly protesting Crystal soiling their shared chamber.

Instead, she was looking down at the ground, her eyes averted from the scene, grimacing at nothing in particular. She looked to be trying to stay out of it all, as strange as that was for her.

Claw growled at Crystal and turned away from her, looking over at Lily. His eyes narrowed as she ignored him in favor of licking Burble's head and shifting him over to her side, where he usually slept.

"I want all of that cleaned up by tomorrow night," Claw snarled, stalking out of the chamber.

Lily barked a sarcastic laugh, sharing a look of triumph with Crystal. "But what if you throw up tomorrow night, too?" she asked seriously, mindful of the other person who could hear them. "Sickness does not just go away."

"I think I will," Crystal replied, even now shaking off the effects. The bark hadn't been in her long enough to do anything besides make her throw up once. Lily could see it floating in the large puddle. "I still feel tired and sick, and doing what Claw wants would not help."

"You need to recover from having a difficult egg, of course," Lily agreed. "Do you want me to-"

"No, I can clean it up. He is already drowsing." Crystal lowered her head and began flaming the pile. "I hope the smell does not wake him."

Lily rumbled in agreement, her mind on something else. Claw really should have sent some of his males to come help fix this, or to tend Crystal. It wasn't fair that she had to do everything with a hatchling and an egg.

And after how easily he had been turned away, she was feeling up for another round of manipulating him. Crystal provided both motivation and a relatively easy, safe goal to work toward.

O-O-O-O-O

"Congratulations!" the female crowed, fawning over the egg and sleepy hatchling on display between Crystal's front paws. "Two in so little time. You are a great mate. Claw must be so proud."

Crystal shrugged her wings and scowled. "He does not care," she said truthfully.

"Oh, but surely he does," the female countered blithely.

Lily took that opportunity to slip her own contribution into the conversation. "He seems to care less of late. He has not even offered to have the males help her."

"Really?" the female looked disgruntled now. "You are sure?"

"He might have said something about not wanting to do that anymore," Crystal lied with a bitter edge to her voice. "I do not know, I was busy puking my guts out. It was not an easy laying."

"Well, I never," the female grumbled. "He was helpful when it was me laying the egg. I was wanting another soon, but if he is not going to put in the effort, it would be too much trouble."

There was more small talk after that, but Lily didn't care. She was busy adding to a collection of lines scratched into the cavern floor. Once the female had left, she purred loudly.

"What is that now?" Crystal asked, sounding amused.

"Six good reactions and two bad," Lily recounted. "And it is not even noon yet. By nightfall, half of Claw's mates will have heard the rumor first-paw, and the other half through gossip." It helped that so many were coming to congratulate Crystal as news of her latest egg spread; having two so close together was unheard of, and seemed to attract those who were thinking of having eggs themselves, which was perfect for their purposes.

"And they will all be unhappy about it?" Crystal asked.

"Ideally, some of them will be mad at him," Lily agreed. "Even if none of them do anything, he will surely notice, and some of them will change their minds about having eggs. When he asks why they don't want to mate with him, they'll explain, and he'll have all of two choices. Annoy all of his mates, or give in and treat you like the rest of them."

"He might just say I am acting out and not worthy of being treated well," Crystal objected.

Lily laughed at that, feeling proud of her surprisingly simple plan. "No way. Did you hear the last one? According to everyone, you must be one of his best mates." She let the sarcasm show in her voice, knowing that Crystal would take it in the cynical way it was intended.

"He might just ignore it."

"Then we have gotten a large portion of the pack annoyed with him, and he will be seen as petty or worse." She was proud of that part, too; there was no way for this to end without their cause gaining. Either Crystal benefitted, or Claw's reputation took a hit. A small hit, but a hit all the same.

"That is why you are having us do this?"

"No, I'm having us do this so that we're not overwhelmed trying to take care of two hatchlings and an egg," Lily corrected, tapping her tail on Wax's small body. He was laying quietly next to her, sleeping late like his Dam sometimes did. "And as practice." She had neglected to work on manipulating Claw directly up until now. This was a good, safe way to test the waters and learn what worked. Even if he realized she was responsible, this was a small, almost petty rebellion that he could easily put down. It might hurt a little, but afterward he would consider her suitably cowed and not suspect a thing.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily had wondered how long it would take the rumors to become unignorable, and what Claw would do in response. The optimal move on his part was to quietly reassure each female who brought it up that he had never said anything of the sort, and in the meantime to treat Crystal fairly, sacrificing nothing but a petty taunt at her in exchange for keeping his reputation up, and maybe even making himself look better than before by reminding everyone all he did for his mates.

Claw, it seemed, had a different idea of what was best. His idea involved confusion and roaring. Lots of roaring.

"What do you _mean_?" he roared, directing his frustration at a pouting female, turned away from him with a look of disappointment.

"I mean that I do not want an egg," she replied clearly, not worried about provoking him. Lily wished she had the security to defy Claw like that. This female was not afraid he would hurt her. It might be a confidence born of ignorance, but it was a confidence all the same. "Since you have decided not to help your own mates with them anymore."

"I never did that," Claw growled, batting her hindquarters with his paw. "Why does everyone keep saying I did?"

Lily snorted quietly, holding in her amusement as best she could. He sounded so confused and frustrated. She had it on good authority that this was at least the fifth time one of his mates had turned down his advances over the rumor she and Crystal had started. All older females, ones who had been his mate for a long while and felt they _could_ turn him down. Ones who actually liked him, as far as she could tell, and thus ones he had indulged.

"Clearly you _did_. I hear the new female who has given you two eggs in less than a season-cycle does not even get help, and she should have it if anyone does, so obviously it is not being given to any of us now." The female huffed in annoyance, looking back at him.

"Did _she_ tell you this?" Claw asked dangerously.

"Nobody _told_ me," his mate stressed. "Everyone knows. It is obvious if one just looks."

Another withheld snort of amusement made Lily feel like her head was going to pop from the pressure, so she faked a sneeze and let her amusement out in the time it took a tiny blast of fire to hit the ground. It had worked so well neither she nor Crystal would even be implicated, even though she knew this female had heard it from Crystal herself.

"What I do with one of my other mates does not affect how I treat you," Claw retorted, walking up alongside her and purring seductively, ignoring the large audience their public argument had garnered in the main cavern. Most of those watching were his mates anyway.

"Until you decide to treat me like dirt too," was the acerbic reply. "Go find someone with less self-esteem to tend to your needs today."

Lily distinctly heard a few gasps at such flagrant defiance, though she knew the entire situation was shrouded in the familiarity of mates, and thus not as serious as it would have been if someone outside Claw's circle had done it.

Claw snarled at her and slapped his tail against her side. "Too far," he warned. "You do not speak to your mate and alpha like that."

"My apologies," she simpered, not sounding all that sincere. "But I still do not feel like it today, or any day soon while you are not willing to care for what comes of it." With that, she flounced off, obviously aware of their large audience.

Lily ducked her head again as Claw looked around, not wanting to catch his attention. She heard him growl loudly and leave without offering so much as a word of explanation. She could not consider the argument anything but proof that he was going to be forced into doing _something_ soon. Now she just wondered how he was going to handle his inevitable capitulation.

O-O-O-O-O

"That is just not fair..."

Lily woke to the smell of fresh fish and the sound of bitter complaints from Honey, both familiar to her, and neither ignorable. Burble was already kicking against her side and Crystal in an attempt to squirm out and get at the tantalizing scent.

"You can have a few," Crystal offered, sounding far more awake than Lily felt. "They brought a lot. More than I need, for sure." She sounded pleasantly surprised, and just a little smug. Lily understood the latter feeling; she was guilty of the same reaction now that her mind was catching up to the situation.

"Enough for you, me, Honey, and both hatchlings, I'm guessing," Lily offered, savoring the moment but not quite ready to open her eyes and confirm it yet. Claw was trying to make himself look _extra_ generous, as futile as that would be now that so many of his mates had gotten it into their heads that he was nothing of the sort. He hadn't even come around to try and blame Crystal, or somehow work the situation around to benefit himself, as Lily had anticipated.

"And a few on top of all that just in case one of us is feeling greedy," Crystal agreed. "Really, Honey, you and Wax can have as much as you like." She shifted, and Lily felt Burble being lifted out from between them and presumably set free on the pile. He had learned to go for the smaller fish, so it was safe to let him try and manage his own feeding so long as someone was watching to catch him when he inevitably choked on something.

By the time Lily had blinked herself awake and stretched her legs, everyone had already gathered around the pile. It was a rare occasion, all five of them eating together. Six if she counted the egg Crystal had pulled along to rest next to her. It was almost nice, though she would have preferred to share a meal with Pina, Dew, and Crystal's parents if they could be brought around to the right way of thinking. Honey was tolerable, no more.

"My turn to watch them all," Crystal remarked between fish. "Right?"

"Definitely," Honey haughtily agreed, then delicately picked out another fish for Wax. "Tomorrow, too. You traded a turn with me, remember?"

"I do." Crystal nodded in acceptance.

"Not alone," Lily interjected, raising an issue that was quickly making itself apparent. "We can't keep going like this. One person is not enough to keep two hatchlings occupied _and_ an egg warm and safe."

"I do not want to lose any more of my free time just because Crystal had another egg so soon," Honey complained.

"Then find someone to watch with you, while Crystal and I take the other days," Lily offered. "We need two people on it at all times now. There's no getting around that." Hopefully, Honey wouldn't notice-

"I would still be stuck watching them one day out of every two," Honey objected, noticing the very thing Lily had hoped would not occur to her. "Why not get Claw to have some of the males take over?"

Crystal huffed in disgust. "No, not that. I do not trust them." She left it sounding like she just didn't trust males in general, but Lily heard a condemnation of the ones who served Claw, though here and now those two groups were identical.

"Some of his other mates, then," Honey insisted stubbornly.

"Maybe I can help," came a cold, insincere offer.

Lily couldn't help but flinch, turning her head just far enough to confirm that Cressa had slipped into their chamber while they were distracted.

"Would you?" Honey asked hopefully, clearly not caring who Cressa was outside of being one of Claw's mates.

"Maybe, maybe not," Cressa simpered, stalking around behind Lily. "I hear things have gotten better for those living here."

"At no one's request," Lily said carefully, seeing the ploy even as Cressa growled behind her. On the one paw, Claw would be seen correcting a wrong, and on the other, Cressa would come to ensure there were consequences. He might not know they had deliberately spread the word, but he wouldn't care.

"Oh, but we both know that is just how you would do it, is it not, Lily?" Cressa continued in a casual, drawn-out tone. "You were taught cowardice and rebellion, after all."

Lily pulled her tail in under her body as the voice neared, all too aware of what her own Dam had done last time Claw had sent her. She was _not_ going to be grounded again. She also wasn't going to say anything in defense of Pyre, no matter how much she wanted to, as that was Cressa's goal in mentioning him at all.

"Lily is not a coward," Crystal objected, crouching low and glaring at Cressa. "Why are you here? I certainly do not want you near my children."

"I am just here to say hello," Cressa rumbled. "And to deliver a message."

Mindful of the low ceiling, Lily leaped out of the way, correctly anticipating the swipe of sharp claws Cressa would have run down her back and tail had she not moved. She landed surely near the wall of the small cavern, then turned to glare at her Dam.

Honey and Crystal looked on, the latter not moving out of shock and fear, and the former busy shielding her vulnerable young from the dangerous female in the chamber. Lily didn't begrudge either of them their inaction.

"Is the message that you still despise me?" LIly growled, hoping she would take the way out of the task Claw had given her. "Consider it heard and understood. I hate you too."

"No, that is not it," Cressa hissed, walking toward her, claws at the ready. "This needs a more personal touch."

"One I will return in kind," Lily threatened obliquely. "Don't think I won't." She didn't know anything about fighting, but neither did Cressa, and she had the advantage of remembering how she and Crystal had been so easily defeated by Claw in this very chamber. A similar trick would stop Cressa if necessary.

"That will be hard," Cressa purred, slowly sheathing her claws and turning away, apparently giving up, though she didn't sound like that was her intention. "Very hard."

"I'll manage." Lily glared at her Dam's back until she was gone, and then at the exit for a while for good measure.

"And _that_ is why I am not more bothered by my own Dam not understanding my feelings," Crystal announced, breaking the tense silence. "It could be far worse. You are okay?"

"I'm fine. She didn't do anything except threaten." If that was the end of it, she would consider this a victory. Claw's retaliation hadn't amounted to anything at all, and she had gotten Crystal some of the help she needed.

And, Lily noted, looking over at Honey, it didn't hurt for there to be at least one more witness to Cressa's violent actions. Honey's word could be invaluable later on, if this wasn't really the end.

"I do not want her watching Wax," Honey admitted quietly, her ears drooping a little. "But I still want someone less dangerous to help."

"Bring in somebody to meet Crystal, and if she is okay with them, then sure," Lily suggested. She didn't really care how Honey solved her own need for free time so long as the solution was a good one. Surely Honey was capable of arranging that much.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily stalked through the valley warily, her paws taking every step firmly in case she had to push herself out of the way of a strike. She was angry, and for good reason. The stinging cuts on her back were aggravating, and the cause more so.

Two days, and five injuries, not even counting the regular addition of new bruises and cuts courtesy of Claw. Cressa had taken to shoving past her at random and stealthily inflicting stinging cuts in the process, jabbing sharp claws into vulnerable scales and skin as she passed.

This too would pass, though. She had already set the counter in motion, and the sideways glances her newest oozing wounds were proof that her approach was working; people tried not to look at her at all, usually. That they were noticing meant they were looking, and thus that they expected to see something.

She had Pina and Dew to thank for spreading the word, and for spinning it the right way. In a better world, Lily might have used this against Claw, but he was still far too secure in his position as alpha. This rumor was not directed at Claw himself, and would not hurt his reputation.

It _would_ stop Cressa, though, which meant returning to the relative safety of not needing to be constantly alert to everything. Lily stalked into the small clearing around the base of the plateau, her body protesting every step of the way, and stood in front of it. This was one of the rare days Claw settled problems that his people brought to him, and she was going to use it.

"Alpha," she called out, seeing that he was unoccupied. "I have a question."

"You could have asked me tonight," Claw murmured, walking over to her. His eyes ran over her body, and she hated every moment of it, but by now she was numb to his attention. "What is it?"

"I recall you saying there would be no fighting among mates," Lily said loudly. This probably would have worked without word getting around about Cressa's persecution of her own daughter beforepaw, but she hadn't wanted to chance it. Now, people were watching and listening. A few were even nodding along, expecting what she was going to say.

"I did say that," Claw agreed slowly, looking around before continuing in a lower voice. "Perhaps she is unhappy with your attitude."

"I did nothing to anger her specifically," Lily replied. "I have not attacked her back. You know what is happening. You are alpha, so of course you know." She almost threw up in her mouth, saying something like that, but any who actually listened would hear the sarcasm, and any who listened with a cynical mind would hear the true implication, that this was done to her with his consent.

"Cressa, I take it?" He let out a low sigh and stared down at her impassively. "Do you really want me to step in between the two of you?"

"I want it to stop," Lily replied neutrally. "If that takes your intervention, so be it."

"Maybe," Claw murmured to her, eyes narrowing slightly, "if you were more _cooperative_ , I would be less tolerant of her need to hurt you."

Lily acted as if she had not heard him; the whole point of spreading the word was to back him into a position where he could not use this as a bargaining tool. "Please," she requested loudly, "tell her to stop and obey your rules. You yourself said there would be no fighting between us." She intentionally refrained from calling herself his mate.

He stared at her for a long moment, then languidly lounged back with a flick of his tail. "Let it be done, then," he intoned self-importantly. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Lily rumbled, slipping away before he could say anything else. It was a small thing, and a seemingly easy way to end the persecution, but she didn't feel all that proud of it. All she had really achieved was ending the punishment Claw probably hadn't meant to happen anyway; _she_ would understand and begrudge the implications if she'd witnessed such a scene, but the rest of the pack blatantly ignored far more obvious problems.

Really, this whole issue left a bitter taste in her mouth now. He might be surprisingly easy to manipulate, but only when he had left himself open to it. All of this was just calling him out on a few obvious, minor injustices. She could not do the same for bigger things, not with anything substantial. She didn't have enough support for that to work.

Claw was still far too secure in his position. She had yet to cut down more than a pawful of trees in the forest, and those ones that had not stood all that strong to begin with. He remained unassailable in the center, so safe that he didn't even care if she seemingly accidentally removed one or two on the outskirts.

It would be the work of long season-cycles to end all of this for good. There just wasn't any other way to do it, not safely and without risking throwing it all away for speed. None she could think of, anyway.

_**Author's Note** _ **: The end of this chapter marks an interesting point in the story. A long while back, I began needing to rewrite things for a variety of reasons, and in doing so this portion of the story, the months directly after Pearl and Gold's departure, got expanded massively. All the important threads you've seen in the last six or seven chapters were originally small and stuffed into two or three. This chapter is the end of that expansion, because we've more or less reached the point where I can return to the original draft… multiple chapters later than expected. The events of next chapter were originally in chapter** _**16** _ **of the first draft. With my chapter length, that means this was a 50,000+ word expansion. Talk about lengthening an already immensely long story… if that sort of thing keeps happening (and I know it will have to for a few points in the future) I have no idea how long this will end up being. However long is long enough to tell the story** _**properly** _ **.**


	23. Opportunistic

Lily stepped to the side of the passage between boulders. The young fledgling opposite her, barely old enough to count as such, glared weakly.

"Move," Silva squeaked, trying to walk around her.

"No." Lily crouched low and sidestepped again, blocking the little female's path once more. She was so much bigger that doing so was easy. Silva wasn't getting by unless she decided to let her.

"Dam says," Silva growled, lacking the volume and depth of voice to make herself sound threatening, and instead just sounding cute.

"She's not here to see," Lily countered. She was well aware that Diora had sent Silva over to linger by the plateau, having spied on the two of them for much of the morning. Silva was barely old enough to walk around the valley, much less alone, but Diora didn't seem to care.

"Dam said," Silva retorted, sitting on her hind legs and purring. She seemed pleased, now. Lily could almost see the thoughts running through her little mind. Dam couldn't be mad at _her_ if someone else stopped her from doing as told. It wouldn't be her fault.

Lily snorted, glad to see some defiance in the little female. Dew and Pina had done well in giving her playmates from time to time, and ensuring Silva was not totally cowed by her Dam's terrible treatment. Lily hadn't known Pearl at this age and thus couldn't compare, but she felt Silva was doing just as well, if not better.

That didn't mean she was going to move, though. Silva had been sent to get Claw's attention at such a young age that it was absolutely sickening to contemplate Diora's motives. It wasn't going to happen. Not today, and not any day after this one if she could help it.

"Lily," Pina called out, flying down to land on an empty rock beside the two of them. "What is happening here?"

"Nothing much," Lily lied, knowing full well that Pina understood what was going on. She had been the one to tell Lily that Diora was beginning to send her daughter out on her own despite her young age. But Silva didn't need to know that.

"Do you plan to stand there all day?" Pina asked, playing along. "And do you need Silva to be here? I find myself one fledgling short of a game."

"Game?" Silva ran over to the rock and lurched upward, placing her tiny paws as far up the rock as she could, straining to reach Pina.

"Sounds like I found a volunteer," Pina warbled. "You can do whatever it is your Dam wanted later." Or never, if they had their way.

Lily purred contently as Pina and Silva left. That was one good thing done today, one positive action. She would need the good feeling. The other thing she had to do this morning, before Honey turned over the hatchlings, was going to be far less pleasant, if no less necessary and good.

O-O-O-O-O

Crystal couldn't know it felt like cold claws gripping her heart and squeezing. She _couldn't_ know, because if she did, she would fall back into hiding her hurts and not sharing them, and she would be absolutely miserable. This had been building since she laid her second egg, and needed to be discussed.

So, Lily held her pain in and listened calmly to her friend.

"And I know, I _know_ we are trying," Crystal was saying in a low whine as she absently picked at the ground with a claw, "but it is taking so long, and I fear for him and the egg, I really do. I do not know what to do."

"We _are_ trying," Lily reassured her. "I am trying. Right now I'm working on Root," and that was another pain that she hid with the first, a pang of pure frustration, "and after the ceremony Mist will explain to Ash and Danda and Cedar and Liona, and Root's parents will be grateful, and that is all going to lead to more openings."

"Yes, I know," Crystal sighed, leaning her head against Lily's neck, her hot breath ghosting across her back, "but it is not _logical_ , my fear, and it _feels_ like nothing important has changed in moon-cycles."

That, Lily reflected sadly, was because she was stuck. Root was the key to all of the progress she spoke of, and he wasn't cooperating. She had no _real_ answer to his conundrum. The lack of an answer was better than having a faulty plan and false confidence, but that was not saying much.

But she couldn't say that; Crystal needed to be comforted, to be reassured that they would depose Claw before her children came under threat, and telling her that they would just convince her son not to challenge just wouldn't work. Her bad experience with a male she loved challenging wouldn't let her believe it.

"It's going to be fine," Lily hummed soothingly. "Just because it does not _look_ like change is happening does not mean it isn't. It just means it is all subtle and hidden, as it should be."

"Thank you," Crystal whined with a brief nuzzle. "I know it is not fair to complain about this not being fast enough."

"It's not fair you have to worry for your children," Lily retorted. "It all evens out."

"I just wish I could send them away," Crystal moaned, going back to picking at the ground. "Here is not safe. It hits me every time I have to take him over to Dew and Pina for the night, it feels like a kick in the stomach."

"Better that than the alternative," Lily murmured, feeling the constant bruises and aches in her body at the very reminder. Crystal regularly had to send Burble to spend nights with Dew and Pina because he was old enough to hear what he shouldn't when Claw came and violated them.

None of this was new, though. Crystal was just taking it harder now, and Lily couldn't even say she was overreacting. They were both numb to much of their lives out of pure necessity, but this was a new way to fear, and numbness had not come for Crystal yet. Hence her fruitless hopes of sending her children away. She was used to the pain and danger for herself, but not for them.

Lily arched her neck and nuzzled her friend behind the ears. "You want progress?" She had thought of a way to possibly cheer Crystal up.

"It would be nice," she sighed hopefully.

"Here's progress," Lily said firmly. "If you have not settled on a good name for your son by… three days from now, we are going to sit down and pick one. No squirming out of it. It is high past time. And if you do not, I am going to start telling him that 'Burble' really is his name."

"No, do not do that," Crystal chuckled, slapping Lily with her tail even as she pulled away. "Nobody would want to be named for the sound they liked making as a hatchling!"

"It's your fault for deliberating so long and letting me come up with a nickname in the meantime," Lily chided playfully. She _was_ serious about the name deadline, though. Crystal had held off for an almost ridiculously long time, and it was time to end that. "That is progress."

"Okay, fine," Crystal huffed. "I guess I can decide. I just wanted to wait until a really good one came to me."

"I know the feeling. Now go do something fun," Lily advised. "Stop worrying for a little bit."

"Will you come with me?"

"I might join you later," Lily lied, knowing she wouldn't. Crystal could have fun, she wasn't the one responsible for making sure everything turned out all right. Lily knew her own time had to be used more efficiently.

Crystal sniffled and wiped her nose, gave Lily one last thankful nuzzle, then stood to shake herself and stretch. "Well, whatever you do, be sure to exercise," she said sternly. "You are watching them tomorrow, remember?"

"I remember," Lily said wryly, gesturing with a wing. "Now go."

Crystal cast her a distinctly unamused look and leaped up from their spot just on the outskirts of the burial grounds. She was soon one more white blur among the many enjoying the warm sky.

Lily heaved a sad sigh, now free to let her true feelings show. It hurt to hear she was not doing enough, and Crystal was right to say it. But she couldn't take her mind off of Root until his future was safe, and she couldn't make it safe, no matter how she turned the problem over in her mind.

She only had one plan, and it was a bad one. In about a moon-cycle, she'd be forced to put that plan into action, and it would _probably_ work, but if there was any better solution, she needed to find it.

So, she really _wasn't_ doing anything useful, at least not recently. Once the ceremony had come and gone she could go back to focusing on generally gaining support, but until then she had to think, and she had to think hard.

O-O-O-O-O

"Take him, please," Honey blurted out, hastily dumping her hatchling in front of Lily. "I will not be back until late tonight." She rushed out of the side-cavern without another word, almost tripping over herself in her haste.

"Do you know why she's so frantic?" Lily asked Crystal, putting out a paw to prod at Wax, who seemed to have slept through his Dam abandoning him for the day. He was curled up in a little ball, his tail looped around the back of his neck and tailfins in his mouth in a way that looked mildly uncomfortable, but he seemed to be sleeping easily enough.

"I think, though I am not sure," Crystal groaned, "that Claw wanted her to join him on the plateau today. She was squealing about it to some of his other mates yesterday."

That would explain it. Getting asked to lounge on his plateau was supposed to be a privilege, and it made sense he'd ask Honey. She was the perfect, obliging mate, the few strangely introspective moments Lily had seen notwithstanding. Lily did not expect herself or Crystal to ever receive any such invitations, which she considered a privilege in itself. Spending all day on a small rock with Claw and his most enamored mates sounded like torture.

"And as long as the troublemakers are sleeping, _I_ am going to go try and talk to my Dam," Crystal decided, rising with a quick shake of her wings. "I will start by asking her about hatchling names. Was there something I needed to do other than that?"

"You are asking me?" Lily quipped, nonplussed.

"Oh, I feel off today," Crystal admitted. "Nervous. Finally giving him a name is a big deal."

"It wouldn't be if you had done so much sooner," Lily chided. She could tell Crystal was still worried about her children; she got flustered more easily and forgot things when she was preoccupied. "Try not to take your Dam's issues too much to heart."

"I will not let it bother me," Crystal promised. "I want to just have a nice, innocent talk about hatchling names. You should come up with some too, just so that there are options."

"I will think on it," Lily reassured her friend. "And whatever you do, don't take any terrible suggestions like Honey did." Wax was not a _bad_ name, as names went, but Honey had settled on it for lack of other ideas, and it did not sound like a particularly flattering thing to be called.

"I will not- Oh, and I will bring fish before I go," Crystal blurted out. "That is what I was forgetting." She rushed out of the chamber almost as fast as Honey had.

Lily curled her tail to her side, hugging the egg and slumbering hatchling Crystal had left with her close to her body, and pulled Wax in to rest against her chest, under her head. Ideally, she would get to spend today thinking, working over Root's dilemma in her mind, but past experience had taught her that the hatchlings could easily steal and keep her attention for most of the day if they felt like making trouble.

But either way, today would be a day like any other.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily sighed as she hummed and did her best to ignore Wax's wailing. Crystal's son was whimpering too, but he was only making a small fuss, and that because Wax was hurting his ears. Once Wax quieted down, he would too. She knew this pattern well enough to recognize it in action.

"Come on," she purred in the nicest, most comforting voice she could muster, her tail and side holding Wax still as he struggled. He was weak and tired, as he should be after playing with Burble for the better part of the morning, but he didn't want to sleep. "Be a good hatchling and sleep," she crooned.

His wailing died down a little, and he stopped pushing so hard against her tail. She knew those signs, too, and let her crooning die out but continued to hum.

Sure enough, he stopped struggling entirely moments later, and she felt the little snorts of distress he had been making turn into a steady, normal pattern of hot air against her tailfins.

"Thank you, Dew and Pina," she murmured, nuzzling Burble and shifting him to lie against her in a more comfortable position. Without their advice, she wouldn't have known that Wax's protests were normal, and she would have feared she was somehow hurting him. He certainly _sounded_ mortally wounded whenever someone stopped him from doing as he wished. Maybe it was preference for her best friend, but she liked Burble better, and considered him better behaved, though he had his moments too.

A stench filled the air, and she recoiled, breathing through her mouth. She slowly looked down at the two hatchlings, moving to examine them. Luckily, this time around the smell was just that, a smell, and she was pretty sure it had come from Burble.

Just as she was thinking she liked him better, too… She shook her head and tried to ignore it. Nobody had ever told her that hatchlings produced the worst odors imaginable; she suspected that was something every Dam or caretaker got to find out for themselves, as it had to be smelled to be believed.

It wouldn't be so bad if they were out in the open, but they were in a cave. She raised her wings and flapped as quietly as she could, hoping to disperse it to bearable levels. It was a good thing they were alone, else she'd be hearing complaints about spreading the stench around.

That done, she found herself devoid of immediate concerns, and her mind swung around to pick at Root's conundrum, as it always did these days. She settled herself in for a long session of likely pointless deliberation-

Then something rocked Lily's world, casually shattering what she knew. It started as several sets of claws on stone, but then Crystal slipped into the side-cavern, followed by something new.

 _Someone_ new. A dragon, a female by her shape and lithe figure, but one of another kind, alike in form but not appearance. Shades of blue and grey intermixing and flowing, she was striking in a way no light wing ever could be, a mirage that almost blended into the side of the cavern despite Lily's good vision.

There was only one obvious answer to this strangeness, but what in the world was a dark wing doing here? Lily growled, instantly defensive despite the lack of threatening movement from the dark wing. Unexpected was not usually good in her life. "What is this?"

"A friend getting my children out of here," Crystal answered. "Pearl is back, but she's not staying. Lily, she is so different!" That was said admiringly.

That was a lot to process, to say the least, and Lily fought her reeling mind from her expression. Pearl was back, but this dragon was not Pearl, and more importantly, Crystal was sending her children away. But if Pearl was back, and if Pearl was _willing_ to take them, that might _actually_ be an answer worth looking at…

"In what way?" Lily warbled suspiciously, still not sure what to think of all of this. Despite the approving tone, she wasn't sure if it was a good thing. Crystal was not stupid, but she _was_ somewhat desperate to get her children to safety, so she might be overlooking or misinterpreting something in her haste.

"She beat the dragon dung out of Claw and had fun doing it," the dark wing supplied in a voice Lily could only identify as smug. "He is still alive, but he will be stuck on the ground for a season-cycle or so."

Lily considered that. Her mind struggled to even attempt a mental image of that event. It sounded absolutely absurd. Pearl, quiet and unhappy Pearl, taking on and defeating Claw _physically?_

And what of Claw? She would hope he had been deposed, but that felt far too easy, and Crystal would have led with that and not spoken of sending her children away with Pearl. So, logically... "Humiliated, but still in control by popular demand?" she asked sarcastically, concealing her surprise and confusion.

"Exactly," Crystal agreed. "She and Storm are friends, and they are leaving soon. Storm has agreed to take my children with her."

"Are you sure she's trustworthy?" Lily asked suspiciously. Crystal sounded convinced that this was a good idea, and in theory if Pearl was now strong enough to fight Claw, she could more than care for two hatchlings, but the dark wing was the one she was trusting.

"I swear to personally ensure both of Crystal's children live full, healthy, and happy lives." Storm bowed her head, meeting Lily's eyes, and then Crystal's. "I will treat them as my own, but I will also bring them back one day to meet their true Dam, and they will not live in ignorance of her existence. This I also swear."

"I… yes, please," Crystal agreed happily. "I trust you."

"And I cannot find any stronger proof of your intentions," Lily agreed after a moment, feeling slightly less suspicious. There was unfakeable sincerity to how the dark wing had said that, and she trusted her ability to read people's emotions. "You will hold to your word."

"Yes. Is Crystal the only one with children who need to be saved?"

"No, but the others would not consider this possibility," Lily readily replied, entirely sure. Crystal was the only one of their little group who would consent to a stranger taking her children away, even to a better life. She was the only one desperate and worried enough to condone it.

"They are optimistic." Crystal shrugged. "I spend way too much time with you to be so sure we can do this in five season-cycles."

"It will take much time," Lily agreed. "I don't dispute your assessment of the situation."

"Do you have any children you want me to take?" Storm asked hesitantly.

Lily had to take a moment to process that. She was being asked if she had children? The absurdity was almost amusing, but the hint of pity in the dark wing's voice removed any true humor from the question.

Lily laughed sourly. "My Sire might be corrupt and perverted beyond reason, but I am not. I think I will never be able to have children, but that was the intention." She had explained enough to forestall questions, though it was a risky move, one she only took because Storm was an outsider who would be leaving imminently.

"Never?" Storm whined sadly. "I am sorry."

Genuine pity from a total stranger. Lily found herself putting her mentality into words far more easily than ever before, simply because she felt the need to truly explain if only to reassure herself.

"My children are here. This entire pack acts like a bunch of particularly dense fledglings, so it is an apt metaphor." Lily shrugged. "Crystal made her choice, and I made mine. We all do what we must." She unwound herself from the egg. "Do you have a mate out there?" It was a good question.

Storm laughed ruefully. "Still looking. We are rare out there. This is the largest group of Furies I have ever seen in one place, regardless of specific type. Pearl does though."

Oh. That was... very interesting. She really didn't know how to take that. It could be an issue, given Pearl's state when she fled. Was it Gold?

"She does?" Crystal barked in shock. "Really? Is he good to her?"

"Very. They make me sick." Storm shook her head. "She chose well, once she was given a choice."

Probably not Gold, given the wording. "She deserves to be happy," Lily noted. "None of her season-cycle knew what Claw was doing to her until Crystal told us. Not that there was anything a few fledglings could do. Now we have some small measure of power and leverage." Silva would not follow Pearl's path. They were already taking steps to prevent it.

"You will end all of this," Storm asserted. "You seem smart enough to do it."

"If only to spite my Sire, yes." Lily purred evilly, amazed that this outsider could be so sure. Did her intelligence shine through that obviously? Maybe her pack was as oblivious as she thought if none of them saw it. "Watching his little empire fall around him while he is blamed for it will be an apt punishment. What Pearl did is good, but this will destroy that which he built, and not just his pride."

"He built this system?"

"We came here, according to a friend who was there, because we were tired of wandering. The system of the alpha mating with multiple females was decided upon as a temporary emergency measure to increase our numbers. Claw inherited the title and disposed of the 'temporary' part, slowly adding customs as necessary as the older generation faded away, dying of age. This is all his work." Lily snorted. "And he will live to see it die. Then we can kill him." That was necessary as more than the best possible revenge, but Storm did not need to know any more than that. It was quite helpful to be offloading all of these secrets upon someone who had to leave and would not be coming back for a long time. There was no risk in telling Storm, because she was an outsider, and one who was stealing hatchlings and eggs, or so people would assume if she was caught. Nothing she could say would matter.

"A more thorough way of destroying someone than I could ever implement," Storm agreed with a small measure of awe. "I wish you luck."

"You are aiding us by helping Crystal. That is worth more than luck. If this depended on luck, then I would give up now. Claw is a lucky one."

That was a fact, one Lily knew for sure. Claw had luck on his side. Everything important had gone his way for as long as she had known him. She was going to end that streak.

"I'll destroy him with planning and strategy," she continued. "He never really understood that, save for when his interests were involved." Lily nodded to the egg she was curled around, moving away. "This is Crystal's."

"And so is he." Crystal picked up her hatchling, holding him in her toothless mouth. "Will you and Pearl be able to take them both and Silva?" A question for Storm.

"You're taking Silva? Good." Lily growled happily, seeing her life made a little easier. "Pearl's Dam is a problem. She is influential and besotted with Claw, for whatever reason." The influence was an understated thing, and one she only really knew about through Dew, but it was there all the same.

"There are three of us. Me, Pearl, and Ember. It will not be a problem. Follow me, and I will take you to... the ledge we rested on last night." She gently picked up the egg, and she and Crystal left.

They left Lily, who was still reeling inwardly from that last parting blow to her mind. Ember. The same Ember Pyre had spoken of? What did that mean? Did it mean anything? And why was he here? She didn't believe in coincidences that great, there had to be more to the story.

She stood to follow, to investigate-

And then realized, just as a questioning huff from a small body reached her ears, that she could go nowhere Wax could not go. That meant she was still stuck here. She could take him with her, but if Honey came back to find her hatchling missing on a day like today, she would raise alarms.

Lily sunk back down, absently tussling with the hatchling, eliciting a happy warble and growl, not feeling like trying to soothe him back to sleep once more. Her mind was on the ridiculous encounter she had just muddled her way through.

The biggest thing she needed to take from this, she decided after going over what had just occurred, was that being caught off guard was dangerous. She hadn't asked anywhere near the right questions, not really, and she had given out far too much information to a stranger, though she still thought doing so was safe if she had the measure of the pack and how they would react if a stranger started hurling accusations around. Especially when this particular one seemed sympathetic to her side of things.

She was out of practice, after moon-cycles of having to approach people and thus being in charge of when and where each conversation happened. She wasn't used to being put on the spot and having to adapt. That was fine; she could regain the right mindset easily enough, now that she knew losing it was a problem.

The other big mistake she had made was less simple; she had let Crystal trust a dark wing and Pearl to care for her children. Sure, it was Pearl so it was probably safe, but that wasn't a decision that should be made on a whim-

But Crystal had already made the decision moon-cycles ago as a then futile wish and had only lacked the means to make it happen. She also knew Pearl far better than Lily did, and had seen her take down Claw, a mental image Lily still could not conjure.

Maybe letting Crystal make the important decision had not been so foolhardy with those reasons taken into account. She hadn't consciously thought them at the time, but they were there nonetheless.

On the other paw, there _were_ other problems with what was already happening, obvious was going to notice that Crystal no longer had a hatchling or an egg. Lily didn't want to set the pack on Storm and Pearl, but there had to be an excuse ready, and soon. The knowledge would find its way to Claw soon enough.

Lily tried to think of a good lie about where Crystal's children had gone…

After a few long moments of absolutely nothing, she realized that there _wasn't_ a plausible lie, or at least there weren't any that didn't depict herself or Crystal as neglectful or worse. There wasn't going to be any hiding this; it just wouldn't work.

But that wasn't the end of the line. There was going to be no hiding what Crystal had done, but as long as Claw saw it as merely a move out of spite towards himself, another small taunt from Crystal not worth punishing too harshly, it would all be fine. Giving one's egg and hatchling away was not in any way a small taunt, but Claw did not care for his young anyway, so it might work. Or it might not. As long as the dark wing and Pearl got a good lead, it would work out fine for the ones who stood to lose the most.

And they were taking Silva, a fact that was only now promoting itself to her attention, something almost slipped in amidst a barrage of surprises. Truly, that was a relief, a permanent solution to the problem Lily had needed to solve anyway.

So, assuming all would work out as intended, what had been accomplished? Three lives of many saved, but they _were_ safe, which was more than Lily could currently say for anyone else.

Safe, as long as Storm and Pearl could be trusted. But if Pearl could not be trusted to care for hatchlings, then no one could. That was something Lily knew she had to let go. It was out of her control.

It was very hard to let go, especially of three she felt responsible for. She couldn't do it. They were still hers, just away and under someone else's care.

"Storm, if you lied, I will end you," Lily growled to herself, still allowing Wax to attack her paws. "I'm trusting you."

The hatchling looked up, his eyes wide.

Whoops. Lily turned the growl into a playful one, swatting at him and putting him on the defensive.

It was out of her paws. She needed to focus on what was. Like this hatchling, who had apparently grown tired of defending himself. She recognized the reluctance that would soon transition into whining and yowling if she pushed him. He was still tired, and grouchy because of it.

"Another game, maybe." She slid a wing under him and slid him down onto her back. "Go explore." This way, she could watch him without actually watching, feeling the small claws and weight on her back move slowly, cautiously walking forward.

At this age, it was quite easy to keep a hatchling occupied. That was good. It gave her time to think about the other news, aside from what Crystal had done. Pearl, fighting Claw and winning.

Lily felt an overwhelming desire to move. She wanted to see, to walk around the valley and observe, to ask questions. Things had changed, and she needed to understand just how much, and what it meant. Not to sit in this cave with a hatchling and wait. She didn't have enough information, and what she did have was tantalizing.

But wait she did. Eventually, Crystal returned, her face drawn and her eyes sad.

"They have gone?" She hoped the answer was not some variation of 'yes, they already left', because if Crystal couldn't reassure her as to the safety of her children and Silva, she wanted to go make sure all was well.

"Soon. I told Pearl that Silva needed to be taken too. They will be gone as soon as she does that, I guess." Crystal sighed. "I am doing the right thing... right?"

"You tell me," Lily declared. "You think they can be trusted?"

"Pearl and Storm showed up together, and I _know_ Pearl would never be bad to any little one," Crystal said firmly. "She is more confident now, and stronger, and happier, from the little I saw. She and Storm together, and with a good male too? They will be raised better and safer than we could ever manage before being rid of Claw." Despite the sadness evident in her every word and movement, she sounded sure of that.

"And she did swear to bring them back," Lily added. "Did they tell you where they were going?"

"I had Storm tell me about the place, but not how to get there," Crystal said firmly. "I did not want to know where to go. If I do not know, nobody can force it out of me."

"What did she say about the place?" Lily asked, nodding in approval of her friend's caution. Was she rubbing off on Crystal? Not wanting to know the location in case Claw tried to beat it out of her seemed like something she would do.

"That there are other dark wings there, a whole family, old and young, all kind and friendly." Crystal sighed, a long and sad sound that matched her downcast eyes. "She did not make it sound like paradise, but it sounded good."

"She wasn't trying to convince you of anything?" Lily checked.

"Not that I could tell. She did say that she does not know anything about raising hatchlings, but that Ember and her parents did, so it would be fine. That did not sound like someone trying to convince me."

"Then it sounds like a small risk, if any at all." Lily would have asked about a dozen more questions were it her accompanying Storm in Crystal's place, but that just wasn't an option, and the decision had been made. "What if they just never come back?"

Crystal whined piercingly. "Then I suppose they decided it was not worth the trip."

"No, that's not what I meant," Lily clarified, before thinking better of what she _had_ meant to ask about, which was both unlikely, if she and Crystal were adequate judges of character, and unsavory. "And they would not do that. Storm swore, and I believed she meant it."

"So, it _was_ the right thing to do?" Crystal whined.

"Yes, it was." It had been premeditated, at least on Crystal's part, a sacrifice to ensure there would be no greater tragedy in the future, and it was the right thing to do. She had traded uncertain horror for certain sadness.

"I did not name him," Crystal whined, eyeing the hatchling on Lily's back. "And now he will not know me when he comes back."

"But you will get to know him then, and after," Lily reminded her friend, leaning in to nuzzle her. "He will be around, strong and confident, not a follower of Claw." Since they had finished wondering whether it was the right choice, she was going to speak as if it was certain Crystal's son would ever return.

"I will. But it still hurts." Crystal looked down at the ground. "So..."

"You need to stop worrying about it," Lily said firmly. "Celebrate. You just got your children out. Were you not just telling me you wanted that?"

"I was, I did," Crystal admitted, looking up. "I did it. Pearl and Storm and all the other good people Storm told me about will raise them. They will never even know their horrid Sire."

"And however he takes it, that's certainly a slap in the face," Lily laughed, choosing to ignore that potential issue for the moment. Right now, Crystal needed to feel the relief she should by all rights be feeling.

"A slap to the face is the least of his pains right now," Crystal warbled, her spirits lifting even further with the reminder.

"Don't just taunt me with your knowledge," Lily requested eagerly, ignoring Wax's gumming of her frills. If he was busy with that, he wasn't distracting her.

"Where do I start?" Crystal purred, sitting down across from her and then standing up again, too excited to sit still.

"Claw." Lily specified. "Start with Claw."

"He is grounded, humiliated, and probably whining louder than a tantruming hatchling." Crystal took in Lily's look of disbelief and quickly elaborated. "Pearl drew it out, making it hurt. She seemed to be enjoying it."

"Any permanent damage?" Now Lily was wondering why Pearl hadn't just killed Claw, if she had been so capable of doing so. Maybe she just didn't have the heart to kill anyone, no matter how vile.

"She said his tailfin will grow back eventually," Crystal began.

"His tailfin." Lily shifted the hatchling to the floor between them, as Wax's biting had started to hurt, though he didn't have much to speak of in the way of teeth.

"Pearl tore half of it off as punishment for... you know," Crystal said happily. "No one really believed her except for the people already on our side."

"But the news is out," Lily mused. "That will be a powerful tool." Now she could use it, as Pearl herself had revealed it to everyone.

"She is different," Crystal repeated, purring. "She called him out, attacked him, and even taunted him in the end. I wonder what happened out there."

"So do I," Lily agreed. "And that's all? She shows up, beats the dragon dung out of Claw, tells everyone he violated her as a fledgling, and then… What after that?"

"I do not actually know." Crystal shrugged her wings. "That was when I figured out the dark wing must be with her and went to her to try and get my children out."

"So you didn't see if she did anything else." Lily nodded to Honey's hatchling, who was alternating between staring at one or the other of them, intrigued by their enthusiasm, if nothing else. He was not quite eloquent enough to say most of what they were saying, but he was probably going to pick up a few words-

There was an important thought for the future. Soon, they'd have to watch what they said in front of him, for fear he'd repeat it.

"No," Crystal replied. "I think there was something else, but I did not see it."

"I'll get that information from someone else," Lily decided, standing as she spoke. "Could you take over with him? I want to get the whole story, and get an idea for the mood out in the valley right now."

"Confused," Crystal supplied helpfully. "Go ahead."

Lily was almost out of the side cavern before she thought about what she was doing. She turned to look at Crystal, who was staring at Honey's hatchling.

"Are you going to be okay?" Maybe she shouldn't leave.

"I will be fine," Crystal said quietly. "And they will be fine, which is more than I could do. It is better this way."

Lily walked back over, impulsively nudging Crystal towards Honey's hatchling. "You did well by them. They will thank you when they come back some day."

"Maybe..." Crystal sighed. "I know. I really am fine. Go."

"Okay..." Lily left reluctantly, her need to investigate battling her need to comfort her friend. Investigation only won because it was past noon, and she could come back to Crystal as soon as she had taken stock of what was different.

And there were definitely going to be differences. There was no question about that. A runaway had returned, fought and defeated Claw, and then left again. Things would not be the same.

The cavern was mostly empty, and those inside knew nothing of what had happened. But the moment Lily got out into the valley itself, she could see and hear changes.

Light wings huddled in groups, talking quietly. Some laughed, some sounded angry, others thoughtful.

"Attacked the alpha..."

"What if she was not lying?"

"Now what? A female beat the alpha."

"She seemed really sure of what she was saying. She was his mate, so she would know?"

"Are you kidding?! She would kill you for even approaching her!"

Lily slowed down to listen as she passed a familiar pair of dragons, Cedar and Ash. She continued to eavesdrop as they spoke.

"Come on, it is perfect! One for each of us!" Ash insisted.

"What about Gold?"

"I do not see him, do you? I think she told her Dam he was dead."

Lily blinked, surprised by that information. She had assumed that since Pearl made it back alive, Gold would have too. She wasn't sure how she felt about him being dead, and put her feelings aside to keep listening. She could think about it some other time.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I was there, idiot."

A snort. "Eavesdropping, you mean." Cedar shrugged his wing shoulders. "They will not be staying, or if they do, Claw will claim them. I am not going to hurt Liona just to chase an exotic female who will not be mine anyway."

"Good, I wanted the exotic one," Ash rumbled. "Your loss."

Lily smirked at that as she continued onward, leaving them behind to their bickering. Storm was already gone, and not coming back. It meant nothing, save that Ash's stupidity extended to wanting to drop Danda in order to chase another female. She would have to keep that in mind for the future.

Back to the task at paw. She tried to get a sense of the feeling in the valley right now, and came to a conclusion easily enough, thanks to the murmurs and nervous fidgeting of everyone she passed. Uncertainty was everywhere, covering the valley like a low cloud. People were not questioning Claw's rule... but they had just had their view of the world shaken. They were thinking, if only a little.

They were thinking, talking. Lily felt a surge of adrenaline. This could be exactly what she needed to speed things along. People would be less wary of Claw while he recovered, more likely to question thanks to Pearl's words. She could change minds quicker and with less fear of repercussion. Claw's foundation of power, while still rock-solid, was shaking now, and might be unstable. It could be kept unstable with the right actions. This was something she would never have been able to arrange on her own in less than season-cycles, a fundamental shift in the balance.

Season-cycles of slow movement shrunk to moon-cycles in Lily's mind, her logic unaffected by but still agreeing with her emotions, her ever-present impatience. Pearl had given her an opening, and now she could strike more effectively in gathering support.

Then she felt something different. What was this? She could not identify this odd feeling.

So, she turned to something else. Leaping on top of an unoccupied rock gave her a good view of the plateau.

There was a small crowd, and likely Claw in the middle, being tended to. His pride must be hurting, to be so publicly humiliated.

Lily leaped closer, moving around the plateau in a distant arc, hoping for a glimpse of Claw. Eventually, she caught one-

And after a moment of shocked silence, almost fell off the rock she was standing on, desperately holding in her mirth.

That one glimpse had been all she needed. Claw, riddled in cuts and bruises, his face utterly disgruntled, being licked better, so to speak, by his mates, clutching a mangled and flightless tail in his paws. He had emanated utter embarrassment, and that was what was setting her off. Never, in her entire life, had she seen him embarrassed. It was hilarious, in a spiteful way.

After a while, she came back down to reality, and that other feeling slowly returned. What was it?

Envy. She finally put a name to it after puzzling over it for what felt like far too long. She was envious of Pearl.

It made sense, really. Pearl had gotten to leave, had apparently found a mate and learned to fight, and then... then she had come back, gotten her revenge on Claw. To top it off, she had probably already abducted Silva, saving her little sister from an awful future, off to go live happily ever after, while the rest of them had to deal with this mess.

No, that was too harsh, she knew it wasn't all perfect for Pearl. Nothing ever was, for anyone. And she was taking Crystal's children with her, so she was not just taking a good future for herself.

Besides, if anyone deserved a perfect, happy future, it was Pearl. She deserved this.

Lily banished her envy, consciously choosing to feel happy for Pearl. With that, her priorities shifted again, and she made her way to a place near the rock of Pearl's family.

It was easy to find because Diora was raging nearby, shouting and roaring at no one. It was no surprise that Ivy, Pearl's Sire, was not around. Why would he want to hear any of that?

She did not see Silva, and it made sense that she was probably already gone, along with Pearl. Lily would have found Pearl if she was still here because she would be the center of attention, good or bad.

"Lily."

Lily jumped, totally startled. She hadn't even noticed the light wing sneaking up on her, the male...

Ivy. She had not expected to even encounter him today, but it was not so odd that he was around. What did he want? She waved her tail to acknowledge him.

"Down here," Ivy said commandingly, pointing to a dark place between rocks. "I need to speak to you... privately."

There was something off about him, something that made Lily want to snarl. Wasn't he a passive and spineless male, basically Diora's subordinate in all ways? She had never gotten any other impression from him.

Nevertheless, she dropped down and faced him, willing to hear him out. "Yes, Ivy?"

"You have something that stops eggs. I want it." A flat, smug tone underlaid with an almost inaudible tone of fear. Not fear of her, she was sure.

Then again, she was the one who felt afraid. How did he know? What had given it away? "What makes you think that?" she asked, hiding her unease.

"Stop playing around," he growled. "Your own Sire takes you, and you happen to never give him eggs. Convenient. Too convenient."

Well, she certainly could not argue that it was convenient, but that sort of reasoning was false. Coincidences did happen. "And who says that means anything?"

"I do. Tell me what it is. Now."

Okay, that was enough. Lily snarled, stalking closer in the narrow passage they were both hiding in, her teeth bared. "Speak to me like that and you get nothing but pain." All she had ever seen of Ivy indicated he would be easily cowed.

"You are Claw's toy, to be played with at will," was his dismissive reply. "You have no power and cannot harm me. You are beneath me in every way. Give me what I want."

So that was how he saw things? Well, it explained why he was talking to her like that. He must savor being above anyone, so low in the pack hierarchy, below Claw and even his own mate, who constantly belittled him...

Maybe, just maybe, this could be useful, if handled correctly. She could very much use a male who was known to be one of the most spineless, least important in the pack... and he wanted something only she could give.

Yes, this could be quite useful... And it was Pearl's actions that had brought her this too, by giving her leverage and sending Ivy to her.

Lily no longer envied or resented Pearl. This one day had brought everything far closer to a possible end than any other day in the past season-cycle. It was impossible to resent someone who had helped so much and suffered so much.

An end, in one way or another. It was going to start here, now, with Ivy. She could no longer stand to be slow and cautious to the point of moon-cycles of no progress. Some risks were going to be taken now, calculated risks. She had already begun by telling Storm so much.

Lily purred smugly, and watched as Ivy's smug confidence faltered for an instant. He was only confident because he thought he had her in a corner, and beneath him. She was going to poke that misconception so full of holes that it would fall out of the sky and splatter on the rocks, so to speak.

"I am waiting..." A threatening growl emanated from Ivy, though it was underlaid with a tremor of nerves. "Tell me how you stop from having eggs."

Lily decided on a plan of attack. "Give me a reason to."

"I will-' Ivy began, but Lily cut him off with a laugh.

"You'll do nothing because under Claw, you _are_ nothing." She needed to get this just right. "Under Claw, anyway."

"And so are you," Ivy retorted angrily. "Of less worth than the fish we eat every day, something to be used. At least I am recognized as someone of some worth. You are not even worth pity."

That might hurt if she believed it, which she didn't. It was good to know Ivy could be this spiteful, and that he cared so much about what the pack thought. Clearly, he was a different dragon when around only those he considered inferior, and capable of hiding how he felt around everyone else, even from her for a time.

"It will have a price," Lily remarked, ignoring the insult. "One you cannot pay when you see me as lesser. You will need to adjust your way of thinking."

"No." Ivy sneered. "Tell me now."

"No," Lily retorted just as simply. "I think instead I'll tell Diora about this, reassuring her that I know of no way to do what you want anyway."

Ivy wilted, his ears drooping. "No, she will not..."

"Oh, but I think she _will_ believe me," Lily whispered cruelly, moving closer. "I have power over you, it just isn't direct. You gave it to me yourself."

"You are worthless," Ivy whined almost petulantly.

"No, I am not," Lily growled. "And neither are you, though you let others tell you differently."

Ivy blinked, confused. "What?"

"You want power, prestige." Lily didn't like the trade-off that was occurring to her, but it was a good one, if distasteful. "Right now, you want power over your mate, Diora."

"No, I want to survive!" Ivy whined. "I need your help... to survive..." His face contorted as he realized what he had just admitted.

"You are not above me, Ivy," Lily hissed confidentially, moving closer; she had no idea what he was talking about, but she'd use it nonetheless. "And you know it. So, this is going to be a trade. An unfair one, because I don't have to help you, and I don't particularly want to."

Wait... on second thought, she did want to give Ivy this, though she wasn't about to let him know that. Preventing Diora from having more fledglings was a great idea, given her way of raising them, if raising was even the right word for what she did.

"Just tell me what you want," Ivy sighed, reverting back to the defeated, spineless persona Lily had assumed was all there was to him in the past. She knew better now. He was an oppressed, petty individual who would lord over anyone he considered inferior at the smallest opportunity. Not a good person, though it was possible he was only like this because of outside pressures, Diora and Claw belittling him at every opportunity.

She let none of her thoughts show. "First, I want to know why you would accept what you think I can give."

"Pearl will kill me if I give Diora another egg," Ivy admitted sourly. "I believe she is serious in that promise. But Diora will kill me if I refuse to try..."

Lily didn't believe Diora would go quite that far, but Ivy would suffer in that scenario, for sure. Could a female force herself upon an unwilling male? The mechanics of that were a bit iffy, but Lily was sure Diora wouldn't need to go that far if Ivy was recalcitrant. And then Ivy would be under Pearl's...

Threat. Promise. Pearl was harder now, more dangerous, though Lily totally agreed with the other dragon's actions in this case.

"You think I can help you," Lily said out loud, drawing it out. "What can you offer me in return?" She knew what she wanted, but first, he needed to realize he had nothing else she would want.

Ivy shrugged. "You have no mate, and eventually Claw will become suspicious. If you are only against having _his_ eggs..."

Lily shuddered. "I wouldn't want yours either, Ivy. And besides, some people just can't have eggs. Claw is not suspicious of Pina, for instance." Again, it was bad that Ivy was unfaithful, but his circumstances might be causing that... or they might not. She could not fairly judge him as things stood.

"Then I have nothing," Ivy admitted.

"Something," Lily countered. "I want something only you can give."

Ivy spread his wings the little distance allowed by the narrow passageway they were standing in. "I have no choice," he admitted submissively.

"No," Lily purred smugly, "you do not. I will give you what you need, if you promise to obey me when I give you orders."

This was incredibly risky, but she had Ivy by his greatest weakness. She had dirt on him, so to speak, dirt both of them were moderately certain would get him killed in one way or another if revealed. Mutually assured pain, but his fate would probably be worse than hers, as all she was asking for was his obedience. She could have asked for his loyalty, and for him to break his word to Claw, but that would be damning evidence against her. This was less dangerous.

Ivy, on the other hand, had not known this was coming, and definitely didn't know Lily's reasoning. He didn't even react immediately, his mind clearly stuck in a loop of confusion born of disbelief.

Lily waited patiently, counting heartbeats to pass the time. Ten... twenty...

Ivy shook his head. "You want _what_?!"

"I want your word that you will do as I say, as long as it is not directly contradicting Claw," she explained. "I say fly, you say what direction. I think control over you is a fair trade for your life, and I do not plan to use it often at all."

"You want my obedience..." Ivy glanced up, checking to be sure they were not being watched. "And if I give you that, you will tell me how to prevent eggs."

"No, I will give you something that does so." Lily shook her head. "You will rely on me for the continued effect. I am not so stupid as to give it to you entirely. You will have what you need so long as you do as I ask, on occasion."

He grimaced. "Deal."

So easily? "I do not believe you."

"I follow the strongest, and you hold my life in your claws by extension." He sounded extremely unhappy with that. "Pearl is the danger, but you have made yourself my protection. I cannot refuse."

"Swear it." She made her voice soft. "I need proof."

"I swear to obey you, second only to my alpha, Claw," Ivy said quietly but clearly, sounding miserable.

"Done." Lily nudged Ivy gently, a gesture of praise. "Not so hard, right?"

"Do not tell Diora," he pleaded, the perfect image of a powerless weakling. She would have believed that was all there was to him if she had not seen contrary evidence just moments ago. He was deceptive to the core. "She would not like this."

"No, she would not." Lily was pleased this had worked out. Now to set some safeties, given Ivy didn't seem to consider his own word at all unbreakable. "You know, of course, that in public absolutely nothing changes for now."

"Of course. And in private?"

"Do nothing abnormal, tell no one whatsoever. Once a moon-cycle, starting a few days from now, there will be three fish waiting in a clearing in the forest, one close to here. Eat them."

"Fish." Ivy cast her a flat stare. "The answer cannot be fish."

"It is not, but I am not giving you the knowledge," Lily retorted. "And what I put in the fish is not a simple thing to reproduce, so do not try and do so. It might get you hurt, possibly badly." That was both a truth and a way of ensuring Ivy continued to depend on her.

"And if I do that, I can do whatever Diora requires?" A hopeful warble.

"As often as needed." She shrugged. "No eggs will come of anything you do."

"Good." Ivy took a step back. "This did not go... how I expected."

"No, it did not." Lily laughed softly. "But you got what you wanted, did you not?"

Ivy left without another word, glancing back at her several times as he climbed out of the narrow passage and flew off. Lily waited a few moments before walking out casually as if she had just been passing through on her way to somewhere else. Everything was fine.

Everything really was fine. Why was she shaking?

Dangerous. That had been a dangerous situation, and though it wasn't now, there were so many ways that could have exploded in her face. She trusted Ivy's self-preservation and lack of overt hatred towards her to keep him quiet, but if another, similar dragon had done the same, she might have had no answer.

Even if Ivy did remain quiet, which she expected, this was still risky. It was an undeniable step towards downing Claw, and each step closer meant there was more to be discovered, revealed, outed.

She needed to keep moving forward, faster and faster so that whatever mistakes needing time to come back to haunt her were left behind. Or she needed to make no mistakes, but that was probably impossible.

With that in mind, Lily headed back to the caverns. There were lists in her mind, lists of people who might now need to be re-evaluated after today's events. She could use what she had observed to do so... But she didn't feel composed enough to continue her actual efforts right now. It was annoying, but she knew her limits, and the nerve-wracking encounter with Ivy had pushed her perilously close. She was still shaking.

She noted, in passing, that the plateau was mostly empty now, only a few females remaining, talking quietly. That made her purr. Recalling Claw's situation was a great boost to her mood. The rest of her trip back to the caves was made with a spring in her step.

That spring disappeared when she neared the cavern and heard fearful shrieking in the cavern. She rushed in, stopping just short of crashing into a wall of light wing bodies, then shoved her way through to the front of the crowd, silently cursing her pack's tendency to do nothing but watch in times of conflict.

The scene that met her eyes was one that made no sense. Claw, his tail still bleeding slowly, had one of the younger fledglings cornered, her tail and back to the wall. He was snarling at her viciously, sounding as if he was going to rip her limb from limb.

Young. She couldn't be more than two season-cycles old. What was he doing? And where was her Dam?

"You think it is funny?" Claw growled, flashing his teeth. "Do you?"

The fledgling whimpered, shaking her head wildly.

Lily hesitated, on the verge of interfering. Should she? She couldn't let a helpless fledgling be hurt or worse by Claw, not one of her own, one of the pack, but to force things now might set back or kill off all she was building up, a premature faceoff ending in her utter defeat and Claw's renewed suspicion. She balanced there, stuck between obligation to many and obligation to one.

"Claw," a female barked urgently, rushing out into the small clearing the watching crowd had created. "Stop, please! She is not laughing!" That would be the Dam. Finally.

"Not _now_." Claw turned his head to stare at the Dam, one of his mates, his eyes slits. "But she was."

"She is a fledgling!" The female pawed at Claw's side, carefully avoiding his bruises and cuts, though that wasn't an easy task given how many there were. "She does not know better."

"Does she not?" Claw whirled on the fledgling, his teeth now inches from her. "Then someone needs to teach her."

Okay, time to intervene. Lily took a step forward, her claws sliding out of their own accord. She was not going to stand by while Claw hurt or killed a fledgling. Not now, no matter the cost. That just wasn't who she was, or it wasn't who she wanted to be.

But then Claw abruptly took a step back, and the terrified fledgling darted into the crowd, safely away. Lily paused, confused.

"It is not _her_ fault she does not know better," Claw growled. "It is yours."

"Yes," the female whined immediately, clearly willing to accept blame if it kept her daughter safe. If it kept Claw's own daughter safe from his wrath. But then again, it did not seem like the concept of family applied to any of Claw's children.

Claw lashed out without warning, cutting a shallow furrow across the face of the female, who jerked back with a bark of shock.

"Teach her better," Claw gritted out, before turning and glaring at the crowd. His eyes passed over Lily without really seeing her. "Next time, I blame the fledgling."

This was wrong. Not that she expected Claw to not be horrible, but this didn't fit with what she knew of him. He had hurt one of his own females for nothing more than what was probably an unrelated giggle from a child. Didn't Claw understand how terrible he looked, if nothing else? He generally kept a genial appearance around groups.

She caught another look at his eyes. Slits, darting from place to place, angry. So angry.

Had she ever seen him humiliated? Defied successfully and embarrassed?

No, actually. This was a new set of circumstances and a new side of Claw. A scary one, but also one that was going to be helpful. He was garnering no support like this, dangerous and cruel.

Claw stormed out of the main cavern, going who knew where. The female he had hurt was completely ignoring her bleeding cut, searching for her fledgling, the crowd parting before her. But no one was helping her look.

Something snapped inside Lily. She snarled angrily, drawing looks. Good. "Well? Help her!"

A nervous shuffling. She was really starting to hate the 'don't draw attention' mentality everyone had, especially when Claw was gone.

"Where is the fledgling?" Lily glared at everyone who met her gaze, hoping they felt ashamed. "And someone lick her wound," she continued, nodding to the female, who was still looking around. "She can't tend her own face."

Nothing happened. Okay, that was it.

"Stop standing around!" Lily knew she was roaring, but she didn't care anymore, and as it was all directed at the pack, not Claw, it was safe enough to say. "I could do it, but what's the point? Am I the only one in this entire cavern who will help another? Are you all really that cowardly?"

Still nothing. This was a group consisting of Claw's mates and fledglings. Not the pack as a whole. But still.

"She was... punished." A mutter, conflicted and ashamed. The female who had been struck at by Claw wilted, her ears drooping in shame.

Lily growled, knowing she had pushed too far. "And he said nothing about her being shunned too. That is your doing!" She took some of the pressure off of them with that and changed the direction of her accusation, but it had needed to be done. This group was not ready to directly, intentionally defy Claw.

They should still feel ashamed, though. Lily roughly shouldered her way through the crowd, making her way to the searching female. "Hold still."

The female shook her head. "I need to find Shalla first."

Shalla must be the fledgling, probably hiding in some small corner, terrified. She was too young to come out on her own after that. And still, no one was-

"Here," a young voice chirped. Three fledglings came out of the crowd, Shalla flanked by two even younger than herself. The one on her left had spoken.

Lily recognized the two who had brought Shalla as two of the three close sisters. Cara, Holly, and Aven, if she remembered right, though her memory was not good enough for her to know which two these were. She purred at them even as Shalla's Dam rushed over and comforted her traumatized fledgling, and they purred back before departing.

"Someone understands what is right," Lily announced loudly. "Fledglings act more honorably than any of you." She turned to Shalla's Dam. "Now can I help you?"

"I will." A different female volunteered, one Lily didn't know except in passing, her voice ashamed. "If you will let me?"

"Thank you, and yes." Shalla allowed the other female to tend to her wound. It would likely heal with only a small scar, but it was a nasty cut right across her forehead only barely missing her eye.

The crowd began to disperse, though through embarrassment or just a lack of spectacle, Lily didn't know. She felt more than a little discouraged with how... frustrating... her pack had been in this case. Why were they so afraid?

She understood why now more clearly than ever. Claw held power, and as long as no one questioned it, it was absolute. Each individual believed if they objected at all, that everyone else would oppose them, and thus said nothing, though in reality most people were probably feeling the same.

"Thank you," the female who had helped Shalla's Dam said to Lily, speaking quietly, not even looking up at her. "I am ashamed."

"You did something, so don't be." Lily groaned softly. "You are one of the few who should not feel shame here."

"I needed your... scolding." There was no hint of humor in that admission. It was clearly not funny to the female. "When did I forget what it was to act on what was right?"

"The same time everyone else in this miserable pack did," Lily griped. "I don't know how we got to this point, but it's a terrible place, where a Dam can be hurt by her mate and then shunned by her own community, though it was no fault of her own." That was also intended for the Dam in question's ears, as she was still close by.

"Pearl has awoken a danger for all of us," the female remarked, glancing around to be sure no one was listening aside from Lily and the Dam. "Claw is not usually hurtful."

Lily snorted at that. "Pearl says otherwise."

"That is a dangerous accusation," the female hissed.

"She says, speaking to the unwilling mate of the alpha, his own daughter," Lily retorted, deciding to push it a little. "Dangerous but obvious."

"But nothing can be done about it…"

"Right now, maybe, but if nobody ever _tries_ then nothing will ever get better." She wasn't going to let on that she was doing anything about it, but… "Next time, will you need to be reminded, or will you do what's right from the beginning?"

"What's right," the female replied.

"Then that is enough," Lily purred, leaving them behind as she headed back to Crystal. She needed to lie down and shut up before she pushed her luck too far. Today was so dangerous, but what else could she have done? Pearl had created so many opportunities, chances to lessen the time needed to end this, and she couldn't help but take them.


	24. Proactive

Lily knew that luck had been with her all day. Nothing she had said or done had fallen in on her yet, and Claw looked to be staying away for the night, probably unwilling to put himself in a confined space with two females who hated him while he was freshly injured. Honey hadn't even come back yet, though it was well after nightfall.

She should have known something would break her lucky streak.

"You said something earlier…" Crystal murmured.

"I said a lot of things," Lily agreed. Many of those things had been risky, but telling a stranger who was not coming back for a long while was about as safe as any confession could be short of confessing to nobody at all, or someone soon to be dead.

"You said you would never be able to have eggs," Crystal persisted. "I almost did not notice, but now I do. Was that just a lie to make Storm feel better?"

Those words poured cold regret over Lily's shoulders, but she was careful to keep it from her expression as she looked over at her friend. She was almost certain Crystal did not believe that and wouldn't if she said as much, but she was offering the option so readily, as if giving a choice.

"You already know the truth," Lily said quietly, sure in her assessment of the situation.

"I suspected," Crystal admitted. "You were never worried enough about yourself, and some of the things you told me did not seem quite right, like they were truth but leaving out things."

"Was it that obvious?" Lily asked, dismayed. She was supposed to be in control, not dropping important secrets with every other word.

"Obvious?" Crystal snorted derisively. "Nothing is ever obvious with you. I was not sure, even with all the little things pointing that way. Why did you do it?"

"I think _that_ would be obvious," Lily retorted sadly, lowering her head to rest on her paws.

"Just checking," Crystal murmured. "I would not have done it, but I am not you. And I know about making hard choices that others would not approve of." She shifted to press her side against Lily's, no longer separated by hatchling and egg between them. "Now, anyway."

"I don't want anyone to know," Lily requested, glad her friend understood. "Nobody needs to know."

"Your far future mate should," was the whimsical objection Crystal came up with.

"Sure," Lily agreed, far too tired to overturn that rock at the moment. "I'll tell him myself. Nobody else, though."

"Okay." Crystal sighed and let her head fall, closing her eyes. "I miss him."

"I know. I do too." She couldn't be sure whether Crystal meant Burble or Granite, though the latter was a leap, but her reply held true for both.

The slow, unassuming entrance of Honey with a whiny hatchling on her back put an end to their conversation, and Lily surrendered to sleep, feeling far less triumphant than the day's efforts merited.

O-O-O-O-O

"Where are your egg and hatchling?" Honey asked, looking at Crystal and Lily. She sounded far more subdued than usual, though there was no apparent reason for that.

"With a friend," Crystal said truthfully, stretching languidly and yawning. "I can still take Wax for the rest of today."

"Good, because I want to… I need to go." Honey set her hatchling down and quickly left.

"Day one," Lily rumbled sarcastically. "She shows no suspicion, and seems preoccupied. Want to guess how many days it takes her to realize you do not have them anymore? We can see who guesses better."

"That is not fair," Crystal lightly objected, purring in amusement. "I do not even know if we should hide it, and I would ask you. If you are competing with me, you can make yourself win."

"Fair point," Lily agreed, seeing the myriad of ways either of them could corrupt any sort of game of chance on the subject. "I'm really not sure what to do with it either."

"We could just tell anyone who asks that I sent them away," Crystal mused, looking over at Lily. "We could say I wanted to keep an eye on Pearl…"

"By sending a hatchling who doesn't know that's his assignment?" Lily quipped, at the last second avoiding any possibly more depressing jokes she could have made with that prompt. Humor was good, but only when it distracted, not reminded.

"Ah, but I have a promise that they will return," Crystal retorted lightly, seemingly not too bothered by the subject yet. "Thus bringing people who know Pearl's location back to me. Think I could spin it so that Claw considers it a good thing?"

"More importantly, do you _want_ him proud of you?" Lily asked.

"Well, yes, because proud is not punishing or just beating me into the floor of this dingy little cavern," Crystal replied seriously. "Like with you. He let up on Pearl far sooner than he is with you. It will only get worse if he has reason to be mad at you."

"I know." She was used to the pain, the constant bruises on her underside and back that were renewed every time Claw came to visit for the night. The best she could say for it was that she didn't really experience the actual abuse, as he had yet to break through that defense. He was not really _trying_ anymore, from all she could tell after the fact, just casually being more brutal with her than he could with any of his more willing mates.

"Then you know it is better if I take the credit and say you did not know what I was doing," Crystal insisted. "Really. Whether we try to spin it as a ploy or just a way of spiting him, it should be my doing."

"I'll take that into account," Lily promised, specifically avoiding any more direct promises. She wasn't about to discard some brilliant plan just because it laid the blame at a paw other than Crystal's. Claiming Storm and Pearl stole her hatchling and egg was still an option, though it would soon cease to be one if they did not act accordingly. Every excuse, like the one given Honey, made it more difficult to pull that off.

"What else will you take into account?"

"How the pack is reacting to all of this," Lily replied, heading for the narrow exit. She stopped to look back at Crystal. "It is probably best you remain here, since I know Diora gets on your nerves by slighting Pearl. Something tells me there will be a _lot_ of that today." The biggest reaction she needed to observe was going to be that one, or more specifically, how the pack reacted to Diora's news.

And it was Diora, so Lily was sure it would be a public affair.

O-O-O-O-O

"Help me!" Diora pleaded, running between rocks. "Silva is missing!" She slapped her tail at the nearest light wings as she passed, striking them as if that would make them more inclined to offer aid. "Everyone needs to help look for her!"

Lily, who was running behind her along with a few more sincerely concerned light wings, couldn't help but wince at the terrible attempt at gathering support. There were many better ways to go about starting a search party.

On the other paw, Diora didn't need to do much to start a search for a missing hatchling; few Sires and no Dams who understood the issue would hold back from helping, no matter how little they liked the Dam of the missing child, and a surprising number of them joined in the moment they saw others were already following her.

Soon, Diora had a sizable portion of the pack looking, and everyone was splitting up to search. Lily felt more than a twinge of some dark form of nostalgia as she called out the name of a missing daughter of Diora, who would not respond because she had fled with another and left the pack behind.

This time, though, she knew where the missing female had gone, and did not have anything riding on Silva's disappearance in particular. She was just along for the search because it would look odd not to help, and because she wanted to get an idea of what would happen next. An attempt to track Pearl and Storm down? Giving up? Some other answer she couldn't think of? It would matter a great deal how Claw and the pack responded to this.

Another factor to that response would be Diora's explanation for not noticing her daughter's absence overnight. For Crystal's hatchling and egg, a lie involving Dew and Pina could easily be concocted, but Diora wasn't trying to ensure they were too late to find the missing dragon. It wasn't even obvious whether she knew Silva had been taken and was not just hiding somewhere.

A loud, commanding roar resounded from the plateau, and Lily turned toward it. She was sure Diora would go to Claw and plead with him to have the rest of the pack help, and he would give some sort of speech once he understood what was going on, like he had for the disappearances of Pearl and Gold. The answers she sought about how this would be handled would come with that speech.

O-O-O-O-O

"Hey!" A larger light wing stumbled right into Lily and didn't even notice, glaring at the female who had pushed her. "There is room for everyone!"

The other female glared right back at her. "I want to see the alpha, not your fat wings."

"Given how beat up he is, my fat wings would be a better view," the other shot back, eliciting a muffled laugh from Lily.

"So you admit they _are_ fat?"

"Everyone shut up and pay attention!" Claw roared from his place atop the plateau. He sounded far angrier than normal, and Lily knew better than to attribute that to the missing fledgling worrying him in any capacity. It was more likely the myriad of injuries he had sustained the day before.

The crowd quieted.

" _Pearl_ ," and he snarled the name with such hatred that the female next to Lily shivered, "left at the same time one of our fledglings went missing. I do not think it is a coincidence."

So, he was going straight to blaming Pearl? As the pack expressed their shock over the revelation, Lily contemplated adding in the disappearance of Crystal's children. It wouldn't work right now, but she was beginning to prefer the idea of blaming it on Pearl and Storm, who were already a day ahead and unlikely to linger. All she needed was cooperation from Pina and Dew, the cover story practically told itself.

"I want everyone flying out in the same search patterns as last time," Claw commanded, growling and pacing the edge of the plateau, his many injuries on display. His tail in particular looked very gruesome, a bloody raw patch lining the disfigured side. "When you find them, kill them."

The females to either side of Lily gasped, and from what she could hear the general reaction was about the same. She wasn't _surprised_ that Claw would order that, but she was caught off guard by how openly he did so. If it were her, she would have taken the most loyal aside and conveyed that order privately. Most of the pack wouldn't even know how to fight effectively if the need arose.

"But-" someone began to object.

Claw snarled in their direction and cut them off. "Just go and do it! I want them dead by nightfall." He turned his back on the crowd, clearly taking no questions on the subject.

Lily shook her head, bemused. That was _not_ how he should be handling any of this. His rage was making him stupid, and his stupidity was feeding his rage. None of this was helping his image at all.

There were going to be many ways to take advantage of his anger and lack of forethought, but for the moment doing anything against him specifically was going to be hard. The pack was reluctantly dispersing even now, off to fly out and search for those who were by now long gone.

O-O-O-O-O

"I do not like this plan," Dew fretted, bouncing her son up and down with her tail. He was far too big for her to actually lift him with only her tail, but he obligingly jumped with each motion, playing along.

"It's better Claw hates someone safe than someone vulnerable," Lily reasoned. "You just have to _not_ contradict anything Pina or Crystal tell him." At that very moment both females were explaining to Claw what they wanted him to believe had happened. She wished she were there watching, but her presence wouldn't help, and spying was pointless when Crystal would tell her what happened as soon as she could.

"Go over it one more time," Dew requested.

"Crystal and I came to you after the search today and asked about her children. You and Pina said you hadn't seen them, Crystal said you were supposed to be watching them, and everyone freaked out." The story put all the blame on Pearl's shoulders, and involved her lying to Crystal and stealing her hatchling and egg away under false pretenses. Lily would feel bad for ruining Pearl's reputation, but it was for a good cause.

"It is simple, but what if he asks about exactly what we all said at the time?" Dew slipped her tail out from under her son's stomach and patted him on the head.

"He won't." Catching people in lies like that just didn't work in practice; the story was too simple for anyone involved to be caught in a logical contradiction, and people never remembered their exact words, so there would be no cross-checking of details. Claw definitely understood that, he had to have figured it out at some point in his many season-cycles of manipulating people for personal gain.

"What will alpha ask about?" Dew's son enquired, looking up at his Dam with a scrunched-up face, clearly confused.

"Just a few missing hatchlings," Dew replied, leaning over and nuzzling her son. "Stay out of his way and do not get his attention. I do not want you hurt."

"Sire would not hurt me," was the innocent reply. "Right?"

"I cannot be sure," Dew murmured. "Lily, enough time has passed. If you are going to play the part of being distraught-"

"Then I shouldn't just hang around here waiting for Claw to show up and confirm what he's been told." She also understood that Dew would want to avoid confronting her increasingly angry and dangerous mate if at all possible. Besides, it was not certain that Claw would come check at all. If Pina and Crystal were convincing, if his hatred for Pearl was strong enough to blind him to other possibilities, he wouldn't bother.

Lily made her way through the caverns and stopped just outside the narrow entrance to the chamber she and Crystal shared with Honey. She still did not think of it as home, not even after all these moon-cycles. It was the site of far too many bad memories for that.

Honey was not there; the chamber was empty. She paced around the edges, feeling too restless to settle down, even if it was night by now. Her wings were tired from spending most of the day flying, but the rest of her was far less worn out.

The clicking of claws on stone alerted her to an approaching light wing well in advance, and she growled worriedly. Claws out meant angry, and angry meant things had not gone well, regardless of who she was hearing approaching.

Crystal slipped into the chamber, her claws noticeably absent, and Claw followed so close behind her he almost stepped on her tail on his way through. _His_ claws were out, and his eyes narrow.

"So?" Lily burst out, playing the part she had assigned herself, even in the face of his anger. The more vehement about this she seemed, the less false it would be. "Anything?" She wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, but it was a generic request for information that would get the conversation started without her committing to a specific approach, so ambiguity was intended.

"You were stupid, empty-headed fools to let her take the hatchling and egg," Claw snarled viciously.

"Pearl _was_ a friend," Crystal objected quietly, looking more worried than offended. She slipped over to stand beside Lily, not directly facing Claw but certainly not standing alongside him.

"She will be dead in a matter of days," Claw growled. "And I have half a mind to leave the hatchling to fend for itself as your punishment."

Crystal whined loudly, though not nearly as piercingly as Lily had expected. She wasn't a perfect actor, and knowing that her children were already out of danger meant she couldn't be quite as authentic in her protests.

Lily, on the other paw, both could act distraught and didn't need to, as she tended to ignore Claw's vileness as much as possible anyway. She threw a comforting wing over Crystal and said nothing.

"They will be found," Claw asserted, flicking his tail and failing to hide a wince as presumably one of his many wounds was jolted. His eyes narrowed, and Lily recognized where his thoughts were going. She certainly didn't welcome that particular change in subject, but at least he had fallen for the lie. There would be no punishment for intentional defiance.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily limped through the valley, listening to the soft, insistent conversations occurring all around her, and the way they trailed off as she was noticed, only to resume within moments.

She stopped for a moment, resting her back paw. She didn't remember it, thankfully, but Claw had taken his humiliation and rage out on her the night before, and her body was suffering the consequences now. Breathing hurt, her chest bruised and painful, and her back paws both felt strained, like they had been pinned down and pulled too far for comfort-

Thinking about that was a bad idea, and she knew better than to go down that path, even in speculation. Her back paws felt strained, her chest ached, and there were dozens of puncture wounds all along her underside, as well as a few scales missing on the side of her neck; by far the scariest injury she had suffered, so close to such a vital part of her. It hurt, but not enough to justify going for pain-dulling plants, not when she could ignore the aching. Her pain didn't matter. All that mattered was what her injuries meant going forward, not the pain or the methods used to get them.

What did they mean? She labored to catch her breath without further straining her aching sides, and ran over the implications once more.

Most importantly, her injuries meant that Claw was still angry. She had already seen him today, directing the hunt that only a portion of the pack was still participating in, and his rage was undiminished. She probably had more excessive pain to anticipate in the near future. His anger also made him sloppy and unpredictable, and thus possibly open to manipulation with new methods, such as how they had cast direct blame for Crystal's missing children on Pearl with such ease.

Along that same line of thought, her very visible injuries were catching eyes today, and more eyes than usual were on her to begin with thanks to Pearl stirring things up. People were noticing, and she would bet news of her injuries was going to travel faster than she could right now.

People were talking, and things were in flux. In a few moon-cycles everything might settle down and go back to normal, but not if something thought-provoking happened in the meantime. Lily didn't know what she was going to do, but there would be _something_ to prevent everything from returning to normal. Something soon, as soon as could be arranged.

That, in turn, led her thoughts to the open-ended problem she needed to solve, and she began making her way to one particular boulder, though she had no intention of doing anything important once there.

Root's life was her problem, and the solution needed to preserve it. Surely there was some way to use this new upheaval to solve the problem? There must be. She felt like there were a thousand new paths to take in manipulating the pack opened by what had happened, and some of them would be useful here.

But in the short time it took her to reach the rock Root's family claimed as their own, she hadn't thought of anything.

"Lily, good to see you," Whirl called out, surprising her by openly acknowledging her presence in a positive way.

"And you," she responded noncommittally, gingerly creeping up onto the boulder, favoring her back paw and chest. "You seem cheerful."

"Today is a good day," Whirl explained, her good mood disappearing even as she spoke. "Aside from the missing hatchlings. We _will_ find them, and punish Pearl for taking them."

"Maybe, but it is Pearl, so they are safe even if we do not find them," Lily responded, dismissing the topic. The whole point of pinning it all on Pearl would be subverted if she spread the truth, so she could do nothing but let Whirl hate.

"Flare will bring them back," was the obstinate retort. Whirl shook her wings out and resettled them. "He and Root are off searching."

"Root went looking?" Given what she knew of his opinions, she suspected he had gone to ensure Pearl got away if she was found, though there was no need for that as she had to be long gone by now.

"Yes." Whirl patted a higher portion of the boulder. "Come sit here."

Lily didn't see any real reason to move, but as she was in Whirl's territory and had no desire to annoy her, she moved.

"You look awful," Whirl said bluntly, watching her gingerly step across the rock.

"Better alive and hurt than dead," was Lily's deliberately flippant reply. She needed to continue walking the fine line between keeping her ongoing condition in the minds of those around her, and being too obvious about it.

"Or better alive and angry than dead," Whirl agreed. "It seems I might have to settle for that with my son. Unless there are better plans?"

Well, that was clear enough. Lily tilted her head to the side and lowered her voice, looking Whirl in the eye. "To know what might be better, I have to know what you have decided on doing." It was clear Whirl had something in mind.

"The morning before the ceremony," Whirl hissed, leaning in so close Lily could feel her breath, "we will take a family flight, far out along the shore. Flare will knock him out when he is not suspecting it, and we will drag him into the woods so deep that he cannot possibly find his way out before the ceremony is long over with."

Lily hummed thoughtfully. "And when he eventually returns? Won't he just challenge Claw then?" She had considered a similar plan and discarded it for not dealing with the real problem, Root's unwavering intent to die to Claw.

"That is why I want a better solution," Whirl whined. "Anything better than him dying."

Something occurred to Lily, something she had just said taking on a new meaning. "Better hurt and alive than dead," she murmured. If they could not prevent a challenge, then the obvious thing was to make sure Root survived. As it was, survival meant winning, which was not an option.

But what if they just changed the rules, instead? Nothing said challenges _had_ to be fought to the death; Claw already made males who didn't challenge swear to be loyal. A defeated male could swear just as easily.

"That's an idea," Lily murmured to herself, caught up in the rapidly solidifying plan. Nobody except Claw wanted to see challengers die; a movement to change the rules would be supported by everyone, at least in theory. If she phrased it right, had the right person propose it to Claw, and made sure there would be enough support that nobody felt singled out from the beginning…

It would never have worked before Pearl upset the balance of power. Something had happened; Claw had fought an unofficial challenge, lost, and lived. There were plenty of ways to justify the change, and if Claw saw it was a popular opinion, now when his power was on slightly shaky grounds?

"What?" Whirl asked hopefully.

"Let him challenge," Lily explained thoughtfully. "But first have Claw agree to change the fights so that they aren't to the death. Root can fight, lose, swear an oath of loyalty, and live to lick his wounds." That was a good way to bypass his seemingly invariable resolve to fight.

"That…" Whirl shook her head, slapping Lily with an ear, and reared back, visibly working the idea over in her mind. "He would be hurt… But alive. Can it be done? Nobody has ever said they want it to change."

"Half the Dams in this pack have a living, breathing reason to want this rule changed," Lily said confidently. "Half the Sires, too, and all the fledglings if their opinions count, which they should. Add anyone with any sense of decency, and you have most of the pack." The only person who wouldn't want challenges to be non-fatal was Claw, and with the right manipulative pushes she could make him agree anyway, if only for this ceremony to placate the demanding crowd she intended on orchestrating.

"If everyone wants it, why has it not been changed before now?" Whirl asked doubtfully.

"It's not as easy as that, but I can handle the hard parts," Lily replied. She wasn't about to try explaining all the manipulation that would go into ensuring it all worked as she wanted, from deciding who raised the question to gathering support from people willing to stick their necks out and lead the way, and figuring out the best angle to put the question to Claw, as well as when to do it.

"You can?"

"I can. You just need to not tell anyone that we're planning anything." And they _were_ planning, or at least she was. This was the best solution, if it worked, and she had recently used the same sort of tactics against Claw on minor matters, so she even had experience with what she was going to need to do here. "Make sure all your friends know how worried you are and want to help you, but don't know how. The rest is on me."

"You sound so sure this will work," Whirl purred, leaning in and lightly nuzzling Lily's forehead.

"I am not _sure_ ," Lily warned, remembering all the times her certainty had been proven laughably wrong, "but I _am_ sure that short of convincing Root not to challenge, this is the best way to keep him alive."

"That is all I ask," Whirl said giddily. "I am going to go tell all my friends how sad I will be when Root challenges and dies!"

Lily reached out and put a paw on the older female's tail, stopping her before she took off. "Maybe wait until you are not obviously thrilled about something," she advised anxiously. Whirl was _not_ the kind of person she would have chosen to subtly prepare others to do something later, but there really wasn't any way to keep her from trying.

"Oh, fine," Whirl huffed, pulling her tail away. "I will go fishing. Come with me. Sea air stings, but it is good for cuts and scrapes."

"Is it?" Lily had already resigned herself to going with Whirl to make sure she calmed down and knew what to do. She certainly wouldn't be going to feel better; her body promised aching, breathless flight for the time being. It was odd to think that the pain she was feeling was Root's _good_ potential future, but then again she only had to imagine her own, bleaker alternatives to understand.

Root would challenge, lose, _and_ live past that night. At best, this would be an end to the deaths altogether, but knowing Claw that was too much to ask. At worst…

At worst, something she wouldn't be able to counter would go wrong, Claw would ignore the many voices calling for change, and Root would die. She didn't think it would happen, not based on the current unrest in the pack and her past experiences manipulating Claw, but she had long since learned not to assume that since she saw no flaws, there were no flaws at all.

She had also learned another lesson from past failures, but putting that lesson into action would have to wait a little while longer. Whirl was taking off, and Lily had a painful flight to endure for the sake of ensuring subtlety.

O-O-O-O-O

Crystal ran past Lily, disappearing behind a particularly thick copse of trees. A few heartbeats later, she ran back into view, heading the opposite direction.

Lily shook her injured paw ruefully. She had suggested this knowing she wouldn't be able to participate, and assuming she wouldn't have wanted to anyway. Now, watching Crystal run, she wished she could join in.

Crystal ran into view for a third time and skidded to a stop directly in front of her. "How many?"

"Forty heartbeats," Lily reported. "Slower than last time."

"Too bad," Crystal panted. "And how many until we have to go back to the valley?"

Lily glanced up, noting the sun sitting high in the sky. "It's noon. I hope you don't want me to convert that to heartbeats. We have plenty of time." They were _supposed_ to be searching for Pearl, and thus would not be expected to return until sunset.

"Good." With that, Crystal collapsed in front of Lily, rolling onto her side. Her body heaved with every frantic breath. "What is the plan of attack?"

"For Root?" She purred confidently. "Basically, we need everyone thinking about how _tragic_ and _unnecessary_ it is that their sons die every season-cycle for nothing more than youthful overconfidence and a desire to be important." She couldn't help the cynical tone her explanation took on; the very idea of needing to spin pointless deaths to make them seem any more unnecessary bothered her.

"Everyone including Claw?" Crystal scowled at that. "I do not think he will care."

"Everyone but him, you're right," Lily corrected herself. "He doesn't need to hear about any of this. It should be a shock when everyone speaks up in support of the light wing who proposes the change." She wanted to knock him off-balance, threaten his power just a little bit, and then offer a way out that just happened to involve agreeing to what was being asked of him.

"What do I need to do?"

"Simple," Lily purred. "Just work Root's predicament into conversation with people, and talk about how you wish there was something that could be done." Crystal knew how to do that; she had done as much before.

"I will not be able to talk to _everyone_ in the pack," Crystal warned. "Are you going to have Mist help?"

"Yes. Dew and Pina too." And Ivy. She had special plans for Ivy…

"Good." She rolled to her paws and leaned back, digging into the soft grass. "Time me again!"

"Go!" Lily barked. Crystal shot off into the undergrowth.

As she counted her own steady heartbeats, she wondered how Crystal was really feeling. Right now, she seemed happy, but her children being _gone_ probably hadn't sunk in yet. They had often spent time away from the hatchling and egg, so at the moment it felt like they had just left her children with Honey.

She suspected Crystal would need comforting once the reality really began to make itself known and felt, but for now she wasn't going to bring it up. Let Crystal enjoy all the carefree moments she could get.

O-O-O-O-O

"Attack!" a female fledgling squealed, leaping off a low rock and landing on Lily's back, almost knocking her over. Two much smaller fledglings followed her lead, one landing and the other bouncing off to hit the ground with a loud thump.

Lily winced, swaying on her three good paws, and braced her tail against the ground. She could have avoided the playful but painful ambush if she wanted, having seen the three fledglings stalking her and plotting among themselves, but had decided not to. Dew and Pina were supposed to be watching this particular group of fledglings today, and she needed to talk to them.

The fledgling who had hit the ground sprang up, undeterred, and leaped at her bad paw. She groaned as a dense weight pulled at her injured limb, and tried to move away. Two sets of thankfully toothless gums clamped down on her ears.

"Surrender!" the oldest fledgling demanded, her voice only slightly muffled by the ear in her mouth.

"I surrender," Lily immediately capitulated, crouching low and hoping the one trying to scale her bad leg got the message. She wasn't confident she could dislodge any of the three without hurting one of them.

"We win!" the female crowed. "Now we take you to Claw!"

Lily winced at the shrill voice in her ear. While the idea of being paraded in front of Claw was not at all appealing, she couldn't see any real harm in it, as it would only serve to reinforce her harmless appearance.

"No," a welcome voice called out, "you take her to me, remember?"

"Yes, you Claw," the leading female squeaked, a little indignantly at having to break the illusion of the game. "We caught Pearl!"

"You did," Pina laughed, "but now I have her. Go catch Dew next." She waved her tail over in the direction of the pond, and the three fledglings fled like they were being chased.

Lily shook herself and watched them go. "Is it safe to have them running around unattended?"

"They are old enough," Pina rumbled. "You are limping. Did they hurt you?"

"I was already hurt, so not really," Lily explained. "Interesting game they're playing."

"Not my idea," Pina hummed. "Fledglings will pretend to do what their parents do, though, and everyone is off hunting down Pearl. Or trying to, at least. I have heard a few say they hope she is not found."

"Anyone with a sense of justice hopes that," Lily agreed. She purred slyly, moving on to the reason she had sought Pina out in the first place. "You don't need to help Silva against her Dam's will anymore. Ready for another sneaky assignment?"

Pina chuckled at that, but nodded seriously. "You have something that needs doing?"

"Yes." She went over the plan for keeping Root alive as she had with Crystal, giving the general idea and explaining what she wanted done. Pina and Dew would be spreading sympathy for Whirl's upcoming senseless loss among Claw's mates and anyone else they came into contact with.

"A moon-cycle is plenty of time to make people think," Pina hummed thoughtfully. "It will not be you suggesting this at the ceremony, though, will it? Claw would not take it well from a mate he knows does not like him. He would suspect you want Root." There was just a hint of curiosity in her otherwise worried tone.

"I don't, but you have a very good point, which is why I won't be the one raising the idea directly." She had already decided as much, though the idea of Claw assuming she fancied Root hadn't crossed her mind. "I have someone else in mind."

"Someone with no reason to want Root alive aside from general decency?"

"Exactly." She noticed a group of tired light wings flying overhead. "Looks like the search is over for today." Every day, more and more people returned well before sunset, a visible indication of people losing hope. Claw would be furious, but he was already, so nothing would change.

"Time to round up the little ones and send them home," Pina warbled happily. "Want to help?"

"Sure." She had time to spare and nothing better to do with it than help her cavern-Dam. "How's life?"

"Less simple, less easy, but happier in some ways," Pina said briskly. "I do not know what will happen next, but knowing you have a plan is comforting."

"I would hope so," Lily agreed, glad Pina was trusting her to handle everything. It was not an attitude a cavern-Dam should hold regarding the one she helped raise, but it _was_ the right attitude for a close follower of a leader, and the latter was the situation she was trying to create.

"And living with another little one is refreshing," Pina continued as they walked. "I am glad I ended up with Dew. She is great."

"Just because she has a fledgling, or for other reasons?" Lily asked.

"She is kind, loving, and interesting," Pina said. "I could not have asked for a better person to share a side-cavern with."

That was an interesting list of traits. "She seems smart, too," Lily observed. That would have been the first thing she said if put in Pina's place.

"Also that," Pina agreed. "She likes me, too."

"I would hope so. What's not to like?" A small suspicion passed through Lily's mind, and she decided to discreetly push in that direction, just to see what would happen. "I bet you like the privacy, too."

Pina nodded happily. "Yes, definitely. It is just the three of us, but now that means a good friend and her son, not two disagreeable females."

"How did you originally end up with Cressa and Grass, anyway?" Lily asked, putting aside her unconfirmed suspicion to follow up on some other time.

"Chance. I became Claw's mate, and he told me to share a side-cavern with them." Pina veered off the path they were following to head in another direction. "I saw one of them. They are not going to just come quietly, so you be ready to pounce once I slow her down."

Lily couldn't help but laugh at that; she knew all too well that fledglings would see the end of the day's fun as something to be avoided at all costs. "Got it."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily had never before realized how _slippery_ fish were. Usually, she bit them in half or swallowed them whole; actually holding them was the work of sharp, piercing claws or teeth.

Now, when she wanted the fish whole to hide the evidence of what she was really trying to do, she was realizing that without claws supplemented with plenty of undiscerning strength, it was hard to do anything useful and precise.

"Just get in there," she grunted angrily, trying to poke a blue-green leaf into the wet slits on the side of the fish's body. She couldn't pierce the leaf to hold it steady; her claws were too big for that. It slid all over the side of the fish with every push, avoiding the slits despite her best efforts.

The flat edge of the leaf slipped down into the fleshy slot, and she held her breath as she gingerly poked it in further, gradually obscuring it from sight. Only once the final sliver of blue-green plant matter had disappeared did she let out a small roar of triumph.

She stepped back from the fish and eyed it. The four normal, unused fish piled around it were identical in every important way. There was no way to know which one she had altered, or in what way. Her scent was all over all five fish, and there were no obvious claw marks on the one she had slipped the leaf into.

Just in time, too; it was almost noon, and Ivy would be flying over soon. She had observed him taking a seemingly innocent flight over the forest every day around noon, and knew he passed over this small clearing. He was looking for the protection she had promised him. Today, he was going to get it… Along with something he wasn't expecting.

She backed even further away from the pile, almost to the edge of the clearing, and flamed herself, camouflaging for safety's sake. If anyone followed Ivy out, they wouldn't see her right away, which would give her time to be sure he was alone before revealing her presence. It also meant she was going to get to see his reaction to the fish when he didn't know she was present.

Now all she could do was wait. She stalked around the edge of the clearing to pass the time, idly winding through the trees and stepping quietly, working her back paw despite the strained soreness that still afflicted it. She was lucky Claw hadn't returned to hurt her further in the last few nights; she wouldn't have put such vileness past him.

Really, it was strange that he _wasn't_ doing that. He was mad, constantly incensed about his humiliation at Pearl's paws, and what else was he going to do to calm down? From what she had seen, he was only growing more frustrated as the half-hearted searches turned up absolutely nothing. Having Diora constantly whining about her daughter being taken could only be adding fuel to the fire.

A shadow passed across the field, and soon a light wing was descending, one with a furtive look about him. He was subverting his mate's wishes in coming here, after all. He probably feared what she would do if she caught him.

Ivy landed near the fish and bounded over to them, clearly intending to scarf them down and flee before anyone could possibly notice him, though the odds of that happening at all were slim to none.

But just before he did that, he paused and examined the fish, looking them over and even flipping one with a hasty paw. Curiosity and nervousness warred, compromising with a hurried examination that was neither thorough enough to turn anything up nor quick enough to help him avoid notice.

Then he threw curiosity to the wind and gulped the fish down, one after the next. Lily chose that moment to step out into the field. "Ivy," she called out, "I see you found your protection."

"Lily," he mumbled as he finished off the last, bowing his head and looking around furtively. "Yes. This will stop Diora from having eggs?"

"With you," Lily confirmed. "You will Sire no eggs for a moon-cycle. But _only_ a moon-cycle if you do not come back here at the end of that time."

"I rely on you," Ivy admitted.

"Yes. And I have something for you to do, as you agreed you would."

"So long as it does not contradict the alpha's orders…" Ivy trailed off.

"It does not." Claw had never ordered his males to not _suggest_ improvements to the way things were. None ever did, and Ivy never would of his own volition, lacking a spine, but she was providing both the motivation and the backbone in this case.

"What is it?"

"At the upcoming ceremony, before the males challenge, you will speak up and request Claw make a change to tradition, for the sake of young adults who do not know any better." Lily kept speaking through Ivy's half-vocalized objections, ignoring his dislike of the idea. "You will ask him to make the challenges not to the death, and instead simply win and then require an oath of loyalty."

"He will kill me for questioning him!" Ivy exclaimed the moment she stopped talking.

"Not if everyone else supports you, which they will," Lily countered. "I'm not asking you to stand alone and question your alpha, I'm just asking you to be the first of many to raise a fair question and propose a good solution. There will be others supporting you."

"Others you are organizing?"

"Others who will speak up and agree with you." She didn't want to outright admit to arranging all of this, simply out of habit. If one never said something directly, it became much harder to be trapped by those words later. "Others like the families of the males who plan on challenging, and the parents with younger males, and the parents of younger females who want their daughters to have options, and so on."

"That is a lot of people…" Ivy bowed his head. "I have no choice, anyway. I will do it."

"Good." She didn't like the utter submission in his voice, but she could think about helping him gain some confidence later, after this important thing was done. For now, she needed his submission to anyone who had power over him.

"I should go," he said a moment later, looking up at the sky. "Diora will want me searching for Pearl."

"Go, then. Oh, and Ivy?"

"Yes?" He spread his wings and stopped just short of taking off, looking in her general direction.

"She's obviously long gone, but what would you do if you found her?"

"Get Claw," Ivy replied flatly, before launching up into the air.

Lily sighed at that all too obvious answer. Of course, he would get Claw. Ivy obeyed whoever had the most power over him, but he didn't _like_ it. Bringing Claw and Pearl into conflict virtually guaranteed that whoever triumphed, he would have one less master.

It was a good thing that wasn't going to happen; aside from the obvious collection of horrors Claw killing Pearl would bring, Lily only had control over Ivy because she was standing between him and the conflict between Diora and Pearl. If Pearl was no longer a threat, he would not need her anymore, able to give in to Diora's demands without any issue.

What would it be like, to live under the control of so many different people? Claw, Pearl, Diora, and now Lily as well? How did he stand it, constantly trying to reconcile so many different demands on his actions and thoughts?

She shook her head, unable to understand that mindset. She would have schemed to be free of them all, but even the best possible outcome for Ivy still had him under the paw of at least one, and probably several of his masters.

And she was one of them. But to save Root's life and usurp Claw, she would use that. There would be time for fixing and healing her flawed fledglings afterward if their flaws were needed now.


	25. Stricken

_**Author's Note:** _ **I generally avoid stuff like this because I feel it detracts from the suspense, just a little, so I'm doing it well in advance. Keep in mind, through the upcoming dozen or so chapters, that this story is rated M. That can refer to adult themes, excessively gory violence, or other things we won't see in this story, like excessive language.**

**Why am I warning you now? I'm not. I'm just saying it in advance.**

Lily stood at the base of the mountain, looking up at something she couldn't see, and didn't want to.

Somewhere up there, below Pyre's cave, was a sight she didn't have the strength to face. The warm air blowing through her frills had reminded her of the hot-season, and then of Pyre, and she had found herself walking toward the path she had walked so many times before without even thinking about it.

The first full moon of the hot-season was going to be a few cycles after the ceremony this season-cycle. She would not be able to comfort Pyre, and now she had people of her own to mourn.

He wouldn't have wanted her to screech her lungs out on the same night he had set aside for mourning, or on any night, but he would have understood.

She turned aside from the path up, resolving to wait until the full moon. She could not afford to mourn more than one night a season-cycle, and not even that if she was being honest with herself, but she would anyway. She would go up there, not look at the terrible sight below, huddle in the cave that hopefully still smelled of him, and whine the night away.

She would do it then, so that she could hold herself together and turn away _now_ , though the grief felt like a rock in her stomach, constricting her lungs and making her hurt inside. Now, she would pull herself together, push her pain away, and continue living and struggling toward freedom.

Only a few nights from now, a powerful blow would be struck in that direction. A life would be saved. She could focus on that and wait.

O-O-O-O-O

There was no wind to relieve the hot, sticky moisture that hung in the air, thick and wet. It had rained that morning, and the clouds lingered in the sky, obscuring the stars.

The atmosphere, to Lily's mind, was grim and tense. There were no young hatchlings or fledglings to be found; they were all back in the cavern, being watched by a few select Dams. Everyone else was gathering around the plateau, around those who were the focus of the night.

Lily took a spot near the back of the growing crowd, knowing that she intended to be one of the many voices supporting her own proxy's suggestion, and wanting hers to be an anonymous one. Best if Claw did not notice her at all, and she would _definitely_ not be standing with his group of mates.

She looked over the wings and heads of those in front of her to see the fledglings, her gaze landing on Mist, who was speaking to Danda and Liona. Root, Ash, and Cedar were on the far side of the plateau, and thus out of sight, but she assumed they were just as withdrawn and quiet. Mist clearly felt the tension in the air, and Root was perceptive when it came to such things, so he would too.

Claw leaped up onto the plateau, stealing the attention of the majority of the pack. He seemed happy enough, though there was still a dangerous, angry edge to his words and movement. He had not physically recovered from Pearl's attack yet, and his ego was still bruised. She couldn't say whether that would make tonight's plan easier or harder to pull off.

Lily ignored Claw welcoming all of the fledglings into the pack, instead glancing around to catch eyes and judge the moods of the people around her. There were worried grimaces and resigned sighs, ears lifted in attention or drooping in apparent boredom. She saw enough promising reactions to be reassured, though not enough to be certain success was inevitable.

Then Claw got to the important part of his speech, the end, and she stopped surveying the crowd to listen.

"As every season-cycle, the offer is open," he announced. "Do any of you fancy your chances? Speak now or forever hold your peace." He yawned languidly to the side as if already certain none would challenge, a calculated move intended to enrage and spur on anyone undecided. Another night, she might have found that annoying. Tonight, though, his little manipulations were about to be blown out of the water like a fat fish destined for someone's stomach.

"Claw!" Ivy called out, breaking the silence. Lily couldn't even see him in the crowd, but the important thing was that it had begun.

Claw tilted his head, looking genuinely confused by the unexpected interruption. He walked over to the edge of the plateau and stared out into the crowd, apparently too bemused to be angry. "Ivy, I believe. What is it? You cannot challenge. You swore to follow me and never fight me."

"I did not want to, alpha," Ivy replied, his voice shaking. He sounded as if he would rather be anywhere else, or barring that, talking to anyone else. Lily alone of those listening understood that Ivy only spoke because he had no choice. "I wish to propose a change to custom. Fights for the position of alpha..."

Claw was glaring now, but he did not interrupt.

"...should not be to the death. The loser can just swear loyalty to the winner, like with those who do not fight. There is no need to lose people to small ambition."

She had all but dictated his explanation, but she still thought that last reason was ironic coming from Ivy, whose ambition was by definition small, relegated to not failing to serve his various masters.

The pack erupted into chaos as soon as Ivy had finished his suggestion, that of general speculation.

Claw roared, shutting up the majority of the crowd. "Silence! We do not change custom!"

Now was the time. A moment of quiet that stretched, unbroken-

"But it is a good idea!" Mist said right on cue. "Why not?"

"Yes, let us preserve life!" Pina from the side. Dew quickly voiced her agreement.

"Agreed!" Lily shouted, feeling the rising energy of the crowd, her voice one among many. It had taken just one push, a few objections, and now...

The pack clamored for a change, Sires and Dams loud and hopeful. They almost all had a stake in this, and the simple suggestion that challenges didn't have to mean death had gotten their attention, primed as they were, already dreading the loss that could now be averted. The sound was loud and focused, a call for a change to custom.

It was a moment of triumph. Lily knew for a fact even this would not have worked before she began her work, before her moon-cycles of hints and Pearl's strike at Claw's infallibility had shaken his support, had shaken the blind faith everyone had in him. They were not rebelling against him, not by a long shot, but they were asking him to do something he would rather not do, and they were asking forcefully.

But eventually, the calls for a different way died down, everyone waiting for Claw's response. How was he taking this?

She couldn't read his expression, strange and almost twisted, an uneven squint and a slight tilt of the head. He stared at the fledglings who were now adults, looking at each one in turn.

"Which of you was going to challenge me before this... request?" His voice was soft, but very dangerous.

Root tentatively stepped forward. No one else did. He looked as confused as Claw had. "I did not ask for any of this."

"I believe you." Claw agreed coldly, surprising Lily. "You would look far more smug if that was the case." He turned in a slow circle, eyeing the crowds. "It seems... a change may be possible."

He was bowing to the will of the crowd. Lily smirked, purring happily. It seemed he would go the way that damaged his reputation less... but also established the possibility of change. Perfect. She had forced him, by proxy, into a position that left him with no way out save to take the inevitable hit.

"There are difficulties with this, however." Claw sighed sadly, shaking his head. Lily's purr became an uneasy growl; there was something extremely worrying about how he said that. She didn't know what was running through his mind, but it certainly was not the image he was outwardly projecting. "I will be forced to make clear who the alpha is, and they must swear loyalty after. I assume this is acceptable?"

There did not seem to be any objections to that. Lily couldn't see a problem with it either, though she tried; it was pretty obvious he meant to beat Root into the ground to make sure Root didn't doubt who was alpha, but they had already anticipated that, and he would survive.

"So we will try it out. If you all still like this change afterward, it can become custom." Claw nodded to Root. "You would challenge."

"Yes." Root said it decisively, bolstered by the lessening of the price he risked paying. "I would."

"You, on the other hand," Claw said to the other males, "would not before but may now want to risk it. I will not ask you until we have tried this new way." He was still acting unnaturally accommodating, and it made Lily feel she had missed something, though she could not see what.

"Well?" Claw leaped off the rock, followed by Root, and they headed towards the smaller cave these things were decided in. Normally they would fly, but Claw was still grounded, and would be for a long time, if not forever. It was probably quite embarrassing for him to have to walk.

As they left, she felt a nudge on her side and turned to see Whirl, who had pushed her way through the crowd and was purring happily.

"So," Lily asked, still feeling as if she had missed something, "it worked." Her tone came out far flatter than it should have, but Whirl didn't seem to notice.

"He will be battered, bruised, but _alive_." Whirl nodded excitedly. "This is more than good enough. I just hope Claw does not hurt him too badly in the process."

Lily's stomach dropped so quickly it seemed to drag the rest of her with it. That was it. Once again, she had missed the obvious. What would Claw do if the pack asked for him to spare their males? What was the obvious response if one was brutal and wanted more females to oneself?

"Lily? What is it?" Whirl asked, noticing whatever she was not bothering to hide from her expression. "You look-"

A blood-curdling shriek tore out from the direction of the caverns, something worse than anything Lily had ever heard before, hanging in the air, not fading at all, continuous. People around her faltered, wincing and startling, all turning to look towards the origin of that horrific, suffering noise.

Lily spread her wings, preparing to take off, though it would be difficult to do without hitting light wings to either side of her. She didn't know what she would find, or what she would do, but standing by just wasn't an option, not when she had arranged this-

Then, before she could leap, the shrieking tapered off, fading into the night. She slowly folded her wings in, fighting her need to intervene with the logic inherent in the sound ending. Whatever it was, whatever she had inadvertently driven Claw to do, it was over. She couldn't throw away her secrecy to stop something that had already happened. Flying _anywhere_ right now would garner unwanted attention, and she was sure Claw would ask some of his more trusted mates to tell him all they could about this moment, as he wasn't here to watch their reactions.

All she could do was wait and see how badly her plan had gone this time. Guilt was gnawing at her already, and she didn't even know what had happened.

A slow, steady wave of whispering started, the horrified gasps and moans travelling through the crowd, coming from those closest to the caverns. Lily stood upright on her hindlegs and was able to see a ripple, a moving space in the crowd. Two dragons walked through it, though one was being pulled along by the other.

Claw, pulling Root by the ear, roughly yanking but never letting go. Root stumbled along. More than that, she was too far away to discern, but something was horribly, horribly wrong. Not as wrong as possible, as Root still lived, but wrong nonetheless.

The strange pair reached the plateau, and Claw half-pulled Root up, the other light wing scrabbling at the rock. Lily could see blood now, on both of them, though she could not see visible wounds except on Root. Claw still had bruises and a mangled tail from Pearl's attack, but nothing new.

Claw, on that note, looked positively murderous. He snarled at the crowd, letting Root drop to the ground and striding forward. "You wanted to change custom, so I did!" A gesture to Root. "This is on all of you! Things are as they are for a reason, and you changed them."

Root was huddled down, his stomach flat to the rock, his eyes closed, and his paws twitching either side of his head as if afraid to touch it. Every part of him told of utter agony, terror, and defeat, but there were no visible wounds, save for cuts and bruises. His face, in particular, was covered in blood that didn't seem to have a source.

Claw strode back to Root, placing a paw on his forehead and leaning down to growl in his face. "So I had to ensure you _would_ be loyal. Swear to always follow me and never fight me."

"I swear!" Root was openly sobbing, not even bothering to control himself. "I swear!"

"As if I even needed that. _You_ will never oppose me again." A satisfied growl. "How could you?"

No answer, just a low moan. Claw laughed cruelly, his voice tinged with more than a hint of utter frustration and rage. He was not entirely in control, the facade he put up most of the time gone, as with that fledgling in the cavern and her Dam.

He was destroying his reputation and reinforcing a different one at the same time, one of true fear. Not knowing or understanding what he had done to Root only made that new fear worse.

He turned on the remaining and now quite terrified fledglings. "Anyone else want to suffer Root's fate?"

There were immediate whines of submission from those who had not intended to challenge anyway, and quickly stumbled-through oaths of loyalty. Claw listened with something akin to disdain, then directed a short snarl at them before glaring at the females. "I do not care which of these two cowards you pick," he growled, and then jumped into the crowd, everyone shying away from him. He vanished into the valley without further spectacle.

What had happened? Lily anxiously shoved her way after Whirl and her mate up onto the plateau, to the sobbing light wing who had not moved.

"Root!" Whirl nosed at her son in near-panic, whining. "Where are you hurt? What happened?"

"I lost," Root sobbed, "and instead of killing me..."

His eyelids blinked open for a moment, just long enough to display the raw flesh and bone of empty sockets.

Lily stumbled back, uncomprehending what she had just seen.

"I cannot see. It hurts!"

Lily staggered to the edge of the plateau and emptied her stomach onto the ground below, narrowly missing several dragons. She heaved several times after she could feel nothing left in her stomach, utterly disgusted... and guilty. So very, very guilty.

"Your eyes..." Whirl moaned behind her, holding her son tightly with her wings wrapped around his huddled form as best she could manage. "Your beautiful brown eyes..."

Lily heaved one last time, hating herself for... everything. For reacting like this, for being responsible for Root's horrible injury, for having pushed Claw with her scheming. Once again, her actions had hurt someone she was supposed to be protecting.

She had to do better. It was all she could do. Push on, fix what could be fixed, and shoulder the blame for the rest.

To fix what could be fixed. "I will get plants for the pain!" she barked, forcing herself to speak. "Will you remain here?"

"I want to go home," Root whined.

"Yes, we will go home," Whirl replied quickly. "I can... I can guide you there." She sounded more horrified than anything, not angry at Lily. That would probably come later.

"I am coming with you," Flare said to Lily just as quickly, looking desperate and helpless.

Lily was in no mood to argue. "Come on!"

As she and Flare hastily flapped into the sky, she spared a glance for the motionless, terrified pack Claw had just firmly grasped in his control. He was no longer anything but a controller, one of unwilling subjects, but they were going to be far too frightened to protest. That mentality of keeping one's head down was going to be all that remained now. They had made their voices heard, and this was the result.

She had to hold in a horribly insensitive laugh, knowing that Root's Sire would take it the wrong way. Had she really not considered that Claw was not limited to dealing out easily-healed cuts and bruises? So foolish, to underestimate how horrible and cruel he could be in public if the right conditions were met. The attack on that fledgling and Dam should have told her all she needed to know, but she had not taken that information seriously enough.

Then they were in the forest, and she realized that she had spent the entire flight over the mountain wallowing in self-recrimination. She shook her mind clear of the guilt for the moment, focusing on the immediate, important task at paw, and turning to Flare. "You're looking for a tall and spindly plant that should go about two wing-lengths up, with thick leaves and a light brown stem. It winds around trees. Find one!"

It was a different, stronger painkiller compared to what she had given Pearl. Root would need that strength, and Flare would need to know where it was found, both for now and the future. She didn't doubt that Root would need a consistent supply. The very thought of how his injury must feel made her want to vomit again.

Flare dashed off into the woods, his tail flailing recklessly. He wasn't even taking the time and presence of mind to hold it still, a basic precaution.

She set herself to searching as soon as he departed, frantically darting through the trees at random, her head moving constantly. This was something they could do, something she could do. There was no way to screw this up as long as she didn't give Root too much, and Pyre had been extremely specific about where that boundary existed with this plant. She could not mess it up.

There it was, a creeping vine with brown strands winding around a tree, just as she had described. She pulled off the entire thing, hearing the weak snapping of the miniscule, creeping roots that held it to the tree as she worked her way around, pulling just hard enough to separate it without snapping it. The whole thing would be easier to transport and would provide multiple doses over the course of several days.

Finally, she had it off. A roar split the silence just as she was considering how best to carry it. It seemed Root's Sire had found one too. She gave up on easy transport and ran, dragging it between her legs, almost tripping on it a few times.

Flare had also begun pulling the plant off, though by the looks of the several small chunks on the ground it had taken him a few tries to get the balance right.

"Good." Lily joined in, grabbing with her teeth at a place further down, working her way up as he went down. "This is the right one."

"Finally!" He snarled and shot a small blast at the now bare trunk of the tree, his pupils dark slits of frustration. Then he was running to the edge of the forest, the vine dragging behind him.

Lily awkwardly wound up her own vine into a loop to better hold it and followed, leaping up into the air and flapping wildly the moment she was clear of the trees, too worried and ashamed to bother with finesse. This was all her fault, and a dragon barely qualifying as an adult was suffering because of her. Because she had come up with this idea. Sure, he would have died otherwise, but she had picked _this_ scenario as her solution.

Flare flew recklessly, diving down to land on the rock he and his family occupied, dropping next to two huddled white shapes.

Root lay on his stomach, not moving, moaning, and Whirl, crooning softly at him, sounding as if she would rather be crying out in grief herself. The two together were a heartbreaking sound, here on a night Root should by all rights be celebrating, if the world was fair.

Lily took both vines and stowed them in a helpfully close crack in the rock, wedging them there with her paw, in the process cutting off a small length of the stem.

"No longer than your paw is wide, but no smaller than the length of a claw," she said to Flare as she worked. It was a very specific measurement, one Pyre had told her would dull almost any pain, but not the mind. "Any more will kill, and you can't use it more than once a day," she added, looking up at him. He nodded in understanding.

"Root," she said softly but insistently, "open your mouth, I have something for the pain." Now was not the time to explain what was going on beyond that. She awkwardly pawed the small cut of the vine at him, poking his face with it.

Once he felt the plant, he did as told, biting into it and almost gagging on it in the process of swallowing.

"It should start working immediately," Lily said guiltily. "It is very strong and should last a while. One cutting that size every day, but no more. More _will_ kill him."

"Thank you, Lily." Whirl sounded... heartbroken. It was the only word Lily had to describe what she heard.

"Don't thank me for this," Lily whined.

"I..." Root grumbled weakly, his moaning quieting. "I still hurt. It is not as bad, but it is still there."

"That's the strongest thing I know of to stop the pain." If that did not work, nothing would, at least not safely.

"Then give me more." There was an oddly dark tone to that request, one that Lily didn't like at all. It made her hackles rise.

"No." She could not say yes, but saying no to that tone was easy, and felt right. "We're not letting you do that."

"I just want the pain to stop," he whined pitifully. "There is nothing else?"

Lily let go of the dark suspicion she had harbored for the last few moments and sighed sadly. "No, nothing."

"Then I want to sleep…" He let his head fall. "Sleep and wake up to see this was all a nightmare. That I am not blind and useless."

The lucidity was clearly kicking in, but she felt no better about anything, even knowing his pain was dulling. He was blind, and there was no fixing that. She didn't know what to say.

"But I will not." He moved, though Whirl's sheltering wings made it hard for Lily to tell what he was trying to do. His head rose again. "What do I do?" he whined. "I cannot see. It feels as if I should keep my eyes closed, though there is no point, and I cannot stand it!"

"Then open them," Whirl said gently, sounding far less heartbroken than she looked. "The people who care about you will not mind if it makes you feel any better."

"Really?" he snorted. "I know I would if I could see me."

"But we do not." His Sire nudged him on the forehead. "Go ahead."

"Fine." Those strange eyelids jerked upward, crumpling oddly in the empty space they had covered. Lily forced herself to look, to see the consequences of underestimating Claw.

There was nothing left. She didn't want to know if there were pieces lying on the floor of that terrible cave, but his eyes were not simply shredded, they were gone.

Lily blinked, feeling her eyelids glide across her eyes. They were not set in shape. How would that work, if they no longer had an eye to rest on when down? They were already losing the convex shape they should hold on Root's face.

"This does not help," he whined. "I cannot stand it! I feel as if I should be able to see, but I cannot, and it is suffocating."

"You will survive," Whirl offered sadly. "We will help. All will help. And Claw will die." It was not even said angrily, a simple fact. "He will die. Soon."

"That would be nice," Root agreed. "He did not have to ruin me. He _chose_ to."

"We forced him to act, and we should have seen that he would not go easily..." Flare spoke contemplatively, folding his wings around Root, humming quietly. "But you are not dead. This is not the worst case scenario, for us. Or you, in time. I hope."

Now was the time to speak, but Lily's apologies had died before even reaching her throat. Apology was not what was needed here, and it seemed Whirl and Flare probably wouldn't accept one anyway. Now was the time for something else.

"I will do everything in my power to help you," Lily swore solemnly. "Now, and forever, or until the day you do not need or want anyone's help." She was well aware of the odd parallel. Though she hadn't said it out of ingrained caution, she was promising to help him once she became alpha. He had promised her the same back when she questioned him about his intent to challenge.

Root startled slightly, wilting even as he regained his composure. "I did not even know you were still here," he admitted. "I could not smell you or hear you."

"Maybe when you are not so distressed," Lily said reassuringly. "But my point stands. If I can, I will find a way to fix this, somehow, to make it so that you do not need to see to be happy."

"You are not capable of miracles," Root said softly. "But I... appreciate that."

"Lily, we have this." Whirl was glaring now, though not at Lily specifically. "Go spread the word. Not many know exactly what Claw did. I want the entire pack to know how terribly he hurt my son."

That brought a grim, toothy grin to Lily's face, one entirely devoid of mirth. "A good plan."

"Go." Whirl joined her mate in humming and putting her wings over her son. "This is something only family can help with right now."

Lily left Root there, her heart cold and numb. Another failure, on top of all she already carried. Did she even deserve to keep trying?

Yes, if only because she could not end this without trying, without failure as well as success. Eventually, a day would come where she would no longer fail, and then she could rectify her mistakes if at all possible.

O-O-O-O-O

The cavern was strangely empty, the Dams and fledglings gone home or asleep. There was an atmosphere of fear there, even though nobody was around. Lily, at a loss as to what to do with Whirl's suggestion for the moment given there was no one to tell, eventually returned to her side-cavern, finding Honey, Wax, and Crystal already there, Wax asleep.

"Lily, how bad is it?" Honey immediately asked, her voice shaking. "He is not too badly injured, right?"

Lily glanced over at Crystal, who shrugged her wings. It seemed she was at just as much of a loss to understand why Honey cared.

As to the question she had been asked, though… Lily snorted derisively. "What is the worst you think Claw could possibly have done, Honey? I am curious." Honey didn't think he was badly injured? She must have stayed back to help watch all the fledglings; there was no way anyone present would believe Root had not been badly hurt, simply because of how angry Claw had been.

"He... maybe he broke his wings?" Honey sounded unsure and disturbed. "But they said nobody could tell what had been done…"

Lily winced at the idea of Root's wings being broken, though the mental image she had of that possibility also included his disturbing lack of eyes. Claw _could_ have done that too, but he must not have seen the need. But in a comparison between _either_ broken wings or being blind...

"Worse, Honey, so much worse." Lily did not enjoy disillusioning Honey in this case. There was no joy in this. "He tore out Root's eyes entirely. He is blind."

Two soft gasps followed that revelation, Crystal just as horrified by the news. Lily said nothing more, curling into as small a circle as she could, feeling utterly wretched. What else was there to say or do about it? One more of her plans had failed and warped around to hurt the one she meant to save, and that was all.

But… in a sense, she had not failed. Root lived. That had been the end goal, and barring Claw coming back and finishing the kill, which Lily thought highly unlikely, it had been achieved.

It was a sick, hollow victory, but at least it was not a total defeat.

Lily lapsed into uneasy slumber long after Crystal and Honey fell asleep, lulled by exhaustion and nothing else, sure she would be plagued by nightmares of failure and eyeless dragons.

O-O-O-O-O

Things had changed again. Lily didn't like what she was seeing and hearing, either.

Though, at the moment she wasn't seeing or hearing anything at all, as the ones she was trying to watch had moved on. She cautiously stepped out into the open, slinking from shadow to shadow as she made her way through the valley once more. She was following Claw, and getting caught might mean something absolutely horrible.

Everyone around him and his small entourage of females obviously had the same worry; light wings shrunk back from their alpha as he approached, though most had the sense to hide the depth of their new fear, leaving only compliance too abrupt to be natural or relaxed.

Gone were the speculative conversations and uncertainty, and in their place was tension and worry.

"I just thought it was a good idea," the female he was now questioning said weakly as Lily crept close enough to hear. "My son will not challenge, but I liked the idea of him not dying if he did."

"Do you like it now?" Claw asked idly, picking at something under his paw. He was pretty good at intimidation, even by Lily's standards; he was just calm enough to unnerve, while not being so convincing as to actually set the female he was questioning at ease.

"I… It does not matter, as my son will not challenge you, alpha," the female hedged, taking the safe way out of his question.

Claw snorted and turned away from her. One of the four females following him around favored her with a snarl before following.

Possibly the most disturbing part of all of that, at least to Lily, involved those four females. All his mates, all older, and all acting absolutely vile, mimicking his threatening, cold attitude. They were visibly showing their support for Claw's actions by sticking with him and intimidating people.

It made sense that Cressa was one of them. Lily didn't know the other three by name or looks, but she was going to find out who they were once things had calmed down. They represented a subset of the pack that she couldn't even think about trying to undermine yet, those fiercely loyal to Claw.

Unlike the rest of the pack. She couldn't help but purr at the worried yet insistent whispering coming from wherever Claw was not. People were afraid, but they were still talking to each other, still voicing their thoughts. This wouldn't last.

For better or for worse, this couldn't last. The position Claw had taken up wasn't maintainable. Either he would do nothing more, in which case things would slide back to where they had been before the ceremony; people questioning him, just a little more cautiously this time…

Or he would remind everyone why they now feared him. Repeatedly, every time the fear began to subside, constantly upping the ante to maintain the terror.

An intelligent leader would never do the latter; it just wouldn't work long-term. But Claw was not intelligent, not when he was angry.

She didn't think he had thought about the long-term, anyway. Today, he seemed totally focused on asking as many people as possible why they had spoken up, and then intimidating them. Nothing more, but nothing less.

He was on her trail, if she had been careless enough to leave anything lying around for him to pick up. She hadn't; none of those she had directly asked to speak up would be able to point to her, aside from the ones she trusted most, who would lie. All Claw was doing was asking.

Today. That was what he was doing today. She would follow him and keep track of where he was in his little inquiry. Maybe tomorrow would be different, but today he was just asking around.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily didn't know, at least at first, why she had woken up. The lack of space between her side and Crystal bothered her, signifying the lack of hatchling and egg, but that was not new. It was dark in the chamber, but that also was normal. Silence reigned, aside from the slow breathing of her best friend, and…

And a deep, unsteady rasp, one of anger, right above her head.

Lacking any other option, Lily froze, pretending that she was still asleep. She didn't bother wondering what was going on; there was only one adult male who would be in this chamber, angry, and right in front of her, and only one reason for him to be there. A great, sinking dread filled her chest and made her stomach turn.

The breathing hitched, and pain shot through her as teeth clamped down on her ear. She lurched back with a strangled bark, only to be held still by the same agonizing grip. When he jerked his head up, she had no choice but to rise with him, lest he rip her ear in half.

"Huh- Lily!" Crystal rumbled, scrabbling to her paws. There were faint sounds of mewled protest in the far corner of the chamber, likely from Wax.

"Get up." Lily couldn't see her, or much of anything at the moment with the way her head was angled, but she knew her Dam's voice, and she knew the feral glee that colored it. "Claw wants you all out in the main chamber. Bring the hatchling."

Then they were moving; Lily couldn't help but yelp as her ear was yanked once again. Walking was extremely awkward with her head tilted to the side, but the way Claw held her allowed for no adjustment, and she had no choice but to follow along, vaguely aware of everyone else leaving behind her and Claw.

A distant, detached part of her noted that he had dragged Root along by the ear after blinding him, and that he had held the other light wing's head far less awkwardly. This had to be intentional, to keep her off-balance and unable to resist.

It was working, too. She couldn't even contemplate trying to pull free; she'd be down an ear if she did. As it was, the pain seemed to radiate from her ear and into her head, making it hard to think. Blood and spit mixed, trickling down to her head and neck, and running down her chest as he dragged and she stumbled. Her ear flared with agony every time he jerked her forward.

But that pain paled in comparison to the dread flooding into her as Claw marched her into the central cavern and stood there, still holding her to him with his teeth. His mates and their children were walking out into the main cavern, their eyes wide with confusion and fear.

Cressa stepped out into the open space between Claw and everyone else, flicking her tail with every step. "Everyone out here," she growled. "Nobody interferes, or your children will get what she does."

Lily winced, this time not from the pain. She could think of no more effective threat; it would silence almost everyone present.

But not _absolutely_ everyone. Crystal growled and made to step up and face Cressa.

"Or in your case, you and your family," Cressa hissed. Two of the females Lily recognized as those who had accompanied her in escorting Claw that day stepped up beside her.

Crystal met Lily's gaze, seeking guidance, though Lily didn't know how her friend thought she could help. She shook her head slightly, though it hurt, because that was the only message she could send. Whatever was about to happen would happen; the pack as a whole was not ready to stop Claw, his mates had no chance when worried for their own young. Nobody else could even enter the cavern in time, filled as it was with helpless, horrified light wings.

Lily stood there awkwardly, her blood following a new path from her ear and into her left eye, and waited tensely. She blinked at the irritation, feeling like she should be shrieking in terror, but there was no point in showing fear. If there was no escape, then she wasn't going to struggle. Instead, she let her eyes roam as much of the main chamber as she could see, picking out a few familiar faces through the partially red haze of her irritated eye.

Honey was huddled in a corner, her body shielding Wax; the hatchling was likely not yet awake enough to catch on that something was going on, fooled by Honey's wings into thinking nothing had changed.

Pina and Dew were crouched over Dew's son, Pina in front of Dew in a way that Lily would have found awkward under other circumstances, her tail up across Dew's neck and shoulders, physically shielding the fledgling behind her. Neither of them would interfere, thanks to the threat aimed at the children, and Lily did not fault them for that. If it was a choice between saving an innocent and dooming both her _and_ the innocent, then it wasn't really a choice at all.

Lily distinctly noticed when Claw unclenched his jaws; at the same time, a heavy paw pinned her tail to the ground, claws out but not doing more than poking her yet. He shook his head and fired a tiny shot at the ground to the side of them, clearing his mouth of her blood.

"We all seem to be here," he said loudly. "Cressa, watch and tell me if anyone leaves."

Cressa nodded, moving to stand where she would get a good view of the exits. No one would dare leave now, as was clearly the point behind the order in the first place.

"Get down." Claw put a paw on the back of her neck and shoved, forcing her to the ground. Then he put both paws on her back. "Spread your wings."

She did as told, unwilling to encourage anything worse than whatever he had planned. Her heart was trying its best to break free of her chest with its wild beating, feeding panic into her body, but she forced herself to stillness with logic and reason. Would she be like Pyre? That would at least mean she lived past this night.

"Hold her down, one to each wing and one to the tail," Claw commanded. The other three females Lily had identified as some of his most ardent supporters leaped to the task.

"Now." Claw snarled viciously. "I have been informed by one of my _loyal_ subjects," he sneered, "that someone tricked him into questioning my rule and undermining my authority. Of course, he came to me as soon as he understood. His mate corroborated, saying she had suspected Lily of having bad intentions. I was hesitant to believe, but they were convincing."

So Ivy had sold her out, with Diora's support. Of course he had, in retrospect that should have been obvious. He now feared what Claw could do worse than death, after Root's example. One, possibly final, oversight.

She was going to die.

So this was it, the final penalty for one mistake too many. Maybe she just wasn't good enough, smart enough, to change people, to change the pack. She had tried, and she had failed.

What hurt most was that she would fail her fledglings, the pack, in removing Claw. She was a failure to them.

"But I have recently discovered," Claw continued spitefully, drawing out his words with twisted rage and satisfaction, "that some things are worse than death. Ironically, we can thank Lily's manipulations for that too." He placed a paw on her forehead, pushing down. "So she is not going to die tonight, even though that is usually the consequence for challenging the alpha's authority."

She somehow did not believe that. But the possibility that Claw would make her suffer first? That she entirely believed. Would he blind her as he had Root?

Maybe. If he did and actually did let her live, she could go to Root, and they could figure it out together. That was one twisted way this could play out, her life reduced to struggling simply for self-sufficiency. It would be an end to her bid for power and change, for sure.

"So, here we are." Claw removed his paw. "And I am tasked with finding a sufficient punishment for a usurper, a rebel. Luckily, I am up to the task."

He walked around to Lily's back, straddling her pinned tail. "I am going to make an example of this," he said sadistically. "Dams, your fledglings are going to watch, just so none of them get any ideas in the future. If they do not, Cressa will also make a note, and I may have to give more examples."

Despicable. Lily saw that the Dams were reluctantly bringing their fledglings forward, out of sheltering embraces. There was so much fear here, and no one doubted Claw would do as he promised, as terrible as it was.

They should be attacking, overwhelming him. It was the only way out. But some of them would get hurt in the process, and each knew if they attacked alone they would fall, so no one did, not when failure meant their children suffered. None of them could do anything, not against a true monster in the same room as their children.

She was fine with that. Her suffering was better than a single fledgling getting hurt, though whatever Claw had planned would undoubtedly scar their minds.

"I thought about this for a while," Claw continued, placing both front paws on Lily's back, leaning on his right, his left barely putting any pressure on her.

"This is the price for treachery," he concluded, purring malevolently. "The first part."

A small pain in her back, right where that dangling paw had been. Then more. His claws were piercing her back, right behind her neck, her wings pinned out to her sides.

He began to pull, to tear, downward. The pain rose to levels Lily did not know, a burning that hurt more than anything, but he wasn't stopping.

She held her silence through that entire first dragging cut, though it felt as if her scales and skin were being pulled off in a paw-wide strip from the back of her neck to the base of her tail. Claw was taking his time.

She held out to the end of that first line. And then he brought his paw back up and did it again, in the same place. And again.

Howling. Was she howling? She couldn't even tell, the pure agony in her back taking up all of her attention.

Then his paw moved a little to the side, a paw-length, and started over.

Now she could not think, struggling futilely, totally unhinged, but nothing was going to stop him. It lasted forever, in her mind. Torture, her back flayed open, over and over again. Across the whole of her back, nothing left untouched in the rectangle across her wing shoulders and running down to the base of her tail.

Then, finally, he was done. He shifted, pressing down on her flayed back, moving his hind paws. "The second part."

And then, to her undying horror, he was doing it again, at a different angle, perpendicular to the first horrible set. At some point soon after, she blacked out and knew no more…

But only for a brief time. She revived still in agony, now on her back. "You are not allowed to faint," Claw gritted in her face. "Do you remember what I said I would do if you did not cooperate?" he growled loudly, freely expressing all of his frustration and fury, old and new.

She tried to flail her wings, to do _something_ , but all she got was agony of a different kind in addition to the rest. Her wings wouldn't move; her back felt like it was both flammable and awash in flame, unresponsive. She was howling again, the sound ripping her throat to shreds.

Then he was on top of her, pinning her in the usual way, doing what he always did. She would have laughed if there was any thought left in her tortured mind. This was nothing compared to the agony in her back. What was humiliation at being violated in public to the pain she was sure should have killed her by now, or at least returned her to merciful oblivion? His weight was grinding those ever-present stone shards into her open wounds, turning the mild nuisance of life in the caverns into a new, fresh torture in addition to all the rest. Every time she thought there was no way it was possible for her back to hurt more, another one of those shards shifted, driven deeper.

An eternity later, he finished, stepping off of her, totally uncaring of the horrified faces all around him. Of the fledglings he had scarred for life, the ones whining and crying pitifully.

Lily was aware of all of this in a detached way, observing but not thinking, all of her conscious thought on wishing for oblivion, for a release from this suffering. If only she had ceased to feel, like she usually did… But that couldn't happen now. He had broken through her ability to ignore.

Claw said something else, addressing the crowd, but Lily didn't hear him. She was too busy straining against his heavy paws and shrieking her lungs out.

And then something slammed into her head, and all went mercifully dark.

_**Author's Note:** _ **And** _**that** _ **is a trick I can't pull very often; if I did it regularly, people wouldn't believe me. Ah, the lengths I go through to preserve suspense, disguising an imminent warning as 'for the general future, somewhere in the next dozen chapters.'**

**Of course, the obvious next level of deception is one I can freely speak of; next time, there will be no warning because you've been warned right here and now. When will that be? We shall see...**


	26. Maimed

Somewhere, someone was screeching in agony. The echoed cries of pure suffering were impossible to locate; the sufferer could be right by her head or in another part of the cavern.

Motion. Fierce, burning pain in her back, her sides, her head. It felt as if she had swallowed frozen, sickly fire. Her insides hurt almost as much as her back.

Her back. Pressure on her wings elicited another yowl of agony, and a returning darkness.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily heaved weakly, her stomach thankfully empty. Her mind was full of dense, clinging smoke, obscuring thoughts, depriving her of anything but pure feeling. She could hear, but she couldn't understand, not when she couldn't concentrate on the words. The sounds were all she understood.

"The wound is clean," a familiar voice crooned softly. "Or as clean as it can be. She is sick. Does your sadistic mate have any other questions?" There was a hard edge to the end of said croon.

"He wants me…" A soft, desperate sob. "No. I cannot. What do I do?"

"You do not intend to obey?" Suspicion.

"I just cannot." Sincerity. Lily almost recognized the words, but another spasm in her stomach ripped them away from her, and she moaned.

"Then you must stay here, but not yet." Reluctant acceptance, a warning growl following close behind. "I need help. She is not healing, not like this."

Lily heaved again, her eyelids fluttering weakly. She wanted to understand, she almost did, but it just wasn't happening. Her body was rebelling, and her mind was occupied by pain and sickness.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily drifted in and out of light sleep, woken all too often by throbbing agony in her back. Her mind was only a little clearer, and she lacked the energy to do more than passively listen, not even thinking about what she heard, or in this case, what she smelled.

"Why?"

"I owe her."

"And Claw?"

"He does not come in here any longer, and many do not dare leave. Not that either of you would know."

"We know enough." A low huff. "Thank you. It is not hard to scrape by, but this-"

"This is what is right. It is getting worse out there."

"I am not surprised. This is not going to last."

"I will bring fish whenever I can safely."

"That is not what I meant."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily groaned as her wings were shifted, numbness dispersing with more of the pain that filled most of her existence. It was less of late, but still immense. She felt as weak as a hatchling, and being rocked onto her side didn't help.

"Sorry, you need to be moved twice a day," a familiar voice murmured. It sounded as if Honey was talking to herself more than Lily. "I do not see why. I could sleep all day without moving at all."

"Try… With pain…" Lily gritted out, failing to make any sense at all with how many words she dropped. Her weak, hoarse attempt at communication did have the pleasant side-effect of stopping Honey's pushing, so she considered the effort well worth it.

"Lily?" A soft, padded paw bopped her nose quite rudely. "You said something?"

"Yes." That sounded halfway-understandable, at least. She would have liked to ask why in the world Honey thought pawing at her nose was an acceptable way of getting her attention, but that was far too insignificant to waste the monumental effort forming intelligible words currently required.

Maybe she could convey her annoyance with a glare, though… She forced her eyes open, and waited while the blurry, indistinct chamber came into focus. It took a worryingly long time…

And in that time, she began to think about more than the current moment, or at least what had led to it. Her back throbbed in time with her heartbeat. She smelled old blood. Her own.

"I will get Pina," Honey barked frantically before racing out of the chamber, scraping by the narrow exit in her haste, leaving Lily alone.

Or maybe not. She was lying on her side, one eye pointed at the ground and the other the low ceiling and a little of the side with the exit. For all she knew, someone was behind her, staring at her back.

Her back. She couldn't ignore it any longer. Something was seriously wrong… and she knew why. She just didn't want to think about it.

She was saved from her own hesitation by the arrival of Pina, who seemed far more harried than Lily remembered, and a little thinner. "Lily, how are you feeling?"

"Confused," was Lily's honest reply. "Terrible," she added as an afterthought. Pain wasn't nearly as important in comparison; the fact that she didn't fully understand what was going on, or why, scared her.

"But better, clearly," Pina hummed in relief, pressing a paw to her nose just as Honey had. "Much better."

"Why?" She couldn't help it; the strange gesture needed to be explained. "Nose?"

"Oh, that. It is an old thing my Dam taught me. Sick light wings have hot noses and cold paws. You were burning up for a long while, but today it seems to be gone. Finally." She heaved a long sigh of relief. "Honey, do you-"

"You tell her," Honey exclaimed, backing away. "I think I will go get Wax." She ignored Pina's growl of protest and left the chamber.

"Ugh," Lily groaned.

"Yes, exactly," Pina snorted. "Are you hungry?"

"No. Talk." She managed a hopeful huff to emphasize that she was asking, not commanding.

"Of course." Pina sat down beside her. "But you should really be resting. I will not talk for long."

"Deal." Her eyes were already feeling heavy. Whatever sickness had apparently run its course through her, but had left her with no energy at all. Or maybe that was the injury…

"I suppose I will start with Honey," Pina began quietly, settling down beside her. "She and I have been tending you. She takes the days, and I take the nights, mostly."

"Crystal?" She had noticed the distinct lack of her best friend in that arrangement, and her heart filled with dread.

"Sometimes, but she is in and out at odd times, so we do not count on her," Pina hummed. "She brings news when she comes around."

Lily didn't like what she was hearing, though it was a relief. The way Pina spoke of all of this felt like… like things were going wrong all around them. Like Crystal was doing something dangerous, and only checking in on occasion to reassure them that she was still alive.

Or maybe that was just paranoia. But she knew what had happened to her back, even if she shied away from remembering, and she didn't know what had followed. What was more, she couldn't predict what would have followed; Claw was not predictable anymore.

"Claw," she rasped, asking the question Pina probably hoped she wouldn't.

"Not today," Pina said sternly. "You need to recover, not worry about what is going on outside. He will not come here. That is all you need to know."

"No."

"Roll onto your stomach, and I will tell you one thing," Pina offered, stepping away. "Just that."

Lily whined angrily; she couldn't muster the strength to lift her head, let alone that.

"Exactly," Pina replied sadly. "Tomorrow, maybe."

Lily would have argued, but she was so tired, and her eyes were sliding shut of their own accord, though she dreaded sleep. Her worries and anxiety would destroy any chance at peaceful sleep; being left uninformed was torture, though Pina clearly meant it as a mercy.

But she had no choice in the matter; her body betrayed her with ease, shutting down her mind.

O-O-O-O-O

Time passed; Lily slept far too much for her own liking, drank and ate what was provided, and tried to ignore the burning embarrassment of soiling the floor like a hatchling.

She also spoke, and pressed Pina for answers. What she learned was not pleasant.

"He tried to act as if nothing important had happened, saying only that he had found and punished a traitor," Pina recounted, finally giving in to Lily's repeated requests for information. "But people talked. Claw took to roaming the valley, listening for dissent, but that did not help anything."

"Then?" She wasn't about to let Pina trail off and claim that she was done speaking for the moment. She needed to know what had gone on while she was suffering, as she did not remember.

"I was busy trying to keep you alive," Pina continued. "Two or so days after… you… he got it into his head to come finish you off."

"What?" She was becoming numb to all of the anger-driven errors Claw was making, but that was an especially egregious one. Adding to the thing that had everyone talking was a sure way to make it all worse.

"Yes, and I do not know why. When he came here, I stood in the way and…" Pina shrugged her wing shoulders uncomfortably. "I may have denounced him. The few who still stand by him got him to leave for a little while."

"Even worse," Lily mused. She was glad he hadn't just taken it upon himself to kill Pina and then herself. Then something occurred to her. "What about Dew?" And the fledgling; it was no secret that Pina adored Dew's son. It would be just like Claw to take it out on them.

Pina purred smugly. "You think I did not consider that? Within a day of your injury, Dew and I had a very heated, public argument, with Dew vehemently voicing support for Claw."

"Staged," Lily guessed. Pina _certainly_ would not sound so smug if it had been real.

"Dew's idea. We talked about it back when Claw injured one of his mates instead of hurting her daughter for no reason. We decided that if something needed to be done in direct defiance, I would do it, and Dew would appear to cut ties to keep the little one safe. It is not real, but everyone thinks it is, and he pays her absolutely no mind."

"Hurt anyone else?" she asked.

"Not seriously. Plenty have gotten knocked around or clawed by one of his mates." Pina shook her head. "It is getting worse, though."

Lily had no trouble believing that. At this point, Claw might end up deposed before she recovered enough to do anything. What he was doing just wasn't sustainable; even the most submissive light wing in the pack would eventually do _something_ to get away from the constant, terrifying threat Claw was becoming.

But there might be a lot of blood shed along the way. She had to heal and get back out there. Things were spiraling out of control.

O-O-O-O-O

"Lily!" Crystal exclaimed, rushing into the side-cavern and enthusiastically – but gently – nuzzling Lily. It was the middle of the night, judging by Pina and Honey both being asleep, but that didn't stop her from being loud. "I heard you were getting better, but I could not come any sooner…"

"I don't understand," Lily said quickly, desperate for information. She was relieved to see her friend; Crystal had been absent for almost half a moon-cycle, having left sometime while Lily was still sick. "Where?"

"I have been everywhere," Crystal explained, settling down across from her. "How is your back?"

"Painful, but you first." She didn't want to talk about how moving her own wings was a daunting, almost impossible task, or how Pina wouldn't tell her what it looked like, or how she was so weak she couldn't bear the pain moving any part of herself brought to her sensitive back.

"Me first? Okay, fine. Did Pina tell you what I have been doing?"

Lily shook her head, glad she had at least regained enough strength for that.

"Oh… Well, I have been…" Crystal squirmed, looking sheepish. "Substituting for you, I suppose?" she continued. "Going around, talking to people, making sure everyone thinks about how bad things are getting and how it is all Claw's fault, telling them you were only trying to help Root… All of that."

"Oh. Is it working?" She didn't know what to think of that.

"Not really," Crystal groaned. "Everyone just wants it to stop without having to _do_ anything, and I am not good at convincing them to act, especially when I do not have a plan for them to follow. Claw goes around too, undoing my work by threatening and scaring everyone into ducking their heads and waiting for it to be over."

"You have kept them thinking?" Lily asked softly.

"About you, Root, and the danger their loved ones are in," Crystal confirmed.

"You have done well," Lily concluded. It wasn't as much as she could have done, but she wasn't about to complain about Crystal keeping everything tense and preparing people for her return.

Her return. She needed to recover, and fast. Something had to be done, but she couldn't even plan when she didn't know everything about the pack's current state.

"Who supports Claw?" Lily asked.

"I thought you would want to know," Crystal purred. "I have their names. There are five females who follow him around and will not be swayed from his side, and two males. They are the only ones I do not dare approach."

"Who?" Lily repeated.

"The males are Ivy and Feld," Crystal listed with a dark voice. "The females are Diora, Cressa, Grass, Petal, and Clover. Diora and Cressa are the worst of them."

Lily wasn't surprised by most of those names; Feld was not known to her, but the rest were. Ivy was a confirmation of what she had suspected, and both Petal and Clover had helped hold her down while Claw-

She drove that memory down, forcing herself to move on before it fully emerged. Petal and Clover were no surprise, Cressa _certainly_ wasn't, and Diora was almost a given. Grass…

She was disappointed, in a vague, distant way, to hear that Grass was one of Claw's most faithful. "Grass?"

"Right there with them, though she does not do much aside from walk around with Claw."

"Everyone else?" Lily asked.

Crystal growled quietly. "Some think it will pass once Claw calms down, and do nothing in the meantime. Others talk, and wait for someone else to act. A few act."

"Who acts? And how?" _That_ she found interesting.

"Little things. Mist has declared that she is trying for Root, for instance," Crystal recounted. "She is not, and Root does not want her, but he accepted her anyway, to keep her from Claw. Cedar and Ash chose their mates right away, to protect them."

Lily hoped that wasn't all, because while protecting people within Claw's own rules was good, it wasn't enough.

"Pina and Honey, of course, you know about," Crystal continued, shooting the sleeping females a quick glance. "Honey especially."

"No, I don't know about Honey," Lily admitted. "What?"

"Claw sent her in here to make sure you did not recover. She went to Pina and asked for help, and she has been here ever since. She defied him."

"That is surprising." She had been seeing signs of change in Honey for a while now, but she wouldn't have anticipated outright defiance. But being told to make sure someone died _was_ pretty extreme…

"And then you have Flare." Crystal sighed. "He did try. Not that Claw knows who it was. He snuck some of the plant you showed him for Root into Claw's fish, enough to kill, but Claw happened to bite the first fish in half and noticed before he swallowed."

"Flare tried to kill him?" In retrospect, that was a good idea. Forget someone else taking his place; none would be as bad as Claw was right now. Anybody else would be a step up.

"Yes, and now he only eats what Cressa fishes herself. So unless you can convince your Dam to kill her mate…" Crystal trailed off meaningfully, flicking her ears.

"Definitely not. Has anyone tried to attack him?" She would never expect it of the pack without provocation, but Claw was apparently providing plenty of that.

"No, but he fears being mobbed or ambushed. Anyone who sees someone camouflaged is supposed to fire on them immediately. Few do, but that makes getting close enough impossible. He does not come into the caverns for the same reason."

"He's just one dragon," Lily agreed. That held promise, and explained why the occupants of this very chamber were still alive after defying him. She assumed the rest of his mates were free to come and go as they wished, and supplied the necessities to them.

Something occurred to her. "What about you?" she asked worriedly. Crystal was out there making waves and stopping people from hunkering down and trying to wait things out; the way Claw was now, that would put her in danger.

"So far, he does not know anything about what I do," Crystal said hesitantly. "But… I cannot count on that. If you have a better plan, I would love to hear it." There was a sincere longing in her voice. "I would love to have _any_ plan. I am really just keeping things going until you take over again."

"Were you so sure I would live to do so?" Lily asked.

"Yes. We all need you. I do not see any way to fix this while Claw lives."

"Neither do I." Up until recently, she had considered her task one that would take season-cycles, many of them. After Pearl, she had hoped it would only take moon-cycles.

Now? This needed to end as soon as possible, whatever it took. Claw was going to keep making things worse to keep his grip on everyone, and every time he struck out, he was hurting another she had claimed responsibility for. He had to go.

And to make that happen, she had to recover. One did not make a final push to unseating a tyrannical alpha from one's side in a dark cave.

"I need rest," she said, repeating Pina's constant advice and meaning it. "I will think about what to do next. Stay safe in the meantime."

"I have been. I sleep in different places every night, spend most of my time in the forest, and avoid Claw," Crystal said. "I used Pyre's cave a few times. You do not mind, do you?"

"No. Feel free to keep doing that." Crystal was welcome to use that place as a safe haven from Claw; who was Lily to deny her that?

"I will. Tonight, though, I can sleep here."

Lily let the slow, soft breathing of her friend lull her to sleep; she knew she would need her strength soon enough.

O-O-O-O-O

"I think you should not move," Honey said doubtfully.

Lily was far too impatient to pay _that_ sort of advice any mind; she was feeling stronger in most of her body with every passing day, and her back needed to get with the program. So long as every tiny jolt hurt too much to bear, she would not be going anywhere, so she needed to be used to the pain.

So, she continued to carefully, slowly walk in a small circle, whining on occasion. Her entire back felt like a raw, fresh wound, and every tiny impact like she had just been cut anew. But she needed to endure to improve.

Each step hurt. Each step also brought her closer to being able to leave the side-cavern, so she bore the pain and did her best to ignore it. The sheer and utter boredom of being stuck in the same place indefinitely was more of a threat to her well-being than anything she could do to herself. Nobody came to visit except Crystal, because if word got out that one was visiting the dragons who had defied the alpha, the alpha might come looking. Nobody wanted to risk being ambushed by the waste pit or pond and roughed up, if not worse.

Claw was progressing too, just in the opposite direction. Lily hated to hear what he was doing to the pack, and she hated that she only got updates on occasion, when Crystal returned. It hurt to not be able to do anything, and she could not in good conscience act through proxies, not when any sort of action could make the one she had used a target. Not now, not when the stakes were so painfully high.

Besides, she didn't need to do anything small to prepare the pack for her real move. Everything was already set; the final maneuver was obvious and unavoidable unless she wanted to languish in this small claustrophobic chamber forever. Claw wanted her dead, and she wanted his position… and his death, too. He was destroying his own power base, and hers was waiting for her return. It would only take the right moment and a forceful push.

And to push, she needed to be able to leave. So she continued to walk, her wings limp against her sides. Walking, and then action.

O-O-O-O-O

"Thank you, Honey," Lily purred, swallowing the fish she had been brought. She had made a conscious effort to be grateful and polite to the female who had been ordered to kill her and instead defied Claw. "For everything, not just this fish."

Honey ducked her head and looked away, making a show of adjusting Wax, who was lying across her lower back, half asleep after a long playtime with the other fledglings. "You are welcome," she mumbled, using her tail to push her son further up, between her wings.

Lily sighed, recalling how she had done that for Burble. She missed him, and she was sure Crystal did too, though nowadays that longing was tempered by knowing just how _right_ Crystal had been to send him and the egg away. This would all have been so much worse with them here; Wax was a pawful on his own, and was almost always a little grouchy from almost never being taken out of the cavern.

Come to think of it, that reminded her of her own time as a fledgling… Though her being stuck inside was laziness on the parts of Cressa and Grass, not fear for her Dam's life.

"I can take him for a while," Lily offered, still looking at Wax. He would be manageable, as tired out as he was, and she wanted to do something useful.

"He has gotten into the habit of sleeping on my back," Honey said sadly. "He likes it, and… You cannot let him do that, can you?"

"No," Lily admitted, "I really can't." Her back seemed to be stopping her from doing anything at all. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"Sorry," Honey said sincerely, her eyes downcast.

"What made you change?" She hadn't meant to ask that out loud, but since she had she went with it. "You used to be so… selfish." And stupid, and airheaded, but those things had not changed as far as Lily could tell; they just weren't showing due to the constant stress Honey was under. Frivolity had no place when one feared for one's life.

"I do not like hurting people, and Claw told me to," Honey said hesitantly. "You made me feel so guilty about it that I ignored what he told me… And then next time I thought about what he wanted… And then there was Wax, and caring for him, and Claw hurts his children if he wants, but I could never do that."

Lily purred encouragingly; she could hear the raw emotion in Honey's trembling voice and half-articulated explanations, and expecting a complex, complete, well-reasoned explanation was unfair.

"I do not want to hurt people. I just want this all to be over." Honey whined sadly. "When will it be over?"

"Soon," Lily hummed reassuringly. She left out the corollary; it would be over soon, one way or another, and given how angry Claw was with Honey's defiance, it might end very badly for her.

But Lily wasn't going to let that happen. Honey was one of hers, and one of the few who had already begun improving. She deserved to be protected.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily walked in front of the exit, standing with her tail to the crack in the stone. She felt a powerful urge to walk right out and go do something, anything other than what she planned on doing, but that was procrastination, and she ignored it.

"What are you doing, Lily?" Pina asked, looking at her oddly.

"Making sure this does not end with you walking out," Lily said candidly. "I need an answer." She had waited long enough. "What is going on with my back?"

"What makes you think I know?" Pina asked worriedly, looking as if she would very much like to leave and postpone the discussion with some convenient excuse, as she had every time before. "I know very little of wounds."

"You know what it looks like, how it was treated, and you suspect you know something I would not like hearing," Lily said bluntly, laying her suspicions out. "That's why you've avoided this conversation for days on end."

"It may still heal," Pina offered weakly. "It has only been a moon-cycle."

"I agree, but I need to know everything you do." She let her wings drop to the ground, ignoring the pain such a thorough movement brought, though only gritting her teeth let her hold in a moan of pain.

"Lily!" Pina barked, rushing to her. "Do not do that if it hurts so much!"

"Watch," Lily gritted. She willed herself to raise her wings, to just lift them back up to their normal place tucked to her sides. They trembled, shaking like leaves in the wind, and only slowly began to rise. It felt like she had another dragon holding them down. The pain in her back and shoulders was immense, and there was a strange tightness that only abated once she had painstakingly brought them back up.

"I see," Pina whined, "and that is bad, but-"

"I can't rest easy not understanding my limits," Lily interrupted, forcing her tense breathing to steady. "Tell me what you know, please."

"Okay… Where do I start?"

"What was done for me after… I was hurt?" She shivered. Thinking of that moment was a bad idea, and she had succeeded in locking the memory away, leaving it in the back of her mind with others such as Pyre's death. So long as she did not dwell on it, she could ignore it. Maybe in time she could even forget it.

"Crystal and I took you back to this chamber, and we tried to clean your back, but there was so much blood… Crystal supplied some sort of plant she said relieved pain, and then Whirl came with a better plant she told us you had shown her mate."

Lily nodded, remembering that. She supposed she should consider herself lucky that knowledge had worked its way back around to help her.

"It wore off quickly, though," Pina admitted. "When it was working, you slept easily. When it was not, you moaned and whined constantly. Then you got sick. Throwing up, bloodshot eyes, delirious… It looked bad for a few days."

"Delirious? I did not say anything odd, did I?" She could imagine it now; her mind compromised, and as a result her spitting out every secret she ever kept. It would only be Pina, Crystal, and Honey who heard, but still.

"No, you just whined and cried for water and Pyre." Pina favored her with a sad, regretful look. "I suppose that speaks well of him. Better than it does me…"

Lily didn't object; Pina wasn't wrong in thinking that. She'd had quite a few people who were supposed to raise her in some capacity, and Pyre was the only one who had wholeheartedly leaped into the task from the very beginning. She saw Pina as more of a friend, not really a Dam.

"We could not do anything for your back aside from occasionally licking it," Pina continued after a moment. "And it looks…"

"...Yes? Is it one big scar?" That was how she imagined it; a patch of grey skin and scales.

"Can you call that a scar?" Pina asked dubiously, arching her neck to examine LIly's back. "It is grey like one, but it is just loose skin. No scales, and it shifts when you do. It looks flat and wrong."

Well, she _had_ asked for the truth. She winced at the mental image Pina's description prompted, wishing the wound at least allowed her to turn enough to see for herself; that was quite a bit worse than a big scar. "It's loose?"

"If you can, push your wing out to the side," Pina suggested. "It will move when you do."

"My wing will just drop." She could barely even lift her wings, holding one extended was entirely out of her reach.

"Let it slide on mine." Pina held a wing flat against Lily's side, offering her help. "I admit, I _am_ curious now."

"Here goes nothing, then," LIly grunted, sliding her wing out. It hurt, as expected, but now that she was feeling for it, she could tell that there was something loose and yet unnaturally tight about the top of her back. It tugged at a few places, sending especially sharp jolts running through her, and then-

"Stop!" Pina cried out, just as Lily felt something resisting. "It is pulling apart!"

"I didn't know it was that fragile," Lily gasped, freezing in place. Her wing wasn't even fully extended.

"Put it back," Pina requested. When Lily did, she winced again. "You are bleeding," she announced, leaning over and pushing her head across Lily's neck to delicately flick her tongue at the offending portion of Lily's back.

Even that light pressure ached, but Lily bore it, far more bothered by the implications of what had just happened. "I can't spread my wings all the way," she huffed.

"You would rip the skin apart again," Pina agreed, pulling back. "Badly. It would set your healing back by a lot. I do not know much about wounds, but that is obvious."

"I know." But would her back _always_ be that fragile? No, surely not, the new skin would harden and grow strong, like the pads of her paws. That was just obvious. Pyre's wings had sported seamless, tough skin where the membrane should begin, and she had no reason to think she was any different.

But… If it grew strong, and she couldn't accidentally pull it apart...

She wouldn't be able to spread her wings all the way. That would mean no flying. No gliding, even, because only fully extended wings caught the air in the right way. She would be grounded. Permanently.

A part of her wanted to force her wings out as far as they could go, screech in pain, and leave them like that until her body healed again, correctly this time. She didn't _want_ to lose another choice because of Claw, and whether or not to fly was a pretty big one.

But on the other paw, her pack needed her, and they needed her as soon as possible, not in a few moon-cycles because she wanted something she had never really cared about before now. She had lived without flight before, and barely thought to use it except as a convenience when she did have it. She could survive being permanently grounded, probably better than anyone she knew. Pyre had survived it. Claw _was_ surviving it, though she often had trouble remembering that he was missing a tailfin, given she hadn't seen him in a while.

"Lily?" Pina rumbled worriedly. "Does it still hurt?"

"Yes, and I'm not doing that again," she decided. If she needed something done with flight, she had plenty of friends to help her. Healing well enough _quickly_ was more important than healing perfectly.

She just wished it didn't feel like Claw had stripped one more choice from her life.

O-O-O-O-O

The chamber was crowded. Lily wouldn't normally have considered four adults and one fledgling enough to do that, but she was sick of the dingy little side-cavern, so she suspected her perception was skewed.

"Really?" Pina asked incredulously. "I would never have thought it of them."

"They told me personally," Crystal confirmed. "They are leaving tonight, under the cover of a romantic night under the stars. Claw has not set the ledges off-limits, so none will think anything of it."

"I wish them luck," Lily said vehemently. "They do know how to survive on their own, right?" Danda and Ash were not the first two light wings she would pick to leave for any length of time; they, like her, had never known anywhere other than the valley.

"I asked the same thing. They have plans…" Crystal looked down. "But they refused to tell me. The only one who knows is Liona, and Danda had a very public falling-out with her a few days ago to make sure Claw does not suspect her."

"That's catching on," Lily murmured. She knew Crystal had been spreading that tactic around, as it seemed to work perfectly on Claw, but nobody aside from Pina and Dew had used it until now. "Not their parents, though?"

"I know I would not tell my Dam if I were going," Honey volunteered. "Just in case."

"Neither would Lily or I," Crystal agreed, grimacing slightly. "They reassured me that they knew how to live on their own."

"Then I agree with Lily. Luck to them." Pina shook her head. "Everyone will know they left as soon as it is noticed that they are missing. Do you think others will follow?"

"Not for a few days, at least," Crystal said grimly. "Claw will make sure of that. Most of the males will do what he says just to keep on his good side, and he will set them to patrolling the air above the valley night and day."

"If he does not send everyone chasing after Danda and Ash instead," Lily countered. She agreed with Crystal's assessment, but Claw was too unpredictable to rule that less sane, more obsessive alternative out.

"He might do just that," Pina agreed. "He did for Pearl."

"Pearl had just given him a well-deserved humiliation, though," Crystal countered. "Danda and Ash are just going to slip away."

"Did they say why?" Honey asked quietly, holding Wax close to her chest. He was awake and intently listening to the conversation, though Lily had no idea how much he understood. It didn't matter, as even if he repeated their words, everyone present was more or less marked for death anyway. Crystal was the only one who could still go out into the valley without much fear, and that would change if Claw remembered her existence.

"Danda thinks she is with egg, or will be soon, and they are afraid it will be used as leverage," Crystal said bluntly. "They are not wrong to fear that. I know some of the pairs with hatchlings have gotten scarily specific threats from Claw aimed at their young. He is branching out to try and keep control."

Lily winced; another step toward the point where she would have to act. She felt confident that when the time came, she would be ready, but it was coming soon, and her back was still scarily vulnerable and pain-ridden. The end of Claw's reign was coming, but she didn't know if she would live through trying to end it _her_ way. Not when she was this weak.

The conversation continued, turning to slightly lighter things, but Lily didn't pay any attention. Her eyes roamed from face to face, stopping briefly on each in turn. Honey, Crystal, Wax, Pina. Here were four people she was supposed to protect, four people Claw would do his best to torture and kill on a whim. Four among scores.

She had to intervene at the right time because if she did not, Claw's reign would end in blood and tears as the pack finally turned on him because he was just too cruel and vile to let live. Reaching that point would require far too much pain and death. She had to hope she would be strong enough to be the bloodless catalyst instead…

Or, if things went wrong, the bloody final straw.

O-O-O-O-O

It was morning, presumably. Lily had nothing to go on but Pina's word, as her own sleep patterns were sporadic at best. She was just beginning her walking exercises when another light wing darted in, almost knocking into her.

It was Moss. Lily's heart began beating faster before Moss even opened her mouth to speak. She hadn't seen Moss in so long, and she knew that Crystal was not on good terms with her Dam. Her presence was _bad_.

"Claw caught Crystal," she blurted out, confirming every dreadful suspicion. "He is talking about her 'betraying the pack!' He is going to hurt her!"

"And you've come to me because…" Lily prompted, her voice rigid and icy even to her own ears. She couldn't think rationally, not with the sheer terror that first statement had brought, and taking it out on a somewhat deserving light wing was the fastest way to compose herself enough to plan.

"You tried to help Root, and she is your friend, and everyone is saying you always know what to do," Moss blurted out obliviously. "I sheltered you from Claw, return the favor! What more do you want?"

"Since when has what I want mattered to anyone?" Lily growled rhetorically, then snorted. "That she is my friend is more than enough for me to act." She didn't have time to question why Moss cared now, after not speaking to her daughter for moon-cycles on end; imminent torture was probably enough to break through any stubborness, and unlike Cressa, Moss cared for her daughter. "Come," she barked as she hobbled for the exit, then struggled out of the side-cavern.

She would not allow Claw to do this again, _not_ to Crystal. There was no more time to prepare, and no more time to waste. She would force it, here. One final push. Claw was doing the only thing he could to hold onto power short-term, but too much fear was helping Lily, not him, and he could do nothing about that.

Or maybe he could. Maybe he would just kill her the moment he caught sight of her, kill Crystal, and hold control simply through lack of resistance. She might only accomplish dying with Crystal. But that was a risk she could take because it was only a risk to herself. Claw had gone too far, too often, to retain power. He would fall, sooner or later, with or without her, and this was a chance to arrange things to the benefit of the pack, and her best friend, so it was worth taking.

This was all only to justify her drive to rescue her friend, but that did not make it less true. Either way, she refused to consider what would happen if she lost Crystal. What she might do.

She walked slowly and awkwardly through the caverns, as fast as she was capable of moving. As she went, other dragons stopped what they were doing, and began to follow her. There were no words, no questions. It was as if everyone was waiting for this. Even dragons she was pretty sure wouldn't support her in this followed, to bear witness if nothing else. Fledglings also followed.

That forced her to break the silence. "Those of you who are not willing to stand against Claw, stay here and protect the fledglings. They should not be in the line of fire."

Several Dams broke off, herding protesting fledglings back, deeper into the caves. That was good. It got them out of the way. Those who lived in the valley would not be so lucky, but Lily could not do anything so easily for them. This was going to happen now, and she did not have time to do any more.

She limped out of the cavern and made her way to the plateau, the group of females following behind her like the rising tide. They supported her in one way or another, and now they were here.

They drew near. Claw was ranting, screaming at the crowd, Crystal physically pinned by two females and a male, members of Claw's most devoted. The others of that little group stood around him on the plateau. She had always hated his gloating, for dragging out his tortures by remaining poised to inflict them, but it had all been worth it for precious time here.

This was the first time Lily had seen Claw since he maimed her, and her new opinion of him was even less favorable. He had fallen completely in the time she was out, had lost whatever shred of intelligence he harbored to rage. Defying him was the way to reveal him, it seemed, and now he was revealed to all, ranting and raving at the terrified crowd.

"This ends now," Lily growled. "Roar, please. My throat is not strong enough to be heard."

A dozen voices roared defiance around her, totally drowning out Claw's ranting. And then there was a dangerous silence as Claw slowly turned to stare murderously at the newcomers.

Lily for once did not let him speak first, stepping forward and glaring at him. "Once again, you go too far," she said quite clearly, her voice stern. "You are a danger to the pack. Let her go, _now._ "

A beat of silence followed while his narrow eyes settled on her. Those around her shifted, some flinching and others digging in, preparing to weather an assault. Lily did neither, noticing the instinctual reactions around her and refusing to allow herself to show weakness. There was enough of that in her appearance already.

"And why would I do that, traitor?" Claw was on the verge of violence; not in the sense that he might still refrain, but in that any moment might explode into an attack. "Your word is nothing. This is my pack, and I do as I please."

"Is it? Is it really?" Lily made a show of looking around, turning her head what little she could, then addressed all the other light wings present. "Is this his pack? Are you all objects to be claimed against your will?" She stepped forward, holding her head high. "You are done, Claw. Your own actions force them to defy you, force us to defy you. There is only so far fear can take you..."

Others were stepping up, stepping forward, joining her with stony eyes and growls. Mates of Claw, males and females from the valley, all stepping forward. Even a few older fledglings were taking the risk, making their defiance public.

"...Before they realize that the only way to remain safe is to stop you, to end your rule." She shook her head. "Fear drives them, now. Fear, and guilt, because we should have all stepped up long ago. This is overdue." This was it.

"You are no alpha of anything, Claw." Lily snarled viciously, knowing that her role in this was not one of combat, but wishing she could strike personally anyway. "Surrender. And you," she said to those who guarded him and held Crystal, "should stop helping him. You cause unnecessary difficulties in this shift in power."

Claw laughed, though there was a sharp edge to his tone that promised pain. "I rule. You do not. And _I_ , the _alpha_ , am going to execute this traitor, and then you." He glanced around the crowd. "All of you who stand with her too. Still want to stand with her?"

A pause. This was the moment of truth.

A voice broke the silence. "Yes." It was Root, who stood between his Sire and Dam, his eyelids up, displaying dark, empty sockets that looked scarcely less healed than the last time she had seen them. He was not quite facing the right direction, but that did not spoil the resolute image he projected. "The fear of you now is not a question of 'if', but 'when'. This is the only way. I stand with her."

Others remained where they were, continuing to defy. A few even stepped forward, despite the threat, now confident enough to add their voices to the crowd.

Lily felt a flush of pride. Her fledglings were learning, they were improving. This moment, and others recently, restored her faith that people could get better, that they could change. Maybe not everyone, and maybe not without prompting and help, but they could. This would never have happened had she not started them on this path, but this was also not all her work. It could not be, for she had been out of commission for moon-cycles, moon-cycles of a terrorizing, brutal alpha, and fear. Fear for oneself, fear for others, fear for the future.

They were improving.

There was a sudden scuffle on the plateau, infighting among those who supported Claw most of all. Before anyone could react, two bodies fell from the rise, hitting the ground with twin thuds. Crystal and another, both of whom disappeared into the crowd. It seemed Claw's strongest supporters were faltering too.

Not all of them, not even many of them. Just one, but that one had saved Crystal.

Lily purred as Crystal came up from behind her. "So, Claw? What now?"

"Now?" Claw was looking around wildly. "Now, I call upon all loyal pack members to... to..."

"You can't think of anything," Lily determined smugly.

"Yes, I can." Claw snarled viciously. "All who are loyal to the pack, to the sky!" He leaped into the air, flapped wildly and erratically to little effect, then slammed back to the plateau.

Everyone froze, trying to understand. There were a few muffled laughs in the crowd. Claw had forgotten he was grounded.

Lily knew what he was going to do before he had even made it back to his paws. The rage, the embarrassment... She didn't want Claw's rule to shed any more blood, and there were fledglings here.

So, she acted first. "All who oppose Claw, to the caverns! We protect the young!" It was a way to separate out those who did not support him, to get the vulnerable ones to safety, and to isolate Claw. To demonstrate just how outnumbered he was... or to show Lily if the opposite was true.

"Attack!" Claw roared, firing into the crowd. "Kill the traitors!"

Chaos erupted, fighting and running dragons in every direction. Far less fighting than running, and what Lily could see was non-lethal combat, claws and teeth absent, but still. The pack was at _war_ with itself...

Claw was coming for her. She could see him working his way through the crowd, dealing out brutal blows at anything in his way. His eyes were fixed on her.

"Lily, go!" Crystal and Whirl stepped in front of her. "To the caverns! You are not in any condition to fight him!"

"Okay!" Lily wasn't going to argue the obvious, but she wasn't able to move much faster than a hobbling run. Claw was going to catch up, he was going to hurt someone-

A body hit her side, and then another on her other side. She scrabbled uselessly with her paws, sandwiched between them and now moving... much faster?

"Stop struggling!" An impossible voice, given the situation. "I need to feel the pressure from my Sire on the other side to know where to go!"

It was such a strange thing to say, but Lily understood what Root meant, and how he was helping carry her away, much faster than either of them could go on their own. Root's Sire had her other side, providing eyes, and both of the males were providing strong, unhindered and unpained legs for Lily. Between the three of them, they could go fast.

It probably looked ridiculous, but that was secondary. They made it to the cavern, passing by fights and fleeing dragons on both sides.

As she passed into the darkness, Lily did not let her guard down one bit, though she had seen reliable females at the entrance, stopping anyone who looked like they supported Claw in the fight. It was safe in here...

But the pack was at war with itself. The chance had been taken, and now they needed to somehow take Claw down with minimal casualties. She didn't even know yet who had more supporters in this last struggle.

Her head spun as Root stepped back to let her stand on her own power. She had just wanted to overthrow Claw, to make the pack safe, but the situation had spiralled wildly from her grasp in no time at all. War had begun, and the end was here.


	27. Adaptive

Lily didn't know this new feeling. It was safe to assume nobody did. It was a mix of excitement, fear, and anticipation. War had begun, one part of the pack pitted against another. No one new entered the cavern. Those guarding the entrance had been relieved by Root's parents and Crystal's Sire. They would not let any in without calling her over to vet the dragon in question. That situation had not come up yet anyway. Strangely, there were no signs of Claw or those who had supported him, at least from the cavern mouth. The sky over the valley was empty.

There was a low rumble of unease echoing through the caves. No one had been seriously injured, but there were shallow cuts and bruises, and an atmosphere of uncertainty.

This was war, though she intended to make it as short and bloodless as possible. First, she needed to know who fought for her. She walked through the cavern, taking a count and seeing who had stood with her.

Crystal walked up to her, her expression solemn. "Lily. It has begun."

"It has." They walked together. "Help me with this. I don't know who was showing signs of supporting us while I was recovering, and I need to try and weed out traitors if at all possible."

"Will there be any?" Crystal warbled uncertainly. "I would not think anyone had the presence of mind to fake it from the start of the fight, and if they fought for Claw at all they were not let in here."

"It is possible," Lily countered. "However unlikely. Besides, I want to see who is here."

"A good point." They continued on. "Where are the fledglings?" Crystal asked after a moment.

"As deep in the caverns as possible, guarded and mostly oblivious," Lily growled. "I will not risk a hit and run raid in which they steal children and use them to force the parents out." She was going to go check on them shortly, but this was more important at the moment.

"That does sound like something Claw would do..." Crystal mused. "Also, we have _all_ the fledglings in here?"

"Most of them. There was no time and no reason to separate which were children of Claw's supporters, and those in the valley were all nearby when the fight started. People picked up any they ran across in the confusion." Besides, the fledglings were blameless, and Lily wasn't about to use them to fight Claw or to pressure his supporters. She needed to represent the moral high ground, and using young as leverage implied threatening them, and that made her far too much like Claw for anyone's liking.

"Then... can we not get their Sires and Dams to stand aside?" Crystal sounded okay with that. "It would lessen the fighting."

"If we wished to exile all of them after this, maybe." Lily shook her head. "We cannot alienate even them. This split in the pack needs to be healed, not made permanent, and keeping their children safe and out of this despite the possible advantage of using them will be a gesture of good faith."

"We have not yet won and you are already planning for what comes after," Crystal rumbled in amusement. "But I see your point in that."

Lily looked to the side, mentally evaluating everyone she saw. Most of them were fine, but...

She stopped in front of a male, one looking off into nothingness, his eyes sad and hurt. "Are you hurt somewhere?"

He shrugged. "Not really. My mate is with Claw."

"It may be she was scared and did not see a better choice," Lily offered.

"We had talked about it. She does not think opposing him worth it, and said she would not be my mate if I did." He looked up at Lily. "Maybe she will change her mind… But I still do not want to see her hurt in what is to come."

"Neither do I," Lily agreed. "If we fight, seek her out and keep her occupied. It will not help or hurt the cause for one fighter from both sides to be occupied, and you can keep her safer by fighting her yourself. Just do not let her win."

"I will. But..." He looked around. "What about after?" A soft whine. "If she would so easily cast me aside for doing what I think is right, I do not know how we could continue as before."

"We will figure that out when the time comes." Lily did not feel at all qualified to give advice on serious issues between mates. At least she knew this one dragon, in particular, was not going to do anything rash, focused on his mate's choices and how to keep her safe. Lily wondered what the female's side of the story was. Was she regretting her choice to support Claw? Was she feeling betrayed and angry?

She made a note of his face and decided to check up on him after all of this went down, and moved on.

Crystal whined sadly. "I wonder how many stories like that we would hear if we asked everyone."

"More than I would like, but it will help when it is time to rebuild." It would be harder for either side to resent the other when people they cared about were there.

"Can we?" Crystal cast a glance at Lily, one full of worry. "If people die, there will be grudges. And a lot of Claw's supporters are actually on his side."

"How many?" Lily asked seriously, laying out what she was observing. "This is not one side versus another. This is a lot of scared people all making choices in the heat of the moment. I'd bet that less than a third of the pack truly wants to see Claw succeed. Far less. The ones here are just those with enough courage to step up. Those who are a little less brave but no less good at heart are probably sitting in the valley, petrified, trying to avoid notice."

"Yes, but there are those who want him in charge," Crystal growled angrily. "Not everyone is just trying to stay safe. Some would kill for him."

"Like my Dam," Lily agreed sourly. "I know that some of them are just as bad as he is."

Speaking of those close to her... Lily's mind shifted in topic. "By the way, how did you get caught?"

"I messed up in choosing who I spoke to," Crystal muttered with a grimace. "I was speaking to a Dam who had lost two sons... and while she kept me distracted, her mate got Claw and his group. Apparently, she resented her sons for challenging her authority, let alone Claw's authority, so her losses were not quite as severe as I thought."

"I would have made the same mistake." That was the truth. There was no way to know who would be like Root's parents, and who would be like Diora, not when they knew what she was doing.

"Maybe." Crystal didn't look like she believed that. "Anyway, they took me to the plateau, and that was pretty much it until you showed up."

"Did Claw... did he say what he was going to do?" A morbid part of her had to know.

"No, but it was not going to be good..."

Lily shivered, looking around in an effort to get her mind off of that. There were Dew and Pina in a corner, leaning against each other as they talked enthusiastically. She bet they were glad it was no longer necessary to pretend they hated each other.

And there, in another corner on the other side of the room was-

Lily broke off from Crystal, walking quickly to confront the one she was sure should not be here. "Grass," she snarled. "I do not think you are here in heart."

Grass looked up, her eyes defiant. "And why not? I can change my mind, can I not?"

"Lily," Crystal said. Lily ignored her.

"And I can call that a lie just as easily," she retorted. "You are one-"

"Lily!" Crystal slapped Lily with her tail, forcefully getting her attention. "She is the one who got me off of the plateau!"

That took a moment to sink in, and Lily very distinctly felt her rising embarrassment. "Oh."

"Like I said." Grass did not seem too smug about being proven right. Now that Lily was looking, the older female looked more disturbed than anything. "And do not ask me why, because I have no good answer."

"I don't think I need an explanation," Lily murmured. "You acted when it counted. Thank you." She was still going to 'suggest' quite forcefully that Grass stay behind to watch the fledglings with other, more trustworthy light wings when the time came, but that was just caution keeping her paranoid. The odds that Grass would betray something to Claw were low, very low. Claw probably wanted her dead for getting Crystal away.

So many faces, and so many reasons. Grass out of some undefinable urge, others out of fear, some out of hatred for Claw. Lily located Root in the crowd, lying still and silent, and went to him next. She purred loudly as she approached so that he would be aware of her.

"I am impressed," she began truthfully. "But I wonder why you chose to be the one to break that silence. Claw could have had you killed."

"Do not worry, I do not want to die," he reassured her. "But I also do not fear death, and if someone had to risk it to ensure Claw did not intimidate the pack into submission, I have the least to lose." He had not lost his ability to sound so sure of himself, at least.

"Do you?" Lily sighed. "You are not the only one who has lost much."

"But I have lost the most," Root argued neutrally. "That cannot be denied."

"My promise stands," Lily said, changing the subject. "I will find some way to help you."

"I will not object if you do, but I do not think you can do much. Even if you do end up being the next alpha, as this all seems to be building towards that end. I did not see that part of the story."

"As a means for my goals, not an end in and of itself," Lily corrected. "If the pack was better served by someone else taking the position, I would let them. I am the best one for the job."

"Who am I to argue?" he smirked, a twist of the lips below drooping and flat eyelids. "I hope you do not object to my remaining here when the time comes."

"I would object to you going out to meet death," Lily agreed. "You have already fought this fight. We do not send the injured into battle."

"Will you be there?" Root's voice dropped. "I cannot see you, but I can hear others talk."

"I must be there," Lily admitted. "Though if another was in my condition, I would not let them go anywhere."

"What, exactly, is your condition?" he asked curiously. "I cannot see it with the eyes I no longer have."

"It's kind of hard to describe, and I can't see it either." That was actually ironic, in a way. "My back is ruined, basically, and I am not going to be able to fly because it is healing wrong."

"Healing wrong..." Root snorted. "I still have bad ideas, it seems, though challenging Claw will never be removed as the worst."

"What is it?"

"Would you let me feel your back?" he asked. "I cannot see it, but maybe if I can get an idea, it will help me imagine. It was, as I said, a stupid idea."

"Not that stupid." Lily sat down, nudging Root. "This is my wing. I trust that is enough of a start."

Root stood, his muzzle tracing down her wing. "You know, I must look quite embarrassing, but I at least do not have to deal with the staring."

"No, you do not." She would not feel embarrassed, but a creeping feeling of disgust could be ignored. This was nothing like what Claw had done that night in the cavern...

But it felt like it... and that feeling only grew as Root passed over her weak and fragile skin, a fiery line of throbbing pain following even the slightest pressure. She had to hold herself still, her entire body wanting nothing more than to shy and slink away.

Root was quick, luckily, and soon sat back down. "That is very, very strange. Thank you for letting me... well, 'see', I suppose."

"No... no problem." She backed away slowly, her heart beating fast. Something about that had not sat well with her at all, despite Root's undeniably innocent intentions.

Okay, who else was here? She needed some way to put her mind off of that. Something pleasant.

"I am going to go check on the young ones," Lily decided, stepping over a few tails and working her way toward the passages leading deeper into the cavern. People were crowded around them, grouping up as far from the entrance as possible without leaving the main chamber. Lily supposed there was some sort of subconscious reasoning behind that; not wanting to be trapped deep underground coupled with fear of what was waiting outside.

At that, she couldn't go deeper into the caverns without considering what might happen. If Claw decided to launch an attack while she was out of earshot…

Would he do that? She didn't know; it was a stupid move, but he had already more than proved he was not above stupidity. She would be wise to plan for the stupid things too.

"Attention, everyone!" Lily roared, startling those around her. Her throat was scratchy and her voice hoarse, but in the hushed, tense atmosphere of the cavern she was more than loud enough to be heard by all. "I am going to check on our young. If something happens while I am gone, send someone to get me, and _do not_ let anyone in here without several people guarding them at all times." She wasn't about to rule out either someone belatedly screwing up their courage and coming to join them, or a saboteur sent by Claw to do something nefarious. That would cover both possibilities, and the unlikely scenario of Claw's forces attacking outright.

"Understood!" Flare roared back, spreading a wing out in front of the exit. _He_ certainly seemed all for what was happening. He would be, given Claw had blinded his son.

Lily nodded to him and departed, walking down into the corridor. She would have to remember who had personal motivations for wanting Claw dead, and who Claw wanted dead most of all. Those people were the ones she could trust-

No, she realized, she couldn't trust all of those who fit the latter description. Claw could promise them amnesty in exchange for their help. Sure, it was only really herself, Crystal, Honey, and Pina who were in that category, but the fact remained.

Lily put thoughts of treachery out of her mind once the sounds of squabbling young became suddenly defined and clear. She slipped into the wide entrance of a side-chamber, and took in the scene.

It was partially-controlled chaos, and not entirely happy chaos, either. Lily's eyes were drawn to the few adults in the room. One watched the larger group, the fledglings and hatchlings who were playing happily, but the others were all busy with less enthusiastic children. The occasional sob of terror rose above the happy din.

"Lily," Honey called out, waving a wing from where she knelt in front of a duo of sniffling hatchlings. The remnants of a regurgitated fish lay between them, and it looked as if the meal had calmed them down, if Honey's relieved expression was any indication.

Lily walked over to her, stepping carefully to avoid flailing bodies getting underpaw. "What is wrong with them?" she asked quietly.

"These two? Their Dams and Sires lost them in the confusion out there," Honey explained, "and then somebody grabbed them up before they could get trampled. All the parents on our side have already come here to make sure their little ones are okay," and with that she flicked her tail at the majority of the young, the ones playing happily, "so these two are from the other side."

"There is no other side," Lily said, responding almost without thought. She _knew_ that sort of thinking needed to be quashed before it could take hold; stuff like that would tear the pack in two. "Just people misled by Claw, and people too scared to act, and those of us here."

"But then there are three sides," Honey objected.

"No, just one pack that currently disagrees." Lily didn't intend to start her reign as alpha by throwing away half the pack, whether officially or by letting mindsets like Honey's dictate how the rest of the pack acted. "If there are any sides, it is everyone against just Claw."

"I like that…" Honey sounded unsure. "But make sure everybody thinks that. Claw wants me dead, and you too."

One of the two hatchlings squealed, crawling forward and pushing at Honey's paw. Honey looked down at him. "Sorry," she crooned, "I do not have any more."

That reminded Lily why she was here with the pack's young in the first place. "How are we doing on food, anyway?" she asked.

"It was almost time for a midday feeding for a lot of the hatchlings people picked up in the scuffle," Honey replied worriedly. "We have gotten them all fed for now by bringing up our last meals, but now _we_ are starving, and it will not last. When will we be able to return them all to their parents? We will need to bring them to water soon. And then there is waste, and this is not a very big chamber for so many little ones…"

Lily blinked, blindsided by the torrent of practical considerations. "This isn't going to last," she said, meaning it to sound reassuring, though it came out ominous. "You'll be able to return them all soon."

"And… You are not going to threaten any of them, are you?" Honey asked, looking at the two hatchlings. "You know, to keep their parents out of it… "

"You're not the first one to bring that up, and no, we're not doing anything along those lines. Why does everyone think we might?" It was a sound strategy if one didn't care about how terribly it reflected on them and their supporters, but they weren't stooping to Claw's level.

"Claw will do it if any of ours are not here," Honey sighed. "Wax is here. But we do not have _all_ of them. How could we?"

"I see." And she did; that was going to be a problem. It was entirely possible there was a hatchling or two out there in Claw's grasp. He might send a messenger demanding their parents join him, or even that if they didn't surrender, he would-

No, he wouldn't. She could see easily enough how that would pan out. The majority of the pack's young was here, in their custody. Any threat to theirs could be responded to in kind, and Claw's supporters had far more to lose. He would lose them if he tried it.

Lily wandered away from Honey, lost in her thoughts. She needed a plan. This couldn't last; there would be no long siege. They had no water or food in this cavern system, only one exit, and a brutal enemy with at least a few supporters willing to do whatever he wanted and a larger number of half-hearted followers. If it came down to a siege, either her side would crumble and surrender, or there would be a bloodbath as they fought their way out.

She had to avoid a slaughter at all costs; such a thing would exacerbate the divide in the pack so badly that it would never heal.

It was never a question whether the pack needed to be held together, at least for Lily. She hadn't seen several familiar faces in the cavern, most notable among them Liona and Cedar. She _knew_ neither of those two supported Claw, both from her own impression of them and from Crystal, but they weren't here. They were on the 'other side', as Honey put it. If she had to guess, she would say Liona was terrified, and Cedar was keeping her safe by keeping them out of the openly rebellious group, knowing that Lily's side of the conflict was far less dangerous to oppose.

Not everyone was as innocent as Liona and Cedar; she knew that too. But she couldn't condemn them all together, the good and bad alike. After Claw died…

After he died. Lily left the fledgling chamber and sat just outside in the corridor, trying to reconcile her thoughts.

Claw's death wasn't supposed to be close. It was supposed to be something that came after the conclusion of a long, slow, agonizing decline in his power. Agonizing to him; she had not planned it out, but her words to the dark wing on the subject, improvised in the moment, were a good summary of how she felt it should have gone. A slow, steady push gradually shoving Claw further and further away from his power, undermining him dragon by dragon, and then a possibly violent uprising that would really just be a formality.

She had meant to remove each support, one at a time, until the metaphorical forest was barren and empty to Claw, and then to watch him topple. That was what she had been working toward; a slow, steady, painstaking crawl toward freedom.

But then one of her plans had worked _too_ well. Root had survived, and Claw had begun to spiral. While she was out, he had burned the metaphorical forest down around himself in the name of keeping his power.

She had to wonder whether that was inevitable. He had started to make bad choices when Pearl humiliated and grounded him, and hadn't stopped; that might have been the point of no return. Maybe any threat to his rule would have ended like this.

It didn't matter, though, because like it or not, they were here. Claw wasn't going to be deposed in moon-cycles or season-cycles; this was going to end in days at the most. She wasn't going to spend a long time slowly building support, Claw had built it for her by becoming a monster none could ignore.

She felt like she had been gliding in the air, looking at a distant cloud, only to blink and find herself in the middle of it. This was not how she had meant for things to go.

But this was what she had to work with. The time was now, not some point in the distant future, and there was no backing away from the end. Claw would only get worse, and there were too many lives at stake, too many in imminent danger.

They needed to kill Claw. Then she needed to pull the pack together, and somehow weed out those who were as rotten inside as Claw, like Cressa, without splitting the pack apart in the process. And she needed to take control, though that seemed like an easy task at the moment, with a third or more of the pack looking to her for leadership in a time of crisis.

The future had snuck up on her; life without Claw was near. The thing she had looked to as her reward, the end of the struggle, vengeance for Pyre and Granite and all Claw had hurt. Why was she reluctant to embrace that?

"Time's up," she growled, closing her eyes. The cold hatred in her own voice was fitting; it was meant for the one she was speaking to, though he could not hear her. "You brought this upon yourself."

Claw was going to die. That was the goal, the way to protect her people. He needed to die soon, however it could be accomplished, and with minimal bloodshed on either side. For that, she needed a plan, and she didn't intend to move from this spot until she had one.

One more plan, and the one she hated above all else would be gone. The pressure was immense, not in the least because a part of her was still looking for ways to return to the long, relatively safe path of undermining a forest that had already burned to ash. To go back to the plan.

Instead, she set herself to deciding how the large, central tree would topple, now bereft of all but a few weak supports. By fire, claws, and cunning, but _how_?

O-O-O-O-O

Lily wandered out into the main cavern, the workings of a plan firm in her mind. Some of the details were still nebulous, but the overall strategy was sound. Simple, too, which was almost inevitable with how little time she had to work with.

She noticed the many light wings who saw her and didn't look away; it was a startling contrast to before her injury, back when people were still trying to pretend she didn't exist, or was just another dragon not worth thinking about.

She would be lying if she claimed she liked the change; they were all looking to her because she had led them in defying Claw, and now was responsible for leading them back out again.

"What are we going to do?" a female cried out, voicing the question that was no doubt on everyone's mind. A muffled chorus of general agreement followed her question like an echo.

Lily was slightly bothered by the fact that only one person spoke up; they had all just chosen to set themselves against the alpha, so surely they had enough courage to ask their own questions? It was useful in that she wasn't beset by a flood of frantic concerns all at once, but it still bothered her.

"I have a plan," she replied confidently.

"A way to get everything back to normal?" the same female sniffled.

"No," Lily replied sternly. "Normal isn't what we need right now. We're going to fix things and make life _better_."

"We are not going to use our defiance to make Claw act better?" a male asked timidly. "Because I sort of swore to follow and not fight him. All of us did."

"An oath given under threat doesn't count as an oath," Lily said, repeating Pyre's words almost without thought. "And no, we're not doing that. It would never work, anyway."

"But we are trapped here," someone objected. "And he will punish us all."

"He cannot do that if he is dead," someone else said harshly. "We have to kill him or we are all going to die."

Lily sighed, waiting out the wave of worried exclamations. She noticed that more than a pawful of Claw's mates seemed appalled by that, but they would bow to the necessity once she laid it out.

"Who among us deserves death?" Lily called out, the crowd quieting as they processed her words. "I know Honey does not. Pina does not. Others do not. But Claw will see it happen, and as brutally as possible. Does anyone deny that?"

An awkward shuffling of paws and a few whines were all that she heard in reply; anybody who would argue that wouldn't be in this cavern.

"He plans to torture and murder them," Lily concluded. "He _has_ murdered dozens of fledgling males. He tortured multiple light wings," herself and Root, but she didn't need to specify, "abused a fledgling, and forced himself upon several unwilling females, including his own daughter. Not to mention that he is ruling through fear, threatening hatchlings, and acting like a sadistic tyrant! We all know he will not step down peacefully, and I for one am not willing to depose him only to find him standing above me with his teeth buried in my throat because we showed mercy to one who deserves none."

"Agreed!" Whirl roared from her place guarding the entrance. Flare snarled wordlessly, also fully supporting her.

"We could exile him," one of the males offered timidly.

"And we could forever fear him sneaking back in and taking vengeance on whoever he finds first," Lily retorted, stomping her paw for emphasis and holding in a wince at the shock paining her back. It was hard to forget the constant pain that spiked whenever she stretched or was jolted, but somehow she had managed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scuffle at the entrance to the cave. Everyone froze, all eyes turning to the conflict even as Lily quickly made her way there, fighting through the lingering pain. Was this the beginning of an attack?

No, clearly not. A single male was being detained, his expression frustrated and embarrassed. She knew that face.

"Ivy," Lily growled. "You have a lot of nerve, showing up here." Claw had known what she did with Ivy, forcing him to swear to her. There was only one way he could have known. Ivy was a known traitor.

"I know, I know, but I had no choice," Ivy whined. "It was speak or die! I had no choice but to make him think I was going to come to him anyway so that he would let me live. I am still loyal to you, we agreed I would obey him first, and then you!"

He seemed sincerely sorry... but she knew he always did to whoever was the immediate danger. "And if I choose to not believe you?" she asked, forcing a disinterested tone and staring between the four light wings surrounding him.

"I bring proof," Ivy spluttered, totally disarmed and frightened. "I have information. Everyone still believes I follow Claw."

She considered that, and the consequences of letting Ivy, and Ivy alone, into a hub of her supporters. "Bring him in, and do not let him leave unless I say personally."

Ivy nodded happily even as he was allowed through. Lily kept a safe distance back, letting Flare stand between her and him at all times.

"And he is not to go anywhere alone or to leave the central cavern," she added, thinking of the hatchlings and those Claw wanted dead. "Flare, find someone to take your place at the entrance, and do not let him leave your sight."

Whirl laughed cynically. "A good idea." She seemed as avid as her mate about the cause.

Ivy was either genuinely unconcerned by the restrictions or acting unconcerned. Lily knew he was a good actor, so she didn't rule either out.

"So," she began once Ivy was securely trapped at the back of the main cavern, "talk."

"Claw is angry," he began quickly. "But he is not willing to be the one to start the fighting, not when you defend the fledglings. He understands most of his supporters have children in here."

It made sense, in a twisted way, that Claw would be forced to start taking the feelings of his people into account now when he needed them and had relatively few. She was almost disappointed to have it confirmed, though; he would be weaker if he still didn't care in the slightest for anything but his own whims. "What does he intend to do?"

"He will be sending a messenger," Ivy revealed confidently. "Sometime today. They will tell you to send out the fledglings of his supporters so that the children are not involved."

"No," Lily said immediately. "The children are already safe. Splitting them up does not help."

"I am not the messenger," Ivy objected. "And besides, he does not expect you to agree. The messenger is supposed to also offer amnesty to anyone who brings you to Claw, alive or dead."

There was a murmur at that. A disbelieving one, not a considering one. Lily scoffed. "Does he really think anyone would try that?" She was glad everyone could see and hear her scorn; it would help dissuade any otherwise tempted to consider it.

"Yes. He will be waiting in the forest tonight for that delivery. After that, no one knows. He refuses to explain anything else."

"I can guess," Lily growled. "But he will not get the chance. Aside from that, I doubt he really plans to pardon anyone. It is not his way." Another blow to the idea, just in case.

"I do not know what he plans, I just know what he told his supporters when they asked." Ivy glanced around. "I must go before his messenger arrives. I cannot afford to be seen here."

"Go," Lily growled. "And thank you for the information." She would not burn her ties with him quite yet.

Ivy was escorted out by several quite hostile light wings. Good, now she could speak her mind.

But someone else spoke first. "He lies. He must lie. That is too specific." Crystal pawed at the stone floor angrily.

"Not that specific," Lily mused. "He could very well be telling the truth." She understood quite a bit of this and knew that there were two possibilities. "I know a way to check."

"How?" someone asked hopefully.

"Simple. We wait and see what this messenger says. If they contradict Ivy, it is likely he lied. If they do not show up, he _was_ the messenger, and Claw is clever. If they arrive, confirm everything Ivy said, and leave, then we do not know either way." She rumbled neutrally, projecting an air of calm. "I do have a plan, and it does not depend on Ivy's words. My plan also does not involve us attacking our estranged friends and family, not with the intent of killing."

There were several sighs of relief. _That_ decision had been an easy one; even aside from keeping the pack whole, she had seen how ineffectively everyone had fought at Claw's command, and knew she couldn't elicit any more genuine effort. Better to outright support her peoples' disinclination than to order them against it.

"Except for Claw, of course." Lily looked around. "Those of you who feel comfortable with the idea of killing him personally, come see me. I must know who is willing to do it, and who is not. There is no shame in not wanting to take a life, not even his, but none can deny it needs to be done if this is to end."

No one questioned why she would not be doing it. Not even the stupidest dragon in the entire pack could accuse her of shirking her duty, given she could barely keep herself moving at any pace faster than a slow walk. She did not intend to look weak, but it was inevitable, given her injuries. Every movement hurt.

It spoke volumes of how bad Claw was that no one questioned the need for him to die. Lily moved out of the way and took careful note of who approached her about doing the deed.

Flare was first, walking up to her with a twisted scowl on his face. "I can do it. I know how to fight."

"Do you?"

"I know the very basics," he clarified, "and I think that is enough if there are enough of us. My son will be avenged."

"You're in," Lily granted. She might have worried about the ramifications of a male killing the alpha if this were to be single combat, but the specifics she had already planned would make it impossible for anyone to use their participation as a way to take power.

Then there was someone she hadn't expected at all, someone with both a gentle personality and plenty to lose. "Dew?" she warbled uncertainly.

"I take it this is not going to be a fair fight?" Dew asked.

"Never that." She wasn't going to share the details until she could get all her volunteers alone, as her plan relied partially upon surprise and thus secrecy, but she had no intention of giving Claw the slightest chance of survival. She _might_ have been able to participate directly if she could run; it wouldn't require much skill with combat, just sharp claws and fire and a willingness to kill.

"Then I am in," Dew confirmed. "I am fighting for a lot of things, and I cannot imagine not being there for the end."

Lily nodded. "Good for you." She flicked her head at Crystal as she approached from the side, having been expecting her presence. "And I know you want to."

"Of course," Crystal purred darkly. "You did not need to ask. One of us should be there, and you cannot. "

"And you," Lily continued, looking at the last volunteer. "You too?" Mist's Sire was there. She didn't know him well at all, not compared to most of the other volunteers.

"I will make sure my daughter is safe, and this is needed," he growled.

"It certainly is." She waited a few more moments, but nobody else seemed eager to step up, and four light wings was enough. "Follow me. I want to fill you all in on what, exactly, I want you to do when the time comes."

O-O-O-O-O

The messenger arrived just before dusk. Lily had been loitering near the entrance in anticipation, so she was there from the start.

It was Cressa. Of course, it was Cressa. Who else would Claw send? She walked confidently up to the entrance and stopped just short of the guards, looking in.

"I come in peace," Cressa intoned self-importantly. "I am to deliver two messages."

Lily walked to the front of the crowd. "Speak and leave."

"So ungrateful, daughter." Cressa shook her head. "To go against both Sire and Dam..."

"I am sorry, what was it you said to Pyre so long ago? It seems you would be quite familiar with disowning one's Sire." Lily snarled. "I at least have more than enough reason. Get to your point."

Cressa snarled right back at her. "You hold fledglings hostage. Return them to their families."

"We intend to keep _all_ the pack's young safely out of this," Lily countered. "They are not hostages and will not be used to either side's advantage in this conflict. I would tell you to reassure the parents with that, but I know you will do no such thing." She suspected Cressa would tell them that she was a monster who was even then actively torturing their children, just to depict her in as bad a light as Claw regularly depicted himself, but she trusted both her own reputation and the fact that many of the other side's family and friends were with her to disprove that blatant lie for her.

Cressa blinked, surprised. "Why yes, exactly right."

"Good," Lily purred, though she didn't want that to happen. If she implied she wanted Cressa to do that, then her contrary, spiteful Dam might do the opposite.

Cressa blinked and shook her head, seemingly confused, and visibly dismissed the idea, continuing to speak after a pause just a little too long to have been intentional. "And that brings me to my other point." She raised her voice. "Any who kill or incapacitate Lily and bring her to Claw will be pardoned! You know where to go!"

With that she sprinted away, apparently not wanting to risk being attacked with her message now delivered.

Lily turned to look at the crowd behind her. "So, did anyone else catch it?"

"Catch what?" Whirl asked curiously. "She said exactly what Ivy said she would."

"Almost," Lily agreed. "But she messed up, and she pointed a wing right at Ivy in the process. She said we would 'know where to go' to deliver me to Claw. And how, exactly, would we?"

A general murmur of understanding. "We wouldn't," someone said confidently.

"Exactly," Lily praised the anonymous dragon. "Unless, of course, someone else happened to tell us... Also, it explains why Claw asked for a heavy delivery so far out of the valley. He expects us to ambush that spot, and his counter-ambush will pen us in, no flight and no way out save for through them." It all made perfect sense, not even including the obvious incentive Claw had to move the fight to somewhere nobody could fly, thus negating his own disadvantage.

Aside from the obvious, this also meant that Ivy was actually helping Claw. Her opinion of him could scarcely sink lower, but she tried to keep in mind that Claw and possibly Diora undoubtedly pressured him into it. It was entirely possible that he was still just serving the more terrifying master, and would like nothing more than to see Lily win and free him of Claw, not to mention continue his protection against Pearl and Diora; which now that she thought of it must have lapsed by now...

Ivy had too many intertwined superiors and motivations. Lily sighed. She had absolutely no way of knowing who he actually wanted to come out on top because he switched sides so often, most of the time against his own will. It was possible he was still redeemable, someone to work with in the future once the more dangerous influences over him were gone.

"So? What do we do?" someone asked, drawing her attention back to the present.

"We spring the trap... on them." Lily purred. "I know how to make use of this now that we know the full story." Her plan would work for this with little to no modification; Claw had just specified the when and where of the conflict, and she had the method ready.

At nightfall, they would strike.

_**Author's Note:** _ **I find it amusing to taunt all of you; why else would we spend a whole chapter on the pause between conflict and more conflict? Character development, foreshadowing, necessary groundwork to make what comes next realistic? Nah, I just like drawing things out.**

**On another, more serious note, last week I read a story (and when I say last week, I mean it took me a whole week to get through it). A few of the themes and tone in it reminded me a lot of this story (to say nothing of the guy in chapter 3 who both can burst into flames and turn into a dragon, which I've only just now noticed is a pretty huge parallel to this series), to the point where I was glad I hadn't read it prior to plotting out and writing this, so that I don't have to wonder how much I accidentally copied.**

**Those of you reading this, I have to recommend** _**Worm,** _ **the web serial easily found by searching 'worm serial'** _**,** _ **but I do so with warnings. Do not start reading if the violence and darkness in this story are as much as you can stand; some of what happens in** _**Worm** _ **is objectively far worse, though not in the same ways. Do not start reading until you have a** _**lot** _ **of free time; it's approximately 1.7** _**million** _ **words long, and putting it down is** _**hard** _ **. (That's my excuse for not doing** _**any** _ **writing over the last week, and I'm serious. Every spare moment went to reading.)**

**That being said,** _**Worm** _ **is an epic in every sense, and an amazing journey. I recommend it to anyone who can stomach the gritty, realistic violence and horror depicted within.**


	28. Justified

Vision, Lily reflected, her eyes sliding to Root's abnormally flat eyelids, was a tricky thing. So much of her plan relied upon it failing, but only temporarily. How strange must it be to not have such an integral thing at all? One day, once she was sure he was comfortable with himself and not likely to take it the wrong way, she would ask. Not today, though.

"I will make sure none pass me," he reassured her, sprawling out in front of the wide exit to the side-chamber. His body was only long enough to block it if one counted his tail, which would only really stop the hatchlings, but his purpose was more to raise the alarm than to stop a determined light wing.

"Especially her?" Lily hissed. The four caretakers currently organizing a game on the far side of the chamber weren't paying her any attention regardless, but she felt it best to be careful. That was why she was talking to Root at all, now, moments before the plan was put into motion.

"I will raise an alarm at _anyone_ passing me, and none can sneak by so long as I do not move." He slapped his tail against the stone in emphasis. "I will feel their body heat or the air they move around me if they try to step over me without my noticing. I do not need sight for any of that."

Lily noticed the badly-hidden growl of discontent, and knew Root was far from being happy with his condition. Yes, her curiosity would have to wait a while yet. "Good."

"But it is necessary?" he asked curiously. "I heard she saved Crystal."

"I'm not taking chances." If Grass truly did support her, she would never even know she had been suspected of treachery. If she _was_ treacherous, she would accomplish nothing, having no opportunity to leave this place. Lily had even assigned a trio of able-bodied light wings to guard the cavern itself, ostensibly against Claw's forces, and they too had orders not to let Grass by under any circumstances.

Unless Grass could somehow fight her way out of the caverns, besting multiple forewarned guards in the process, she could do nothing even if she was a traitor. That was as much as Lily could do short of just having her knocked out or killed, the former being risky and possibly dangerous, and the latter immoral, as Grass had not proved guilty of anything yet.

Lily glanced over at the light wing in question, and saw her reluctantly sorting out a tangle of fledglings. Grass clearly wasn't thrilled to be there, but she had not put up any fuss when Lily told her where she would be. That could imply a willingness to cooperate due to guilt and the need to be on the right side of things, or it could imply Grass had a plan of some sort.

But it would be done soon anyway, and Grass did not know their actual plan of attack, just that one existed. There was nothing more to be done on this front.

Lily stepped over Root's tail, hopping a little as he raised it and slapped her underside. "Caught me," she quipped, rumbling with laughter. Had he his sight, he might be apologizing for almost slapping her in an offensive spot, and she might have assumed he meant to. It was clearly an oblivious accident on his part as things were.

"Good luck," Root said fervently, turning his head to 'look' at her, though he grimaced and lowered it a moment later. "Do not lose. Someone has to win, and if it is not me then it is definitely you."

"Does this make a good story?" Lily asked.

"Better than how mine turned out," he said quietly. "Like I said, good luck."

"Thank you…" Lily began, walking away.

Once she was definitely out of earshot, she continued with a growl. "...But we don't need luck." It would be nice, but she was never going to rely on luck if she could help it. It never seemed to pull through for her.

No, this was planning, cunning, and skill, along with plenty of factors that had already been determined and weighed against each other. There would be no luck on either side tonight. Claw was not slipping out of this, and he was not turning it against her, either.

As Lily walked through the main chamber, heads turned and the ambient noise of a dozen small, quiet conversations died away. All eyes were upon her.

The light of the setting sun illuminated the stone outside with a deep orange glow. She purred confidently as she watched it begin to fade, the sun slowly descending behind the mountains.

Perfect timing. Her plan relied on vision, and now was when vision was most unreliable, this time between light and darkness. Shadows stretched and blurred, light faded, eyes constantly readjusted.

"You all know what is going to happen," she said, her voice even and calm. "Stick with your partners. This will only work if we all do what we are supposed to. If it works, none will be harmed except Claw." Grass was not the only danger of treachery, but there was far less she could do to prevent it when there were so many potential leaks. She had to trust that partners keeping an eye on each other would be enough when coupled with the simple, undeniable fact that her side wanted peace, while Claw's wanted bloodshed.

"Go," Lily said firmly, pointing her tail out at the dying light. "Flame and fly!"

Fires began glowing in the maws of a dozen dragons in response, and Lily closed her eyes as her people camouflaged themselves.

Another permanent weakness on her part; she could no longer camouflage. For the moment, the pain prevented it, but she suspected a huge grey scar patch with no scales or glint would not camouflage like it should, and that meant she could not camouflage effectively at all.

Were she a less practical person, she might call it appropriate, to lose one's ability to hide even as one stopped hiding and took charge. As she was, she saw it as a loss of capability, and not appropriate at all. She didn't need to become weaker just as she stepped up to lead.

Luckily, her plan had not called for her to camouflage anyway, so realizing that she couldn't had not hindered her in the slightest. Her role was something very different.

When Lily opened her eyes, the cavern was full of shimmering air. All of the light wings were camouflaged, except for two. Three, counting herself.

"This will be dangerous," she remarked, rolling her neck and mentally preparing for pain. There was pain associated with everything now, but this would be far worse than just walking on her own. An appearance needed to be presented, so she would do it and ignore the inevitable result.

"We already know that," Whirl confirmed, looking at her mate. "We are willing, and the most believable."

"So we should just get it over with," Flare grunted, walking over to Lily and leaning to the side, offering his back. "Time is wasting."

"It is." Were she less nervous, she might be bothered by their take-charge attitudes, but as it stood, she needed the push. This plan was dangerous for her in particular.

She stepped up onto Flare's back, noticing the way her weight didn't even phase him. She wasn't sure whether that was because she was light or he was stronger than she expected, but she knew she would never have been able to bear such a burden, even if her back was not a problem. She was weaker than she should be.

Her physical weakness wasn't going to matter now, though. If anything, it would help make what was to come seem more probable.

Lily settled in on Flare's back, draping her front paws to either side of his neck and letting her tail hit the ground. She closed her eyes, letting her head lay limp on his back. Her wings fell to either side, and a quick, painful adjustment trapped the edges under her back paws, keeping them still.

"Let these fall," Whirl suggested, poking her base fins. She responded by letting them fall limp too; she had almost forgotten that part, holding them up was nearly unconscious.

"That should do it," Whirl grunted. "My mate, how are you holding up?"

"Easily, she is light," Flare grunted, confirming Lily's suspicions on the subject. "You first."

"Cannot have you taking charge," Whirl agreed.

Lily felt motion under her, each of Flare's steps a jolt that caused her back to seize up and ache. She ignored it, holding herself limp on him.

The fading sunlight fell across her closed eyes, letting her know that the point of no return had just been passed. From this moment on, they had to assume her predicament had been seen.

Lily could not see what was happening as Flare walked, presumably with Whirl in front of him. She knew what _should_ be going on around her, and held that in her mind, reminding herself that this was not as risky as it looked.

The first part of the trip was the most dangerous. Claw's supporters would see nothing but Whirl and Flare carrying a seemingly unconscious Lily toward the path across the mountain, and thus toward the meeting point.

It was plausible. Whirl and Flare had reason to want Claw's offered amnesty more than most; their son was in a uniquely vulnerable position, and Claw didn't know Flare was the one who had attempted to poison him.

Claw would _probably_ wait for them to arrive, confident that he understood what was happening. But it was possible he'd send his people to attack them on the way, unwilling to wait while Lily was out in the open, vulnerable.

Hence the small swarm of camouflaged light wings filing out behind them, hidden by the changing light and the distraction that had preceded them. They had a complex part to play, and the first stage of that was trailing from a distance, ready to intercede if Claw opted for a quick strike against Lily in transit.

Each painful step was another step away from that possibility. Lily knew that it probably wouldn't happen, Claw was not one to question his own good fortune too closely, and he had endeavored, through Ivy and Cressa, to have exactly this happen.

He was waiting in the forest. Waiting for her to be delivered to him. Past that, she didn't know and didn't want to know. Whatever he intended from there wouldn't happen.

Flare began to tilt upward beneath her, and she slid back. Whirl's muzzle behind her was all that stopped her from sliding right off of him, although she would have tried to remain limp even then; unseen observers noticing that she was still conscious would be a disaster. Luckily, Whirl caught her in time.

She was readjusted, and they continued their trek. They had to be on the way up the mountain now, judging by the incline and increasingly strong winds. Lily couldn't help but wonder whether they had already passed Pyre's cave-

The sudden realization that she had missed the first full moon of the hot-season was a bitter one; another thing Claw had taken from her. She had spent that day and night in senseless agony, not mourning him as she had meant to. Just one more scale's weight of injustice to add to the mountain Claw had accumulated. One more reason to savor his imminent demise.

A light flashed across Lily's face, orange and bright. Flare tilted downward, and once again their small procession stopped to adjust her on his back. They were on their way down.

She could _feel_ her heart beating faster and faster as they went down. This was so, so dangerous. If it went wrong, she would be in the worst place imaginable, trapped, injured, and surrounded. Her life was riding on a plan conceived in the space of less than a day, and built upon the conflicting words of an outright enemy.

"He is supposed to be here somewhere," Whirl murmured to Flare. "Do we just walk in?"

"I suppose he must be close. I almost want to turn back." Flare growled.

"Take heart, we are doing this for Root," Whirl hummed back. "Lily got him blinded. This is a just trade."

Lily hated those words, but she could hardly complain, having been the one to suggest Whirl and Flare verbally confirm why they were betraying her once close, just in case anyone was listening. She had even suggested the reasoning they could use, though in far less direct, pointed terms.

More important, at least to her, was the knowledge that they were now at the edge of the forest. The rest of her forces would be landing all along the edge, ready to do what needed to be done.

Claw's plan was probably to torture her again, kill her, and use her death to destroy his opposition. He wanted to isolate her and get her alone out here, away from help.

It had seemed only fair she arrange same in turn, but more effectively. One of them was walking into a trap, and it wasn't her. Claw would not leave this forest alive.

"Stop there," someone commanded. Flare and presumably Whirl stopped dead. Lily didn't recognize the male voice in question, but it didn't really matter. They were here.

"No need to surround us," Whirl quavered, "we are here voluntarily."

Intentional or not, Whirl had confirmed that they were surrounded, for which Lily was thankful. That required multiple light wings, which in turn meant most of Claw's most ardent supporters were probably here.

"I do not plan on letting her get away again," Claw announced from somewhere to Lily's left.

"Of course not," Cressa purred viciously. "Drop her."

Flare shrugged his wings and slid Lily off, onto the ground. He tried to make it a soft landing, but even simple jolts hurt, and limply rolling onto her side was agonizing. She held in every tortured sound she wanted to let loose, but only barely. Her heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was in her throat. This was possibly the most risky moment in the entire plan.

"Of all people..." Claw rumbled. "Why you two?"

It was very hard not to open her eyes, to move, to see and know what was happening. Claw's voice was not close, not yet...

"We want protection for Root, too." Whirl was doing a good job of sounding frightened, likely because she _was_. "He could only go where he was led. He is loyal."

"Why not?" Claw laughed. "He can share in your punishment. It is all the same to me."

"Your word..." Flare said shakily.

"My word?" Claw laughed deeply now, extremely pleased with himself. There was an unrestrained edge to his voice that made Lily want to snarl. "My word is whatever I want! Why should I care? I have power, I do not need to be trusted. And once I dispose of her in the way I have planned, no one will ever have the _courage_ to question me on anything, or to ask for my word."

"That will solve this," Cressa hummed in agreement. "Remember. Kill her in front of them all, starve out anyone else in the cavern, and everything will go back to how it should be."

"Why should we betray her if you will not even do as you said?" Flare asked desperately. He was doing well, though he was a little calmer than Lily would have expected if she had not known it was a ruse.

"Cooperate and Root dies easily," Claw snarled. "Do not, and I make him suffer for days on end. Either way, I will not kill either of you until afterward."

"Claw, you make the same mistakes over and over again," Whirl gritted out. "After a certain point, threats stop scaring and start antagonizing."

"And you made the mistake of walking into a forest that cannot be flown out of without even thinking about it," Cressa barked. "Stupid of you. Look at how outnumbered you are! You cannot just take her away again."

And so the trap was sprung, foreseen and already countered. Lily knew that more time was needed, but if Claw's people had come out of hiding, the final countdown had begun. Time for the next stage.

Lily opened her eyes and rolled to her paws, eliciting a bark of fake surprise from Flare, and looked around, doing her best to appear frantic.

It was not hard to justify not making a break for it; she, Whirl and Flare were surrounded. All of Claw's most faithful were there, and he himself was standing off to the side, eyeing her with a truly unhinged look, his tail lashing from side to side.

He stood not ten steps away. People perfectly willing to hurt or kill her had her surrounded. Out behind Claw, far less enthusiastic light wings lurked, present as backup, the rest of his faction.

In spite of it all, she purred softly, though she could not admit why yet. Claw had brought all of his people, by the looks of things. There was no planned secondary strike to get the fledglings, or anything like that. That was the other big risk, but for once, her risks were averted instead of terrible oversights. If there was anyone else in the valley, it would be people like Liona and Cedar, those laying low out of fear.

"The game is up, Lily," Claw rumbled threateningly. "And I did not believe you were truly betrayed for an instant."

Lily kept her calm, knowing this was also being seen and heard by the current enemies she needed to coopt later. "Because, unlike with you, they believe in something more than avoiding pain."

"And here you are." He stretched leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world. "What was the plan this time? Another speech of defiance and another escape?" He seemed more composed now, likely because in his eyes, it was already over. This was all the beginning of his victory, and so long as he thought that, he would gloat and waste time.

"I suppose there's now no chance of ripping your throat out the moment you near," Lily grumbled. "You're all that keeps this from being resolved."

"No, you are." He growled, pacing around the ring formed by his allies now, walking slowly. "You and Crystal."

Lily began to pace to follow him, limping in a tight circle around Whirl and Flare, who were reduced to watching worriedly. "And much of the pack, actually. We will not give up, no matter who you kill. You would have to be rid of all of us, and at that point, it would be easier for you and your followers to just leave instead." She wouldn't actually allow that for a number of reasons, but right now, Claw was not going to be in the mood to consider it anyway, so it was safe to say. He thought he was winning.

"No, really, all I have to do is torture you... more. That got everyone's attention. You, Crystal, and probably Root. I make you three suffer more, and they will be too terrified to object to anything. Everything goes back to the way it was before."

"Exactly," Cressa said soothingly. "Remember that."

"I don't think so," Lily countered, snorting and dismissing Cressa. She suspected she understood where some of Claw's current restraint came from; Cressa had his ear and had calmed him down, somehow. It wouldn't last, though. "Before, you had a good reputation, though that's more the fault of the pack than a point in your favor. They were blind. They are blind no more, and you will always be opposed."

"No one risks worse than death when it is not their own in trouble," Claw corrected her idly. "People are selfish, and you have none who would fight for you. Root, well, he and his parents can die, and no one will really care that much. Same for Crystal. As long as I eliminate whole families, no one would care."

"No one cares if whole families are tortured and killed by the person in charge? Really?" Lily snorted, projecting an image of bemusement. "Have you lost all connection with real life?"

"Have you?" he asked, sounding just a little more suspicious than before. That he was not already trying to escape spoke of how little he truly knew her and how she operated. "Here you are, arguing with me with not a care. Do you think to forestall your fate?"

"Given I don't even know what that would be? I see no harm in waiting." Especially when every moment she stalled meant another moment for her people to get into position without being noticed.

"I have plans," he drawled, purring sadistically. "Your back is just the beginning."

She really didn't want to know... Best to change the subject for her own peace of mind. "And when someone else stands up to you despite whatever you do to others? You'll mutilate the entire pack at this rate. And for what?"

"For what? To remain alpha. You have no right to try and take that from me. No one does."

"And how did you become alpha?" she warbled mockingly. "Remind me."

"The pack chose me..." He seemed to realize the flaw in that logic, but it was too late.

"And now the majority of the pack is _choosing_ to be rid of you." She purred triumphantly, relaxing more with every second that passed. She had probably stalled long enough, but it would be smart to keep him talking as long as possible anyway, just in case. No reason to take a chance.

"They do not get to choose that!" He was walking closer now, rage written across his face. Whatever limited control he possessed was failing. Maybe she wouldn't be able to keep him talking much longer anyway. "I am in charge, this is my pack, and everyone does what I want."

"Which basically means all the males bow to you or die, and most of the females keep you company," Lily summarized. "So pointless. The pack does not revolve around the happiness of the alpha."

"Then what does it revolve around?" Cressa barked derisively.

It was intended as a rhetorical question, but Lily had an answer ready. "The happiness and safety of all, the alpha least important among them. The alpha should be the last to eat when there is a shortage, the first to put in extra effort, and the least likely to get what they want personally."

"Goes to show how little you know," Claw growled dismissively, turning towards her and standing at his full height. "Who would want that?"

"No one. That's the point. The people who want power for itself shouldn't have it. It should go to whoever is best suited to keeping everyone else safe." Lily looked around. "You are terrorizing your own subjects. You are not suited for this at all." _She_ was well aware they were fighting on a verbal level, fighting in the eyes of those watching, and she was winning.

"And yet, here I am." Claw shook his head as if to throw away the ideas Lily had endorsed. "You are delusional. And you are going to die. Slowly, painfully, in every way possible."

"Somehow, I don't think so." Lily inhaled deeply and fired a small blast at Claw.

He took it right in the chest, grunting as it hit. It left a small scorch mark and a rippling patch of camouflage, no more.

"What was that supposed-" Claw began, before being cut off by a series of grunts and barks of surprise.

Lily did not take her eyes off of Claw, knowing what was going on around them. Light wings, her group, camouflaged, had maneuvered into position in the trees above their targets. It took time to do quietly, but Lily had bought them time. All around her, ambushed supporters of Claw struggled with nearly invisible assailants who had dropped from above. Her side definitely had the advantage...

But they were spending it in keeping the others restrained and not hurt, as opposed to killing. The sacrifice to have even a small chance at reuniting after all of this.

Root's parents stepped between Lily and Claw, both looking murderously angry. They had stood silent throughout Lily's verbal battle with Claw, waiting, and now it was time. Claw's most faithful all struggled with assailants of their own, but Claw remained untouched for the moment.

The time for words, it seemed, was over. Claw advanced on them, staring right past the other light wings to glare at Lily. His eyes promised everything he had spoken of earlier.

She watched him calmly, knowing what was coming. There were some dragons who had not dropped yet, as per the plan...

Thuds from all around Claw, and suddenly he was surrounded by barely-visible shimmers in the broken moonlight. Snarls from all sides. Flare charged forward, the only one visible but protected by the three invisible assailants.

Lily watched as Claw was assaulted from all sides, deep cuts opening at all angles seemingly by themselves. He fought back a bit, but was defenseless against multiple, camouflaged attackers going all-out.

He figured it out pretty quickly, to his credit. She knew he had realized his attackers were trying to kill him, and would succeed, when he turned and ran, his damaged tail trailing behind him. The shimmers departed to follow, Flare firing into the air and leaping through the explosion to become only a shimmer himself.

Lily wasn't surprised to see him flee; she would have run too. It was hard to mistake the intentions of four camouflaged, anonymous light wings doing their best to dismember, and even harder to fight them off alone.

"Lily!" Whirl, growled, pawing at her tail. "I need you to watch yourself!"

Lily whirled, more than worried by that. "Why?" she barked. The plan was that Whirl would act as her guard, keeping her safe. All of Claw's supporters were supposed to be kept occupied, and Whirl only a safeguard.

"Because this is not going to last!" Whirl retorted, gesturing to the conflict all around them.

Light wings fought in the scattered moonlight, rolling up against trees and into hollows, camouflaged limbs striking white bodies, snarls and flashes of teeth coming from some of the closer combatants. There was a camouflaged dragon for every uncamouflaged one, but some were far better at fighting them off than others, especially those most willing to injure and possibly kill.

Lily's eyes were drawn to Diora, who was _definitely_ drawing blood, if inexpertly, clawing up at the shimmering air trying to pin her. No blood was drawn in return; her side was _not_ to hurt or kill except as a last resort. This was all a delaying action.

On their side. But if any of Claw's most vehement got free of their designated delay, they'd be coming for her. She backed into Whirl, putting her tail to the other female. Now she understood; she needed to be on alert for anyone breaking free and coming for her. Whirl would watch her back.

If it happened, she would be at an extreme disadvantage, but she still had her fire. Seven shots, by her count, having spent one on the signal fired at Claw. She would have to hold back in order to do no more than bruise, but that didn't expand her shot limit any; a blast was a blast, no matter how half-hearted.

A pained yelp drew her attention to one scuffle in particular, her eyes struggling to track it. Cressa was slamming a paw down, driving something into the ground over and over again, half of her body visibly unsupported.

Cressa looked up, her eyes dark, feral slits, and glared at Lily. She crouched and leaped, leaving the light wing she had just taken out of the fight behind on the ground-

Lily barked an alarm for Whirl's sake and stepped to the side, charging up a blast, then fired at full power the moment before Cressa hit the ground. An explosion of loose dirt erupted between them, and Lily hopped to the side again with her eyes closed.

Whirl swung around and met Cressa as she blindly charged forward, yelping in alarm as Cressa bulled her right off her paws. Lily inhaled and fired again, hitting her Dam in the side, knocking her right off of Whirl. Whirl took the opportunity to scrabble to her paws and pounce, driving Cressa's head to the side with a heavy paw, striking so hard that she fell limp.

Not a heartbeat later, something clipped Lily's hips, and her vision blacked out for a second from the pain. A heavy weight pinning her flank then lifted as a strangled yelp echoed, and she was left whining, rolling off of her side and hunching over, unable to do anything else. It hurt far too much to shrug off.

Was this going to be her life, in constant pain from any impact whatsoever? Maybe, if she lived through the next few moments, she would live long enough to find out if the sensitivity would fade. For the moment though, that possibility was by no means certain.

"Sorry, he got away!" somebody close to her tail said urgently. "Can you stand?"

"I can try," Lily growled, forcing herself up and back into the world, though her back felt as if it had been smashed and battered, given how much it hurt. She was running out of ways to describe the pain it brought, even in her own head. There were not enough words for it.

"She is not safe," the light wing remarked from the shimmering air to Whirl, who looked ready to knock someone else out, her eyes narrow slits promising imminent violence. "Can we take her out of this madness? We need her for what comes next. I do not know how to fix all of this, and I doubt anyone else does either!"

"I will not leave," Lily growled. It would be practical, and she _wanted_ to, but at the same time, abandoning the fight before the end was incredibly foolish. What would she do, wait back in the valley? They needed her, but they needed her _here_. She was the only one who might be able to call a halt to it all once the true purpose of the conflict had been achieved.

"Well, you should-"

A deep snarl of triumph interrupted them, one almost feral in glee. "Mission complete," Crystal's voice remarked from the shadows. "He is dead. Sorry, we could not bring his head back, or really anything but an ear." At that, a ragged piece of white scales and gristle appeared from the empty air and dropped at Lily's feet.

She examined it for a moment, heedless of the conflict raging all around them. It certainly _looked_ like an ear, though no one would be able to prove it was Claw's ear without putting their nose to it. Good enough for the moment.

"Time to stop the fighting," Lily announced. "A roar, if you would?"

The unseen victors declared their triumph, their combined sound echoing through the woods. In the instant of silence that followed, Lily roared her own declaration.

"Stop fighting! Claw is dead!"

At her command, those on her side leaped away from their opponents, forming a ring around her with the still possibly hostile light wings on the outside. Or they were supposed to, but it was hard to tell if that had actually happened as her side was still camouflaged. She did see the other dragons suddenly unencumbered and unrestrained, and the air between her and them shimmered violently, movement and camouflage all around.

Some of Claw's side looked around, at a loss, rage diminishing. That was the reaction Lily wanted; no reaction. Others...

A female charged towards Lily and was tackled by shimmering air, pinned in an instant. "Stop it! This is over!" someone yelled angrily.

"So?" The female was... Diora, it seemed. "She needs to pay!"

"For what?" the camouflaged light wing barked back. "She didn't even kill Claw! How could she have?"

"Then whoever did needs to die!" Diora fought futilely, lashing out to no avail. "Tell me who it was!"

Lily held in a small purr. Her side knew who had volunteered... but Diora did not, and would not be able to figure it out anytime soon. Almost everyone on Lily's side had been anonymous in this fight, so it would be impossible to prove who had gone after Claw, even if everyone knew who had volunteered. And as she planned to visit the body just to be sure as soon as possible, it shouldn't be hard to bring a few people to muddy the scent...

Lily looked around, checking to be sure no one else wanted her dead badly enough to strike, and then approached the mostly invisible struggle going on in an unbroken beam of pale moonlight.

Diora was not hurt, a testament to Lily's orders to avoid more than bruises and cuts if at all possible, but she was angry. She glared at Lily as she approached.

"Diora, stop." Lily crouched, getting as close as was safe, just out of lunging distance. "The battle is over and Claw paid the price for the crimes he committed. There is no point in further pain."

"You had no right-"

"This again?" Lily sighed, looking around. "Who thinks Claw did not deserve punishment for the many terrible things he's done? Anyone?"

A few angry mutters from some of his more fervent supporters and that was it.

"He was punished." Lily turned back to Diora. "And those who did the punishing were simply the ones who volunteered to do as the pack required. You will not exact retribution."

"And if 'the pack' says we need to be punished too?" A fearful question from one of the other dragons who had supported Claw. "What then?"

Lily sighed again, knowing what needed to be done, and raised her voice, doing her best to sound neutral. "I understand that this is a messy situation. I think it will be decided that everyone who acted today, for or against Claw, cannot be held accountable for what they did, or which side they fought for. There is no fair way to separate those who should pay from those who were caught up in the tide of events, and I would rather the innocent and guilty alike go free than punish the innocent along with the guilty."

That seemed to meet general approval from both sides, and many of the more hostile light wings calmed down immediately, seeing that they would not risk anything by surrendering.

"That works both ways, Diora," Lily continued. "If you wish to be pardoned for supporting a murderer, torturer, and abuser, then you must not seek revenge against whoever ended him."

"She did more than support him." An annoyed rumble from a male Lily didn't know. He continued even though Diora's glare had immediately focused on him. "She, Cressa and Ivy helped plan this."

"I am not surprised. By the way, where is Ivy?" Lily was looking around now, and she didn't see him. He had been in the close ring surrounding her, she remembered seeing him there. So where was he now?

"I had him," a disembodied voice admitted. "But he got free and ran off. He was leaving the fight, so I let him go in order to help someone else."

So Ivy was... probably long gone. Interesting. She nodded in the general direction of the voice, idly wondering when the camouflage would wear off. Soon, probably. "So they were his assistants."

"Be careful with him," someone said hoarsely. Lily looked over and realized that the one speaking was not one of hers, visible and outside of her protective ring. "He hates you."

Lily walked over to the male, looking into his eyes and ignoring the shimmer that meant she was staring _through_ somebody in order to do so. "He might, yes. Why are you now warning me?" Why he thought Ivy hated her was another question; she didn't think he did, any more than he hated his other masters. That was probably it. She certainly hadn't done anything to him.

"Well..." The male shrugged, embarrassed. "I noticed that no one got hurt except Claw and Cressa. That cannot be a coincidence. If you go to such lengths to keep even your enemies safe, I would rather have you as alpha than someone like Ivy."

"It was intentional," Lily confirmed, pleased that her choices were paying off. "And that is also the reason everyone will be pardoned. We must start over." She was going to have to take some time to compose her thoughts before speaking to the pack as a whole. So much needed to be said and done.

"Tomorrow we will figure out how things are going to go," Lily announced suddenly. "Until then, find your families, make up if you were on opposing sides, and wait. Go home, sleep. This pack is no longer at war with itself, and the one who would hurt you is dead."

There was a confused murmur, and nobody moved. She understood that; only moments ago, they had been fighting. But it was sinking in now. The reason for fighting was dead, and most of them hadn't wanted to fight anyway.

She waited patiently, but eventually her patience ran out. "Well? Go. Unless you like standing around in the forest. Also, people from the caverns should go tell Root and the others that they can let the fledglings out now. It is safe."

That got several people moving, those worried about their children, and their departure triggered the rest of those Lily could see, many of whom walked slowly, as if reluctant.

"They do not know how things can go back to normal," Moss observed from nearby. Lily hadn't even known she was so close.

"They won't go back to normal," Lily answered. "Things will be better. That's the point." She looked around. "And can somebody take me to Claw's body?"

"Planning on mutilating it?" Crystal asked from the empty air, her voice departing.

Lily followed, trailing along behind the only shimmer heading deeper into the forest. "No, there's no point. But we're not sending him off, either. Let him rot alone." That was appropriate; he had done as much to Pyre.

After a short time Lily saw the body in the distance, a white corpse in a dark patch of the forest. A heavy stench of blood accosted her soon after. Claw's blood.

"I asked because we did not leave much to mutilate," Crystal continued.

"I can see that," Lily agreed, circling the body. She wanted to fix this image in her mind, to remember it forever. Not because she liked carnage; regardless of whatever satisfaction she found in his broken, lifeless corpse, the sight of it turned her stomach.

Claw had not died easily. His many, many wounds told the story. One of his hind legs was badly broken and charred at the back, totally ruined, which would have crippled his run. The jagged claw marks on his mangled tail and lower back told of how he had been brought to the ground; by the disturbed dirt, he hadn't made it far from that point. Lily was not one for fantasies, but she could imagine the visceral glee of catching up to him, of sinking her claws into his hide, of succeeding in the hunt.

His shoulders and neck were blistered and ruined, the work of several fireballs to incapacitate him, a calculated move to hinder resistance. With a cold satisfaction, she examined the deep, raw trenches that had then been carved into the charred flesh.

There were deep marks in one of his forelegs, an attack caught and countered with strong jaws and sharp teeth. His head had then been held down, judging by the deep impression it had left in the ground. That it was a slightly wider impression than his jaw, and by the raggedness of the puncture marks on his head, he had still been thrashing when likely Flare had shredded his face in ripping out his eyes; she didn't look for those, focusing solely on the body.

It looked like he'd rolled to try to use his last working leg, now broken and missing chunks of flesh, so all he had succeeded in doing was revealing more of his hide to claw through, including his underside. One set of four deep gouges started just under his ribs and ran right down to his tail, though going that far could have been unintentional.

In fact, Lily was having trouble finding any part of his body larger than her paw that wasn't in bloody shreds, and what white remained was smeared and tinted red. Even his wings were broken and shredded, jutting out at strange angles with scraps of membrane fluttering in the breeze, and of course, one of his ears had been torn off. Only his paws, with their dangerous claws, remained unblemished and clean, though they all pointed in disturbingly unnatural directions. It wasn't even clear which of his many, many wounds had been the fatal one; it was possible none of them were, and he'd simply bled out where he lay as a result of all of them.

No, this wasn't something she would want to see, were it anyone else. But this was Claw, and a part of her still didn't believe it. She needed to believe it. He was dead.

"We brought him down here," Crystal said quietly, picking up on Lily's solemn demeanor. "He was roaring, ranting, threatening. No one cared. I do not even know who ended up killing him. We tried to make it quick, or most of us did..."

"Do you mind not knowing?" Lily asked.

"I got my revenge," Crystal growled. "All four of us killed him. I do not care who actually took his life."

"He is dead." She continued to stare at the corpse. This was Claw. This was how his reign ended. Hunted down and torn apart by his mates, both tolerant and unwilling, and by the males he had cowed and subordinated. It felt right that none of those who had actually done the deed were happily mated females; they had a stake in it all too, but not one as visceral as that of those Claw had wronged, over and over again, in creating a system where there was no consequence for his own actions.

He was dead. She wouldn't have had him die like this; her ideal was much longer and drawn out, at the end of watching her undo all he had devised for himself. He would never get to see that now; he was dead, and she hadn't even started to set the pack to rights.

Dead. He would never defile her again, never touch her, never so much as look at her with lust or any other thought. There were no thoughts running through his head, and he had no eyes to convey them with. Soon, there would be nothing left of him but rotting flesh and twisted ideas she would have to set to rights.

"How long?" she murmured. "Since this began…" For her, it had begun in earnest a season-cycle ago, give or take a moon-cycle. For the pack, decades ago. But it was over now.

"It is hard to imagine, right?" Crystal asked. Lily felt her friend press against her side, presumably staring down at the corpse alongside her. "I am trying to think of what I am going to do tomorrow, and nothing is coming to me. What now?"

"Now?" That was a loaded question, and one she was going to have to consider very soon. The pack had just settled into an uneasy truce; for that matter, her possibly homicidal Dam was probably still lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Cressa needs to be watched," Lily groaned, forcing herself to consider the practical. "I need to think. And I don't know about you, but I'm not sleeping inside the cavern tonight, or any night." She didn't feel up to going to Pyre's cave quite yet, so that meant she'd have to find somewhere safe and secluded… on paw. Everything had to be done on paw now.

"You should think back in the valley," Crystal advised, moving away. "I will go watch over Cressa. What are we going to do with her?"

"Like I said, I need to think." There was a lot to think about, and she felt she needed to do her thinking here, with Claw's corpse. Just to reassure herself that he really was dead.

"I am going to sleep…" Crystal sighed loudly. "Well, that is unpleasant. I do not even have somewhere _to_ sleep now. Not the cave, not Pyre's cave as I no longer need to be there, but also not my family's rock. My Dam and I still are not on good terms."

"Maybe go there anyway," Lily suggested. "Talk to her tomorrow." Everything had to be done tomorrow. At this rate, 'tomorrow' would need to be redefined to mean the next moon-cycle; things to be done were piling up in her mind after only moments of thinking about it. "She would let you sleep there, no questions asked." Or she would if Lily had the measure of her, which she thought she did.

"Only if you go with me," Crystal said hesitantly.

"How about I meet you there?" She _really_ needed the time. Sleep wasn't going to come until she had everything planned for tomorrow.

"I will get someone to watch Cressa, you will think, and then we will meet there," Crystal summarized. Her blurred form paced around Claw, getting into Lily's line of sight. "And then tomorrow you will be alpha, and you will make everything right."

"And everything will be good for a long time," Lily agreed.

"Forever," Crystal corrected. "Why not say forever?"

"Because I am too cynical to think this is the end of trouble forever," Lily admitted. "A long time is much more believable."

"I do not know what to do with that," Crystal admitted after a moment of silence. "You are right, but I would like to think it will be forever. That this is the end of our troubles for good."

"It might be," Lily offered, feeling bad for bringing her friend's mood down. "What do I know?"

"You _are_ staring at a dead body," Crystal agreed. "Do not do that for too long. I helped _do_ it, and I do not like looking at it. Come back to the valley soon."

"As soon as I am done thinking," Lily agreed. She would tell Crystal not to wait up for her, but odds were that it wouldn't make a difference.

"Like I said, soon." Crystal's blurred form departed, disappearing in between shafts of moonlight and pools of dark shadow.

After a few moments, Lily knew she was alone; Crystal knew better than to dally in getting someone to watch Cressa. So she was alone with Claw's body and her own thoughts.

She toyed with the idea of relieving herself on him, but such gestures really were pointless. He was dead and would not care, and the idea didn't make her any happier. She really did need to think.

But Crystal's advice rang true, and she turned away from Claw's body. Her paws began moving, taking her somewhere unimportant, the rest of her thinking on what needed to be done. A speech, a ceremony for Pyre, talking to as many people as she could manage, taking stock of any lingering-

A low snarl was not nearly enough warning, and before she could react she was slammed to the side, her back impacting a tree, her weak point abused once too often that night. The pain sent her straight to oblivion, her mind shutting down, unable to cope. She never even saw who had attacked her.


	29. Responsible

Lily knew she was in danger, that she had been attacked and rendered briefly unconscious by the pain. That was at the forefront of her mind, but her mind was worthless when her body could not respond, too agonized to do anything but twitch. Blood was likely running down her back, as that would explain the pool slowly spreading by her paws, and she could feel the sharp little edges of the bark of the tree she had been rammed against digging into the delicate skin between her wings.

She also knew that every moment she spent awake but not acting was possibly a vital moment wasted, so she quickly forced her eyes open, blinking to clear the blur that obscured all but the most basic shapes.

When she _did_ see what was directly in front of her, it was not comforting. She lay on her side, in utter agony, not ten steps away from Claw's dead body, his bloody, mangled remains directly in her line of sight. That brought a little clarity. Claw was dead, so it could not have been him, and she _thought_ everyone had gone back to the valley. Who would strike at her now? Who would want to, aside from Cressa, who was under watch?

A dragon walked between her and Claw's body, answering her unspoken question. Ivy had his back to her, busy examining Claw, tentatively nosing at the body as if unsure he was really dead. Lily wanted to laugh at his lack of certainty given how obviously mangled the remains were, but it was probably better to focus on regaining control of herself. She really wished there had been enough time before all of this came to a head for her back to heal completely. She didn't like having an agonizing weak point within easy reach of any who meant her harm.

Ivy abruptly growled, spun away from Claw's body, and stalked towards her. He gave her a cold look before placing a paw on her chest and pushing lightly. At this point, the increase in pressure and therefore pain was almost ignorable, it was so bad already that Ivy would have to try a lot harder to make a difference. She groaned anyway, unable to hold it in.

"Awake?" he growled. He sounded as he had when he first approached her, sure he had the upper paw, superior and condescending. There was no subordinance, no cringing and obeying. Not in his tone, and not in the way he stared at her, intent and more than a little cold.

"You didn't strike me," Lily gasped, ignoring how ironic that statement was if taken alone, "as the kind of dragon to hit a female." She didn't know what he wanted here, but the way he was acting did not bode well. She suspected this wasn't going to end well if he got what he wanted, whatever that was.

He snorted, flexing his paw against her heaving chest and leaning in. "Why not? You are lesser than me _now_. I can do what I want."

"Lesser?" she grunted. He wasn't putting any weight behind the paw on her chest, but if he did it would push her tender, agonized back into the sharp bark of the tree behind her.

"Weak, injured, no mate, no status," he listed confidently. "You have no power now."

No power? "Claw is dead," she retorted, wishing she sounded more confident. The pain was making it hard to speak, let alone speak casually. It came out tense and surprised. "I led the pack against him."

"No power _here,_ " he clarified with a growl. "I could kill you."

"But why would you?" she asked, trying to figure out what she was missing. "I protect you. From Pearl."

"You extorted me, you belittled me, you made me get on Claw's bad side," he snarled, pushing her against the tree. "On Diora's bad side. And I am on yours, too."

"Hard…" she panted, "to blame me for that, when you are doing this."

He maintained the weight on her, which surprised her. She tried again, holding down a whine of pain and wishing she could roll to her paws. "Stop this… It's over."

"I had two masters," he gritted, glaring at her, not letting up in the slightest. "My mate, and Claw. Then you, too. Now I have two again."

"I can… Give you freedom." She didn't really _want_ to do him a favor, given the pain he was inflicting, but doing so was the obvious way to defuse him. "I will be alpha. Can keep Diora from hurting you, won't order you around any more than anyone else." He would have no masters in that scenario.

"No," he growled. "I want no masters, but you will not give that to me."

"I promise."

"I do not care," he replied. "I break promises and oaths whenever I please. You could too. No, there is only one way to get out from under your paw, and then Diora's. You started it by killing Claw."

His other front paw came up, landing against the side of her neck and pushing down. She began struggling in earnest, and made absolutely no headway. He had her awkwardly on her side, weak and in agony, in a place where half of her limbs dangled uselessly in the air and the other half were pinned beneath her. A fraction of his weight was enough to pin her, and all she could do was batter his side with her tail.

That, and talk. She could still reason with him. "Stop it," she pleaded. He wasn't choking her so much as threatening to bend her head too far to one side and break something, which was viscerally more frightening, at least to her. "You'll be hunted down… If I die."

"None will know it was me," he countered, easing up on her neck enough that she didn't feel in _immediate_ danger of death. "The smell will be overpowered by Claw's blood. I will rub it all over you. They will think he came back to life and killed you."

Would they really? She doubted that; death was permanent, and even if it was not, dragons surely could not come back from being torn to shreds as thoroughly as Claw had been. She doubted his corpse could move whether it was living or not. "Please," she scoffed, forcing scorn into her voice to drive the point home and hopefully undermine the confidence that led him to think he could get away with murdering her. "Half the pack would guess it was somebody else. You are missing, and nobody else is."

"I will kill you, sneak back to Diora, and convince her to go to the ledges," Ivy countered, sounding just the slightest bit worried. "She will lose track of time, she always does, and anyone who asks will be told we went there directly from the fight. She will believe it, even."

"That only gets you free of one master," Lily objected. Something in her had grown cold sometime in the last few moments, hearing Ivy outline how he was going to get away with killing her. He had planned it, was going to try and get away with it, and worse, she had never suspected he was capable of such a thing. She had seen how he acted with those he feared and assumed that was all there was to him.

It was almost humiliating to be so close to death at the paws of the traitor, the subservient sneak who had realized it was within his grasp to be free of all his masters in one fell swoop, somebody taking advantage of pure chance to destroy everything she was trying to build for their own selfish benefit. If she were less worried about surviving the next few moments, she would be angry with herself for letting things come to this.

"But first, I need something from you," Ivy continued, answering her latest objection with a sneer. "I want the secret to not having eggs before I kill you."

Of course he did. Lily did not bother muffling her mocking laugh. "Willing to kill the next alpha, but not willing to defy your own mate. I thought you would be free of all your masters?"

"I do not need it just for _that,_ " Ivy hissed angrily. "It is power, a power that would otherwise die with you."

She was not about to correct that misconception. Crystal knew the secret, but if Ivy thought he could get it from anyone else, he would kill her immediately. The false vulnerability she had held with Claw was now real vulnerability, a secret the only thing keeping her alive.

He pressed in, jamming her more firmly against the tree. "Tell me."

"And hasten the moment of my own demise?" Lily spat defiantly. "Not happening."

"I disagree." He pushed in a slightly different direction, eliciting excruciating pain as the tree was rubbed along her back a bit. "I think you will say sooner or later."

She was in trouble. She knew this. There was nobody close enough to hear her call out for help, and doing so would just end with him slitting her throat before anyone could come anyway. But...

Something had just come to mind. Something terrible, sneaky, and cruel, made possible by something she had spotted. So cruel, so callous.

But she would do whatever was necessary to live another day. The pack needed her, now as much as ever, and Ivy was _not_ going to destroy everything she planned to do before it ever happened.

"Any time now," he growled, one paw now pinning her head to the ground at an angle, and the other pushing back and forth across her side, rubbing her tortured back against the tree.

She held out for a while, howling and crying as Ivy patiently tormented her. At one point she was sure she could lunge at him, but it was a risk while her plan was sure, so she played the incapacitated, suffering role Ivy would expect to see. He would not believe what was to come next if she gave in too soon.

Agony, to an end. After a time she deemed long enough, she gasped. "Fine! Just stop!"

He obliged, purring malevolently. "Finally. Took longer than I expected."

In that moment, he sounded and looked much like Claw, and it brought back memories better left buried. She found that what she was about to do was much easier to accept, seeing him like that.

"When... you live with the pain... long enough... it changes what you can stand," Lily panted, whining for extra effect. "The trick is a plant, one with a strange property."

Ivy purred. "I had heard you know plants. It makes sense that one would be the answer. Which one?"

"Only which?" Lily laughed, her voice hoarse from the howling. "Let me live and I will tell you how much and what part is most effective."

In response, he pushed lightly, hurting her once more. "We can continue this until you tell all," he muttered threateningly.

"No!" She did not have to fake the fear in her voice at that suggestion. "There is a bush..."

And here it came. Her words were murder. But it needed to be done. For the good of the pack.

"One leaf on each plant can do the job, but it's really hard to find which. You need one specific leaf from each bush, and you need two at a time." Lily inhaled deeply. "Or you can just eat both bushes entirely. That gets what you need for sure."

"You put the single leaves in fish," Ivy said.

"Took a really long time to find them, but I needed... I needed you to not understand how. Two bushes, no more and no less. The leaves are very hard to find."

"What kind of bush?" Ivy had fallen for it, if she judged by the smug satisfaction in his voice. He was even looking around...

"That one." Lily indicated with her tail, pointing to the trio of bushes that had caught her eye earlier, just beyond Claw's corpse.

Ivy laughed scornfully. "And should I kill you now? Or is there more you can tell me?"

"Sometimes it does other things," Lily continued, hoping she wasn't coming across as anything other than hurt, afraid, and cooperative. "I must know how you will react to say what. It varies."

"Just tell me all possible side-effects and their cures," Ivy commanded.

"It took me... season-cycles to learn all of that," Lily wheezed, laughing at the very idea. "You do not have that time. But it is always the same reaction."

"If I have no side-effect and it turns out you were just stalling, I will kill you slowly." Ivy turned angrily, scanning the forest.

Claw had promised that too. For people like him and Ivy, pain and death were the only motivators they saw in others. It made them manipulatable in turn.

Ivy left her for all of a few heartbeats, returning with two of the three bushes dangling from his mouth. He dropped them and nosed at the leaves. "How do I tell which of the leaves is the strong one?"

"You have to hold each one up to the sun," Lily replied calmly, thankful that he didn't suspect her true motives. But how could he? He had no idea what was possible, what she knew and could do with that knowledge. "Some of them will have a slightly darker glow. Of those, you need to lick each one, separately, without swallowing it."

That was pretty much impossible, actually, but as Lily was making it up on the spot, almost impossible was perfect.

"And then I will know?" Ivy looked disappointed.

"No, of those some will taste strange. Of that selection, you want the one that is neither too large nor too small-"

"Forget it!" he snarled. "I will just eat both of these stupid bushes."

"It is... an option," Lily said, inhaling shakily. She was a bit worried about the still-growing pool of blood, but this could not be rushed. "Let me finish."

"No. You just want more time." Ivy picked up, chewed on, and then swallowed one of the small bushes, gagging as he did. And then the other.

Lily felt a coldness in her heart. One of those same bushes had almost killed her. She had just tricked Ivy into eating two. Now her focus was on keeping him ignorant until it was too late. How long would it take?

"Side effects," Ivy repeated, sitting down within reaching distance, clearly ready to strike in an instant. "What could they be?"

"Everyone feels a little tired at first," Lily lied, hoping to ensure Ivy did not catch it too early. "That passes after a while. Then, after that is gone, it depends."

"Wait..." Ivy glared at her. "I did not feel anything when I ate your fish. What makes this different?" His voice was dangerous, and it was clear he was beginning to suspect she was not cooperating as fully as he had thought.

"That was one leaf, a temporary effect," Lily improvised, talking slowly. "Once a moon-cycle. Two is three moon-cycles, but with the side-effects. More reliable, less annoying."

"I... I suppose." Ivy yawned. "What is the worst side-effect?"

Lily could see that his body was beginning to seize up, something she herself hadn't noticed until far too late, the many tiny movements of frills and tailfins stopping entirely acting as a visual sign. It had begun, and she doubted Ivy could kill her now if he tried.

So, she spoke truthfully. "It almost killed me. Paralysis, for almost a whole day. And I had only taken half of what you just did."

Ivy's eyes widened, but he didn't move, and still looked sleepy.

"You trusted me..." Lily laughed hoarsely. "You let me tell you what to eat. Smart, to get me like this..."

She struggled to her feet, finally getting that terrible tree away from her brutalized back, and put her head near Ivy's, whispering in his ears.

"But not smart enough to wonder what else I knew about plants. Not smart enough to suspect someone who just had Claw killed _might_ not be weak."

A strangled groan, one that sounded peculiarly weak, emanated from the rigid dragon.

Lily sat down in front of him, looking into his eyes. She didn't know how far this would go. It might kill him, or it might just paralyze him, like it had her.

It was possible, likely even, that he was dying. If he was, there was no stopping it. Even making him throw up wouldn't work; it hadn't in her case.

His breathing became quick and short, laboring more and more with every passing moment.

She didn't turn away as that same breathing died out entirely, and his eyes by degrees turned cold and lifeless. His body, though it remained eerily sat on its hindlegs, was still. Dead.

Her doing. His, for threatening her life and then believing her words, but hers because she had told the lie that led to his death. There was no difference between this and her somehow springing up to rip his throat out when he had her pinned. It was just slower and less direct.

Claw had deserved to die, beyond any doubt, but she couldn't say the same of Ivy. She had doubts, it was possible he could have been better, out from under Claw and Diora, given time and guidance-

Or maybe he would have done this sooner or later no matter what she tried. He had already decided that killing his masters was the way out from under them; it was only fair that he be willing to risk death if he was willing to deal it out.

Lily rose, moving gingerly, and turned her back on the two bodies. Ivy's death was going to cause problems, and questions would be asked, but she was done thinking about it for tonight. Tomorrow, she could decide how to handle it.

With that decision, if she could call postponing a choice a decision at all, she began the long trek back to the mountain, moving slowly through the forest. Her body hurt and her mind was done for tonight. Answers as to tomorrow's challenges would have to wait until morning.

As she walked, she spotted a particular vine creeping around the trunk of a nearby tree, but dismissed it. She didn't need it, pain was nothing new to her, and…

She stopped walking. Claw was dead, and wouldn't be hurting her any more. She almost wanted to keep walking anyway, to put up with the pain just to spite him and Ivy, but with that thought she just felt childish. Dulling the pain was practical, as she would be able to move more quickly without suppressing a hiss at every step.

It was far too easy to slice off a short length of the plant and choke it down, given it was right there, and she had barely walked five steps before the difference was noticeable. She was still aware of the pain, it just no longer bothered her.

Although, now that she wasn't so focused on the pain, or at least focused on ignoring it, she was increasingly aware of a sticky feeling running along where her wing met her back and down her neck to her side. She probably looked a mess, so she quickly rubbed the worst of it off onto the soft bark of a tree; it would not do for the new alpha to return from the forest covered in blood.

She continued walking in a haze, focusing on putting one paw in front of the other for a while, gradually heading up and out, up along Pyre's path. As she walked, she looked out over the forest, watching as she climbed higher and higher.

She could feel she was now only bleeding a trickle, so her back was not too badly cut open... but maybe it should be. She could rip it and hope it healed correctly...

No. She had people counting on her and was not about to risk death of sickness from a totally reopened wound after surviving Claw and Ivy. That meant this was the highest into the sky she was ever going to get from now on. This path, ending at that ledge she knew so well.

Pyre's cave. That had to be a reason he had lived here. Height, to feel the sky and wind always, though he could never be totally free in either.

She stopped by his cave, looking in. It was small, unassuming... home. Her home, now.

Despite her pain and fatigue, she lingered there. Tomorrow or some day soon after, she could claim it. She would not feel right in crowding Crystal's family rock on a regular basis anyway. She would rather sleep here, alone except for the memories. There were practical considerations too, such as the soothing feeling of the sky she was probably going to need in the future, permanently grounded as she was, but that was secondary.

But for tonight, she was not going to sleep here. She needed her new minor injuries tended to, anyway. More pain to look forward to in the near future.

Leaving the cave, she began the walk down to the valley below on the other side of the mountain. The path had several nice overlooking edges...

The valley was dark and quiet, no movement visible. Her fledglings were down there, all of them. Hopefully healing divides and physical wounds alike. Root was down there somewhere, though he was always in the dark now, with both his Sire and Dam, probably peacefully asleep. That Dam with the scar across her face was there too, somewhere, with her daughter. Pina, Grass, Dew, and others Lily knew were all down there.

And so were people like Diora, who hurt their own hatchlings out of misplaced ambition and bad thinking, people who needed a lot of watching and careful sounding out. How would they adapt to the way things had turned out. _Would_ they adapt? And if they didn't, if they opposed her, how would she rid the pack of them?

She wouldn't kill them. That felt like a path that should only be taken in the most serious circumstances. But she might have to wait until they did something bad enough to get them exiled.

At some point, she had resumed her long and painful journey and was now walking amidst the rocks of the valley, on the final leg of the path to rest.

Down here, she could hear murmuring, tired dragons not yet quite ready to sleep, talking. Probably worrying, some of them, or just confused. What would happen next, who was really going to lead? Questions aplenty.

And she was going to have to be the one to answer them, each and every one. Tomorrow. Tonight, that burden was too large to be contemplated, though it was one she had taken on willingly.

And on the subject of burdens too large to be dealt with, postponed for later… Lily stopped at the base of Crystal's rock, looking up at the slumbering light wings there. Two on one side, and another just out of reach, physically separated in a fairly accurate representation of the gap between Crystal and her parents. She, too, was putting off something that needed to be done.

Jumping up onto the rock was out of the question. Lily whined as she reached up to climb it, stretching forward and straining her back out of necessity. She hauled herself up and collapsed next to Crystal, worn out.

Despite her weariness, she didn't fall asleep all that quickly. She lay on the rock, next to Crystal, and thought of nothing. Half-formed ideas for how to pull the pack together flitted in the back of her head, never fully coming together, and her back ached fiercely.

Added to all of that was a simple fact. She hadn't slept outside in moon-cycles, and she wasn't used to it. After all that had happened, she felt too exposed, out in the open. It was better than the confines of the side-cavern Claw had forced her to reside in, but not perfect.

Pyre's cave would be perfect; a private place open to the air but also sheltered. Soon…

O-O-O-O-O

"Wake up," a voice crowed in her ear. "Today is a great day!"

Lily groaned, only just remembering in time that rolling over was a _bad_ idea. "The sun's not up," she complained. She had expected that to wake her, not Crystal.

"It is way past dawn, you have a wing over your face," was the chirpy reply. "Come on, the struggle is over! Why would you want to miss a moment of this Claw-free world?!"

Feeling entirely disgruntled, Lily backed up and nearly slipped off the rock, shaking her head, trying to clear the fog of sleep. "This is not a good way to start the day."

"Waking up bright and early?" Crystal warbled.

"Waking up and realizing I didn't have time to figure out anything last night," Lily clarified. "Getting up early doesn't help though."

"Well, then what _were_ you doing?" Crystal huffed, jumping off of the rock. She looked up at Lily. "You took forever to come back from the forest. I was getting worried."

"You were asleep," Lily noted as she carefully eased her way down.

"Because I saw you walking through the valley," Crystal explained. "Once I knew I did not have to go looking for you, I went to sleep."

How might things have gone if Crystal had thought to come looking for her? Lily couldn't even speculate on that. It was in the past anyway. But did she want to tell her friend what had happened?

The last time she kept something from Crystal, it was a mistake she regretted. The last time she kept secrets from Pyre was also a mistake.

"I had... issues," Lily admitted. "If you go back to Claw's body, you will find Ivy's too."

Crystal walked right into the side of another rock, shocked at just the right moment. She leaped back, paws to her snout as she groaned.

"Lily, do not joke like that..." Then she looked up, her face falling. "But you do not joke, not usually, and that would not be funny."

"It's not a joke. He attacked me."

"And you won that fight?" Crystal asked incredulously. "I mean, that is great, much better than the alternative, but how?"

"You don't care?" She had just admitted to killing Ivy.

"He attacked you," Crystal said simply. " _And_ he betrayed you, twice. It is not as if you killed an innocent, and I know you would not have killed unless that was the only option."

"It was." She shook her head. "But Diora is going to throw a fit." Hiding what she had done was never _really_ an option; Ivy's body would be discovered, people would ask questions, and Diora would push for answers. It was known that she had been out in the forest, alone. No amount of lying would be enough to guarantee the blame didn't fall on her.

"I think I am going to spend today guarding you," Crystal said seriously. "So, what are we doing? You have plans, I assume."

"Gather the pack," Lily requested. "I need to get some things done, and as you have so graciously made sure I'm up early, you get to be sure everyone else is too."

"This feels like a punishment," Crystal grumbled. "Fine. I will remember not to disturb your precious sleep. We did not have this problem in the cave."

"We did not have the sun in there either." Lily headed off towards the plateau, climbing on top and sitting down in the center, looking out across the valley. Light wings began to gather, waking their neighbors in the wake of Crystal's passing, walking and flying down to the area around the plateau. Some stared at her angrily, others speculatively, and many didn't look at her at all.

Once everyone was there, Crystal dropping down just in front of the plateau, Lily roared, her throat protesting as she did.

"Things need to be sorted out," she began in a calm, authoritative tone. "But I will start by saying that no one is going to be punished, tortured, or killed. That alone should make this less tense than most of the recent assemblies here."

A scatter of laughter, though it was not intended to be funny.

"It's not that funny," she said sternly. "We, as a people, allowed that to happen." She shook her head sadly. "But no more. First, a simple question. Who will lead us?"

"I thought you had already taken that position," someone called out.

"We did kind of choose her yesterday," another voice countered. "Some of us, anyway."

"Exactly," Lily agreed loudly. "Some of you chose me. Others did not. So now I want to give the entire pack a choice. Will you have me as your leader?" She shrugged her wings, wincing. "I try, though I am not perfect. And I do not want power... I just want to help people, and to keep everyone happy and safe. No more."

"We only have male alphas," a male objected.

"Give me one good reason for that," Lily countered, "and then several more, because one reason alone will not be enough."

The male's mate smacked him with her tail, and he backed down. "Never mind," he said weakly.

"Okay," Lily granted. "Does anyone else have any fundamental objections to me being alpha?"

"You killed Claw!"

"No, I did not. I _would_ have if the opportunity presented itself, and was responsible for his death, but I did not do it myself. And why is that a problem?" She suspected one of Claw's more fervent former supporters had raised that objection. She didn't see Cressa in the crowd, or Diora, but both were definitely present. Everybody was, down to the hatchlings held carefully in their Dams' mouths.

Silence. If anyone objected, and she was sure at least a few still did, they didn't want to speak out. It was ironic that the same mentality that kept Claw in charge for so long was now helping her. Luckily for them, she planned on breaking them out of that habit.

"Anyone else?" She turned in a slow circle, looking at as many people as possible. Dew and Pina were there, and Liona and Cedar, and everyone else she knew. "It seems like there are not."

She caught a hateful glare from Cressa, finally spotting her lurking near the back of the crowd.

"But," she announced, realizing that she needed to address a few things prior to the pack officially accepting her as alpha, to forestall certain arguments being used against her in the future, "there are some things I need to say first."

She turned again, dismissing Cressa to look out at her people. "There will be no more challenges. Some other way of changing alphas will be decided upon later, and it will _not_ involve attacking the current alpha in any way, shape, or form."

There was a low murmur of understanding from the pack, but no loudly voiced complaints, though she had expected at least a few. Maybe she had underestimated how sick her people were of violence from their alpha or anyone at all, not having been present for Claw's last moon-cycle of control.

"I bring this up partly because I am not even alpha yet, and already I _have_ been attacked," she announced coldly. "Someone was told of the amnesty I had proposed, a way to start anew, and decided that killing me was a better idea."

"Who?" a dozen different people cried out at once. Some sounded intrigued, others horrified. Lily understood the latter all too well; Claw was one thing, but having other, seemingly random light wings descending into attempting to kill for their own ends was unheard of.

"Ivy." She shook her head sadly. "I was forced to stop him before he did it. I tried to talk him out of it first. But in the end, if someone threatens my life for nothing more than their own twisted ends, I won't let them win. He died trying to emulate Claw."

"You killed my mate!" Diora lunged from the crowd, practically frothing at the mouth, only to be restrained by Crystal, who had moved over to stand by her in anticipation of her reaction.

"Your mate left me no choice. If I had any other option, I would have taken it." She growled at Diora. "He planned to kill you too, after me." He had not said as much, but it was implied in how he spoke of killing those who controlled him and having no masters.

Diora did not take that news as a reason to stop struggling, but it gave her pause, and others leaped in to assist Crystal in holding her down. She was soon subdued, sitting sullenly with her tail held down to stop her from leaping forward again.

"I am not perfect," Lily said loudly, addressing the crowd. "But I try to be better. I don't want this position, but I _do_ want to fix things in this pack and make it so that we never have another Claw as alpha. So, will you have me as alpha? To _serve_ , not take power for my own satisfaction? To be the first to go hungry, the last to get what I personally want, if that is for the good of the pack?"

She lifted her wings, displaying their weak, half-spread, crippled mockery. "I think," she concluded less loudly, confident that her words were heard in the dead silence of the crowd, "that I have proven I am willing to sacrifice my own happiness for the good of all. Else, I would have left long ago."

No response. She worried for a moment that her speech had not been enough, that nobody _really_ wanted her as alpha-

And then realized the true reason none had spoken up. "Roar if you accept me as alpha," she explained. It was an imprecise, imperfect method, but the most meaningful she could think of.

The response was not half-hearted. Light wings, one after another, began to roar, a roar of triumph. Not for themselves, but for her. It was a strange sound to use to elect a leader, but it felt right. The valley was soon practically vibrating with sound, echoes magnifying the storm of noise.

Oh, there were a few who dissented, who growled or snarled, she was sure, but that did not overrule the voices of the majority. The pack had decided.

Were they just settling for anyone better than Claw? Were they desperate for someone who knew what to do to take charge? Did some of them wonder whether she would be alpha for long, or whether they could take her place someday, maybe soon?

Yes, yes, and almost certainly yes. But their decision was still a good one. She would make it a good one.

"Okay." She bowed her head. "This feels like a weight, not a privilege. That is how it should be." But she had already carried that weight. Now, it was official. That was a good feeling.

"And the first thing I am going to do," Lily announced, "is officially forget the last day. I no longer remember who stood with Claw, and who did not. I cannot allow myself to hold any grudges as leader of the _whole_ pack. I hope the rest of you will do the same."

Murmurs, mostly approving. Lily knew it was a symbolic gesture, not a literal lack of memory, and she also knew that no one would really forget, but it needed to be officially dismissed. Otherwise, people might feel vindicated in holding grudges.

"On that same line, those who killed Claw, whoever you were," and there she held in a purr, "are not guilty of murder. I would say I myself am not either. Killing in defense of one's own life is not desirable, but it sometimes needs to be done. But from here on out, we are not going to turn to violence to solve anything."

What next? She was momentarily at a loss; she had almost gotten used to some anonymous voice in the crowd prodding her forward, making her speech less long-winded and more like a conversation. But nobody was speaking now.

A fledgling caught her eye, Dew's son bouncing up and down on her back, and she knew something else that needed to be said.

"Things are going to change," she declared. "But not today. Not right now. I could throw out a dozen new ideas and corrections, ways to fix the rot Claw left in our very way of life, but it wouldn't stick. So for now, life goes on as it did before. I am going to come speak to every single one of you over the next few days," and that was a good idea even if it did promise to be exhausting, "and I will not be deciding anything until I do. So rest easy. Your voices will all be heard."

She preempted the clamor she could see beginning with a loud bark, straining her throat, which was still weak. " _I_ will come to _you_. One at a time. For now, go about your lives. Be kind to others, think about what feels _wrong_ to you about how we live. Look at your lives and think about what could be better, what should not be."

This time, she did nothing to stop the talking, the speculation and conversation that sprang up as soon as it became apparent that she was done. Light wings began to drift away, walking or flying out into the rest of the valley, the group dispersing.

Crystal hopped up onto the plateau. "You know," she said quietly, barely audible over the noise of the dispersing crowd, "Cressa is going to do something terrible soon."

"I know." She knew her Dam. The same female who had taunted Pyre once a season-cycle for so long would not so easily give up a grudge.

"Diora might too," Crystal added.

"She might, but I think I can preempt that." Lily intended to speak to her as soon as possible, to confront that lingering issue and hopefully resolve it. She had a few ideas as to how, but much of it would depend on Diora, regardless of how she approached the problem.

"And some of the males-"

"Want to take my place, or maybe just take me and by extension my place," Lily concluded, cutting her off. "Yes, I know. Thank you for making sure."

"There is a lot to do," Crystal summarized. "And you are going to talk to _everyone_? That will take days."

"Will I have your help and protection?" Lily asked hopefully.

"My help? Definitely. But I think you will need to get more competent guards," Crystal admitted. "What are we doing now?"

"Honoring someone who deserves it." She was not willing to make that particular issue wait any longer.

O-O-O-O-O

The body had not finished decomposing; Lily had to look away. Whenever her gaze landed upon it, she felt torn inside, like something was ripping in her chest. The pain mirrored that in her back, but was somehow even more integral, a part of her that would never really fade.

Instead of looking at Pyre's body, she looked up, at those who had come here with her. Crystal stood opposite her, but it was not only her. Pina had come, and Dew with her. Crystal's parents were also there, though Crystal had balked at inviting them. Lily hoped them being present would help mend that divide; Pyre would have approved of his long-postponed sendoff being used to manipulate parents and child into making up and reconnecting.

Six light wings. Only three present had ever met Pyre, and two only briefly. The only other person in the pack who knew him in any way was not present because she had watched her mate murder him and approved.

Still, six were enough, and to increase their numbers would mean inviting people Pyre had not even the most tenuous of connections to. That was not how this sort of thing was meant to work. It was a family affair, and she was already stretching the definition to fit her own twisted life. Not a single person present was related to her by blood. By casual shared parenthood, friendship just as close as blood, shared pain and shared oppression, but not truly blood.

"Some…" Lily bowed her head, blew a bit of smoke from her nostrils, and gathered herself. "Some of us don't get what we deserve. Sometimes, life plays favorites, leaves others out in the cold for no real reason."

She didn't know where to go from there, so she left that statement hanging in the air, unfinished. It was truth, in a way, but there was nothing more she could say on the matter.

"For those of you who don't know," she began anew, not looking up, her eyes fixed on the stone between her paws, "he…"

Another false start. She took a deep breath and abandoned all attempts at oration. "He called himself Pyre, and taught me everything he knew. Played with me when I was bored, told me stories, taught me right from wrong, acted like more of a Sire than Claw ever could have. Claw murdered him for no reason at all and left his body here to rot."

She glanced up at Crystal, and then looked down again. Seeing the pity in her friend's eyes would shatter her composure, and she wasn't done yet.

"I never learned his real name," she admitted. "His life was so terrible he didn't want to use it anymore. He was not happy when I met him. I think I made his life better just by being there. I hope so, because he died for me in the end. I wish it did not take me so long to be able to come here and do right by him."

"I wish he was still here," she choked out. "To see that I'm all right. To be happy."

A low whine from someone else, multiple other dragons, broke her resolve completely, and she keened loudly, choking on her grief. She stepped forward blindly and heaved, opening her mouth and letting her fire pour out, somehow unrestricted and even aided by the painful constriction in her chest.

She could feel the heat of the others doing the same, but refused to open her eyes and see. This was necessary, good, honorable, but she doubted the sight of Pyre's decomposing body burning to ash would ever leave her mind if she made the mistake of witnessing it. She flamed blindly, wishing with all her heart that things had gone differently.

And when her flame was gone, she stepped back and forced herself to stop wishing for the impossible. She was not one to dwell on lost chances and impossible scenarios, and there was no way to go back and change this. The only way to move forward was to _look_ forward.

When she opened her eyes, her friends and family, unconventional and in some cases distant as they were, had come between her and the remains, blocking her view. She was thankful for that.

In a moment, she would gather herself, leave this place, and begin reshaping the pack, speaking to everyone and solidifying the many plans she had already come up with. She would have to deal with Cressa, and Diora, and everyone else who wanted her dead or just wanted something from her that she could not or would not give. She would deal with being grounded permanently, with the pain that came with every movement.

Soon. For just a moment more, she let herself grieve, and recalled that the one responsible for her pain would receive no such honor. She would be sure of that, both in having his body removed in the most dishonorable ways possible, and in removing every trace of his influence from the pack she had sacrificed so much to free.


	30. Cautious

"Tell me again why she is the first one you are asking about how to make the pack better?" Crystal requested as they walked. "I would not take her advice on anything, even to appease her."

"I plan to make her want me in charge," Lily explained. Diora was watching them from atop her rock, glaring down at them as they approached. "While not promising anything I am not going to do anyway, and not letting her feel she has power over me."

"Sounds hard."

"It might not be possible," she admitted. "Stay close, but don't say anything unless I ask. She would be offended that you were butting in." Crystal not joining the conversation would also make it much easier to direct.

"Got it." Crystal stopped just short of the rock. "How are you getting up?"

"With difficulty," Lily remarked, looking at the painfully high jump she would have to make. "Diora, I've come to speak to you."

"Get up here, then," Diora said spitefully, having heard the last part of their exchange. Lily could almost see the petty reasoning behind Diora letting her ascend onto her rock, thinking it would hurt and be humiliating.

Which it would. But she underestimated Lily's ability to hold the pain inside and act like nothing was amiss-

"Here," Crystal said, crouching in front of the rock. "I can help you up. Step on my back."

"You don't have to do that," she objected. Literally stepping on her friends was _not_ the image she wanted to convey, and other light wings were watching.

"I want to," Crystal said loudly. "I help my friends."

"Okay," Lily conceded, stepping onto Crystal's back and quickly continuing up onto the rock. She met Diora's scornful glare with what she hoped was unruffled neutrality. Crystal hopped up behind her, but stayed back, watching carefully.

"Speak your piece and begone," Diora hissed.

"I was hoping to have you speak to me," Lily said casually, "but I suppose I could start. I'm sorry things turned out the way they did with your mate."

"The mate you killed?" Diora glared fiercely at her, but didn't come closer. Lily attributed that to Crystal's presence; Diora would definitely get physical if she could.

"I wish he had not forced me to that point," Lily said diplomatically. "But I do not regret saving at least two lives. Mine and yours."

"You say he would have killed me, but that is just a lie to make me not care about what you did," Diora spat.

"He had seen Claw's body, attacked me, and spoke of how he would be free of us all. Claw, me, you." Maybe Pearl, but he hadn't mentioned her, and that wasn't something Lily wanted to bring up with Diora in any case.

"All I have is your word, and you lie as easily as you breathe," Diora retorted. She didn't seem at all convinced.

"Which is why I am going to leave it there, with my apology and explanation," Lily retorted, seizing the conversation and forcing it away from the lost cause that was convincing Diora that her life had been saved. "I will not point to evidence, like the recent damage my already injured back shows."

"Disgusting," Diora murmured. "You walk around like a fledgling who has not learned to clean herself."

Lily suddenly realized that not only had she not gotten her back looked at the night before, she had totally forgotten about it in the morning and afterward. It already ached with every movement; a little more pain wasn't noticeable enough on its own to spark her memory, and she had come here after mourning Pyre…

"Yes, I know," she said, resolving to try and clean herself off as soon as she was done talking to Diora. For now, though, she needed to pretend it was intentional, and come up with an explanation…

"I won't clean myself until I have begun cleaning the wounds the pack is suffering from now," she improvised. "I have already said I will tend the pack's needs above my own." She could put it off until nightfall, to make good on that. It wasn't bothering her yet. "And to do that, I need to ask you something."

Diora glared and said nothing.

"What do you want changed?" Lily pressed. "I need to know what everyone needs, what they want. Where do you see yourself in a few season-cycles?"

Diora seemed caught off-guard by the barrage of serious questions; she had probably been expecting an inquiry about her loyalty, or some other unpleasant topic. Being asked what she wanted had to be the last thing she expected.

"I want Claw back," she said, but there wasn't much force behind it.

"Keeping in mind that I am going to do what is best for the pack," Lily clarified with a snort. "And that I cannot raise the dead."

"I want…" Diora trailed off, looking around. Eventually she looked back at Lily. "I want my daughter back. And I want Pearl _punished_ for taking her. And a new mate, a better one, and to have a say in what the pack does."

Crystal made a small noise of disapproval, a near-silent huff that only Lily heard. As if she needed a reminder to _not_ just give Diora everything she requested.

Still, she had to get Diora on her side, and the best way to do that was to make sure Diora knew her life would improve so long as she just accepted the way things were and didn't put up a fight as the world changed around her. "There will be more available males going forward," she offered. "As for Silva, I don't _know_ where she is, but if you wish to go looking, I can ask the pack for volunteers to go with you."

"I want her brought back here," Diora clarified. "And Pearl punished."

"I promise to judge Pearl as she deserves, should I ever be in a position to do so," Lily said carefully. "You do understand why I cannot promise to just punish her the moment it is in my power, of course. I must be fair to everyone. But I will definitely _empathise_ with your side of things."

Diora purred consideringly, hearing what Lily had meant for her to hear. She interpreted that as a promise to make it seem fair, but to rig the result of such a judgement in her favor.

Lily meant it as something different; she doubted Pearl would ever really return, and she would do her best to avoid being put in a position where Diora would expect her promise to be fulfilled, but if it came down to it she would do what she had said, not what Diora had heard. She would judge Pearl fairly.

"And Silva?" Diora asked hopefully.

"If we knew where to go, I would be all for sending a search party," Lily lied. "But we don't. I can ask around and find out Pearl she told anyone where she was going," though she knew Pearl had intentionally _not_ given that information away, as it was just common sense, "but lacking a destination, I cannot order anyone to go on a wild fish chase. You may go if you wish."

"There is no point," Diora growled. "And a voice in the pack's decision-making?"

"All will have a voice," Lily offered. She had already planned as much. "You included."

"Not good enough."

"I'm sorry, but that is not negotiable," Lily said firmly. She hadn't succeeded in promising Diora anything that couldn't be done under another alpha, but that was more Diora's fault than anything. She had _liked_ her position in the old way of things, and improving on said position wasn't something Lily could do without compromising on her own goals, which came first. "You will have a fair, equal voice, just like anyone else."

"I deserve more. You killed my mate!"

"Your favorite alpha killed dozens and crippled me for life, to say nothing of your own mate trying to kill _me_ ," Lily retorted. "I ask nothing of you but loyalty. Consider what you are getting in return a fair trade, and be content."

"Or else?" Diora hissed.

"Be discontent," Lily said casually. "But if you strike at me or try to undermine what I intend to create, you will be stopped."

"You will not kill me," Diora said fearfully, backing up to the very edge of the rock.

"No," Lily agreed. "I won't. I won't torture you, either, or strike at your children, should you have any more. But I might just throw you out of the pack and let you go searching for Silva… Permanently. Or worse. Do not think that just because I am not Claw and not using his methods, I cannot punish those who need punishing." She was not bluffing, within moments of contemplating Diora working against her, she had already begun to think about morally acceptable ways to neutralize her. Before then, even; discipline was going to be one of the most delicate issues she anticipated being forced to handle sooner rather than later.

"You wronged me," Diora said sulkily.

Lily noticed another irritated huff from Crystal, louder than the first, and decided that it was time to wrap things up. "We are starting anew. I hold no grudges from before, and I expect you to do the same. What we do now matters most, and I will be quick to keep everyone on a better path than before. Keep that in mind." Hidden in that seemingly casual reminder was both a ray of hope and a threat. Diora wasn't being punished for the things she herself had done, whether she recognized them as bad or not, but if she set a paw out of line from now on she could expect to be firmly put in her place.

"I am not calling you my alpha," Diora huffed, trying to get the last word.

"Good," Lily said politely, turning to leave. "That title has bad connotations now. I am going to come up with something better." She hopped off the rock, not letting Diora retort-

And paid for her dramatic exit in pain, her back flaring up as she hit the ground. She staggered, held in a moan, and forced herself to walk away as if nothing had happened.

"I feel dirty," Crystal complained, leaping down to walk beside her. "I so wanted to knock some sense into her. Silva is better off far away from her."

"She has a chance to do better, to be better," Lily said quietly. "One chance. She will not get another. I have done my best to ease her anger, I have warned her, and now I will wait."

"For her to screw up and do something bad? Because we _know_ she will, eventually. Like if she takes another mate and has more eggs-"

Lily cut Crystal off with a wave of her tail, conscious that they might be overheard by any of the light wings lounging on rocks nearby. "She gets a chance, like everyone else, and I hope she will make something of it. If not, then we will deal with her, like we will deal with anyone else intent on acting in ways that are not acceptable."

"She _will_ do something horrible," Crystal muttered.

"Maybe." All the talk about someone doing something terrible brought to mind a different problematic female. Lily looked up at the mountains around them, thinking. She planned on spending the rest of the day talking to people, but afterward? There was something else she wanted, no, _needed_ to do.

O-O-O-O-O

The sun was low in the sky, what looked like a tailwidth away from touching the mountain peaks, and Lily was tired. She nodded sympathetically anyway, making eye contact with the female who was currently talking.

"... So if you could maybe give my mate a talk as well?" the female concluded sourly. "I wanted to oppose Claw, but he wanted to keep his head down, and he just would not listen. He has always been such a worrier."

"And this is just the latest in a long line of fights?" Lily asked gently. She had gotten a pretty good idea of the situation just from listening to her ramble, and suspected she knew the answer. Having already spoken to the male in question also helped fill in the blanks the female was leaving in her rant.

"What?" the female looked up, caught off-guard. "Well, recently, yes… And before that too… We fight a lot. Only it is not really fighting, we just disagree a lot. But what can I do about that?"

"It depends. Imagine for a moment that he was off doing something important for the pack. Would you be happier alone?" She was getting a lot of practice in sounding casual; it was the best way to ask such sensitive questions.

"He would be coming back eventually," the female grumbled, which in itself was an extremely telling answer. "But we are mates, and we have to work out our problems."

"I see." She made small talk for another few moments, bid the female farewell, and left.

Crystal fell in beside her, but said nothing for a while. Only once they had entered the burial grounds did she speak. "She sounds miserable."

"She _is_ miserable," Lily agreed. "I am noticing a pattern." Several, actually, though the other one was more of a reflection. Back when everyone had first chosen sides, she had spoken to a male whose mate was with Claw. This felt like a reflection of that.

She had resolved to check in on him and his mate, now that she thought about it. Well, she would eventually get around to them in the process of talking to everyone.

"Females forced to choose the only males left after Claw killed the rest, and being unhappy later?" Crystal guessed. "You did go to a lot of younger mated pairs today. I know plenty of the older pairs are happy together."

"And we will get to them in due time," Lily responded. "But yes. It only makes sense. How many lost the male they wanted because he was too stubborn, or too brave, or too ambitious? And how happy would they be with males who by definition shared none of those traits?"

"You do not have to convince me. Do you have a solution?"

"I might, but let me talk to everyone before I say anything about it." The way she saw it, there was an obvious answer. Let any unhappily mated pair come to her, and she would declare them not mates. The alpha had the authority to do that, or at least Claw had, and everyone would assume she now did. She could use it to revoke the forced pairs Claw had induced, or at least the ones that wanted it. It would cause some small amount of chaos, but so long as she handled things correctly, it would solve quite a few of the recurring conflicts she had unearthed today.

"Okay. How many more days do you think it will take to get through the _whole pack_?" Crystal asked, scrunching her face up in annoyance. "We only got through a dozen light wings today."

"It doesn't matter how long it takes," Lily said. "If you don't want to be there, we could take some time tomorrow to line up some other guards for me-"

"We should do that anyway," Crystal said fervently. "I feel inadequate. What if Cressa gets a group together and attacks? I am not that good at fighting."

"We can do that tomorrow," Lily decided, "but how would you fare against just Cressa if it came down to an ambush?"

"Oh, just her? I could handle that." Crystal drew her claws across a rock in passing. "I think."

"Are you sure?" Lily pressed.

Crystal turned and stared at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to go claim Pyre's cave for myself," Lily admitted, looking at the mountain in front of them. That was where they were going now, though she hadn't taken the most direct path there. "And if she has been waiting for the first moment I am alone, that would be it."

"You would not be alone…" Crystal paused for a moment and looked up at the mountainside. "Unless I camouflage and wait for her to strike. You want her to attack, I think."

"Right now, I have no fair way to punish her for all she has done," Lily admitted bitterly. It wasn't fair at all; Cressa had led Claw to Pyre, had helped him more than anyone else. If anyone deserved some sort of punishment, it was her, but that couldn't happen. The lesser offenders would all riot if they thought Lily was coming for them next, and the pack would be broken in two once more. Things were too fragile to risk on that.

But if Cressa attacked her now? With a reliable witness everyone knew was tasked with protecting her at the moment? She would have a _new_ offense to go after, an example to make that would dissuade people like Diora… And she would have revenge for what Cressa had done in the past, though that would not be the given reason for the judgement she intended to pass down.

"So yes," she admitted, "I want her to attack. You'll camouflage here, I'll go up to the cave and go inside, and the moment she lands to come in after me, you'll pounce on her. If she's camouflaged I'll fire on her, and we'll be looking for it."

"I am not comfortable with doing that on my own," Crystal said bluntly. "Can we wait until I have a few helpers, like with Claw?"

"You should be enough…" Lily ventured, already knowing that she was wrong. If Crystal didn't think she would be sufficient, then she probably wouldn't be, her overwhelmed attitude doing her in just as much as an actual inadequacy.

Crystal, not privy to Lily's doubt, pressed onward regardless. "No, listen. We were stupid last night, letting you go into the forest alone. Cressa was not the only threat, we had just fought off half the pack! I am not going to be that foolish again, not so soon."

"It was not _that_ stupid," Lily objected, cringing at her own lack of thought. Diora could have come after her, or some random Claw supporter; finding her wouldn't have been hard, she had lingered right by Claw's body, which was as good a landmark as any in an otherwise dark, green forest.

"Really?" Crystal asked dryly.

"No, it was stupid," Lily admitted. "I let my guard down." She looked up at the mountainside one more time, forcing herself to wait once again. "Tomorrow we'll get guards and bait Cressa into attacking." Tomorrow, she would claim the one place she felt was safe, the one place with nothing but good memories, even those from the worst time in her life.

"Sounds good," Crystal agreed. "Now can we go to the pond and get the dry blood off your back? I know you were trying to make some sort of statement by keeping it, but it makes me feel sick whenever I look at it."

"Sure. To be honest," she admitted wryly, "I just said that because I didn't want to admit to Diora that I had forgotten about it."

"Fooled me too," Crystal laughed. "Come on."

Lily turned to follow her friend, leaving what she _wanted_ for one more day. She could wait.

O-O-O-O-O

Early the next morning, Lily groaned and rolled onto her side, pulling a wing up over her face. It was far too early to get up, but the sun wasn't giving her much of a choice.

She settled down under her own wing, but the light glow through the membrane was still enough to keep her from doing more than lying in the sunlight, awake and slightly annoyed. She lay there anyway, just to spite whoever had decided that it would be light so early in the morning.

"You never told me she was a late sleeper," Crystal's Sire chuckled. Lily ignored him, for the most part. She had a full day of talking to light wings, finding more guards, and luring Cressa into attacking; she needed her rest.

"We are not used to the sun," Crystal replied sharply. Her tone made Lily pay more attention, though she didn't reveal that she was awake. She had not _forgotten_ that Crystal still was not on good terms with her Sire and Dam, but it had fallen to the wayside as something she would soon fix, and thus not urgent enough to worry about.

Sure enough, Crystal's Sire sighed. "No, I suppose not. It is good to have you back."

"It is awkward, you mean," Crystal complained. "Not with you, with Dam."

"Yes," he agreed. "Awkward because you were not speaking to her."

"Because she kept acting like Claw was _fine,_ like he was just some normal male," Crystal snarled. "I could not stand that. She should at _least_ have let me rant and agreed with me, it is not like it was a matter of opinion, he was objectively horrible."

Lily flicked her tail, feeling for another sleeping body, and found none. Crystal's Dam must have already left for the day, maybe to get fish. Crystal certainly wouldn't be complaining about her if she were present and awake to hear it.

"You are being hard on her," Crystal's Sire said. "Maybe she just wanted to make the best of a bad situation."

"Making the best of it would have been agreeing with me, not bringing him up, and talking of other things," Crystal shot back. "Or better yet, acting like Flare and Whirl and swearing bloody revenge for what Claw did to your daughter. I would have appreciated that, even if nothing came of it."

Crystal's Sire growled softly. "Like I said, you are being too harsh. Have you even spoken to her since his death?"

"No, I am waiting for her to apologize," Crystal said firmly. "I am not the one who did wrong, even if I am the one who stayed away. It was either that or snapping in her face again. You should know."

"I know." There was a long moment of silence before he next spoke, his voice soft. "For what it is worth, I am sorry for not swearing vengeance, if that was what you expected of me."

"When you put it like that it sounds unreasonable, but… Well, yes, I did kind of want something like that." Crystal stepped over Lily, alerting her to the fact that her sleeping form had been acting as something of a divide between them. "Apology accepted. I was not very mad at _you_ , you did not speak well of Claw to my face."

"And your Dam?" he asked.

"I am still waiting for an apology, and ideally an explanation of why she was so obnoxious about him," Crystal hummed thoughtfully. "There has to be a reason."

Lily could think of one obvious reason, but she hoped that was not the case. Crystal had enough issues with her Dam without piling on a downright offensive attraction to Claw, even if he was dead and thus no longer a problem in that regard.

"If there is, I do not know of it," Crystal's Sire admitted.

After a long silence, Lily huffed and shifted her wings, giving up on sleep and seeing a way to break up what she assumed was a very uncomfortable pause in a conversation that seemed all but over.

Sure enough, Crystal raised her voice and spoke in a much lighter tone. "Well, if Dam is fishing right now, I suppose we can let Lily sleep."

"Why are you talking like that?" her Sire asked.

"Because Lily apparently likes sleeping in now," Crystal said. "This way if she wants to keep sleeping she gets to pretend she never woke up, and might not be so grumpy."

Lily laughed, opening her eyes and looking over to find Crystal. "Or I can be grumpy about you waking me with talk of fish." She wouldn't mention the far more serious discussion she had overheard. There didn't seem to be a need.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily paced in front of the three males and two females Crystal had gathered, collecting her thoughts. "Your reasoning behind picking them?" she asked her friend, who was lounging on a rock behind her candidates.

"They want the responsibility and I trust them," Crystal said lazily, waving a paw at the light wings below her. "Ask them yourself."

"I want to help my alpha," Cedar said diffidently. "Liona and I both like you, and Liona would very much like to see you kept safe."

Lily nodded knowingly, though she was only now piecing together his motivation. If Mist had told Liona whose idea it was to nudge her and Cedar together, it made sense that Liona would like her, and Liona was skittish enough to highly value stability. Those combined would be enough to have her wholeheartedly support Cedar defending the alpha… And Cedar seemed head over tail for Liona, so there weren't any ulterior motives there.

He was acceptable. She couldn't select for actual combat experience, because nobody had any, so personality and motivation were the only qualifications. "I see. And you, Flare?"

"My family will be more difficult than most to protect and provide for if something goes wrong, and you have promised to do exactly that," he said bluntly. "I feel I should contribute more to make up for that."

"You owe me no more than anyone does," Lily said, hiding the lingering guilt she felt over Root's condition, "and won't you be needed by your mate and son more than normal?"

"How much of my time would this take up?" he asked.

"I intend to have no guards once everything has settled," Lily lied, knowing full well that she would catch the most crafty malcontents at that very time, "but for now eight is my goal, so that I might have two at any time without taking more than half the day or night from each of you."

"Then I will have more than enough time for them," Flare decided.

Lily nodded at him in turn. He was an easy choice, and the same could be said of Cedar. The other three present were less clear-cut.

"And you?" Lily asked, looking at the next light wing in line.

"I just want to help," Honey said quietly. "But I did not think it would be half a day or night _every_ day or night. That is a lot of time."

"And you have a hatchling," Lily said firmly. "When I come talk to you, we can talk about what you can do to help, but I don't think this is it."

"Okay, it was just an idea," Honey agreed, walking away from the others and springing into the air.

"I do not have any children to worry about," Mist said eagerly. "Let me help."

"Why do you want to help?" Lily asked, suspecting she already knew the answer. Mist was _technically_ mated to Root, or they had at least made their intentions official, but they both agreed that it wasn't real. Mist probably wanted to have that made official, and getting on the alpha's good side before asking would be the smart thing to do.

Lily intended to let them break apart, of course, but she could use Mist's help anyway. So when Mist shrugged her wings and didn't say anything, she nodded anyway. "I understand. And you, Grass?"

"I am making up for being on the wrong side," Grass admitted, not looking Lily in the eye.

"I have officially forgotten who was on which side," Lily reminded her. "You have nothing to 'make up' so long as you do not do something bad now."

"And you do not trust me. I understand." Grass made to leave.

Lily almost let her go, and waited until she was already in the air, flying away. "Crystal, bring her back," she requested.

Once Crystal had returned with a slightly disgruntled Grass, Lily explained. "I had to be sure you were not trying to trick me into letting you help," she said. Pretending to leave in dejection and hoping to be stopped would have been a way to do that. She hadn't seen even the slightest hesitation, though. "You really don't want to do this. Who put you up to it?"

"Cressa and Pina," Grass admitted. "Not together, separately. Pina said I should atone for what I did, and Cressa did not give a reason."

Lily believed that; Grass was not on Cressa's side so firmly that she would risk revealing her intentions. This was a solid confirmation that Cressa _was_ planning something, though…

Could she trust Grass? Did she want to trust Grass?

"You can join," she decided, much to Crystal's visible surprise. "You're all in. I'll arrange a schedule and pair you together later, once we have the other three I want to recruit, but for now I need you all."

"For what?" Grass asked.

"Removing immediate threats," Lily explained, watching Grass carefully. "We are going to set a trap and see who flies into it." Grass would get no chance to warn Cressa, just like last time she had been suspected of being a traitor. If she proved true once more…

If Grass was not helping Cressa, Lily supposed she would be happy to have her as a guard, so long as she was paired with someone reliable. People could change for the better. That was the whole point of her taking over, to protect and guide her fledglings toward a better way of life. She would be a hypocrite to constantly doubt someone who seemed to be trying to atone for her choices, grudgingly or not.

"Now," Lily continued, "here is the plan."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily walked up the lonely path as quickly as she was capable of, ignoring her throbbing back in favor of the anticipation in her heart. She had waited so long for this moment, and at the end of a long day of talking to various light wings, finally taking something for herself felt wonderful.

Not that she was doing this solely for herself. She refrained from looking up, instead gazing out at the valley when possible and looking forward when not, and made her way up to Pyre's cave and overlook.

She lingered there, feeling the wind on her scales and looking out over the entire valley. He had a good view, one she appreciated all the more now, understanding that from now on this was as close as she was ever going to get to flying over the valley.

Her people, her fledglings, were settling down for another peaceful night, unbothered by anything except maybe lingering worry over what she would do as their new alpha. She couldn't help that part any more than she already was by listening to their fears and desires, one by one, remembering what she could and summarizing the rest, fitting long, boring interviews into short, simple goals and issues that needed to be addressed.

She resisted the urge to look around. Everything was well in paw, though it certainly wouldn't seem that way. To an outside observer, she was alone, staring out over the valley from a ledge few knew about, unguarded and extremely vulnerable. A single shove would put her over the ledge.

She squinted, staring through the shimmer that had moved directly in front of her. Crystal must have noticed that particular vulnerability. Looking at the valley through a camouflaged light wing was good enough, given she was not up here _just_ to claim Pyre's cave as her own. Her actions could serve more than one purpose.

Lily lingered for a long while on the ledge, the world darkening around her, and continued to watch as her pack went to sleep for the night. The sky was empty, and there was little to no movement down below, just the occasional shift of people changing positions on their rock. It was warm out, with just a hint of chill in the air, a warning that the hot season would soon be gone.

Time was passing, the days going by quickly. Life was better already. She no longer dreaded the next blow from Claw, the next time he would visit and have his way with her. She had put Pyre to rest, and though thinking of him still hurt her heart, that pain at least did not include an ongoing guilt stacked on top of everything else. The pack was looking to her for guidance.

Things were better. But some people would not let go of the past.

Lily felt an abrupt, powerful shove on her hindquarters, something flinging her onto Crystal, a push that would have doomed her had her guards not been prepared. She felt a moment of panic-

But then several thuds and a surprised bark informed her that her assailant had just been attacked in turn. She disentangled herself from Crystal, who was holding tightly to the ledge, and turned to face her undoubtedly camouflaged…

"Well, that was stupid," she said after the surprise had worn off, looking directly into her Dam's eyes. "For a lot of reasons."

Cressa, fully visible and pinned under unseen weights, struggled, trying to lift her head and free herself. Whoever was on her head just pushed down harder, forcing her against the stone.

"I assumed we would have to do this a couple times, establish a pattern, throw off suspicion," Lily continued, warbling mockingly. "And even then, I worried you would attack from the air, or aim for my obvious weak point, or just try to slit my throat." She had discussed preventative measures for each of those. Two of her guards had flown tight circles above her to intercept blasts, and two were spreading their wings and linking tails to catch anyone sneaking up from either side, leaving only an attack from behind, the direction being watched by both guards. It was not totally safe, but Lily had been confident she would survive any first strike Cressa could manage within those restrictions, so confident that she had asked her guards to _let_ assailants strike before revealing themselves.

Cressa snarled something unintelligible, hampered by not being able to open her mouth.

"Should I let her talk?" Mist asked.

"No, I don't think she has anything worth saying," Lily replied. "Keep her silent. She'll get her chance to speak later." She couldn't deny Cressa that, both because odds were her impulsive, hateful Dam would say something damning of her own accord, and because totally silencing her made it look like Lily had something to hide.

"Anyway," Lily continued, enjoying the moment with a cold satisfaction, "ignoring all of that, you struck without even bothering to camouflage yourself, not a day after convincing Grass to take a place as one of my guards." It likely hadn't been worded as such; Cressa wouldn't have known she was looking to recruit more guards, though maybe she had pushed for Grass to volunteer for the position anyway, to get her in a more useful spot-

Lily shook her head, ridding herself of that line of speculation. It wasn't helpful at the moment. "And you tried to kill me, to throw me over the ledge and to my death if I couldn't fly. But what if I could? What if I managed to survive the fall?" She wasn't sure if she could do such a thing, but her back was still tender, so it was possible she could throw her wings out and fly at the expense of enormous pain and possibly death by renewed infection later. Not that Cressa would know the details.

"It's like you wanted to fail," she concluded, purring mockingly. "Or just did not think it through. I think the latter."

"What do we do with her now?" Crystal asked. Lily noticed that the one she had _assumed_ was Crystal hadn't moved, and that Crystal was speaking from atop Cressa, judging by the sound. She needed to be more wary; a simple sniff of the one in front of her would have revealed her mistaken assumption.

"Now?" Lily purred loudly. "Now, I want two of you to grip her wings with your teeth, but lightly, along the edges. One put a tail on her head and lead the way, and one hold her tail in your mouth. If she tries to flee or fight, bite down as hard as you can and hold on." In that way, any attempt would leave Cressa severely injured and grounded, thus dissuading her from trying _anything._ Lily knew how frightening the prospect of being grounded was. It had affected her, and she feared it far less than most would.

"To?" Flare asked.

"The cavern challenges were fought in," Lily answered. "We are going to have a pack meeting to deal with her tomorrow, but tonight she will be held there. I'll have three of you guard her." She hated to put her new guards through too much strain the very day she had recruited them, but Cressa had been stupid enough to go for the bait immediately, so it was necessary. She had to trust they could keep her overnight.

And on the subject of trust… She turned and caught a long whiff of the light wing who had protected her from being thrown off the ledge. Grass.

"Thank you," she said quietly, before turning and saying the same to the others. "Thank you. We can go now." It seemed her trust in Grass had not been misplaced… Though she still was not going to have Grass guard Cressa tonight, and she wasn't going to sleep in Pyre's cave. Not yet, not when her other guards were occupied with guarding Cressa. She could wait just a little bit longer.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily paced along the plateau, aware that she was not an intimidating figure, and thus very much aware that the fear she saw in the eyes of so many was not a fear of her, specifically. It was a fear based on a much larger, more all-encompassing disappointment.

They feared she was like Claw. They feared the guarded light wing standing behind her, her tail and wings pinned, was going to be her first example.

But she was not like Claw, and while Cressa was going to be an example, a way to set a precedent, the tone was going to be very different.

"Do not fear," she intoned, addressing the subdued discomfort of her fledglings directly. "This is not going to end in bloodshed, or pain, or torture of any kind. I am not here to berate you, demand obedience and subservience, or anything else. We are here because we are trying to be _better_. Right?"

She waited a moment before continuing, judging the relief her words had elicited. Not enough, not nearly enough, but what came next would remove the rest of the nervous tension. "We are here to decide on something, again, as a pack."

She lifted a wing, though her muscles ached and her back burned, and pointed it at Cressa, taking care not to stretch it all the way out and rip her back open again. "Last night, my own Dam tried to kill me."

The shocked murmur that followed that cut itself off before she needed to interrupt; everyone was waiting for her to continue.

"I am not claiming this without evidence, not like Claw would," she continued. "I have no less than five witnesses, and my own word as alpha, and depending on what she intends to say, maybe even a confession. You will hear the story from everyone involved."

 _That_ , she noticed with satisfaction, was enough to do what her reassuring words could not. The pack no longer feared what was to come. Light wings sighed with relief, sat down, and in general lost their wary body language, like a wave washing over the shore and flattening out as it went.

"As a pack," she said, "we have to decide how we are going to discipline each other when rules are broken, when people hurt each other for greed or lust or just out of spite. I was going to address this once I had spoken to everyone, but Cressa here has forced my paw."

Cressa snarled angrily. She was not being silenced by force, but Lily had made it clear that the moment she began roaring or shrieking, she would lose that privilege. Surprisingly, Cressa had heeded that warning.

"If you have objections to what I am about to describe, please speak up at the end," Lily requested. "I want to hear if there are problems. But here is what I have thought out. When a wrong has been committed, one that cannot be solved without a severe punishment, or when the problem is not clear, or when it involves someone close to me, I will alert the pack. The ones involved will all tell their stories, and questions will be asked."

Lily sat on her tail, rising above everyone else in an attempt to draw all eyes to herself and by extension away from Cressa, who was still wordlessly snarling. "We will listen to them all, and then if it is clear who is in the wrong, I will propose a punishment. So long as you, the pack, do not object, it will be done. If a majority thinks my decision unfair, I will take it back and come up with another, until a majority of you agree."

She had thought that through, though it might be rough around the edges. She was not giving the pack the ability to decide on the punishment itself; that was too much power to put in the paws of a large group who could be influenced. She was simply limiting her own control over punishment, the issue most likely to worry everyone, thanks to her predecessor. Never would anyone be able to say she did what she wished without censure. The pack would be able to stop her if she went too far for any reason. Not that they would ever need to, but it was fair, and a system that would outlive her.

"So," she asked, "am I missing anything? Is there a problem with this? Please, speak up."

"You get to decide on punishments?" someone asked worriedly.

"Yes, but you all get to say whether they are fair. It is a majority, so the one being punished cannot just have their friends speak up and block me, but it is there. If the pack thinks I am going too far, they can say so, and I will have to listen." And in making it a pack approval, she would also be putting pressure on everyone to uphold it later, should it come into question, lest they contradict themselves.

"What if you have everyone lie to trick us?" someone else asked.

"Even the one being accused?" Lily casually retorted. Even if she could manage that, it would at least be an obstacle in her way.

"Even then," the female who had raised the concern agreed.

"Well, I don't know what to say to that," Lily said, though in truth she knew exactly how to respond; it just wasn't ideal. "It would not be good, and I wouldn't do it, but at least it would force me to go to some effort? And it would leave trails, people who know I had everyone lie, secrets I would have to keep… This system would make it impossible for an alpha to do that and get away with it forever."

That seemed to mollify the female; she nodded in understanding.

"Hey," a younger male called out, an older fledgling judging by his size, "what if somebody does something bad and nobody tells you, or you refuse to judge them?"

"If nobody tells me?" Lily scrunched up her face. "Isn't that a problem no matter what I am supposed to do after being informed? And if I refuse to judge them… Why would I?"

"You could, though," the fledgling persisted.

"I _could_ , but then the pack would just insist I do what I'm supposed to," Lily reasoned. "And if it gets to a point where I am directly refusing to do my duty, then we have a different, much more serious problem." She would have to address those possibilities when giving her _planned_ speech about the pack's new rules; they wouldn't need to apply to her, but she had to set things up so that the pack could remove ineffective future alphas.

"That makes sense," the fledgling allowed.

"Anyone else?" Lily asked. "If not, we'll get started with the actual judging."

"Do that!" a female called out. Others agreed with her, nodding or adding their voices in support.

Lily stepped back from the plateau edge. "Okay, then. Mist?"

Mist stepped forward and began speaking, telling her side of what had happened. Once she was done the others spoke, one by one. Lily mostly tuned them out, already knowing what they were going to say, as they had been there. She paid a little more attention to Grass's turn, but she said almost exactly what the others had.

All in all, by the end of their four testimonies, the pack was bored. Lily wasn't particularly encouraged by that, but she supposed it was inevitable, hearing the same thing over and over again. Hopefully the repetition had driven it into the pack's minds.

She herself was not going to speak, though she was a witness and the victim of the whole thing. Her guards had covered everything, including how it had all been an elaborate bait to catch out those who might wish her harm. There was nothing more she could add but persuasive oration, and she didn't want to do that, not when she was arguing against the one who had attacked her. This needed to seem as impartial as possible.

But once the others were done, it was time for Cressa to speak. Lily watched carefully from the far side of the plateau as Cressa was allowed to approach the edge, so as to be seen, a guard on either side of her.

"This is all pointless," Cressa snarled. "I wanted her dead, I tried, I failed. You will just be helping her take revenge when you agree that she can kill me. I hope you all regret letting a crippled trough tell you what to do, and I hope you choke on fish and die." She directed that last threat at Lily, turning to glare at her, blocked from doing anything more by Flare, who stood between them.

Lily wished she were surprised, but she wasn't. Such a vile, pointless tirade was about what she expected. "Is that all you want to say, Cressa?" she asked coldly.

"Get on with it, trough," Cressa barked.

Lily wondered where that particular slur was coming from; the only male she had ever been with was Claw, and that against her will. Maybe it was just the most humiliating, vile insult Cressa knew. "I take that as a yes," she said. "You can stop talking now."

Flare and the other guards forced Cressa back from the edge of the plateau, and she was soon firmly held down once more.

"So I think this is a fairly simple, clear-cut case," Lily said loudly, "but let me summarize anyway. Cressa tried to kill her own daughter in front of multiple witnesses, and did not offer any reason as to why she was justified in doing so. Given I have not so much as seen her since Claw's death, it's fair to assume her justifications stem from before then, to a time I had already said none should carry hard feelings about. There is no excuse. This is an attempted murder."

Seeing no dissent in the crowd, she continued without pausing there. "So, what will the consequence be? Not just for Cressa. What should we do to those who try to kill and fail?"

"Kill them?" one of the males called out.

Lily couldn't see the speaker, so she glared out at the crowd anyway. "Should we be so quick to leap to killing? Should we kill as a punishment? I don't think so, not when there are other options." Claw had killed to secure his rule, and she would not do the same.

"No, no killing," she continued. "This is serious, and it is terrible, but I don't want her dead for it. I just want her gone, because someone willing to try and kill once might be willing to do so again. My verdict is that she should be exiled, never to return. If she _does_ return for any reason, we will drive her away, dealing injury or maybe even death if she fails to leave, because at that point there really is no other option. Other, more heinous actions might force our paw on killing immediately, but not this."

Cressa flinched at that, even as the pack burst into loud speculation, everyone voicing their opinion.

"Is that acceptable, yes or no?" Lily called out. "Fly for no, stay on the ground for yes."

As those instructions filtered through, a few light wings spread their wings, but many of those didn't actually take to the air, looking around and seeing that the vast majority of the pack didn't feel the same. In the end, the one female who had leaped into the air immediately also landed. None wished to go against the crowd.

"Unanimous? Nobody feels that this is too harsh, or not harsh enough?" Lily asked. "Okay, I can believe that. But in the future, even if you do not think your side will be the majority, do not just go with everyone else. There will be no retribution, I want to see people dissenting if they do not agree."

Even with that, nobody changed their vote. Lily sighed, hoping that was temporary. This whole system didn't work if everyone was afraid to stand out, like they had been with Claw.

But for now, the vote had been cast, and the pack agreed with her. She turned to Cressa. "You understand what will happen?"

"I do not want to leave," Cressa hissed.

"But it is better than death, and that is your other choice," Lily retorted. "Go far away, find somewhere else to live, maybe improve yourself. You're never coming back here."

"Like I would want to live under you," Cressa spat. "Let me go and I will leave."

"So quickly?" Lily shook her head and raised her voice. "This is the pack's decision, so the pack will see her off. When she flies, everyone fly with her, escort her over the mountains and do not let her return. It will be up to everyone to drive her off or alert those who can if she is seen around here after this."

After that, everything went quickly, the work of moments. Lily stepped off the plateau, out of the pack's sight, and soon after her guards let Cressa go. Cressa leaped into the air, only to be immediately surrounded by a dozen light wings, all flying just far enough away to avoid any sudden attacks.

Lily watched from the ground as her Dam was followed out of the valley. Cressa went quietly in the end, perhaps bowing to the inevitability… Or possibly planning on sneaking back, which was much more likely. They would be alert and ready for that for as long as needed.

But for now, to all appearances, the pack had just exiled an attempted murderer. The process had gone smoothly, all had been in favor of the verdict, and it could even be said to be merciful. Cressa could go find a new home, somewhere in the vast expanse of the rest of the world, free of the stigma that would come with being known as an attempted murderer who watched her Sire die with glee and tried to kill her daughter…

If there was anyone out there to judge her at all. Lily was well aware that she didn't know _what_ Cressa might find. Sending her out might be consigning her to a slow death.

Slow death or not, she decided, it was still the best choice for the pack. Cressa was out of the valley, and would not return. Almost more importantly, Lily had handled a very delicate situation in a way that made her as little like Claw as possible. She had to consider that a victory.


	31. Progressive

Lily shifted her weight to one side, wondering whether leaving a paw numb too long would do permanent damage.

"... So I told him I wanted him, and he told me he was not sure," the female continued, oblivious to everything but the story she was telling, "and then he told me he wanted her more anyway, and I said he could not do that because she was just looking for the male with the biggest tail, because someone told her a big tail meant…"

Lily wasn't _trying_ to ignore the female, she was _trying_ to listen intently. But when someone used a hundred words for what could be said in five, it was hard to do that. She already had a good idea of what the young female was trying to say, and had in fact already heard the _other_ female's side of the story, in which this one was the thoughtless antagonist trying to steal the male for a variety of reasons.

"... And then she stomped off with her wings tangled in seaweed and he laughed at us both," the female finally concluded. "Can you fix that?"

What Lily _wanted_ to say was that all three of them were far too immature to be courting each other. They were four season-cycles old, but age didn't matter when they were acting so foolishly.

"I understand," she hummed thoughtfully. "No promises, not when it comes to matters of the heart, but I will talk to him." She was already planning on it, though from the sound of it he was as vapid as the other two.

"Thank you!" the fledgling squealed, leaping forward and embracing her. Lily winced as a wing brushed her back, and pulled away as quickly as possible, holding in a whine.

"You're welcome," Lily mumbled. She barely noticed Crystal leaping ahead to provide an intermediate place to step; it had quickly become a necessity, repeated impacts proving too much for her still tender back. She didn't feel good about using her friend as a place to step, but so long as Crystal was willing, she'd accept the help.

"That makes ten," Crystal said briskly, brimming with impatience. "Can we _please_ stop there for today? We do not have to always do a dozen before dusk."

"I…" Lily paused mid-step, honestly considering her physical state. She felt numb and tired, though she had been doing little more than sit and listen to people. There was something about _not_ being active that drained her energy just as surely as walking around all day, or flying, back when she could do that.

"Yes, we can stop early," she decided, feeling miserable. "I think there are less than a dozen left for tomorrow."

Crystal purred happily at that. "We are finally done?"

"Finally," Lily agreed. "One more day of listening, a day or two to put everything together, and then the big announcement." And then, she added in her mind, she would _finally_ claim Pyre's cave. She had forced herself to put that off until she had spoken to everyone in the pack, to ensure there were no bitter dragons lurking in wait, out of sight and out of mind.

Or maybe she was stalling, for some unknown reason. She didn't think she was, but the long list of reasons to continually postpone it pointed to an underlying reason… Or really bad luck, because she _wanted_ to be there with all her heart, every night she slept with Crystal's family. They were nice, even with the tension between them and Crystal, but his cave was home, and she longed to feel totally safe again.

Not quite yet. Always not quite yet, but now there really were only a few things left to do. She would know for sure that there were no unknown threats lurking in their midst, she would have made everyone happy, hopefully, with the new rules and changes to how the pack functioned, and she already had a full complement of guards to ensure it wouldn't be too dangerous.

Upon thinking of her guards, she barely avoided looking around. Somewhere close by, Gold's Sire lurked, discreetly watching over her. He, along with Pina and Crystal's Sire, had rounded out her group of guards, who now numbered eight in total, and was one of the two watching over her at present.

The other was Crystal, of course. She looked over at her friend as they walked. "Who is with me tonight?" she asked.

"Grass and Flare on first half, Mist and my Sire on second," Crystal said quietly. "And then Pina and Cedar in the morning. No change."

"Cedar has not asked to change to night?" Lily asked. She suspected he would, if only because he seemed half-asleep whenever she saw him, though she herself got up later than the average dragon. He was _not_ a morning dragon.

"Liona's fault," Crystal rumbled, laughing to herself. "I checked in on that yesterday. Turns out, she was working him hard at night to try and get with egg. She was mortified to find out it was impacting his duties. That will get better soon."

"Really?" Lily was glad Crystal was stepping up to deal with things on her own. She would have to give thought to putting Crystal above the others, make it an official way to delegate…

Or maybe not. If there was a position, there would be hurt feelings among those who didn't get it. It might be best to let Crystal handle the little things with the guard as she was doing now, unofficially. So long as Lily held the power, there would be no resentment toward Crystal.

"She wants one, yes," Crystal continued. "Says she feels safe now. I am not sure, but I think she also feels a little one will tie Cedar to her just a little more closely. She has self-esteem issues."

"I had noticed," Lily agreed. She had taken Liona's feelings into account, and planned to address them in the process of addressing mated pairs in general. A balance, change with security, new and old, changing the most important things while leaving enough that the pack didn't balk at the differences and feel uprooted…

"Yes," Crystal said, "we definitely deserve to be done early today. You are asleep on your paws."

"My paws _were_ asleep," Lily said ruefully. "How long did she talk about the male she wants?"

"Long enough that I considered having Gold's Sire go get him, just to distract her and let us make our escape," Crystal quipped. "I was never that talkative, I do not think any of the females in our season-cycle were."

"What is Honey, then?" Lily asked playfully.

"Oh, right…" Crystal shook her head. "You, me, and Pearl, then. But Pearl _might_ have been if her Dam did not always tell her to be quiet…"

"We were not much different," Lily concluded. Not at that time. The divergence had come when they were forced to deal with things that required maturity, things no happy young light wing should have to face at their age. Losing loved ones, being forced into bad situations, taken as mates against their will, generally dealing with the worst the pack had to offer…

"Lily," Crystal said, nudging her. "Should I worry about you drifting off like this?"

"Just trying to put everything together in my head," Lily said, clearing her mind. If she was drifting so deep into thought as to be catching her friend's attention, she was stressing over it too much. "These changes have to be perfect."

"They will be," Crystal assured her. "And then you can relax a bit, just act the alpha when needed… Things will get better."

"Things are already good," Lily objected. She didn't _dislike_ what she was doing now, working her way through the pack, listening to concerns, fitting it all together into one complex plan to fix as much as possible. It was needed, and it was temporary. The bulk of the labor only needed to be done once.

This was her cleaning up years of neglect from Claw, the main sweep, the big change. Once she had done that, she could rest far easier. Literally. Her reward would be finally taking Pyre's cave.

"To the pond and then to sleep," Lily requested, turning in front of Crystal. "I want to get up earlier tomorrow."

"Last day of talking to everybody," Crystal said happily. "One more day."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily sat by the edge of the pond, her tail drifting in the shallows. The sun shone brightly overhead, leaving shadows in Root's empty eye sockets, a haunting effect that, at first glance, made him a frightening figure, one with dark pits for eyes.

That effect was immediately dispelled by the way he moved, or by the anxious pair of light wings never straying far from his side, but it was still there upon first look.

Lily wondered if Root knew of the effect; he obviously wouldn't be able to see it, and telling him felt rude. It wasn't something he could change, though he still had his eyelids, which hung loosely. The shadow was there either way.

"I saved you three for last," Lily admitted. "I hope you are not bothered by that. I meant no insult."

"Oh, none taken," Whirl assured her. "Why, you even have Flare as one of your guards, we know you didn't forget us."

"Yes, and I'd be happy to hear any concerns or requests you three have," Lily said kindly. She had _wanted_ to speak to each separately, but judging by the possessive wing over Root, his Dam wasn't going to be happy with that request. She was sure that if she suggested it and Whirl objected then Root would speak up on his own behalf and tell her off, but was creating strife between them worth a private conversation, when she didn't think it would make much difference?

Another time, maybe. She'd do her best to get his honest opinions here and now, and see what came out; she was good at hearing opinions that went unspoken.

"Well," Whirl began, "we do not really need anything that you can give. Our days are busy with Root, but that is a family affair, and not something you could help with."

"Nothing?" Lily pressed. "I will likely be setting up some official system by which volunteers provide fish for the single Dams with fledgling. Given your situation, would being included in that group make life easier?"

Lily almost immediately regretted phrasing it like that; Root winced, shaking his head and grimacing, and Flare growled.

"I _am_ capable of providing for my family," Flare said sternly.

"I was not suggesting you were not," Lily backtracked, "or that Root was a fledgling, or anything like that. I was just asking if having someone else bring fish every morning would make life easier for you, as your family faces more difficulty than is normal."

Flare answered, cutting in over whatever Whirl's reply might have been with a low rumble. "No, we can provide for ourselves."

"Okay. It was just an offer. Is there anything you can think of that you _would_ appreciate the pack doing for you?" Lily asked. "Root, how has the pack been treating you?"

"Everyone has been very kind," Whirl said firmly. "Right, Root?"

"Right," Root grumbled, his face and wings drooping.

Lily nodded as if agreeing with them. That was an answer, if not the one Whirl intended to give. She needed to get Root alone sooner or later to get the details, but for now she knew enough. Root was not happy with his situation, while Whirl was intent on seeing things in a positive light. She could work with that. A general reminder to the pack…

"We do not need anything," Whirl concluded, cutting off Lily's trail of thought. "Thank you for asking, but we are coping well enough already."

"And I appreciate that," Lily said solemnly. "If your needs change, or you think of something, you know where to find me. I'll see you tonight, Flare."

"Saying it like that makes it sound so inappropriate," Root mused.

Whirl slapped him with her tail and, for all the good it did, glared at him sternly. "Do not think about it like that. Which of your friends is corrupting you?"

"Cedar," Root said without hesitation, a rebellious smirk on his face.

Lily snorted at that. By the time she had left earshot, Whirl was ranting about immature males making crude jokes.

But overall, the talk with Root's family was not a good one. She didn't know how much of their dynamic was old and familiar, and how much new, but it didn't feel right. Root was an adult, but he was being treated as a child.

Crystal dropped down beside her, rejoining her now that the talk was over. "How did it go?"

"They want nothing, but I think Root is being stifled out of care," Lily admitted.

"That is normal," Crystal confirmed. "And it is probably worse now. Maybe it will go back to normal after a while?"

"Normal, where he is the child and they the parents?" Lily asked. Such an arrangement might be necessary; she didn't know how much Root's disability was going to limit his ability to live independently. That didn't mean it was a good situation for him.

Crystal grimaced. "Yeah, _that_ normal. But I do not see a better answer, since Mist does not want to really be his mate."

"There will be other females," Lily said. That was probably the best answer for now. Root could spend a season-cycle adjusting to his new situation, and then he could find a female to help him into the next stage of his life, out from under his Dam.

"And maybe the changes you are going to make to the ceremony will make that easier for him," Crystal supplied. "What are those, exactly?"

"You'll not find out any sooner than the rest of the pack," Lily chided playfully.

"And when is that?" Crystal whined. "I am impatient."

"Have you noticed where we are going?" Lily purred in amusement. "Go gather the pack, and your waiting will be over." She _could_ stall for another few days, but there was no point. She had everything figured out, more or less, and incorporating Root's situation into her plans was the work of a moment. There was no better time than now.

O-O-O-O-O

Never had she seen so many anticipatory faces all pointed at her. None angry, none frightened. Even Diora seemed nonplussed, which was an improvement.

Then again, Lily reasoned as she patiently waited for the last few stragglers to find a place, they all knew nothing of what was to come. Each only knew that she had personally asked after their wants and needs.

Each one expected something different. Added together, there were a _lot_ of different hopes and dreams on the line.

It was a big responsibility, but one she had long since accepted. She was ready.

"We are all here?" she asked loudly. "Because this is not something anyone will want to miss or hear about second-paw. I'm going to go over a _lot_ , and everyone is expected to obey these new rules going forward. If you can't remember everything that's fine, but everyone must be here to be told."

A few light wings flew off at that, no doubt going to fetch uninterested friends or relatives. Lily could see at least two sleeping light wings off in the distance, white blobs on rocks, and knew she would be waiting just a little longer.

She passed the time by going over everything in her head. It was times like this that she wished there were some way to mark her thoughts in the dirt and leave them there for future reference. Sadly, no such system existed, and making one was beyond her. Maybe if she ever found herself with a few moon-cycles totally free of other occupations.

When everyone had returned, and the sleeping light wings had been woken, Lily spoke again. "Last call. Everyone is here?"

"If they are not here, how can they say so?" a high-pitched fledgling male chirped playfully. Her Dam quickly hushed her.

"Good point," Lily laughed. "Quick, everyone who is not here, raise your wings!"

A third of her audience raised their wings, to everyone else's amusement.

"Now that I have your full attention," Lily called out, cutting over the last of the laughter, "let's get started. I spoke to every single one of you, and I have added all your ideas, requests, and needs together, along with my own thoughts on what we do not do well, and what we could be doing better." She avoided mentioning Claw in that explanation; this was something the pack had to take ownership of, and his name would be reserved for condemning only certain practices, where it was most needed.

She took a deep breath and lifted her head, straightening her posture. It was finally time to start righting some of the wrongs of the pack. "There's a lot, so bear with me. This is all important. First, one of the most important things, a set of changes to the title of alpha, the position itself. These will apply to all alphas going forward, because _you_ will make them apply. I have designed these rules to ensure we never have a tyrant like Claw again."

There was no dissent to be had, the crowd watchful and silent. Even those who had liked Claw would not object, mostly because they knew the same rules would apply to her, and hopefully weaken her position.

"The alpha no longer takes multiple mates," Lily declared forcefully. "Be they male or female, no matter what. There is no reason for that any more. Many of you might not know, but the alpha taking many mates was originally intended to save the pack from dying out. It was a flawed approach from the outset, and we survived and thrived _despite_ it. I will have one mate or none, and the same goes for everybody else."

Lily paused to take in the reaction, as she would with every decree, to judge which would be likely to cause problems later. This one was met with general approval. Those like Gold might have complained, but most everyone was happy with the change. It didn't affect their lives much; they had never been allowed multiple mates, and most had never wanted that to begin with.

"In the same line of thinking," she continued, "I should say that the alpha is also limited to mates who are not already secure with partners of their own. The alpha might have some power over such unions," and she planned to use that, so she wouldn't change it, "but that does not extend to breaking a pair to court one of them."

 _Everyone_ approved of that. It wasn't a change at all; Claw had never done as much, mostly to protect his own arrangement by preserving the permanence of taking a mate.

"The alpha will not hurt their own people, or put their needs above those of their people," Lily continued. "Punishment is at the alpha's discretion for small things, but any large, serious punishments will be run by the pack in the same way Cressa was handled." She would not entirely bar herself from handing out punishments, and the wording was vague specifically to give herself room to work with, but serious crimes would be met with a fair judgment, and if a future alpha bent the intent of that rule, the pack would have to call them on it.

"And speaking of the alpha," she said firmly, "that title has negative feelings attached, doesn't it? The one who punishes, the one who takes females and kills young males… This is not a hard and fast rule, but I would prefer you just call me Lily." She hadn't come up with any alternative titles that felt less pretentious, so her name would do.

"What if we want to call you alpha?" someone asked timidly.

"You may, but I'd rather you not when talking directly to me," Lily said. "It's just a preference."

"Yes, alpha!" a young voice called out. A yelp of pain quickly followed, and then a sullen "Sorry, Lily."

Lily held in a smirk, and forged ahead. "One last thing on the subject of alphas. There will be no passing down the title by lineage, no fighting for it, none of that. At some point in the future I will pick someone I think fits the role and teach them what I know, but when the time comes the pack will choose whoever is most worthy." She would force the precedent to be one of worth, but also allow herself the largest share of choosing her successor by mentoring someone she considered worthy, thus stacking the odds in her favor but not making it a foregone conclusion for future leaders. A balance.

"So it does not have to be that one?" a male asked hopefully.

"No, not if somebody else seems more worthy," Lily confirmed. "I have to trust you will all choose wisely, and I will work to ensure my suggestion is the best anyway, but if in some distant future an alpha picks another Claw as their successor, it will not be set in stone, and the pack can disagree."

That settled, she shook her head. "This is not a current consideration. I am only six season-cycles old, and have many season-cycles ahead of me. I do not plan on even picking a light wing for a long, long time, because I would want them to be much younger than me, so they could serve for a long time too." The last thing she wanted was a bunch of people clamoring for her favor in the hopes of supplanting her in a few season-cycles; she intended to rule until her body gave out, and then pass leadership on to someone she had groomed for many season-cycles, someone she trusted absolutely.

And if that didn't happen, if she died tomorrow in a freak accident? It would be up to the pack, but she could rest easily, because the only other prospective leader the pack had was Crystal, who was more than adequate and would do her best.

"Now," she barked, "on to more interesting things. We have a ceremony coming up next season-cycle."

That got people's attention, and hopefully brought back anyone who was getting bored of her talking about the alpha's position. Those things hadn't directly impacted anyone but her, but the rest of the changes she was implementing would be far more wide-reaching, and she needed them to hear and understand the first time around.

"The ceremony will still happen," Lily said reassuringly. "I know there are some fledglings in the crowd who would be devastated if there was no celebration of their upcoming transition into adulthood. Since there will be no killing, no threat of death, I expect all the ceremonies from here on out to _truly_ be celebrations, unmarred by worry beforepaw and grief after."

A scattered round of cheering broke out. She waited until it was over, not wanting to spoil the good mood too quickly.

"But there will be some changes to what happens that night," Lily continued. "There will be no picking of mates. No time limits, no forcing females to choose males who might not choose them back, and nothing saying one cannot wait for the next-season cycle, or any other after that. So long as they are both of age, not related, and not already mated to another, any two light wings can announce it together and have it be official."

She raised her voice over the excited babble to continue, wanting to finish explaining before anyone started making assumptions. "And if it is not fair to hold our young to Claw's restrictive rules, it is not fair to hold the old to them, either. If a mated pair comes to me and asks to be made not mates, I will do it."

If Lily had thought the noise of the pack before this was loud, she was thoroughly disabused of that notion; the pack exploded into a clamor, everyone calling out questions of roaring objections over each other.

"Listen!" Lily roared. A few other voices joined her, cutting over all the noise to be heard. The crowd quieted to a low murmur. She knew better than to insist on silence; she wouldn't be getting that until everyone had calmed down, and that would be a while.

"I will not be doing this until after the cold season," she announced. "To give everyone time to think. And I will not be doing this for new mated pairs going forward, for fear it will make everyone think that being mated is no big commitment. It also will not be automatic, one or both of the pair will come to me and I will hear them out before anything is decided." She was keeping just enough control to ensure light wings like Ivy could come to her in secret, but not so much that it looked like she was breaking apart random mated pairs for her own reasons. If there were any more like Ivy, they would have to work up the courage to approach her.

"I know you have questions," Lily said, forestalling the oncoming deluge of requests for clarification, "but save them for the end of these announcements. For now, just know that the point of this is to ensure that every mated pair is happy, and that those who are not can be freed of what Claw's rules forced them into."

"I'm not done," she said, still speaking over many side-conversations. "Claw left behind many customs that needed tearing down, but he also left behind far more precious things. People, his mates and children."

She made sure to harden her voice before she continued. "There will be no persecution of his mates or children. I have not seen any yet, and I hope this warning is totally unnecessary, but it has to be said. In addition, I will be arranging a group of volunteers to continue the fish pile, for all Sires or Dams who have no partner and one or more little ones to feed, and all who cannot feed themselves, if they feel they would like to partake." In that, she was both leaving the option for Root, and for herself, though she didn't expect to ever need it, as Crystal or any of her guards could supply fish for her.

"Just in general, there will be no persecution," she continued. "Of those who supported Claw, or of those who opposed him. Of his children, or his mates. Of any who might decide they wish to break their mated pairing, of any who make pairings you do not approve of… Just be kind and understanding to one another, as a rule. I know that is hard sometimes, I know you will not do it all the time, but you should. We all should."

She could only hope they would take that to heart. There was no way to know if they had; most were still caught up in debating what her more controversial announcements meant to them.

"That is all for now," she concluded. "If you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them." With that, she hopped off the ledge, ignored the pain that came with hitting the ground, and entered the fray.

O-O-O-O-O

The moon was well on its trip across the sky by the time Lily said goodbye to the last light wing with questions for her.

"You can go home now," Lily said wearily, addressing Crystal, who stood by her side. "You could have gone home at sunset." She could see Grass lurking nearby, waiting to be acknowledged, and Flare was probably already flying above, watching for danger.

"I could have," Crystal agreed blithely. "But I cannot help but notice you are not coming with me. What is left to do?"

"Pyre's cave," Lily replied simply. "I intend to sleep there tonight." Her reward after a long, downright exhausting day.

"Oh… Really?" Crystal asked. "I was thinking that you could just keep sleeping with my family. My Dam is not that bad. I think she is going to apologize soon."

"I hope she does, for your sake," Lily said, "but that's not it. I just want a place of my own." She hoped Crystal didn't press it, because she just wasn't up for explaining any more thoroughly.

"If things had gone as they should, we would both have our own rocks by now," Crystal said wistfully. "With mates, and maybe an…" She trailed off, her whole body suddenly drooping with grief. At the end of a long day, it took Lily a few moments to work out what she had been about to say, inadvertently reminding herself of the cute little hatchling she had briefly helped raise."See you tomorrow?" Crystal asked quietly before Lily could compose herself. "I can come wake you."

"I'll be sleeping in the dark for once, so I think I'll be up before you," Lily quipped, failing to sound as cheerful as she had intended to. "But yes, come early."

"I will." Crystal shambled off toward her parents' rock, her tail dragging along behind her. Lily wondered if she needed to vent again, she'd barely seen her friend flying at all since...

Since Lily had last flown herself. Of course, Crystal ran instead of flew, she didn't want to rub in the lack of flight Lily faced every day by using it right in front of her.

That was nice, Lily mused as she walked, but unnecessary. She wasn't some fragile fledgling who would burst into a whining fit every time she was reminded of her loss. Compared to the constant pain in her back that was taking a long time to even begin healing, not being able to fly wasn't so bad.

"Should I go?"

Lily jumped in surprise as Gold's Sire reminded her of his existence by dropping out of the sky right in front of her, still camouflaged, and speaking as if he hadn't done anything surprising.

"Yes, when the sun sets and your replacements arrive, you are free to leave without asking me," she said kindly. Gold's Sire was, in many ways, the most amusing of her guards. He was only present because Gold's Dam had sent him to volunteer to help her, and _that_ , so far as Lily knew, was only because Gold's Dam didn't want to be asked to do anything herself. It wasn't the most solid motivation, but she knew Gold's Dam liked her and had no reason to resent her, so her mate was a safe choice for security, and he seemed to take his position seriously enough.

He was, however, not nearly as considerate as Crystal, and leaped back into the air the moment Lily was done speaking, buffeting her with displaced air.

She shrugged her wing shoulders, whined softly at the painful tightness the movement brought to her attention, and continued walking.

The trek up the mountain path had never seemed so silent. Not just peaceful… Empty. Every turn on the path hid nothing but more empty path, which it _should_ , but she couldn't help but wish she would turn a corner and see Pyre, waiting for her, ready to explain how he had cheated death and faked his own demise…

Ready to give a good, fair explanation for where he had been, for even in her most heartfelt, impossible wishes she could not help but question the fantasy she should not be letting herself have-

Her musings were interrupted by a light wing landing behind her, camouflaged and silent.

"The sky is empty," Grass reported quietly. "Flare is watching from above. Where are we going?"

"The cave we caught Cressa by," Lily answered, hoping Grass would go back to guarding from above. She didn't want to be alone, but Grass was not the light wing she wished would appear, not even close.

"All night? Another trap?"

Lily glanced back at Grass's blurry form as they turned a sharp corner, doubling back and always gaining height, no matter where the path led. "Treat it as such. I am going to be sleeping there from now on."

"Why?" Grass asked disdainfully.

"Because I say so," Lily snapped. She didn't want Grass's acid remarks aimed at Pyre's memory, and would not be explaining anything related to him.

They walked on in silence, Grass not electing to leave as Lily had hoped. She couldn't bring herself to order Grass away just yet; that was too harsh when she was _trying_ to give Grass the benefit of doubt and treat her as she would anyone else.

"I do not really want to know, if it is that personal," Grass admitted a few moments later. "I never tried to be there for you before."

Lily wasn't sure how she was supposed to interpret that. Was it a roundabout admission of guilt, or just a shallow apology that meant nothing?

"I never wanted to have to care for someone else's child, and you were an annoyance, a frustrating responsibility," Grass continued. "But you turned out fine despite me."

That had to be a disguised, deniable apology. Lily knew Grass well enough to hear it underneath the insults and casual indifference. Grass never voluntarily put herself down like that.

That didn't mean she was about to accept it, though. "You once dangled me by the tail and threatened to hurt me if I ever spoke of what I saw," Lily said coldly. "Was that because I was a frustrating responsibility?"

"That?" Grass barked, surprised. "I remember… Yes, and because you had just watched Claw and I mate. If Pina found out, she would have bothered me about it for moon-cycles on end. _She_ liked being responsible for you. I was not surprised to see her join this group of guards."

Lily snorted in reluctant amusement; it in no way made what Grass had done excusable, but she agreed that Grass would never have heard the end of it. Leaving a young fledgling to her own devices, sneaking off to mate, and _then_ getting caught in the act by the fledgling in question? That was both irresponsible and flat-out embarrassing.

"Not that it was an okay thing to do," Grass continued, oblivious to Lily's thoughts on the matter. "But that is why. Any other misdeeds you want to ask me about, or are there so many that they blur together?" her words were light, but her tone laden with more than a little suppressed dread.

Lily thought it over as she walked. "No," she eventually admitted, "nothing else comes to mind, because you really just didn't want to watch me. That was the only time you did something really bad."

"Well, good," Grass sighed. "I do not want to be on the alpha's bad side."

"You're not," Lily said quietly, not looking back. She could not see Grass's face, so it was only fair the same go the other way. "I'm trying, but it's not easy. You supported Claw up until the last moment, you never really liked me… It is hard to trust you, let alone like you."

"And I deserve that," Grass agreed. "I would be far worse to you if our positions were reversed."

"Yet you are here," Lily countered. "Acting as my guard."

"Pina pressured me into it," Grass grumbled. "And Cressa. You know this."

"Come on," Lily countered, "if Pina could not pressure you into giving a rotten fish for me before, I doubt she could now. You chose to be here."

"Do not make a big deal of it, I am just trying to make up for my choices," Grass growled.

Lily left it at that, knowing that there would be no resolution to their discussion. Not with Grass, when she wouldn't directly say what she meant.

Was it a compliment, that Grass assumed Lily would correctly hear what she really meant despite the outwardly flippant, dismissive way she said it? Lily chose to think so.

A familiar turn in the path loomed up ahead, and Lily sighed. "If you are going to stay down here, lay across the entrance to the cave for tonight."

"What about when it gets cold?" Grass complained. "Are you going to have Flare come down and lie with me? Because I take no responsibility for his mate's complaints if you do."

"Tonight it is not cold," Lily said shortly. Her quiet, peaceful ascent to Pyre's cave had been spoiled… But given how she had felt before Grass interrupted, maybe not much had been lost. At least she wasn't hoping to see Pyre around every corner anymore, or emerging from the darkness of his cave.

Lily crossed the ledge and entered the cave, trusting that Grass would follow orders and stay out. Pyre's musky scent had faded, but it still lingered, an undertone of safety that brought back good memories.

She had put off claiming this place over and over again, and now that she was here she wondered why. Surely, the peace and safety she felt now was worth a little extra danger, as paradoxical as that was.

Or maybe being attacked here would spoil the feeling. She didn't know, and hoped to never find out... A quick glance back at the entrance confirmed that Grass's shimmering form was lying in the way, blocking any stealthy approach.

Lily was tired, but she couldn't just leave it at that and go to sleep. She paced around the interior of the cave, her eyes half closed and her mind filled with memories.

Here, in the corner by the entrance, she had hidden from Pyre, tricking him in a game of seeking and hunting. She had waited just out of sight while he let her 'get away', and then returned the moment he left to begin searching. He had thought to return and check the cave soon afterward, and laughed upon finding her.

In another place nearby, the wall was bumpy and covered in scratches, thin lines running vertically down the largest lumps. Pyre had held her up with his head, back near the beginning of their interactions when she was still fairly small, and taught her the finer points of climbing with the natural deformations of the cave wall. She had made those scratches, with his help.

She put a paw up to the most prominent marks, noticing that she didn't even have to rear up to do so; he hadn't held her high at all. Her paw engulfed the marks, and when she put her claws out, the space between any two would have sufficed to hold a whole pawful of marks from her younger self.

She hadn't _felt_ so small back then, but looking back it was obvious. Marks from the past, ones she had long since outgrown.

After a long moment spent staring at the stone and remembering, she kept moving. Here, on this flat, level patch of floor, Pyre had slept in the cold seasons, his body quaking with the worst of the cold. The stone was darkened from many, many streams of fire over the season-cycles, and the spot was unique in that the coldest of winds could not reach it from the entrance… But he had still suffered, except for when she visited and curled up with him.

A dozen more such spots in the cave beckoned to her, each bearing the marks of another story, another little piece of the cave that made it Pyre's. It was hers now, but she didn't intend to change it in any way. As it was, it felt like home and memories and safety all rolled into one, a hollow in the rock that somehow was so much more…

She almost broke into a whine, overwhelmed by the emotions flooding through her, but Grass's presence, currently out of sight but not out of mind, forced her to reconsider. As much as she wished she were truly alone, she was not, and she didn't want Grass to be privy to her feelings right now. They were nowhere near that close; she didn't think she was that close with anyone except Crystal.

It took her a long time, but she eventually mastered her emotions, forcing the most powerful down to a slow simmer. It hurt, in a way, that even now she could not let herself just _feel_ , that even here she was not alone, but she knew Pyre would rather she be safe.

Well, no, he would rather she be safe with someone she trusted enough to let see her true feelings, but life wasn't perfect. She would settle for the more important of the two, physical safety.

That settled, in her mind if not entirely in her heart, she found the deepest corner of the cave, curled up there, and closed her eyes.

More memories of Pyre almost immediately came to mind, fleeting impressions of him talking, playing, teaching… mourning. Not all good, some sad, but the one truly horrible memory she had feared would come up and refuse to be ignored did not show itself, not even as she thought about it. Pyre's death felt cold and far away, not something that belonged here.

Here, she could relax. Nobody was watching, nobody could see her. Not even Grass, not with where she had chosen to settle down; they did not have a line of sight. She couldn't whine and roar and release her emotions as she wanted, but she could relax.

She could see herself being alpha all day, dealing with the stress and problems, teaching her fledglings right from wrong, and then coming here at the end of the day to unwind, maybe on occasion without guards at all. This was her place, her escape for when she needed it most. Crystal and her family were good, but they lived in the middle of the pack, in plain sight.

Because what Dam could function if all day, every day, was spent with her rowdy children? It only made sense that Lily would feel the same.

It was not perfect; perfect included Pyre being alive. But it was good, and she could settle for good.

O-O-O-O-O

The following days, and then the following moon-cycles, fell into a pleasant, if busy, routine. Lily would rise, meet with her morning guards, and set about doing whatever she felt needed to be done; talking to her people, answering questions, offering advice. She would make herself available, approachable, and handle whatever her people brought to her. Small things, most of the time, unimportant squabbles she suspected were tests as much as actual issues, but she dealt with them all the same.

As the days grew shorter and the wind cold and biting, she effected small, gradual change. It would take many season-cycles to totally eradicate Claw's influence, and she did not try to rush that, simply nudging her people in the right directions wherever possible. Some took her advice, some did not, and others…

Others solved their own problems, much to her relief.

"Guess what finally happened!" Crystal crowed. They were alone by the pond, taking a break from wandering the valley for water and rest. Gold's Sire was lounging on a rock nearby, fully visible but anonymous in that unless one was looking closely, one wouldn't recognize him and wouldn't know he was a guard.

"You learned to fire blasts of different colors," Lily quipped, recalling one especially entertaining question a fledgling had asked her earlier that day.

"Yes, she did- Wait, what?" Crystal stammered. "We can do that?"

Lily purred in amusement. "No, but it's a fun idea."

"But…" Crystal shook her head and groaned. "You just took the wind from under my wings, Lily. Do you know how annoying that is?"

"Yes," Lily admitted. Pyre had done the same to her. It was annoying, but at the same time the reactions were so funny to watch that it was difficult to resist. Even the old sadness thinking of Pyre tended to bring wasn't enough to cancel out her amusement. "But really, what has happened?"

"I am not going to tell you now," Crystal grumbled, pawing some water at Lily. "Spoilsport."

"I could just find out, you know," Lily threatened. "Ask your friends, the other guards, your parents…" She held in a bark of triumph as Crystal subtly twitched at the mention of her parents.

"You could, but I think nobody would say," Crystal said confidently. "I think this is a secret I can hold."

"Your Sire would not tell?" Lily prodded. No reaction. "Or your Dam?" she added.

Crystal twitched again, a flick of her ears and frills, and tried far too hard to act casual, leaning over to take a mouthful of water and slowly swallow it. "No."

So it was her Dam. From there, it was easy to leap right to the event Crystal had been waiting for, and thus what must have happened. "Your Dam finally apologized for how she acted back when Claw was around, refusing to speak ill of him, and she probably even tried to explain herself."

Crystal groaned and hung her head. "I wish I could do that," she said forlornly. "Can you teach me?"

"A lot of it is understanding people and how they think, some interpreting body language, and plenty of sneaking around and spying when nobody is looking," Lily admitted. "And you have to have a very good memory. Maybe, with time?"

"Never mind," Crystal grumbled. "Anyway, yes. I do not think she _meant_ to do it, not at first, but something sort of happened, and it pushed her in the right direction?"

"You know, giving me a vague explanation just means I'll push for the full one," Lily chided, stepping away from the pond's edge.

"It is personal… But I guess nothing you do not already know about," Crystal admitted. "So you know that I sleep with my parents."

Lily nodded, encouraging her friend to go on. She suspected this wasn't going to have a happy beginning, based solely on Crystal's reluctance to speak, but it couldn't be _that_ bad.

"Well, it is stupid, but I woke up this morning _sure_ that Claw was standing over me," Crystal said quietly. "I had just had a bad dream, and I woke up to someone pawing at my side like he did sometimes, and it all just connected before I could see differently."

"But it wasn't Claw," Lily said.

"No, of course not," Crystal agreed, "but I almost threw my Dam off the rock before I came to my senses. She wanted to know what had gotten into me, and I told her, and I was really upset, and I guess seeing me like that finally broke through?" She was rambling on so quickly Lily couldn't get a word in edgewise. "She apologized, and told me why."

"Why?" Her friend's lingering unease aside, Lily really wanted an answer to that particular question, if only because it had stumped her.

"Turns out she lost a friend to him a while back," Crystal explained sadly. "She got mad, went to him and tried to rant at him for it. She said she wasn't thinking straight."

Lily cringed at that. She, more than anyone, knew what happened when Claw was challenged.

"He did not hurt her enough to leave scars, or force himself on her," Crystal growled, "but he did rough her up and scare her quite badly, and told her that if he ever got wind of her speaking badly of him or his choices again, he would hurt her or someone close to her."

"So she stopped criticising him, and when you did, she tried to convince you not to, lest he do the same to you?" Lily asked. It wasn't totally logical, it didn't all fit, but she could fill in the blanks. Depending on how long ago that first encounter was, Moss might have internalized just _not_ thinking badly of Claw, and maybe even forgotten or repressed the reason. It was a deep-seated habit, if she was only now breaking it, several moon-cycles after Claw's demise.

"He was already abusing me far worse," Crystal objected. "It is not as if he could do _much_ more. But she did not see it that way. We are on better terms now that I understand, and she has apologized. My Sire already did, a while ago."

Lily nodded. She knew that, she had listened in on that very conversation. She would have liked to hear this confession first-paw too, but her luck just wasn't that good, not now that she wasn't sleeping at their rock.

"So yeah," Crystal continued, regaining a lot of her good cheer, "that is great. And just in time, too. It is getting cold out, and we will all have to move into the caverns soon. I did not want to have that between us when we are stuck together all day, every day. It has been awkward enough while I was not spending every moment within eyeshot of her."

"The cold-season is nearing," Lily agreed, "but we have some time yet." Another moon-cycle at least, going by how it had been the last few season-cycles.

"Not according to my parents," Crystal said seriously. "They say that if it is already this cold _now_ , when it should still be nice out, then the whole cold-season will be harsher than usual, arrive sooner, and leave late. I believe them."

"Well, it's good to be prepared. I hope they're wrong, but I'm glad you told me that." She could see the reasoning behind that, but Pyre had warned her that predicting the weather was a difficult and fickle business best avoided by just preparing for all eventualities… Though she didn't see what she could do to prepare for an early and overly harsh cold-season. One more thing to think about.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily woke slowly, wondering why she felt warm scale against her side. As her thoughts returned to her, that one specific detail began to nag at her mind, bothering her more and more.

She slept alone in her cave, Pyre's cave. Who was she sleeping against?

She cracked an eye open long enough to identify Grass's glint, which was enough to make her open both eyes and stand.

There was no reason to ask why Grass had defied her orders and crept into the cavern at some point in the night, or why Pina, who had temporarily swapped shifts with Flare to avoid awkwardness, was curled up beside her. The frosted rocks outside the cave, and the steam rising from everyone's nostrils, was enough of an explanation.

Lily walked out into the open, leaving her two guards behind for a brief moment, and surveyed the valley. Everything was icy and freezing cold, though the day before had been one of lukewarm rain and cloudy skies.

The clouds were still swirling ominously above the valley, and a freezing Northern wind made LIly seriously consider flaming herself, before her aching back reminded her why she wasn't going to.

"I have never seen such a quick freeze," Pina murmured, walking up behind Lily. "It hit just after midnight, with heavy wind blowing in cold air like the whole valley was downwind of an iceberg. Laying out in the open was very unpleasant, and I think nobody down there got much sleep."

"I had hoped Crystal's parents were wrong about this cold-season being especially harsh and early," Lily admitted. "But it looks like we're moving everyone into the caverns today."

"Including you?" Pina asked hopefully. "This cave is nice, very nice, but it is a long walk from everyone else, and nobody is going to be taking long walks soon."

"Even me," Lily conceded, though she didn't like the idea at all. At least she had the power to choose who she shared a side-cavern with; most of her guards, Crystal's family… She could arrange a fairly tolerable living space for herself, with good people to share it. There was no chance she'd get stuck with someone like Diora.

O-O-O-O-O

"Why do _I_ have to share a side cavern?" a large female with three fledglings on her back demanded. The fledglings whined in unison, adding a very distracting undertone to her words that made her sound even more petty than she already did. "Me, my mate, and our children. That makes five, and five is more than enough for that dinky hole. Maybe if you put is in a better one, or let us choose for ourselves-"

"There are too many of us, we have to be efficient, there is no space going unoccupied," Crystal replied by rote, speaking on Lily's behalf. "You can ask to change spots with another tomorrow, once everyone has their places, for now just do as Lily says."

Lily nodded in support of her friend before turning away, addressing the next disagreeable light wing. "You will be sharing with her," she said ruefully, pointing her tail at the annoyed Dam in question. "It'll be tight, but we just don't have a lot of space to fit everyone into."

"If you say so, alpha," the female sighed. Her use of the title was _probably_ not meant to annoy Lily, but it did anyway. "But if I have to be here, surely my friend can squeeze in too? She does not take up much space, and she can have her mate sleep out in the corridor."

"Nobody will be sleeping in the corridor," Lily replied firmly. "We need to keep an open path for everyone to get to their side-caverns without stepping on others. There isn't any more space in this side-cavern for your friend. You will be able to see her all day, this is just where you'll be sleeping this cold-season."

"Fine," the female huffed.

Lily looked around, realized there were no more complaining light wings clogging up the corridor, and turned to Crystal. "Is that everyone?"

"If you do not count the whining, complaining mass of fledglings bothering their Dams, Sires, and anyone within earshot," Crystal answered, nodding at the main chamber behind them, and the clamor they could hear coming from that direction. "Do you think Pina and Flare have finished up their parts in assigning places to sleep?"

"I hope so," Lily said, "but probably not." Half of those complaining seemed to think that those Lily had publicly named as her intermediaries for this arrangement were lying to them, or that she'd _surely_ see reason if they could just speak to her personally. She expected to spend the rest of the day telling people 'no' in one way or another, and depending on how stubborn her people were, possibly the rest of the season.


	32. Encouraging

Lily woke to the disruptive barks and growls of an argument already in progress. She listened long enough to discern that it was a spat between Whirl and Grass, then ignored them. While she _could_ speak up and get involved, they disliked each other and would only go back to arguing over petty things the moment she left. It wasn't worth the effort.

But having them in the same side-cavern was just the unavoidable side-effect of having her guards with her. Flare would not have been willing to sleep away from his family, and Grass was his partner in the first guard shift at night. Lily had no choice but to pick her side-cavern companions based on who had to be with her during the night, meaning she had them, Mist, and Crystal's family all in the largest of the available chambers.

At least this particular chamber had a high ceiling; Lily liked that it was not at all similar to the one Claw had consigned her, Crystal, and Honey to occupying. She stood and stretched, wincing at the ever-present throbbing in her back. Hopefully by this time next cold-season it would be gone; she knew very little about injuries, but more than a season-cycle seemed like ample time for all but the most serious of damage to heal, if it could heal at all.

She left the side-cavern to get away from the squabbling and walked right into more of the same. The main chamber was a white-colored riot of madness and conversation, much of it less than friendly.

Most of it would resolve itself; she knew that from experience. They were a ways into the overly harsh cold-season, and she had long since learned to only intervene in fights that would otherwise devolve into violence or broken relationships.

She picked her way through the raucous cavern, looking for the most severe conflicts, wondering if this was normal. With only five previous cold-seasons to compare to, and a few of those too dim and vague to be useful, she didn't have much perspective, but she _thought_ that the amount of conflict was growing with each subsequent cold-season.

The reason for that, if it was the case, was obvious. Every season-cycle there were more light wings trying to cram into the same space, physically unable to leave for long due to the weather. People didn't like being crammed together for a long time, and it made them tense. That exacerbated conflict.

Conflict like the decidedly one-sided rant going on in the far corner, a heavyset female berating someone, physically backing them into a corner. Lily turned and made for that particular confrontation, identifying it as possibly dangerous.

As she neared, stepping between tails and wings, she began to hear a bit of the rant over the noise of the cavern, though she could not hear the other dragon's responses, if there were any.

"I have been a Dam for a dozen season-cycles and you for less than two, you do _not_ get to pretend you know _anything_ about it that I do not! Especially this!" The female snarled and shook her head, leaning forward and forcing the other light wing back even further. Lily could see a tail and hind leg shoved up against the corner, both bearing a very light glint-

A glint she recognized. She slowed for a moment, processing the new information. The female was berating Honey, of all dragons. On the one paw, Honey didn't have a violent bone in her body, so the situation was extremely unlikely to get out of paw… And on the other paw, if Lily didn't intervene, she'd be leaving Honey to be chewed out in a manner that almost certainly exceeded whatever she had done.

Honey mumbled something, and the other female threateningly swung a paw at her. "No! I do not want to hear your lies!"

Lily growled and sidled around a napping male, coming up beside the large female. "What is this?" she asked sternly, looking at Honey, who looked relieved.

"Nothing, Lily," the female said dismissively. "Just trying to roar some sense into this airhead. You do not need to get involved."

"I think I should at least make sure I understand," Lily said irritably. "What has happened?"

"I-"

"Keep your stupidity to yourself," the female snarled right over the top of Honey, silencing her.

"No, I want to hear from _both_ of you," Lily growled. "Let her talk, and then you will get to say your piece."

"She will just lie and make me look bad, alpha," the female said dismissively, shaking her head at Lily. "Once you have a few dozen more season-cycles experience, you will understand."

Lily held in a snarl. She hadn't encountered _this_ sort of attitude before, or at least not so blatantly. She was well aware that her fledglings didn't fear her like they did Claw; that was a good thing. But _this_? Dismissive because of her age?

"I am alpha, and you will let me hear _both sides_ of this, or I will just assume you have something to hide and are at fault," Lily growled, her voice cold and angry. "Honey knows better than to think I will believe a lie." That was debatable, but this female wouldn't know that, and if not then Honey would take it as a warning to tell the truth.

The female flinched and turned to stare at Lily full-on.

"Back up," Lily growled. "Whatever she has done, you are not making yourself look innocent by cornering her and berating her."

The female stared at her for a long moment, too long for Lily's liking, before slowly complying.

Lily nodded tersely and turned to Honey. "You can come out of that corner," she said coldly. She was almost certain that Honey had done nothing more serious than annoy the other female, and wanted to be kinder, but she had to act impartial, and the tone she had set with the other female was the only one she could take until she had evidence that supported her intuition.

Honey stepped forward, letting her tail down. It fell limp on the ground, joining her ears, frills, and general body posture in signalling how miserable she apparently felt. "I did make her mad, but I did not lie," she said quietly. Lily had to strain to hear her over the noise of the cavern.

"You-" the other female began.

"Let her speak if you want your turn," Lily growled, slapping the ground with her tail. She would rather have slapped the female herself, but physical force wasn't acceptable, not from her. "Now, Honey, what were you saying?"

"I… I sleep next to her and her mate," Honey said slowly. "You know how I can sometimes smell when females have eggs coming soon?"

The large female snorted loudly at that.

"I do remember that, yes," Lily agreed. "You were three for three, last I knew."

"I had mostly forgotten about it," Honey admitted. "But I smelled it on her, and after a few nights I was sure, so I told her this morning."

"I see." Lily nodded sagely, and then turned to the large female, who was glaring at Honey. "Now, your side of things."

"She came right up to me the moment my mate left to go fishing, told me I was going to have an egg, and sat there with the smuggest possible look on her face," the female growled, batting her tail against the sleeping male behind her, who somehow remained asleep despite the argument and now physical impacts. "I cannot stand smug young females barely past their fledgling days pretending they know everything, and I was not going to sit there and let her feel happy about her stupid lie. It cannot be smelled, and I am not expecting an egg!"

"So what she said struck a nerve," Lily summarized, "and you decided to lecture someone you don't even know about something they believe is true."

"It is not!" the female objected. "And she has no authority to tell me anything about myself! I did not come to her for advice or _guesses_ about eggs."

"I understand," Lily said, meaning more than the female probably guessed. She could tell that there was something going on under the surface with the female on the subject of eggs. Maybe she couldn't have them easily or at all, or maybe it was the opposite, and she didn't want one right now. Whatever it was, when combined with the general tension of being confined in the cave, and Honey's lack of forethought, it apparently resulted in this sort of situation.

"And you will let me teach her a lesson?" the female asked hopefully.

"I'm going to talk to her myself," Lily said sternly, "but she is not the only one to blame. You overreacted, and it isn't your place to lecture her." It was actually incredibly presumptuous, but Lily couldn't let this female leave the discussion feeling the alpha had immediately sided against her. Ideally, neither she nor Honey would feel they had lost.

"You should let someone with more experience do that… but fine, if that is what you want," the female grumbled.

"Come on, Honey," Lily requested, turning and waving her tail. "We can go to the pond and back." Not a long trip, but out in the cold, so long wasn't possible anyway. She wanted privacy for this, and that trumped length or comfort.

"Okay," Honey agreed, following right behind her, almost treading on her tail on occasion as they made their way out through the crowded cavern.

"Oh," Honey groaned the moment they were out in the open, "that stings."

"It does," Lily agreed, walking quickly. The wind carried tiny shards of ice that she hesitated to call snow. Snow was soft and fluffy, falling leisurely; this was nothing of the sort. She stopped under a shallow overhang, sheltering from the freezing assault. Honey joined her there, pressing against her side in an attempt to get out of the weather.

"I did not try to make her mad," Honey whined.

"I know," Lily admitted. "I don't plan on punishing you. I just wanted that female to think I was so that she would not resent you so much."

"I am not going to do that again," Honey groaned. "She might be cruel to Wax… I will change places in the cavern, too."

"Don't tolerate her being rude to your son, come to me," Lily advised. "But hopefully she will forgive you."

"I was just trying to tell her so she would know ahead of time," Honey said. "I liked that I was being helpful, I was not smug…"

"She did not take it that way." Once again, Honey wanted to be helpful, to do something that would be appreciated, either by Lily or by some random female. This time, Lily knew she shouldn't just dismiss that underlying desire. Addressing it would mean this sort of thing wouldn't happen again.

"You want to do something others appreciate, something helpful. I get that." Lily pushed one of her wings out just a little, resting the edge on Honey's back. Her own back twinged painfully, but she ignored it. "Something you _can_ do, with Wax to care for. How is he, by the way?" She could hopefully distract Honey with that long enough to decide on a way to help her.

"Far too energetic," Honey admitted, shivering as a blast of wind whipped by them. The background noise of tiny ice particles shattering on rock was surprisingly calming, at least compared to the chaos they had left behind. "But Dew and Pina take a lot of the little ones to tire them out some days, so it is not so bad. He had a cough for a moon-cycle not so long ago, but that is gone now."

"Was he hot to the touch, too?" Lily asked. If so, she knew a moss that could have helped with that. She needed to think about that, actually; the knowledge Pyre had passed on to her could be used to make the lives of her fledglings better, if she knew when it could be used before the moment had already passed.

"No, just coughing up the most vile things…" Honey shook her head. "I felt unclean for half a moon-cycle straight, and he was miserable. All better now, though!"

"It would have been better if you'd told me, I might have had some plants that could help a little," Lily mused. "But you didn't know that."

"Maybe show me them soon, so I know for next time?" Honey requested.

Lily purred happily as an idea came to her, a solution to both of her current issues. "You think you could remember what they do?" she asked. "Is your memory good?"

"It takes me a couple times to get something down, but I never forget once I have it," Honey said humbly. "I am not the fastest, though."

"That's fine, that's fine," Lily purred. "Would you like to learn _all_ of the plants I know? And then help others when they get sick?" She didn't have the time to keep track of everyone and administer plants when needed, and Honey wanted to feel useful. The angry female had even complained that Honey had no authority to tell her anything; giving her an official position and making it known to the pack would fix that, too.

Honey hummed thoughtfully, but the hum soon turned into a purr. "That sounds great!" she said happily. "And I could tell them if they have eggs, and everyone would come to me for help when they need it."

"Exactly!" Lily agreed. She slipped out into the open, exposing herself to the sharp shards of ice for the time it took to dart to the next rock. "Now let's go get some water so we can get out of this cold!" As far as she was concerned, that was all the 'talking-to' Honey actually needed.

"Can we start now?" Honey asked, running alongside her.

Lily felt the throbbing pain in her back, and squinted up at the cloudy skies. Her chest felt cold, and her body stiff, though they had only lingered outside for a few moments. "Once the cold-season is over," she said. There was no way anyone would make it to the forest and back in this weather, not to mention the lack of leaves, and she wanted to teach Honey with plenty of examples at paw.

"I cannot wait for this cold-season to be over," Honey said vehemently. Lily nodded in agreement. She didn't think anyone was enjoying the weather or cramped conditions.

O-O-O-O-O

Whirl shook herself as she entered the side-cavern, showering everyone around her with droplets of cold water. Lily shifted, groggily huffing in annoyance as cold drops traced their way down her face.

"Sorry everyone," Whirl chirped cheerily. "It is snowing hard out there. Root, do you want to go out and play in the snow tomorrow?"

"No, Dam, I do not," Root said in a gruff voice, not even raising his head to respond. "I _really_ do not. It is miserable out there."

"Oh, but if you move enough, you feel warm anyway," Whirl argued, cheerily waking everyone else with her loud voice. It was not night, so far as Lily knew, so she wasn't being _that_ inconsiderate, but it still rankled. Half of the people in the side-cavern had been napping before she came in.

"She should go back outside instead of arguing about it here," Crystal's Sire grumbled quietly. Lily doubted he meant for anyone but her and his family to hear him; they were lying together, sharing body heat.

"Yeah," Crystal groaned.

Oblivious to the disapproval of the rest of the cavern, Whirl wedged her way between her son and her mate, nudging her mate to the side to claim the warm space between them. "And this part is good too," she sighed happily. "Nothing like coming in from the cold to warm family."

"Nothing like my enthusiastic mate doing her best to freeze my scales off," Flare growled, shuddering. "You forget how _not_ fun that is for the rest of us."

"Oh, quit complaining," Whirl huffed. "You would not be so cold if you had gone out with me. How about we all go take a walk tomorrow morning?"

"You mean besides the one to the pond and waste pit?" Root asked, scooting away from his Dam.

"Yes, besides that!" Whirl exclaimed. "That is not fun, that is necessary! We can go for a fun walk after that."

"When we are already freezing and want to go back to the cave?" Flare rumbled.

Whirl slapped her wing down on top of him. "Why are you both so grumpy? The cold-season can be fun if you just try to see it that way!"

"Or we could go back to sleep and wait for warmer weather," Root retorted.

"Like everyone else is doing!" somebody called out.

Whirl leaped upright and looked around, trying to discern who had interrupted. She was confronted with a host of sleepy and annoyed glares from every angle.

"Oh, fine," Whirl huffed quietly. "But we are going to do _something_ fun tomorrow."

"She sounds like my Dam did when I was a fledgling," Crystal muttered to Lily.

"More so than usual?" Lily quietly asked. She had been under the impression that this was just how Whirl acted; neither Root nor Flare seemed that surprised by her enthusiasm.

"Much more," Crystal hissed. "Since, well, you know. I do not know how he stands it as well as he does."

Lily glanced over at Root, who was stretching his wings out, a disgruntled look on his face. He didn't seem _happy_ with the situation, but nobody was, so that did not tell of anything. She had no way of knowing what normal was for him while they were all crowded in close quarters.

Another thing to check on after the cold-season had run its course. She closed her eyes and tried to relax; she was going to need all the energy she could get for the upcoming thaw, to say nothing of keeping everyone from rioting in the meantime.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily stepped in a puddle of slush. A loud gasp resounded from the cave entrance.

She shook her head, bemused and a little annoyed, and walked just out of sight of the cave entrance, ignoring the loud clamor of disappointment and speculation. If she had a more intimidating reputation, this wouldn't be such a huge deal, something the entire pack was _trying_ to watch.

She tried to focus on the reason she was outside, holding her tail up and feeling the wind. Cold, but not too cold. Piles of snow were melting, slowly but surely. Spires of ice were dripping steadily. The sky was cloudy, but the wind was pushing the clouds away, off to bury some other land in snow and cold.

But was it warm enough? Could she be sure this was the end of the cold-season? Another set of heavy clouds might be just off the horizon, ready to drift in and send everyone right back to confinement if she gave the word too early. It might even be dangerous to let her people resettle on their rocks before she was sure.

She felt her lack of flight keenly, unable to act on the urge to leap up into the sky, enjoy the only mildly chilly currents, and then check the horizon herself. It grated on her, and knowing that Pyre's cave and the accompanying ledge was the only way to even come close to scratching that itch was no better, because if she told everyone to stay inside, she would have to lead by example.

To give the word and release the hordes of fledglings, adults, and general insanity, or to announce that they would wait another day? Nobody was _forced_ to remain inside, everyone could still enjoy the milder weather, but it was more about the deeper meaning. Everyone wanted her to come back and declare the cold-season over with…

And since she wasn't nearly as intimidating as Claw, they all wanted to watch her make the decision, speculate among themselves, and give her advice. She had gone too far in trying to make herself approachable, and she was reaping the consequences, as minor and annoying as they were for the most part.

That was going to be one of the many things she tried to fix this season, though unlike most of her other plans, she didn't know how yet. Any move away from her current image and toward something less fallible would inevitably scare people, because it would remind them of Claw, and what she had now was better than fearful doubt and worry in the back of everyone's minds.

She circled around a few rocks, feeling the air, and came back into sight of the cave entrance. The same squashed crowd as before waited just within the confines of the rock, only barely abiding by her request that they leave her alone while she made her decision. They were tightly packed and most had smaller fledglings on their backs, and those fledglings in turn continuously fought to be at the top of the pile, touching the ceiling of the cave mouth.

So many eyes on her, so many expectant faces. She shrugged her wings. "Everyone should be prepared to move back inside if there is another storm," she said sternly. So long as they were expecting to-

The living dam of light wing bodies broke with a roar, and she hopped out of the way of the stampede that immediately followed. The cold-season was over, and they didn't care about the possibility of it making a return, punishing them for believing it was totally gone. As far as they were concerned, the alpha had spoken.

O-O-O-O-O

"You have a leaf stuck between your frills," Crystal said.

"I know," Lily admitted. She shook her head and dislodged it. "So, your honest opinion?" She was interested in hearing how Crystal felt about the lesson they had just concluded.

"You were holding out on us," Crystal declared, darting forward and disappearing around a corner of the steeply sloped path. She emerged above Lily as she neared, peering down at her with a mock-glare. "Do you know how many headaches your people have needlessly suffered?"

"No longer," Lily growled back. She knew better than to take that to heart; while it was somewhat true, the pack didn't _need_ her knowledge of plants. Nobody ever died of something she could have prevented, so long as Claw wasn't involved, and the only way to stop _him_ with plants had been tried by Flare.

"What I do not get," Crystal continued, turning to address Lily as she rounded the same corner, "is why you did not try to get Pyre down into the valley using this knowledge. Could you not have gotten a few people sick with the plants, brought them to him to cure, and made everyone like him?"

Lily barked in surprise. "I really am rubbing off on you!" she exclaimed.

"We spend half of every day together," Crystal said, darting ahead once more. "So?"

"If Claw and Cressa had not existed, that could have worked," Lily said thoughtfully. The details weren't there, but she could have worked them out easily enough. But it didn't matter; so long as Cressa hated Pyre and Claw was more inclined to listen to her than not, _and_ probably threatened by any male who was not under his paw or dead, it would not have ended well.

"Get rid of them, and then… Well, no," Crystal mused. "I guess we would have ended up here anyway."

Lily's good mood faltered. Here, with her in charge, Claw dead, Cressa as good as dead… But also Pyre dead. She winced, pushing that thought away. The time for mourning would be upon her soon enough, and she needed to be able to function here and now.

"But anyway, you were asking about how I think the lesson with Honey went," Crystal continued, pulling the conversation away from Pyre as soon as she noticed Lily's sudden silence. She flicked her tail dismissively. "No offense, but this does not feel like one of your best plans."

"How so?" Lily asked, focusing on that.

"I would not have picked Honey to do something like this," Crystal explained. She stopped at the top of the path, waiting for Lily to catch up before heading down the other side. "She is absent-minded and liable to hurt someone with the wrong plant. You are putting the ability to cause harm in her paws, and even if she _does_ seem to want to do good, I would not do that."

"She learned well enough today," Lily countered, looking out on the valley before focusing on the path below her paws, lest she slip. Everything was wet today, a result of the intermittent downpours the clouds were letting loose with no warning every so often.

"She did not remember three plants!" Crystal exclaimed. "One of them was dangerous! You said so yourself."

"On my first lesson, I remembered two of the ten I was shown," Lily countered. "She remembered eight." A lot of that was likely Honey's desire to learn, and the fact that she was an adult, not a scatterbrained fledgling like Lily had been at the time.

"Two? Really?" Crystal hummed thoughtfully. "Okay, but she still forgot a dangerous one."

"I do not plan to unleash her on the pack _today_ ," Lily laughed. They stopped at her cave, standing on the ledge and looking down on the valley. "Not before the ceremony, and probably not until well after it." She wasn't about to let Honey do anything potentially dangerous until she was sure she had beaten all the requisite knowledge into her head, repeatedly and forcefully. Honey had not lied when she said it took several repetitions to get her to remember anything complicated, but she _did_ remember… short-term. Lily hadn't gotten a chance to test her long-term memory yet.

"But you do plan to unleash her on the pack eventually," Crystal groaned. "I think you should find another person to teach, make them partners. Someone already cautious, someone able to know all she will know and make sure she does not mess up."

"Want another job?" Lily asked, flicking her ears.

"Not for all the fish I could eat," Crystal said emphatically. "She does not seem so bad now, but she brings up a lot of bad memories. I do not want to work with her every day, not when I have to pay attention and make sure she does not screw up."

"And yet you were willing to let her try out to be one of my guards," Lily retorted.

"I did not know you would put me in charge of them!" Crystal groaned. "I thought I would not have to deal with her that often. My point stands."

"It's a good one," Lily agreed. "I'll find someone else interested in doing the same… But not yet." She didn't want to take this away from Honey, so she would find her an assistant, someone okay with working at her direction. A second opinion to catch mistakes, but one that wouldn't lessen Honey's self-confidence or make her feel replaced. It was a balancing act, the good of the pack on one paw and Honey's feelings on the other. If done right, she could have both where she wanted them, but if done wrong, neither would prosper.

"If not that, then what are we doing today?" Crystal asked. "There is still plenty of time before sunset. Can we just walk around the valley and enjoy the weather?"

"No," Lily admitted. "I'd like to, but there's something else I have in mind." Something she had promised before the cold-season, something put off until now. "I need you to go get someone and bring them here." What was to come would not be pleasant, but it needed to be done.

O-O-O-O-O

"No!" the female roared angrily, pushing against Crystal, who physically held her back. "I refuse! He is _my_ mate, and I do not want to give him up!"

"But I never wanted you!" the male said timidly, only speaking at all because Lily had ensured he understood silence might mean she could not in good conscience do as he wanted. "I did not have a choice. Now I do, and I think I would rather-"

"You are _mine_ ," the female hissed in a tone that almost had Lily baring her teeth. "I talked my competition into going after other males, I courted you for almost a whole season-cycle. I put in the effort."

"And you just assume that is enough," the male argued back, gaining confidence with every word. "You are so pushy and angry all the time. I never liked that! We do not have any eggs, no children… Go find a male who likes being pushed around, because I do not!"

"Okay, I think that's enough," Lily interrupted, seeing that the female was close to spitting fire, she was so mad. "Crystal?"

"Too busy keeping my insides inside me," Crystal grunted, pushing down a paw that had been about to swipe her. "I do not want scars from _this_."

"I will give you scars if you do not let me at that snivelling coward!" the female snarled, pushing forward again. She was not trying very hard to actually hurt Crystal, but she _was_ trying to shove right past her. It was good she wasn't attempting to fly or go around, but Lily had people in place to ensure that wouldn't work. As open and dangerous as this might seem to an uninformed observer, she had taken precautions and nobody was in any serious physical danger.

"Flare?" she asked instead.

"It is pretty clear that one of them wants out," Flare called out from where he stood, ready to intervene should the male try anything, as unlikely as that was. "And it does not _look_ like there is much love between them anyway." He had spoken diplomatically, but the narrowed eyes, tense ears and frills, and slightly raised wings suggested he was holding back some choice words.

"Agreed." The way the female spoke grated at Lily, mates were not possessions to be fought over, won, and then kept against their will. That was far too close to how Claw had operated, how he had thought. He had instilled the same values wherever he could, by his actions and by the ways his rules forced everything. This was one of the results of that.

A result she had to untangle, like a ball of seaweed matted around her paw. What was worse, she had to do it without breaking the individual strands of seaweed, which wasn't usually a consideration in her chosen metaphor.

She walked between the male and female, facing the female. "Tell me," she requested, "would you be happy if he recanted right now? Said he did not want to make you angry, took it back?"

"Yes," the female snarled, leaning back and then ramming her shoulder against Crystal's chest, hitting her hard enough to bruise.

"Even if you knew he did not mean it?" Lily continued.

"I would _make_ him mean it!"

"You do know that abusing your mate is no longer allowed, no longer tolerated and ignored?" Lily growled. "No hitting him. No making him obey you at every opportunity. No controlling his life." Many of those things would be hard to fairly define, but she wasn't relying on exact definitions. The spirit of the rule was all that mattered. She wouldn't intervene in whatever dynamic a mated pair had going if both were content with it, but she would if one was obviously suffering.

"I…" The female stopped pushing Crystal, stepping back to glare at Lily without distraction. "I do none of those things."

"You do!" the male called out.

"This is a chance for a fresh start," Lily said softly. "But fresh means having to start over, in this case. If you really want him, if you really do not intend to bully him or make him lesser, then convince him, and have him agree to be your mate once more. But unless you both come to me genuinely wanting to be together again, from this moment forward you are not mates." She had to trust that the male would hold fast against the female's attempts if they were anything less than sincere, but in the end she was giving everyone a _chance_ , not dictating the outcomes.

"Thank you alpha," the male barked, immediately leaping off the ledge and flying away at full speed. Lily assumed he was putting some distance between himself and his ex-mate, which might be wise given her temperament and current anger.

"It is done," Lily said, stepping closer to Crystal and by extension the female. "Keep in mind that there _will_ be other males. Not soon, not many for a while, but there will be more." Eventually, the lopsided ratio Claw had created would level out. "Ask yourself if you really want him back, think about it, and do not do anything I will have to punish you for. No hurting him, no taking him by force-"

She was interrupted by a bark of shock. "I would never do that!" the female whined, recoiling. "Never, no matter how long it has been. We have not been together in moon-cycles because he never felt like it, and I did not force anything!"

"Good," Lily said vehemently. "That is good." She really was glad to hear that; it instantly put this female in a far lower category of bad, to have that limitation. Nowhere near as vile as Claw had been, just misguided and used to how things were.

"I wanted him…" the female growled to herself. "But he did not want me? I do not believe it, we have been together for many seasons. Surely he would have complained before now if he did not like how things were."

"And gone where?" Lily asked gently. "Complained to who?" She didn't know whether Claw would have broken the pair up; there were advantages and disadvantages to that, from his point of view. But regardless, the male would not have had the courage to bring up his discontent with the alpha that expected nothing but obedience from him. Claw was not an approachable leader.

"He never even let on that he did not like it," the female murmured, looking down at the stones below her paws, flicking a pebble with a claw. "I thought things were fine."

"That might be another thing to work on," Lily suggested. "Communicating more, making your mate feel he _can_ complain or say he is unhappy and be listened to."

"He was so sure he would not take me back," the female murmured.

"Then accept that and wait for another to catch your eye," Lily said firmly. "Let him be happy, admit you were not good to him, and fix yourself. You will not be able to push away competition and force a male into choosing you again, so you must do better anyway."

"I need to think about all of this…" the female shook her head and huffed sadly. "What will my friends say? My family? Which of us will stay at our rock, and which will have to find another?"

"I'll check in on you tomorrow," Lily offered. "If you need help, don't hesitate to ask." She _hoped_ the female's family and friends would be understanding, but realistically, there would probably be some tension, some hard feelings. As long as it all worked out for the better in the end, it would be worth it.

"How about I fly you down and help you pick out another rock?" Crystal offered, putting a wing over the female. "Right now, so you do not have to worry about it."

"That would be good," the female agreed. She and Crystal left, dropping down off the ledge as the male had moments before.

Lily sighed and let her body relax, releasing the tension that had built in every muscle. This wasn't easy; she couldn't break pairs up without the drama and the anger, but it wasn't fun to deal with.

"I am surprised she calmed down so quickly," Flare observed.

"Some people adapt quickly," Lily mused. "And some hold their anger in." Crystal would be able to tell which it was by the time she left the female to her own devices; the offer to go down and help her adjust had not been as spur-of-the-moment as it appeared.

"Still better than the last one," Flare snorted. "It is good you pulled some of us off our night guard duties to do this instead. That one could have gotten ugly."

"Could have," Lily agreed, remembering the vile words on both sides. By the end of _that_ argument, both had been more than happy to try and forget the other existed. Finding out that there were deep-rooted resentments had torn them apart, and might have ended with one or the other literally torn apart in another place, without the safeguards. At least in this latest case, one of them had left relieved.

"How many more are there?" Flare asked.

"Depends on how many more light wings approach me," Lily hedged. She suspected there would be plenty more, spread out over the next few moon-cycles as people realized she was serious and saw examples of it being done. Knowing she had said she would, and seeing it happen were two different things.

"Incoming," a disembodied voice called out, gliding somewhere above them. A moment later, a brief gust of wind hit Lily, and Grass spoke again. "Mist and Whirl."

"Thanks!" Lily called out, quickly spotting the two females as they dove down from above the clouds. She could easily guess why they were coming; her location and purpose up here were common knowledge, and they both had one dragon in common. The real question was whether they came to argue one side, or two.

"Mist," she called out. "Whirl. Good to see you both."

"Lily," Whirl said, speaking before she had even landed, dropping down next to her mate, "help me talk some sense into Mist, please." Lily sighed inwardly at that, but still held hope this could be peacefully resolved.

"Sense needs to be talked into someone," Mist growled. "But it is not me. This should not even be an argument."

"I know nothing of this," Flare said, speaking to Lily and Whirl both. "What have I missed?"

"What did you miss? Just your mate completely ignoring her place and telling _me_ what I should do, as if I were one of her own," Mist grumbled. "Lily, you are absolving mated pairs of their connection if you deem it wise?"

"That is why I am up here, yes," Lily agreed. "I was wondering when you would come." As far as she knew, neither Mist nor Root actually wanted anything to come of their nebulous connection.

"Surely it is not so cut and dried, though," Whirl exclaimed, stepping forward and addressing Lily. "Let them work it out between themselves once Root has adjusted. They would work so well together!"

"Once he adjusted?" Mist growled. "Say what you told me. Season-cycles! Not only do you want to force us together, you want me to wait around and not consider any other male for season-cycles, when I do not even want him!"

Lily shook her head. She could tell this was news to Flare, too; he was staring at his mate in confusion.

"Well, it will take that long," Whirl huffed, "and I do not want to let him out of my sight until he is completely able to live on his own, however long that takes."

Lily suspected Whirl didn't want to let Root out of her sight at all, and that the disability was giving her a convenient excuse, but that didn't fit with Whirl trying to keep Mist committed to him. "What is your goal here, Whirl?" she asked.

"To help my fledgling recover, make him feel safe and happy, and then when the time is right to know he has an understanding mate ready to move in with us," she said honestly.

"First of all," Mist snarled, "we would not live with you. That is just sad. Second, I do not want him as a mate, and he does not want me, so it would not work anyway. Third, it is not your place to _tell_ me that I will do such a thing."

"And fourth," Lily added at the end of Mist's tirade, looking at Whirl, "there is no commitment there, not one that should outlive Claw. She was only courting him because she had no other choice, and he only accepted to help her avoid Claw."

Whirl scowled at that. "And is that not love, helping a pretty female by offering to be her mate?"

"No," Lily said bluntly. "It's being a kind person in a terrible, restrictive environment. Take this as my official word. Whatever else happens, there is currently nothing between Root and Mist. No commitment, nothing saying they cannot find other mates, nothing saying they have to be mates. If they _do_ want to be mates-"

"Fat chance, with how smothered and weak-willed he is," Mist growled.

"Regardless," Lily continued loudly, "if they _do,_ they'll do it like any other pair will from now on, agreeing that they want to be mates, announcing their intentions, and acting accordingly." She would also play an official role in that, but she was trying to emphasize that it would be their choice, and not something she would interfere with, so she didn't include her part in things.

"I understand that what Claw did should not hold," Whirl said slowly, "but surely there is something else you can do?"

"What would you have me do?" Lily asked scathingly, her voice underlined by Mist's steady growl. "Restrict Mist's rights, and Root's too, just to try and force them together?"

"No!" Whirl exclaimed. "Nothing like that, just _encourage_ them-"

"How about some discouragement?" Mist snarled, stalking over to the ledge and turning away from everyone else. "You and your whole family can lick my tail!" She flicked her tail up in what Lily knew was an extremely offensive gesture and dropped out of sight.

There was a moment of shocked silence. Lily shook her head slowly, there had to have been more than just this day's argument to get Mist that mad, but she could easily envision the slow buildup; Whirl dropping hints, Mist blithely ignoring them until they were too blatant, the small unresolved arguments…

"And now," Flare said in a deep, reproachful tone, "you have taken a friend from our son in a time when he needs friends more than ever."

"He can find better friends than _her_ ," Whirl said forcefully. "Or he can just drop all of his immature friends and spend more time with us."

"That would drive him crazy," Flare said sternly. "He is already spending too much time with us."

"No such thing," Whirl muttered. "I am going to go find him now."

Lily winced as Whirl left. "If you want to go stop her, I'll let you," she offered, looking at Flare.

"She does not listen to me on this particular issue," Flare admitted. "She will loosen up once some time has passed. It is still new to her, and she is coping the only way she knows how. It does not help that Root truly does need a lot more assistance now."

"So long as you keep her from overdoing it," Lily said, thinking that Whirl was already well beyond that point.

"I am the reason he is allowed _any_ time away from her," Flare rumbled. "Like I said. Please do not tell her off, it will just make her more stubborn. I am working on it."

"So long as you get results," Lily murmured.

"If you keep the same arrangement of caves next cold-season, you will see my progress first-paw," Flare offered. "Until then?"

"Until then." She wasn't confident in her ability to directly change Root's family life without accidentally removing something vital, something that kept him going. He wasn't independant like any other light wing his age would be, and the unintended consequences of meddling might be much more severe than normal.

That didn't mean she would ignore the problem; she just had to be more careful about approaching it.

O-O-O-O-O

"You six are all adults!" Lily roared happily, and the pack roared with her. The fledglings in question stood on the plateau with her, arranged in no particular order, sharing the center of attention where they belonged. This was their ceremony, their night, and she wanted to make it a good one, despite the lingering unease this particular event held for everyone present.

"Now go," she continued, "go mingle with your friends and family, have fun, enjoy this night." She had a speech planned for after everyone had a chance to fill their bellies and let off some excess energy, but for now she was content to let things go as they would.

The fledglings – no, _adults_ , however young they still looked to her – leaped off the plateau, and were soon surrounded by the pack.

"That was short," Flare remarked from in front of her. She had all of her guards lingering at the base of the plateau, arrayed around it, ready to act if needed, though she doubted there would be a cause to call on them.

"It's their night, not mine, and when you cut out all of the things Claw did for his own benefit, there is not much left," she said absently. Posturing, forcing males to challenge or submit, making every female choose a male to court, instilling fear through the little details… All of that took time, time she now would now use to sit and watch as her people celebrated.

"Lily?"

Lily looked over at Crystal. "Yes?"

"Is it just me, or does that look bad?" Crystal asked, gesturing out at the crowd. "What is happening?"

Lily, bemused, turned to look out at where the fledglings had leaped down. She could still see excited dragons all around them, shoving each other out of the way, calling out to the males-

All at once, what she was seeing turned ugly as her mind caught up to her eyes. Older females shoving the younger ones out of the way, crowding around the two new males, all speaking over each other. One clawed at anothing in irritation, and then two clawed at her in turn, and then blood was being shed.

"Stop!" Lily roared, her voice cutting through the clamor, charged with anger and disgust and _surprise_. "All of you, back away from them!"

Some did. Some didn't, continuing to claw at each other and hiss, fighting spitefully. Lily couldn't even see the males they were fighting over.

"Crystal," she growled tersely, "stop them. Flare, Grass, you too."

"On it," Flare snarled, forging his way through the crowd. Most of her pack moved out of his path, and the few who didn't were moved by force. He, with Grass's help, bodily pulled two snarling females apart, revealing one of the two young males who had just been declared adults. He was so small compared to the females who had mobbed him, and looked even smaller with his wings over his head, still hiding from the bewildering assault.

Lily could _feel_ the anger coursing through her body, the way it made her scales hot and her back throb. Once her guards had cleared a healthy space around the two males, she snarled loudly, taking the attention of the crowd. Some of them looked as bewildered as she was, but not enough. Not nearly enough.

"This," she announced, "is horrible, and I am ashamed of everyone who played a part in it." She was ashamed of herself too, had she really not taken preventative measures? The pack was paying for that mistake now; the ceremony, barely even begun, was over, because there was no way to get back the relieved, festive atmosphere. Her short speech about how the pack was improving, gone with the wind in the face of such a failure.

"There are two new adult males in our pack," she continued angrily. "There are scores of you. Almost all of you are old enough to be the Dams of their grandparents!"

"Age does not matter!" a female called out.

"It does when you are pouncing on dragons barely out of fledglinghood," Lily snarled. "When you shove their friends out of the way, when you surround them, when you fight each other over them!" She could barely believe it had happened, hearing herself say it. One moment, the newest adults of the pack were leaping down to rejoin their friends and family, and the next, females were congregating on the males, clamoring for their attention, fighting each other over perceived slights. It had all escalated almost instantly, far faster than she even thought possible.

"This is horrible!" she called out. "We are supposed to be better than this! Do none of you feel any shame?" She glared down at the mass of females.

A few ducked their heads and shuffled back into the crowd, clearly embarrassed. Others glared at her defiantly. She was glad to not see any of her friends or guards among the crowd. Mist, Dew, Pina, Grass, all absent from the humiliating display of how far the pack still had to go.

"What am I even supposed to say?" Lily roared, letting some of her anger and disappointment into her voice. "What has happened? Why?" She knew she was missing something, a lot of somethings, and suspected this was not natural. Someone had arranged this, set up the components and let them all fall into place.

With that momentary thought, a new rush of adrenaline filled her. She was too cynical, too experienced, to miss it. This was manipulation, simple but effective, like what she had done to defend Root but on a different line of attack. A subset of the pack acting violently where they should not, all primed to lash out, all desperate though they shouldn't be.

She glared out at the offending females, quickly taking note of who they were. Mostly Claw's mates, with one or two recently unmated females on the outskirts. Diora was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Granite's Dam, but many of the females she did see, she knew well enough to be disappointed in.

"I don't believe this is us," she announced, breaking the silence in a softer, disappointed tone. "We, our pack, are not like this. Why? Who has told you that you must fight for the males, that you _must_ have a mate now, that you cannot wait patiently for males who will come to you, who are not five times younger than you?"

More heads lowered in shame; most of the offending group, now. Her calm, disappointed words were getting through where anger had not. She had suspected they would, and it was easy to be calm when she was certain someone else entirely was responsible.

"This is not us," she repeated vehemently. "We do not fight over potential mates. Just because you _can_ take a mate outside your season-cycle does not mean you all must, right now, no matter who you hurt to do it."

"I am not going to punish any of you," she continued, addressing the mass of mostly-ashamed females. "I _will_ talk to many, perhaps all of you, to understand what has happened here and why. I _am_ going to require that each of you apologize to the six people whose special night you have tainted with anger and violence. And I am making it a rule that no adult under ten season-cycles of age may take a substantially older mate for the time being, until I better understand what caused this and how to stop it without restricting your freedom."

There was a scattered echo of distress at that announcement, a collection of growls and gasps from the unmated females, but Lily didn't care. She would grant exceptions if some incredibly convincing reason came up, but for the time being she was going to nip all possible conflict in the bud by redirecting any and all resentment at herself. She, with her guards, could handle it and had the authority to stop it.

"Everyone else," she concluded. "Try to forget this happened, and rest easy with the knowledge that I will not let it happen again." She was going to hunt down whoever was responsible. If they thought they could beat her at her own game, they had a swift and thorough disillusionment coming. She already had a fairly strong suspicion as to who was at the bottom of it all, and all she needed was to follow the trail back to her.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Hey, some action! Believe it or not, we're almost at the end of the first 'book' of this story, only three chapters to go. The overall story is ridiculously far from over, but still.**


	33. Vigilant

Lily stalked along her ledge, staring down at the valley. "Go over it one more time," she requested.

"I do not know who, or where," Grass said firmly. "All I know is that a moon-cycle ago, people started talking about us taking mates. It was calm and speculative, at first. I was not interested."

"Because you do not fancy any of the currently available males," Lily said, repeating what Grass had told her in slightly different words. She did not suspect Grass of lying or covering anything up; they were past that. She _did_ think that Grass might not be saying something important because she didn't know it was important. Forcing her to adapt was a way to expose such things.

"No, because I _know_ those males." Grass gagged in disgust. "Do you really think I would want to mate with males I watched grow up, males I saw whining and tugging their Dams' tails? They are barely any better than fledglings even now. I have higher standards than that."

"Right, but people other than you were talking," Lily pressed. Grass's testimony was far from the only one she had heard, but her guard had a more complete perspective, having not fallen for any of it from the very start. She was also present, here and now, just before sunset, so it was convenient to question her.

"Like I said," Grass huffed, "it started with speculation. Then some of the females I know in passing began to treat me better, seeking my company above that of others. I did not understand it then, and did not care, but I think now that they were avoiding those they saw as rivals. I do not know where it came from."

"Right." Those other females, Claw's former mates, had told her similar stories from their perspective. First the talk had centered around the idea itself. Then, the simple fact that they vastly outnumbered their opportunities was induced, securely mated females bringing it up in conversation to show sympathy.

With one, two females, maybe it could be coincidence; it was a fairly obvious idea. But this had happened to many different people at the same time, enough that the idea spread like wildfire in a matter of days. That, to Lily, meant that most everyone had been approached, consoled in the same disingenuous way. Always from mated females to Claw's former mates. Never blunt, seemingly sincere.

"Looks like a full moon tonight," Grass rumbled.

Lily nodded, acknowledging the mix of apprehension and anticipation in her heart. Grass didn't know the significance of that, and would not. "Yes. I want you and Flare both to fly over the cave tonight."

"That leaves the entrance unprotected," Grass objected.

And it also left the entrance free of prying ears. Lily nodded, turning away from the valley to look at Grass. "Yes. Just for tonight."

"Why?" Grass asked.

"Because I want you to," Lily said firmly. "You can watch the ledge, just do not land."

"Why are you angry at me?" Grass pressed, narrowing her eyes. "I have done nothing wrong, but this is a punishment."

Lily blinked at her. "What?" she asked after a moment. "No, it's not. Flare flies for his guard duty every night, and I am not punishing _him_. I just want some space tonight. More than normal. I'm not punishing you, you've done well."

Grass sighed. "Okay, fine, you are alpha."

"Yes, I am, despite _someone_ thinking they can change that," she muttered, glaring at nothing in particular. "If you hear anything from the others, Claw's other former mates-"

"I will let you know," Grass snarled aimlessly. "I did not believe your theory at first, but hearing that _everyone_ was told the same thing by others? Now I do, and I want to hurt whoever tried to trick me into getting into trouble over nothing."

"Well said," Lily replied. "Now, if you would?" she looked up at the sky, and then back at Grass.

"I am going," Grass muttered, spreading her wings. "No good reason, but I am going."

Lily sighed with relief once Grass was out of sight, camouflaged and flying high above. The sun had just finished setting, and the full moon was visible in the other direction.

The first full moon of the hot-season. She entered her cave, sitting in the center and looking around.

Nobody nearby. Nobody to hear, nobody to see. She was as alone as she ever got, nowadays. More so; usually, Grass would be snoring in the mouth of the cave.

Who was trying to sow dissent among her people? She couldn't help but wonder that, even as she tried to relax and think of Pyre, to let out the deeply-buried emotions she held back for this very night.

It had to be someone with pull among the mated females, someone who had reason to want to annoy her at the very least, or at worst to disrupt the pack and undermine her authority. A female, because a male talking to all of those mated females would be remarkable, something they would notice.

Lily knew she had yet to talk to said mated females, the intermediaries, but she suspected doing so would yield nothing of worth. If it were her, or really just anyone intelligent at all, the idea would have been disseminated subtly enough that many of them would think it their own.

No, she didn't think the trail could be followed any further, but in a way, she didn't need to follow it. Where it had already led was telling enough. Who had influence over the mated females of the pack? Who had reason to be dissatisfied with her, even with everything she had done?

She _hoped_ her enemy really was Diora, and not just someone else manipulating her in turn. Diora could be handled, though Lily would have to catch her at something else, so as to have evidence based on things the pack understood; quoting pure logic and deduction could be too easily misunderstood or misinterpreted.

If not Diora, then who? She growled to herself, turning the troubling question over in her mind. There weren't any obvious candidates, and she had spoken to everyone in the valley at least once. Had one of the seemingly normal light wings hidden deception and ill will behind calm purrs and simple conversation?

Probably not. Why would a talented manipulator suddenly surface now, after the alpha requiring manipulation had been usurped? What was the point? She had tried so hard to ensure nobody had anything major to complain about. Diora was an aggravant, but even she had been mostly defused.

It was probably just Diora stirring up dissent, and maybe testing her own influence with something that she could claim, if caught, was unintended and harmless. Lily snorted at that thought, indignant at the very idea. Anything that caused strife and pitted her people against each other was dangerous.

A beam of pale moonlight fell across the ledge, making the stone glow so brightly that Lily had to look away. It reminded her of where she was, and what night it was.

She felt guilty for ruminating on Diora and trouble now, of all nights. This was supposed to be a night for memory and grief, one night to let out all the feelings she buried and held back for the rest of the season-cycle so that she could function and be strong for her fledglings.

This was the time she had set aside to mourn, and she would use it as such. She closed her eyes and dragged the memories she usually ignored to the surface of her mind. Pyre, Granite… Her real family, both gone, though she wished with all her heart that they were not.

Though the pressure built in her heart, it was heavily restrained, as if the crushing pressure of her jaws held it in place. She grunted thoughtfully, then looked around the cave... but it was all too familiar to her now, the pain long since acknowledged and pushed down once again.

A huff of dry amusement escaped her. She was so used to forcing back the tide that she no longer knew how to just let it go. She had been forced to cope for so long that those jaws around her heart were locked in place.

But that single laugh was followed by a small, quiet sob, one that burned inside her nose and stuck in her throat. She huddled on the ground and immersed herself in it, finally allowing her boundless grief to wash over her. One night, one long and probably sleepless night, and then back to normal. Surely that was enough.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily walked through the valley with a heavy heart and a sore throat, feeling every moment of the previous night's mourning. She ignored the physical discomfort, but the _rawness_ in her chest was not purely physical.

Mourning was supposed to help her cope, not reopen old wounds for no benefit, but it did not feel that way.

A female light wing alighted atop a boulder to her right and nodded at her, purring politely.

Lily made eye contact and purred back, burying her feeling beneath an outward appearance of calm, collected neutrality and politeness. Emotionally exhausted or not, she would act normal. The pack required nothing less, not when there was at least one individual interested in seeing her struggle. Diora, or whoever it was, would not get any satisfaction from her reactions.

"Lily, where are we going?" Pina asked, trailing behind her. "I know you questioned all of Claw's former mates already. Are we still looking into that?"

"Less directly, yes," Lily confirmed. "Keep an eye out for anything odd." She had a good idea of what she was looking for, but telling Pina would be counterproductive. It was better to have a second set of eyes looking for general oddities while she searched for something specific. If Pina knew what to look for, she would _only_ look for that.

Lily stopped short in an intersection between boulders, momentarily blocked by two light wings walking side by side.

"This reminds me," Pina hummed from behind her. "It has been a whole season-cycle. How is your back feeling?"

"It's fine," Lily lied, turning to follow the two light wings, as they were going where she wanted to go. She was annoyed by their slow gait, but short of speaking up and calling attention to her own inability to just fly over them, there was nothing she could do but pretend it didn't bother her.

"It looks a little better," Pina said encouragingly. "Stronger."

Lily snorted. She knew what her back looked like, though she couldn't see it herself; Crystal had kept her up to date on the appearance. Grey, a huge depression of mostly flat scar tissue, lacking scales and lacking normal skin, a too-tight patch that grounded her and still hurt at the slightest provocation. The only actual improvement she had noticed was that the pain seemed to be receding in random places, concentrating in others, making her feel more as if she had several smaller wounds rather than one big one.

The pair of light wings turned to the side, and Lily took the opportunity to surge past them, walking faster. She could hear the high-pitched cries of fledglings playing nearby, and a murmur of voices from the rocks all around her. Nothing unusual yet. No sounds of conflict, which was good.

"Have you tried camouflaging?" Pina asked hopefully. "That might work now."

"I don't think it will, but next time I see a need, I'll test it out," Lily said. She knew that waiting until she needed it was a good way to disappoint herself in the moment, but she didn't want to know. She liked the idea that it _might_ indeed still work, though her back was nothing like the rest of her.

A trio of light wings flew overhead. Lily looked up long enough to identify them as older females-

And then kept looking, because they were bickering mid-air, heading in the same general direction as her. She sped up, walking as quickly as she could without breaking into a run.

"There they go again," Pina huffed a short while later. The three females were now flying away, each heading in a different direction. "Are we following them?"

"We _were_ ," Lily admitted, slowing down. That had been the idea, but it was quickly proving impractical, at least from the ground, and they were almost where she had meant to go anyway. She led the way around two distinctive rocks and looked up at a small gathering atop another.

One of the new adult males of the pack was lying on top of the rock, taking in the morning sun. Strangely, he was alone save for three female fledglings, who were walking in circles around him.

"Odd…" Pina hummed, looking at the fledglings. "Aven, Holly, Cara, what are you doing up there?"

"Playing," Holly said defiantly, leaning over to stare down at Pina, her nose twitching. "We are walking in circles."

"I can see that," Lily hummed. "Why around him?"

The male, noticing Lily and Pina, rolled onto his paws and barked in surprise. "Alpha!" he yelped.

"You are well?" Lily asked, cutting past the pleasantries in an attempt to provoke an unguarded answer.

"Now," he said quickly. Had she no idea why he would _not_ be well, his tone would have confused her, but she knew who had just left.

"We are playing," Aven said nonchalantly, still walking around him, Cara tailing her. "If you want to stay, you have to play with us."

"Aven," Holly groaned, dropping a tail in front of her half-sister, "we do not have to guard against the alpha."

"Why not?" Cara yelped. "She is an unmated female older than him. We can make her bored just like the others."

Lily purred thoughtfully. "Who put you up to this?" she asked. It was a clever little scheme, setting fledglings around the male to keep the older females from pressuring him on the subject of mates. Nobody wanted to talk about that sort of thing while a little one, or several in this case, was pestering them, and all the male would have to do was act oblivious and refuse to move or have them sent away.

"I did," the male said. "Kind of. I know you said none of the older females can pick me, and I do not mind, but some came around earlier this morning to talk to me, and they got mad at each other…"

"And we are going to have to track them down and give them another lecture," Lily murmured to Pina.

"... So I went walking, but they followed, and did not leave until I said I was going to be watching fledglings all day," he concluded. "Holly and her sisters liked the game, so they came back here with me."

"I would think they would like seeing a male good with children," Pina mused.

Lily shook her head. "Not when he barely looks any older," she said quietly. Holly and her sisters were small, but only two season-cycles younger than this male. Since most of the unmated females knew Claw, and thus knew his various young, they would know that, and seeing the fledglings with the male would drive home how young he still was. That would make any decent dragon a little uncomfortable.

"I can send them away if you want, alpha," the male said nervously. "It is just that… When you said no mating with me, you did not say no _talking_ to me, and some of them are very insistent. I do not want a mate so much older than I am."

"You can keep your fledgling deterrent for as long as they can stay," Lily said reassuringly, purring at the idea. It struck her as something she might do, given a similar problem to solve. "I don't want to outright ban everyone from talking to you, but I will see what I can do." She _had_ left that loophole, though it was meant more to facilitate actual interaction, not a lesser form of the pursuit and conflict she had meant to stop entirely.

"Thank you, Lily," the male said gratefully. "I do not want to rush anything, but they make me feel like I have to, just to get the rest off my back."

"That is _not_ what I want for you, or anyone," Lily said firmly. "Take your time, court who you want, and do not settle for anything less."

"And us?" Aven piped up, looking hopefully at Lily.

"You?" Lily purred at the three fledglings. "Keep up the good work, listen to your Dams, and enjoy not having to think about picking mates." She liked them; they were old enough to direct their games in useful directions, young enough to act oblivious to what their actions caused, and apparently smart enough to use both of those things to their advantage.

"I will never pick a mate," Cara declared, offering no explanation as to her reasoning.

Lily purred softly at that. "That is your choice to make," she said. "And if you think differently later, no harm done." She didn't recall having any interest in males at that age… Though not much had changed for her anyway, so maybe she wasn't a good indication of what was normal.

"I will," Aven said, running over to her sister and growling at her.

"No you will not," Cara retorted. "I do not want to share you. I will bite anyone who tries to make me."

"You will not bite her," Holly interjected, tossing her head and rumbling in amusement. "Your teeth are still sore from biting that rock."

"Not _my_ fault," Cara groaned, covering her head with her paws. "They said I could not do it."

"And we said not to try," Aven said smugly.

Lily nodded to the male, who had gone back to lying in the sun, and turned to go. He lazily waved a paw to acknowledge her.

"Those three are going to be trouble once they have grown," Pina said lightly.

"They're interesting," Lily agreed. She hoped nothing would break their tight familiar bond; it reminded her of how she had been with Granite. Without Claw or being forced to take mates, they would have a much easier time remaining close.

Lily hummed happily, thinking of that. They were a perfect example of why what she had done was worth it in the end. Young, innocent, and now safe from the dangers she had weathered herself. She was improving the pack for them as much as for the adults.

"Were we looking for him?" Pina asked.

"The male? Yes." Lily nodded thoughtfully. "Now we'll seek out the other one, ensure he's not being harassed, find the females who were bothering this one… We have a full morning ahead of us."

"But will any of that help us find the one you think is working against you?" Pina asked hopefully.

"Probably not," Lily admitted, "but it needs to be done, and the more I look into this part of the pack, the more likely I'll find a new trail to follow." She didn't want to _appear_ to be hunting the one responsible down, either; if they were smart, that would make them lie low for a while, and she wanted to resolve this quickly. Best to act as if she had no solid leads, not seek any more out, and wait to see if someone got cocky and began setting something else up.

Besides, she had plenty to do in the meantime.

O-O-O-O-O

The wind was blowing wildly along the shore, sending saltwater into the air and misting all present, depositing tiny beads of water on everything it touched.

Lily, ironically enough, had a small headache, one only somewhat soothed by the cool mist. She ignored it, as she ignored all of her other little pains. At least in this case, relief was soon to come.

"I am a young male with a bleeding gash in my face, under my left eye," she intoned, approaching the male and female sitting on the blurry merging of grass and sand that marked the beginning of the forest proper. "I can't lick myself and don't want anyone else to, because it hurts too much. What do you do?"

Honey scrunched her face up, visibly concentrating. A long moment passed, one in which her older assistant waited patiently. "How deep is it? I would look, but it is not real."

"Fairly deep, but not enough that you see bone," Lily improvised. "It is still bleeding sluggishly."

"Was it done by claw or by something else?" Honey's assistant asked.

"I refuse to say," Lily elaborated. "But I say it was an accident."

The male, an older light wing with an orange glint who went by the name of Copper, nodded. "Honey?" he asked.

"I know this one…" Honey turned in a tight circle, looking over the panoramic view of water and forest that lay all around them. "Pain… Bleeding a little… An open wound… The little creeping vine with star-shaped leaves?"

Lily shook her head. "Don't ask me."

"Copper?" Honey asked.

Copper nodded. "That sounds right. But do we need a lot or a little? I cannot remember."

"A little if it can be licked, if not a lot is the trick," Honey recited, singing the words to herself.

"But he will not let us lick it," Copper objected. "Does that count as it being licked or not? We _could_ lick it, but we will not."

"You could convince me to let you," Lily offered, seeing a teaching moment. "You need to be assertive sometimes. You will know better than they do what needs to happen, and some treatments are unpleasant."

"But should we?" Honey asked, squinting at Lily.

"I cannot say," Lily said vaguely. "Decide what you think is best. There might not be one right answer." Personally, if she were unsure what the rhyme meant, she would insist on licking the light wing in question just to get back to a place where she knew what to do with no uncertainty, and then ask later.

As she _did_ know that said rhyme, something used to remember treatment options, only referred to wound size, using the 'can it be licked' measure to indicate severity in an easy to remember way, she wouldn't force the matter. It didn't matter whether he _was_ licked or not, simply whether it could be easily done.

"Okay, I have decided," Honey declared. "We will lick her and then treat her with a little of the vine. It should slow the bleeding and prevent wound rot. Then maybe some pain relief plant?"

Copper nodded. "I think that is good." They both looked to Lily.

"That's the safe way to do it," Lily revealed, eliciting a quiet purr of content from Copper and a much louder squeal from Honey. "The rhyme works whether or not you actually lick them, by the way. Sorry if I did not make that clear." To be fair, it had originally come from Pyre, but Lily had modified his teachings to accommodate her students before.

"Give us another one!" Honey requested, practically bouncing on her paws with excitement.

"One more for today," Lily offered. "I have a mild headache, one that hurts behind my eyes and near my ears." Such specific reports of pain were useless when it came to headaches, but she always gave a lot of details, both to get Honey and Copper in the habit of collecting information, and to ensure they couldn't guess what direction to go based on what details she chose to give in any given situation.

"Is it bad enough that you want to lay down and wait for it to pass?" Honey asked confidently.

"Yes," Lily said honestly, "but I have a high pain tolerance and ignore it anyway." Ironically, she _could_ give the full truth here, and nobody would know it. They thought she was just making up another test.

"Oh, you should not do that," Honey fretted. "But that seems easy. Just pain-relief plant, maybe the kind that makes you sleepy. Copper?"

"Definitely. I think the sleep alone might fix it, though," he suggested. "Lily, does this only happen when you do not sleep enough?"

"No, it's random," she reported. "And rare." She suspected there was no deeper cause than pure chance and possibly uneasy sleep the night before. It would go away on its own eventually, likely with the night's passing.

"The plant with pain relief and sleepiness, then," Honey said. "Right, Lily?"

"Right. Now, for your final test," Lily said, "Copper, go find a suitable plant that does _not_ make me sleepy, and Honey, find one that does. As fast as you can."

Both light wings bolted, turning and running into the forest. This was not the first time she had broken up purely mental challenges with retrievals. A small pile of various flora lay in the sand, ready to be buried once they were done. All manner of things were in said pile.

Only one plant was _certain_ to not be there. Lily had not taught either of them the use of the blue-green bush yet. She still wasn't sure what to do with it, and didn't want the knowledge getting out before she had a plan. It offered so much freedom, but in a way that could very well destabilize a lot of things. Releasing the knowledge to the pack at large felt like a decision with a lot of interlocking consequences, and she wasn't going to risk it until she knew _what_ was at risk.

Another errant breeze swept across the shore, cooling Lily's warm scales and soothing her pounding head. She leaned into it, closing her eyes. Yes, it was good that she had someone fetching relief. She would have needed to seek the plant out herself anyway.

A low roar from above, pitched to be loud but not carry far, jolted her, and she reflexively looked up. There was nothing to be seen, not in the glare of the afternoon sun-

Aside from a blur shooting directly through her line of sight, flying low. "Incoming, camouflaged," Crystal called out.

Lily flinched and immediately leaped over to the firm, wet sand near the tide, crouching and baring her teeth. Camouflaged was suspicious, and while Gold's Sire – Clay, his name was Clay, it just refused to stick in her head for some reason – was lurking somewhere nearby, she didn't want to be caught unaware. The firm sand would reveal anyone foolish enough to forget that they would still leave pawprints.

"False alarm," Crystal announced a moment later, dropping down well away from Lily. "It is just Grass."

"Camouflaged?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"I did not want to be noticed coming to you," Grass explained, startling Lily. She was standing on a dune nearby, just out of the firm sand, her pawprints hidden in the many small valleys and rises sand tended to make at the slightest gust of wind. "I was just invited to something."

"To what?" Lily shook herself and forced her paranoia away; this sounded important but not immediately urgent, and Grass was not a threat.

"A sending-off ceremony, of sorts," Grass elaborated. "For Claw. I think all of his mates were invited."

"And whoever extended that to you was too stupid to wonder if you might actually be loyal to me?" Lily mused. She suspected a trick, an ambush for Grass, though it was not _impossible_ to believe that Grass's new affiliation could have been overlooked or dismissed.

"We are all supposed to show up camouflaged on the shore out of sight of the mountains," Grass said. "Just after dark, tomorrow night."

Tomorrow night, giving Grass plenty of time to tell anyone she wanted? Lily shook her head. "That sounds like a trap."

"I heard others being invited, and we will all be camouflaged," Grass said. "I do not see how it could be any sort of trap. If anyone tries to harm me I can just fly away."

"Maybe not for you, but for Lily," Crystal interjected. "But I think you should go. Find out what it is all about, and tell Lily the next morning. That seems safe."

"Yes, we'll do that, if you're willing," Lily decided. She _hadn't_ decided whether or not to observe for herself yet, but Grass didn't need to know she might be present in some capacity. "Find out if everyone really is going, and what they think is going to happen there."

"I will. It does not _seem_ like a plot," Grass said. "Just that nobody ever got to send his body away, and now everyone feels safe enough to address that."

"It might be benign," Lily agreed. She suspected it wasn't, though Grass's reasoning on the subject had merit. The timing, the fact that it was happening at night, without her permission, and the way everyone attending would be camouflaged all spoke to it being arranged for a different purpose.

Lily made her mind up. So long as there was a way to watch from afar without camouflage, which she preferred to keep unknown to herself, and all of Claw's former mates really were going, she was going to attend.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily crept through the forest, her eyes on the shore, wishing she wasn't so obvious.

Ideally, if she could, she would have gone among the blurry mass of light wings, herself camouflaged and thus indistinguishable from the rest of them. That was what she had sent Grass to do, but being there personally would have been better. Being in the thick of things, able to see and hear every reaction.

As it was, she was relegated to spying from behind trees, hunkering down in the undergrowth and listening, often unable to make out anything but whoever was speaking loudest. For a while, that was nobody in particular, and all she could do was recognize voices and remember them for later. The hushed arguments and discussions at least pointed to there being no organized purpose behind the gathering, making an orchestrated trap less likely.

After a while, the small noises of conversation stopped. Lily, currently hunkered down behind a small hill, pushed forward a little to see what was happening, sticking her head into a bush and peering between the leaves. After a few irritated blinks to clear her eye, she had a passable view of the shore, and of the shimmering mass mingling beneath the moon's light.

"They are all huddled together on the shore," Crystal hissed. She and Flare were lurking, camouflaged, in the woods. Cedar and Mist waited above, watching from the sky. Lily did not lack for guards or other points of view, it was only in the moment that she felt all but blind.

"We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Claw, alpha of our pack," someone intoned. Lily could hear clearly enough to know it wasn't Diora, but that was about it. Whoever it was, they didn't respect her very much to refer to Claw as the alpha, ignoring her current occupation of the role.

"And to talk about him," someone else said bitterly. "Since we cannot do that in the open."

"Did the alpha forbid us from doing this?" another voice inquired.

"We were not stupid enough to ask," someone else said scathingly. "She hates Claw. Only those who cared about him are here tonight."

"What are we doing, though? We cannot burn anything, somebody might notice. We are just sitting on the beach for no reason." That was Grass, moving things along. Lily was grateful she had an agent on the inside, so to speak, but she wouldn't have advised speaking up at all. If this _was_ a trap meant for Grass, best nobody be sure she was even present.

"Yeah," another female called out. "I thought we were going to burn his body."

"It has been a season-cycle," someone with an especially gravelly voice scoffed. "Do _you_ want to drag his rotting corpse all the way here?"

"Do not _say_ that!" another exclaimed. "I do not like thinking of him like that. We are here to mourn, are we not?"

"We could have done this in the day, in the valley," another complained. "My son never sleeps unless I am there. He will be fussy all tomorrow."

"The alpha would not want us to do this," a familiar voice said loudly.

"That was Diora," Crystal hissed. "She is camouflaged like everyone else, but I know her voice."

"Why not?" was the petulant reply. "There is no harm in _mourning_ , and she is so… harmless. She would not stop us."

"Tell Cressa that she is harmless," someone else said wryly. "I just want to do something for his memory and move on. I feel bad, not putting my mate to rest, even if he was horrible."

A loud, indignant argument broke out, those who thought well of Claw screeching at those who didn't, and vice versa. It seemed not everyone who had come was on the same page.

Hearing them argue and knowing that some just wanted to pay their respects and move on, Lily felt slightly guilty for not offering some alpha-sanctioned way to get closure, back when he was freshly dead. Some of them wouldn't be here if she had.

Whatever the reason, it was obvious that this either had no ulterior motive, or wasn't going to plan; Lily saw no directing force behind the argument, and judging by her piercing shriek, Diora was thoroughly involved, not trying to calm things as anyone with an agenda would.

"Shut up!" someone shrieked. Some, though not all, of the noise ceased. "Why are we here if we are not going to actually do anything?"

"What can we do?"

"Tell stories!" someone volunteered. "About him. If we cannot send him off, at least we can talk about him!"

Lily groaned to herself. She _hoped_ they would do something else. She had no desire to hunker behind a bush all night just to hear about a vile dragon who was currently _dead_. That wasn't useful information at all.

But despite her hopes, the idea seemed to have taken hold, a common ground between those who still cared about Claw, those who just wanted to get some closure and move on, and everybody in between. Females began talking, one after another.

Lily tuned out the many repetitive stories of romance, of Claw waiting on his mates. She could hear the unspoken context of such stories, knowing what she did of him, and for every wistful female talking about being waited on paw and tail by Claw's subordinates, there was a painful night of unwanted advances and one-sided pleasuring to more than cancel it out.

Most of the females had stories from when Claw first took them as mates, but one in particular did not. Lily paid attention when she heard Diora cutting in and claiming her turn, because she didn't know what Diora would have to speak about.

"Way back before Claw was alpha," Diora said without preamble, "he was just another fit, smart, attractive male."

Crystal quietly gagged.

"There were a dozen of us in his season-cycle," Diora continued, her voice nostalgic. "Him, me, Ivy… Others. The pack moved every so often, and he always led the way for all of us, right behind the alpha, who was nowhere near as attractive."

Crystal gagged again, growling to herself. Lily felt a similar nausea at the way Diora spoke of Claw, but she ignored it in favor of the real, interesting glimpse at life before Claw that Diora was revealing. It was biased and sparse with details, but anything was more than the little she already knew.

"We settled here because he suggested it, and the alpha listened," Diora recalled fondly. "We were all going to pick mates soon… Then the alpha died, and Claw, of course, took his place."

"I remember that," someone else called out. "Did Claw have a friend? I was little more than a hatchling at the time."

"He was great friends with all the other males of our season-cycle," Diora said dismissively. "But the only female he had eyes for was me. He was going to choose me as his mate, his first mate."

"Why did he not, then?" the same female asked. "Since you were _never_ one of his… Did Ivy steal you away?"

"No, someone else stole him from me," Diora hissed. "There was another female, Saba. She liked him, and she fought dirty, lying about me at every opportunity. I tried to warn her off, tried to drive her away, but nothing worked, and she was a _very_ good liar. She was his first mate.

"But he got her back," Diora continued with a smug purr, audible even from where Lily lurked in the forest. "He was alpha, so he got to pick a second mate, too, and then more as the season-cycles wore on. She hated sharing."

Lily snorted at that; it sounded a lot like Diora had been beaten out by someone just like her, but more effective. She was certain Diora's rendition of events was immensely biased and self-serving, but that core fact couldn't be cut out no matter how hard Diora tried.

"I think i remember her," a female interjected. "Saba… She always took long walks in the forest, right?"

"I remember her too," another female agreed. "Whatever happened to her?"

"She got sick all of a sudden and died seven season-cycles ago," yet another female explained. "You do not remember? She just did not wake up one morning."

"We are getting away from the story," Diora hissed. "Saba always poisoned his mind against me when she was alive, but once she died, he started to reconsider."

There was a pause, and Lily got the distinct impression that Diora was basking in the center of attention.

"But alas, nothing came of it, because his time was cut short," Diora snarled, abruptly ending her story. "Lily had him killed. Our _alpha_ murdered our mate. Why has nobody done anything about that?"

" _Our_ mate?" Crystal muttered.

"Why," Diora continued, raising her voice, "does everyone roll over and do what she says? She is breaking apart mated pairs, dismantling our customs, tearing apart our way of life!"

Lily snarled, hearing the confirmation of what she had suspected. Diora was working against her.

"She is not doing anything _bad_ ," someone immediately retorted. "Only those who wanted it were broken up, and the rest are good changes."

"You would think so, your son will be an adult next season-cycle," someone else said accusingly.

"So? What if I _like_ my son having a future?" the female exclaimed. "I do not like how she got to where she is, but I am not going to mess that up by complaining."

"She will throw us out of the pack if we resist her authority," someone else chimed in, their voice low and insistent. "Do not be stupid, Diora. We want mates of our own, and we cannot get those out in the middle of nowhere."

"I am not _saying_ we let her catch us," Diora proposed. "Or even do anything wrong. We just have to make our disapproval clear! Do not support her, argue at every opportunity, make her regret it! "

"Regret what?" Grass called out, her voice distinct and recognizable. "Changing things to suit herself? Claw did that too, and he killed more than she ever has."

"We are talking about her actions, not Claw's," Diora quickly retorted. "I am not saying-"

"What _are_ you saying?" someone roared in frustration.

"Just make life hard for her until she listens to us!" Diora cried out. "Until she listens to one of us and treats us better!" She sounded slightly desperate.

Lily purred smugly as the argument degenerated even further. Diora had _not_ planned her rabble-rousing well at all. First, she had failed to set the right tone for the meeting, and then she had underestimated the mollifying effect Lily had on the majority of Claw's mates.

Lily was proud of that one. She had put effort into making everyone feel considered and fairly treated, and said effort was bearing fruit now, when even Claw's mates were more or less supportive of her _in spite_ of being in the midst of reminiscing the male whose death she had arranged.

With those two mistakes, Diora had faced a hard sell, a difficult turnaround… And she had failed miserably on even that last chance, not presenting a good reason or a good course of action to take. Her arguments were half-formed and based on obvious inconsistencies, playing off of hard feelings that weren't actually there, referencing unfair treatment that didn't exist…

Paradoxically, seeing Diora as the apparent instigator made Lily question whether she was _really_ in control at all. There might still be a hidden paw behind her, nudging her forward into situations she couldn't handle, causing mild chaos to distract and misdirect-

But that was not realistic; anyone smart enough to manipulate Diora like that would think twice about using her in the first place. She had succeeded in getting Lily's guard up, something no true usurper would want at all. As it was, Diora had utterly failed to manage anything with this meeting, and future attempts from other dragons would be highly suspect.

Were Lily the hypothetical dragon behind the scenes, she would know herself to be trapped and in danger, having played her paw far too early and with the wrong proxy. It was an obvious mistake if one knew Diora… Much like the mistake she had made with Ivy, but without the excuse of true nature being well-hidden.

"Some are leaving," Crystal hissed. Lily looked up, but she couldn't see any telltale shimmers against the stars, which shone as brightly as ever where she could see them behind the foliage.

"Stay down and watch," Lily replied. She didn't want to be stumbled upon by anyone, and leaving now was asking to be spotted. Best she lie low.

Later, long past when everyone had left and the shore was silent, Lily stood, shaking herself off. Her guards congregated around her, still on high alert, and they began the walk back to her cave.

"I still feel sick," Crystal complained. "That was such a waste of time."

"For Diora too, thankfully," Lily rumbled. "I am glad I was here. A lot of that would not have come through from second-paw accounts." It was the tone, the _flow_ of the event that she had read, more than anything else. It had not _felt_ under control, directed to some higher purpose, as the scuffle at the ceremony had. Here the instigator had been in full view and faltering, failing to direct the chaos.

"What are we going to do with Diora?" Flare asked eagerly. "Should we wait until morning to accuse her, or will tonight work?"

"Was it Diora at all?" Crystal added. "She did not seem like she was coordinating trouble. Trying to, but not succeeding."

"I _think_ Diora was working on her own," Lily revealed, speaking her mind. "There's nobody close to her right now, no mate, no children, no potential love interests. Having people spite me and maybe trying to gain my ear at the same time," for that was obviously what Diora had meant to do by ingratiating herself into what she thought was an oppressed minority and taking the lead, "is something she would do."

"She was mad about you not agreeing to listen to her above everyone else," Crystal remembered.

"Why would Lily ever do that?" Cedar barked incredulously.

"She would not," Mist answered condescendingly, "but Diora is the kind of female who thinks everything is not her fault. In her eyes, Lily would be smart to listen."

"Right," Lily said, impressed with Mist's assessment of Diora. "And this didn't work out for her, so if it is just her causing trouble, then that's all there is to it. But I'm not sure."

"She almost certainly started the talk about not having enough males and not waiting," Flare growled, "and we know this was her idea, because she was the only one taking charge. She did everything. Why do you think there is someone behind her?"

"Because _I_ never operated directly," Lily explained. "I used proxies whenever possible, kept myself out of sight and out of mind as much as possible."

"You are here, though," Cedar said slowly. "And if there was another you, we would have noticed, right? I mean, the smartest female of my season-cycle is Liona, and she is not like you."

"Watch it," Mist snarled, smacking Cedar upside the head with her tail. "I am in your season-cycle."

"You are here, so I did not count you," Cedar offered, swatting back at her half-heartedly. "It is not any of us, and between us we know everyone. There are not any other dragons like you in the pack, Lily."

"I want to believe that," she said, "but simple caution says I can't be sure. If there is someone behind Diora, I don't want to let on that I'm onto them, so no calling Diora out." She looked back at Flare. "We need to catch her at something obvious and public, without being seen to try."

"But this was public, right?" he asked.

"Not enough, and all we can say is that she tried to get people to make me miserable." Lily _already_ had to be careful with dealing with dissent, and she couldn't see a safe way to discipline Diora for it without causing problems, possibly severe ones if people took it badly. "That is not really punishable with more than a lecture, and if there is a dragon watching from the shadows…"

"Punishing her at all will alert them," Mist concluded. "Can I just trail her and then catch her at something stupid and obvious?"

"Go ahead if you want," Lily agreed. She wanted eyes on Diora, because ignoring her would be stupid, but as things stood she was no threat.

"So… That is it?" Flare asked disagreeably, speeding up to walk beside Lily, looking her in the eye. "We let her get away with trying this, let her get away with causing trouble at the ceremony, and wait for her to do something else?"

"Pretty much," Lily said firmly. "I won't fire on a school of minnows when I suspect there are other, bigger fish lurking below the surface."

"The fire might scare them away." Flare nodded in understanding. "I understand. And the minnows will always be there."

"Always," Crystal growled. "I hope she never finds another mate. At least it looks like every male for the next dozen season-cycles will have plenty of options."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily led three light wings through the forest, paws crunching on pine needles and dry leaves. There was a hint of chill in the air, one she knew meant the hot-season was departing as quickly as it had come.

"You are not mad that I am wasting your time?" the male asked quietly.

"Mad?" Lily laughed, shaking her head. "No, I am happy to hear that you and your mate have worked things out. I asked you to come back and tell me, remember?" She had resolved to seek this male out way back when they were all sheltering in the caves, the pack divided, and could not fault him for following up on the subsequent follow-up.

"Yes, but you seem busy," he said deferentially.

"Pina, am I busy?" Lily asked.

"We are just walking to meet Honey and Copper," Pina replied. "No, not at all."

"See?" Lily continued. "So, tell me, all really is well?" She remembered him admitting to a distance between himself and his mate, one he didn't want to break. She had suggested he break it anyway. She could use the moral boost that came with hearing that her advice worked out for everyone.

"Well… I asked her what Claw had that I did not, and she looked at me like I was crazy," he admitted with a wry look. "Turns out we _both_ thought the other was mad and distant and had maybe fancied the alpha they chose to follow that day. We were both wrong," he quickly added.

"That was all it took?" Lily asked, happily ignoring that his mate had thought he fancied _her_ , of all people.

"Things have never been better," he confirmed. "We are trying for an egg. She never wanted one before, but now she does."

While that wasn't great when it came to the looming issue of overpopulation, Lily couldn't help but purr for the male's good fortune and high spirits. "It sounds like things really did work out. I hope you have good luck trying for that egg."

"Thank you, alpha," he said happily, turning to leave.

"The shore is this way," Pina offered, running up beside him and pointing him in the right direction. "Fastest way to get out into the open air."

"Thank you too!" he said, walking in the correct direction.

"I worry for his sense of direction," Pina chortled, returning to Lily's side. "We were walking in a straight line, but he was going to go the exact opposite direction."

"Right into the forest," Lily laughed. "He would have spent _days_ in here going that way." She assumed that at some point frustration would overcome reluctance and he would blast a clear path up through the trees, but the stigma against fire usage would have kept him from thinking of that for a long time.

"But at least he would be happy as he got lost," Pina said. "After so many breakups, it is nice to hear of a mated pair staying together."

"There were not _that_ many separations," Lily objected. "A dozen, at most."

"But there were none before, so any is a lot compared to that." Pina waved her tail dismissively. "And some of the males are being courted by a dozen females each, so it feels like they are everywhere I look. Hopefully some of that results in new pairings soon, so the females can stop fighting each other with words and looks."

"So long as it is just words and looks," Lily sighed. There wasn't anything more she could do for the males, not in the short term.

"I am glad to not be a part of that mad rush," Pina continued.

"Yes," Lily hummed. She, Grass, and Crystal were also not partaking in the hunt for a suitable mate. Grass didn't like anyone available, Crystal just didn't seem ready to think about that, and she herself had both reasons. Pina…

Pina still lived with Dew, though nobody was forcing them to do so now. Given what she knew about the preferences of both females in question…

She hummed thoughtfully, turning the idea over in her head. It was not that much of a surprise; both had given her hints in that direction, and the way they lived together now was not subtle. Still, she wasn't _entirely_ sure.

"Are you not looking because you don't want to, or because you have already found someone?" she asked slyly.

"I am busy helping raise Dew's son and watching half the pack's children, it feels like, along with doing this," Pina deflected.

"Sure, and at night you go home to Dew," Lily pressed. "You know, nobody is making you two share a rock."

"It would be inconsiderate to claim one all for myself," Pina again deflected, deftly turning the conversation away from where Lily was aiming it.

Lily decided to be blunt. "I see what you are doing."

Pina nodded, laughing lightly. "I suppose you do. You know, you never said mates _had_ to be a male and a female. It was always 'two light wings', never anything more specific than that."

"And I have no intention of clarifying," Lily said agreeably. "Be with whoever makes you happy." So long as it didn't hurt someone else, of course, but that was a given in this case.

"I am," Pina confirmed with a purr. "And nobody minds, mostly because nobody notices. What I was doing with you has redirected a hundred conversations on the topic."

"You don't have to hide it, you know," Lily said. "Nobody is allowed to criticize you or mistreat you for it, if they even would." She would like to think better of her fledglings than that, but if they needed a correction on the subject, she would give it.

"Oh, we are not hiding," Pina explained. "Neither of us wants to be the center of _any_ attention, good or bad, so we just let people come to their own conclusions. Some already know for sure, others probably do not care enough to find out, and most have not given us a second thought. It is not like two females living together is _strange_. Half the females in the pack used to do so."

"You just take it a step further," Lily agreed. "Do you two want it… official… or is it just a temporary thing?" She didn't know if she was treading on unstable ground with that question, but she wanted to know.

"Temporary?" Pina repeated, stopping and staring at Lily for a moment. "No, it is permanent. What would being temporary even mean?"

"No idea, but it seemed like I should ask. Do you want me to make it official?" Lily offered. "I don't have to announce it."

"Then what is the point?" Pina asked.

"If something comes up and some obnoxious light wing complains about you two, you get the option of saying 'take it up with the alpha, she approves,'" Lily said.

"I will talk to Dew about it, but probably yes," Pina agreed. "We do not want to be treated differently, but that sounds good."

"Then let it be so," Lily intoned pompously. "I am alpha, I have spoken."

Pina rumbled in amusement. "Careful, you might scare someone."

"After all that effort I put into _not_ scaring anyone, too," Lily groaned. "I honestly think I went too far." She still had not chanced upon a way to correct her image. At best, the next time she needed to discipline somebody, she might be able to show people that she could be intimidating when needed, but that was not an event she could look forward to, for obvious reasons.

"Too far in _not_ acting like Claw?" Pina asked. "I do not think so. The pack is comfortable around you. That is good."

Lily shrugged her wings, not wanting to try and explain. "There's a difference between comfortable and disrespectful."

"I am sure you will find the balance," Pina said. "Is that Honey up ahead?"

Lily shrugged her wings. "Maybe. Let's go find out." The task of balancing respect and fear was one for another day. For the moment, she was happy to deal with the more positive side of being alpha, teaching and helping others. If only that was all she ever needed to do. Maybe one day.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily stood atop the plateau, actively undermining an unspoken rule.

"Good," she praised, patting Holly on the back with her paw. "Twelve heartbeats. That's almost a new record. Next!"

The loose line of fledglings moved forward, Holly hopping off the plateau to join her sisters, neither of whom had broken the ten heartbeat mark.

A young male, looking to be less than four season-cycles old, stepped up and glared down at the scorched patch of stone, breathing deeply.

"Don't stress yourself," Lily coached, remembering what Pyre had told her. "Heat a spot big enough for yourself, hold it for as long as you can." The instinctive way to flame rock involved an extremely short flare of heat, but the longer one could draw it out, the more they could spread it, which was far more pleasant to lie on afterward. This was not common knowledge, as far as she knew, which was why she was teaching it now.

Of course, she had more than just the one reason. Teaching this would make the cold-seasons more pleasant for everyone, and the very act of having people flame in the valley would break down the taboo against it. There was no good reason to bar the use of fire, and no parent could complain when the alpha herself was directing the competition.

The male huffed out a tiny spurt of flame, blasting the rock and flinching from the noise.

"Slow, steady outward push," Lily reminded him.

"I never get it to work," he said sadly.

"Everyone can do it," Lily replied, tapping his chest with her paw. He could fire bolts, and that meant he was capable of using his fire in other ways. He just hadn't learned how yet.

"I do not want to try again," he huffed. "Everyone is looking."

"Not anymore." She shuffled around him and sat down, hiding him under her. Another dragon would have used her wings, but that just wasn't an option; she couldn't reach far enough.

"Okay…" he leaned forward so far his nose was touching the rock, pulled back, and breathed out. A small jet of flame lanced out before growing in size and tapering off in an instant.

"Two heartbeats," she said generously. "See, you can do it. Be sure to practice." His parents might not like that, but hearing that the alpha told him too would at least redirect their disapproval to her.

"I promise!" he said, scurrying out from under her, then leapt off the plateau in a tumble of wings and legs.

"He did not break the record," Lily called out. "Next?"

Another fledgling male approached her, walking with a confident swagger that bordered on absurd. He was older than most, old enough that he probably shouldn't be competing, being practically an adult. His glint, an odd dirty grey, caught her eyes as he stopped right in front of her.

"Get ready to be impressed," he crowed, closing his eyes and leaning down.

Lily absently counted heartbeats, hoping that he wouldn't break the record. The current winner was a third season-cycle male, and she felt it would be more encouraging to the others if he won. Having a male who would be an adult next ceremony trounce them would be demoralizing.

That in mind, she slowed her counting down when he broke ten, watching him strain to hold out.

He grimaced and coughed out the last of his flame at twelve heartbeats.

"Twelve," she announced. "Close, but not quite."

"I can do better, I just did not want to make all the fledglings sad," he said confidently. "Maybe we could meet up in private, and I could show you how long I can hold out for real?"

It took her a moment to catch the double meaning, but when she did she gave no sign of having understood, though he clearly meant the inappropriate interpretation by the expectant way he was looking at her.

She flicked her ears and stood a little taller, looking down on him. "You can go now," she said coldly.

"I want to watch," he retorted, stepping all of three paces away, remaining on the plateau and directly in her line of sight. "So, you come here often?"

Lily wished Crystal were present instead of lazily circling above, to better watch the whole situation. She could count on her friend to laugh at such terrible, transparent opening lines and innuendo, and laughter from a third party would probably burst this male's bubble without making him too angry.

But she was not around, so Lily settled for staring at him, unamused, and refusing to answer the question. "Next!" she called out, hoping for a distraction.

"I was the last one in line," he said glibly. "My name is Cloud. You are Lily, after the flower, right?"

"Do you know any _other_ things called Lily?" she asked coldly.

"No, but I have never seen a Lily flower, so I was not sure. Can I assume they are pretty?" He winked at her.

That was the limit of what Lily could stand; seeing no other fledglings, she stood, turned away from him, and roared to the assembled crowd. "Longest flame was fifteen seconds, by Blur! I was impressed by how many of you could hold it nearly that long. Practice, and you will do better next time!"

There was a rowdy roar of enthusiasm from the fledglings and a few of the more enthusiastic parents, and most of them left, the fledglings running to begin whatever their next game would be, and the parents either going to watch them or going about their own business.

But Cloud remained, sitting patiently, just within view if she looked to the left, staring at her. He reminded her of Gold, or maybe Cedar before he had been nudged into setting his sights on Liona. A fledgling, not quite an adult yet.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" she eventually asked.

"What could be better than this?" he said slyly.

"Talking up a female who is interested," she replied bluntly. "One your own age."

"We are only two season-cycles apart," he objected, walking in front of her. "You are basically my age."

" _You_ are still a fledgling, and I see you as such," Lily said, picking the putdown that would both be the most firm, and possibly the least offensive.

"I am _basically_ an adult," he grumbled. "You said we can court whoever we want-"

"When you are of age, and you will have to learn to take no for an answer," Lily interrupted. "You're underage, and I'm not interested either way." She didn't want a mate, and if she did take one, it wouldn't be a sleazy, pushy male like this one. That comment about her being pretty was a joke, and a painfully bad one.

"I will be of age eventually," he said hopefully.

"Not even then," she repeated.

"We will see," he crowed, leaping up into the air with no less enthusiasm. Crystal passed him on the way down.

"What did he have to say?" she asked curiously, landing beside Lily.

"Empty compliments and sleazy words that reminded me of Gold," Lily said honestly.

"He was talking you up?" Crystal asked incredulously.

Lily shook her head. "He was trying and failing miserably."

"Mist owes me a pile of fish whenever I feel like it," Crystal crowed. "She thought it would be one of the newly free older males who approached you first, but I said it would be a new adult."

"You were betting on this?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Mist brought it up, we disagreed, we put our fish where our mouths were," Crystal said dismissively. "So, when you say failed, how badly?"

"Imagine Gold, but not as intense," Lily grumbled, slipping off the plateau as to avoid jolting her back. "And only focused on me at the moment. And bad at it."

"So not interesting at all?" Crystal pressed. "You know, people are wondering if you will take a mate."

"Not for a very long time, if ever." She was barren, crippled, and burdened with power she would not let anyone take. Taking a mate at all would destabilize her control over the pack, because everyone was used to looking to the strong male in a leadership position, and she didn't want a weak male or a female.

"I get that," Crystal agreed. "Plus, it does not sound like you have seen anyone you want. I have not either."

"There's no harm in waiting," Lily said. "Besides, there are too many unmated females as things stand."

"We can be content to look and imagine," Crystal said.

"To what?" Lily asked.

Crystal chuckled and slapped Lily's side with her tail. "Oh, come on, do not tell me you do not even _look_ at some of them. There is no harm in it, and you have to know what you like to look for it later, right?"

"Are you telling me you _do_ go around staring?" Lily retorted. "I don't see the point in fantasizing when it's not going to happen."

"With an attitude like that, it really might never happen," Crystal said quietly. "I do not feel ready to start anything, maybe not for a long time, but I know that is not permanent. I do not want it to be. What about you?"

"Whatever happens, happens," Lily said seriously. "But I do not see it happening for me, and I will not go out of my way to hope for it. I have other things to do with my life." When she imagined her future, she just did not see anyone sharing it in that way. Not when nobody she could want would ever want her back, as she was, not with the difficulties associated with taking any mate, not when it was, in the end, pointless.

"Sounds good to me…" Crystal huffed. "Changing the subject, did you know, I saw a floating tree yesterday when I was out fishing?"

"Trees float?" Lily asked. She knew wood did, but a tree was big and she would have assumed it would sink.

"Apparently. It was a big one too, on the horizon. I wanted to go look at it, but it was so far away."

"Maybe we can go knock one down and throw it into the ocean near the shore some time," Lily offered. It wouldn't be the same, as the tree Crystal had seen must have been massive to be visible at that distance, but it would be something.

"Nah, it was just a weird thing," Crystal said, shrugging it off. "I was desperate to get us off the topic of taking mates."

"The one you just brought us back around to?" Lily laughed. "Seriously, it is fine. We are healing, and we will take as long as we please to do so. In the meantime, keep Cloud away from me." She didn't feel _quite_ that confident about her own situation, but Crystal would be fine.

"It is fine," Crystal agreed.

They walked in companionable silence for a moment.

"Do you think they are okay?" Crystal asked softly.

"Your children?" Lily guessed, connecting the threads of conversation. It was not hard to see that Crystal might go from thinking of a mate to thinking of the natural conclusion, and any mention of having eggs tended to remind her of the ones she had sent away. "Yes."

"Think they will come back someday?" Crystal continued.

"Maybe, someday," Lily offered, not wanting to guarantee something she had no control over. "But I'm sure they're happy, wherever they are. They have good people caring for them."

"It is just… I do not want to move on without knowing," Crystal admitted. "I do not like the idea of them coming back to find me with another mate, children, having forgotten them."

"You would not have forgotten," Lily said firmly, "and the rest of that is something any decent child would want for their Dam. Do not worry about _that_. I will remind you if you _actually_ start forgetting or replacing them, but I don't think it can happen."

"Maybe…" Crystal sighed and laughed to herself, looking up at the bright, cloudless sky. "This is the sort of brooding I should be saving for the cold-season, when I have nothing else to do. Can we go do something fun now, to get my mind off of it?"

"Do you consider loitering by the pond and making conversation fun?" Lily asked, mentioning what she had planned on doing with the rest of her day. Making herself available to the pack was vital, and she tried to do it in more casual, approachable ways.

"If I can accidentally splash the annoying ones, yes," Crystal bargained.

"So long as I can splash you in retaliation," Lily retorted, purring as she spoke. This was better than any sort of brooding. This was moving forward, or at least putting their deeper problems aside for a little while. If she ignored them for long enough, they might just go away.

_**Author's Note** _ **: Plenty of foreshadowing in this chapter, mostly in what Lily thinks to herself.**


	34. Respondent

_**Author's Note:** _ **This one is going to be unusually long, even for this story, but that's because a lot of different things happen! Of all the possible reasons for a long chapter, that's probably the best.**

The Northern sky was dark with clouds. Lightning crackled in the air, making Lily's frills tingle. She watched the gathering storm from her ledge, resignation gradually settling over her like the clouds above the valley, low and smothering.

"Last cold-season was early and deep, and this one starts with a thundersnow," Pina mused. "What next? A season-cycle with no cold-season at all, to keep us on our paws?"

"Thundersnow?" Lily asked, intrigued. She hadn't known that was possible. Lightning was a hot-season thing, mostly, mysterious surges of energy to punctuate the worst, most violent form of weather the valley received.

"Lightning and snow both," Pina explained. "They are never mild. I have only seen two before now, and both lasted days, covering everything in chest-high piles of the stuff. We need to get everyone inside soon."

"Go ahead and spread the word," Lily said, watching the distant stream of light wings filtering into the cavern of their own accord, seeing the weather and feeling the growing chill in the air, the one that had been deepening for days now.

"Lily," Pina rumbled, "both times, it came quickly and struck without much buildup. You should not linger here, in the open."

"I wasn't planning on it," Lily agreed, turning away from the overlook. "I just want you to go ahead and start things now." She had thought that was obvious, but it apparently was not. Her fault for assuming Pina could guess her exact meaning.

"Oh," Pina barked, "right!" She shook her wings out and leaped forward, flinging herself out into the open space in front of the ledge in her haste. "Walk quickly!" she roared as she departed.

Lily snorted and shook her head. The clouds were not even over the valley yet; even taking Pina's warning into account, she had plenty of time.

O-O-O-O-O

Lightning flashed overhead, and the tip of one of the mountains exploded, a tiny, distant flash and a few tumbling boulders marking the lightning's devastating impact. Fat, heavy _chunks_ of snow too large to call flakes pelted down, audibly hitting the stone all around her.

Lily huddled under two outstretched wings, walking as quickly as she could manage. Crystal and Cedar bore the brunt of the pelting snow for her, protecting her vulnerable back without needing to be asked. They had flown down to cover her the moment it became clear that she would not make it to any sort of shelter before the unbelievably fast clouds covered the valley.

They were nearing the caverns now, threading between boulders and sticking to any semblance of cover whenever possible. The wind blew in fits and starts, driving the heavy globs of slushy snow in different directions with every heartbeat. Lily yelped as one smacked her square on the nose, then sneezed involuntarily.

"Left!" Cedar called out, veering off and heading for the dark cavern opening. There were a few light wings sitting in the entrance, watching the storm, but they moved out of the way to let Lily and her guards pass.

Lily sighed in relief and shook herself the moment Crystal and Cedar removed their wings. She was cold, wet, and more than a little embarrassed to have been seen hiding under her guards' wings.

Not that many light wings _had_ seen that, at least; most were busy bickering over sleeping spots or discussing the freak weather event that had driven them inside.

Soon, she was going to have to sort everyone out and assign places for all to sleep. While she could ease some of the actual planning by just telling everyone to sleep where they had last season-cycle, there would be complications, complaints, and frustration.

Later. Not quite yet. She turned, looking out at the storm. The snow was not sticking yet, melting upon contact with the ground, but it was only a matter of time with how much was falling.

Another bolt of lightning struck the mountaintop, the loud crack making her jump.

"We are never going to get any sleep with that racket," Diora complained, her indignant whine instantly recognizable and extremely unpleasant to listen to. "Something should be done about it."

"You could cover your ears," someone else offered helpfully.

"Not good enough," Diora loudly retorted. "The alpha should do something."

Lily held in a bark of disbelief, opting instead to continue watching the storm and pretend she hadn't heard. Diora surely did not think there was anything she could actually do about the noise, so this was another attempt to stir up trouble.

An attempt that was as feeble and doomed to fail as the last. If Diora wanted to rouse resentment, she should have chosen something less inevitable then the weather itself as a failing of Lily's. No sane light wing could blame anyone for that.

Still, it was a reminder that Diora was not content to leave well enough alone. If she tried anything else during the cold-season, she would have to be dealt with, assuming it was actually effective enough that it couldn't be ignored.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily lay on her side, doing her best to ignore a throbbing headache and get some sleep. Everyone around her was asleep, and she wished she was too, but the result of a day spent dealing with complaints and frustrating light wings was not going away quickly.

Unable to relax and ignore the throbbing, she sought to occupy her mind by thinking about those she could see, the ones she had assigned to the same side-cavern as herself. Her eyes wandered over the many sleeping forms, tightly packed in clusters, having sorted themselves by family.

There were Pina, Dew, and Rain, huddled together with the little one firmly ensconced in the middle. Nearby, Clay and his mate lay together. They seemed far less complete, to Lily. Probably because they were missing someone.

She did not often think about Gold; the last time he had come to mind had been in her brief, unpleasant encounter with Cloud, who reminded her of him. Now, lying here, uncomfortable and unable to find rest, she found herself lingering on his memory.

He had been obnoxious and lustful, but she could not fairly judge him, not when his life and environment had allowed him to be that way without consequence. She had meant to fix him up and make an honorable mate of him, and she still thought she could have, given the chance. And if she could have made him someone worth being with, surely he could not have been all bad even before she began improving him.

She felt his loss more keenly than ever before, looking at his Dam and Sire. He would have so easily fit into this new pack, assuming he took no for an answer once she was alpha, or assuming he had become her mate and she had fixed him.

But he was not here, and as far as anyone knew, he was dead. Nobody knew how it had happened, or why; if Pearl had said in her brief visit, Lily had not heard of it. She could only speculate.

Lily felt her eyes drift closed, and noticed that her headache had finally begun to fade. She glanced over at Clay and his mate one more time.

It was odd that she had not thought of their dead son in moon-cycles. She was supposed to be on top of her peoples' feelings, and Clay was one of her guards, someone she interacted with more often than most of the pack. Had she ever probed either of Gold's parents on their feelings surrounding his demise? Would she find anything she could not predict in advance?

Lily knew her thoughts were drifting and welcomed the encroaching darkness. There would be time to build more personal connections to those closest to her; the cold season was good for little else.

O-O-O-O-O

"Who wants to go on a walk?" Lily asked, recalling the far from enthusiastic response Whirl had gathered to a very similar question last cold-season.

"Did it finally stop snowing?" Mist yawned. "Because it is miserable going anywhere with snow driving in my face."

"Yes, that is why I am asking," Lily said calmly. The clouds were still dark and ominous, promising more snow shortly, but for the moment the air was clear of all but the most minor of flurries.

"Why?" Crystal asked.

"I want to check something," Lily said vaguely. "But I would like you to keep watch in here." She intended to be out in the snow for as long as she could stand, and if something came up in the cavern in the meantime, she wanted her friend ready to handle it.

"Okay," Crystal huffed. "Mist, are you going to go?"

"I can," Mist conceded. "Let me go ask Cedar. Maybe Liona too, if that is okay?"

"Sure," Lily said. Mist exited the chamber, off to go find the aforementioned light wings. "Clay? Flare?"

"Do you need him?" Gold's Dam asked lazily, curling her tail around her mate's ears from where she lay.

"I'd like him to come along," she confirmed.

"Off you go then," Gold's Dam snorted, thumping her tailfins on his neck. "Bring me back a mouthful of snow."

"Ugh," Crystal said quietly. "That is disgusting."

Lily nodded in agreement. "Flare?"

"Sure," Flare said, standing.

Lily purred quietly, glad to have gathered the people she had in mind. Flare, Clay, Mist, Cedar. Of the eight who took turns guarding her, she had the most tenuous, impersonal connections to these four. She wanted to take the time to get to know them specifically, and she meant for this particular excursion to be a solid start on that project.

A short while later, Lily stepped out into the mixture of white and grey that was the valley, followed by her overly large contingent of guards, plus Liona who had come along for the walk.

The snow was chest-high, but only in the places where it hadn't been trampled flat. Lily followed the path of least resistance, which led to the pond and waste pit, in that order, and stopped just out of sight of the cavern entrance.

"We have a chance to get a few things done in between blizzards," she said, speaking to the five light wings behind her on the path. "And to do them, I want us to split up. Cedar, Liona. Can you kick as much snow as possible off of this path to the pond?"

"Why not flame it?" Cedar asked.

"Because," Liona immediately replied, purring at her mate, "the snow will melt, and then the water will freeze. We would be making an ice slick, not a path."

"You know, that actually sounds pretty fun," Cedar mused. "Seriously. We can make a cool ramp for the fledglings to slide down."

"Maybe when we can let fledglings come out here to play," Lily offered. She liked the idea, but right now it was too cold and too dangerous to let the little ones out for the sort of all-out romp they usually enjoyed after the first snow of the season, something that was causing a lot of whining.

"Okay," Cedar agreed. "We will clear the path."

"Thank you," Lily rumbled. "I will come along and help you in a little while."

"What about us?" Flare asked, gesturing to himself, Clay, and Mist.

"There are other things that need doing," Lily explained. "I have a task that involves flying and fishing, a task that involves melting things, and one that requires patience and a strong stomach."

"I will take the fishing one," Clay volunteered.

"Good, you're with me for now." She would spend some one-on-one time with him first.

"I will handle the waste pit, assuming that is what you mean by needing a strong stomach," Flare decided.

"Yes, and thank you for that," Lily said vehemently. Technically it was the job of all the males, something they rotated through, but whoever was next in line had shirked their duty, and it was dangerously full. Later, she would find out who that was and have them make it up to Flare tenfold, to discourage shirking of essential duties.

"That leaves me with the flaming," Mist hummed. "What am I doing?"

"Finding out how much snow makes a good puddle," Lily explained. "The pond is a long walk away, and if it is efficient to make our own little ponds right by the cave-"

"Say no more, I will gladly do that," Mist cried out enthusiastically. "That will make things so much easier for everyone. I am surprised nobody has ever tried it before."

"Usually, we do not have _this_ much snow," Clay rumbled.

Lily nodded in agreement; it was a good idea, but one that would only work if the weather was bad enough to merit it. Milder winters wouldn't provide nearly enough snow without requiring that it be scraped together into a large enough pile… And they didn't know if it would work yet.

"Experiment with that," Lily concluded. "I'll be coming around to watch and help soon. I'll check in with all of you. If it starts snowing hard again, come back to the cavern and wait just inside, so that I know you all made it back."

That was the unsaid signal to split up and go about their various tasks, and everyone heard it. Cedar and Liona disappeared along the beaten trail to the pond, Mist and Flare took to the sky, and Clay sat in the snow by Lily, looking at her expectantly.

"Let's walk for a little bit before you go," she said. "I'll only be asking you to fish for everyone here, so there's plenty of time."

"I will not complain about walking instead of flying and fishing in freezing skies and freezing water," he said, falling into step beside her. "It is good to get out of the cavern for something other than my own needs, but I do not like being cold."

"On that, we agree," she said, smashing down the snow with exaggerated steps, forging her own path through the chest-high drifts. "It has occurred to me that I barely know you except by association."

"My mate and son?" he asked.

"Yes. But I am relying on you to protect me, and that is not nearly enough." Not from a sentimental standpoint, and not from a cynical, calculating one either. She needed to know the abilities, mindset, and personality of everyone who she trusted her safety to, and it was embarrassing that she had gone this long without approaching him in any capacity outside of his duties.

"What do you want to know?" he asked tentatively.

"Nothing you can directly tell me, so do not worry about giving 'correct' answers to anything," she assured him. "It is just… I knew your son better than I knew you, and I was not trusting him with anything."

"He takes after me," Clay said proudly.

Lily blinked, not betraying her mild surprise. Not only did Clay sound _proud_ , claiming his son's traits as his own, but he spoke of him as if he was still alive. She would have to tread carefully around the subject of Gold. "Did he get anything from his Dam?"

"Intelligence," Clay said simply.

"Your mate is a sharp one," Lily agreed. "But what of you?"

"I like to laze around, sleep with my mate, and do something useful on occasion," Clay huffed. "There is not much to me. I like simple things."

"Simple can be good." She often wished some parts of her life were simpler, even as she revelled in using complexity and intricate plans to get her way. It would be nice to sit back and relax every once in a while.

"Not so good when my alpha is trying to get to know me," he said quietly. "If I have given you reason to doubt-"

"I would not be taking this route to investigate you if that were the case," Lily cut in. "I really am just trying to become closer with all of those who protect me, so that I can play to your strengths and know your weaknesses in a pinch, and value you enough to make good decisions."

"Oh." There was a long pause, a silence broken only by Lily stomping snow down with each large step. Her legs were cold, but there was something soothing about using her weight and strength on something that had just enough resistance to be satisfying.

"I like guarding you," Clay rumbled. "It makes my mate happy and it makes me feel important. Trusted."

"Feeling trusted by your alpha is important to you?" Lily guessed.

"Feeling valued is important," he clarified. "Claw did not care, but you do, and I would much rather serve you than him. And since I do this, I can be sure you will not call on me to do something else hard and time-consuming, so I can relax when I am not guarding."

Lily purred at that admission; Clay was a dragon of simple pleasures, and she suspected having something to keep him from lazing around all day every day made the time he could spend doing exactly that feel more precious.

A threatening rumble of thunder echoed across the valley. Both Lily and Clay looked up at the same time.

"I should probably begin fishing," Clay grumbled.

"Yes, go," Lily agreed, turning to wade toward her next objective. It looked like their time outside might be cut even shorter than she had anticipated, though the thunder on its own didn't mean much.

O-O-O-O-O

"I hope you do not mind if I stand back," Lily called out. She intended to avoid the smell of an overly full waste pit at all costs; it usually was not so bad, but the cold had a way of making bad smells all the more unbearable, like they were contaminating the very air itself.

"I am surprised you are here at all!" Flare replied. "I am almost done, though, so it should not smell too horrible. Did you need me for something else?"

"No, I just wanted to talk," Lily admitted, feeling foolish. One did not talk to somebody while they dealt with a waste pit. That was just common sense.

"I can take a break," Flare decided, abandoning his task. "What is up?"

"Up?" Lily echoed, confused.

"Just something Root's friends say," Flare grumbled. "Ignore it, they are infecting me."

"Funny," Lily rumbled. "How is he?"

"Coping," he said, flicking his tail. "You have seen that Whirl is less overbearing?"

"Yes, and I'm glad about that." She wouldn't have to interfere, thankfully. It was good that some families could handle their own issues internally.

"We all are," he said vehemently. "It makes for a far less awkward cold-season."

"I bet. And how are you, specifically?" she asked. "Aside from right now, I can guess how you feel doing this." Queasy and impatient to be done with it. Dealing with waste was possibly the worst way to spend time in the valley nowadays.

"Can I say happy, when my son is blind?" Flare asked rhetorically. "But I am, sort of. I would rather he not be, but as that cannot be accomplished, I am happy with what we have."

"It's not perfect, but nothing is," Lily murmured, recognizing the familiar sentiment. "How about being my guard?"

"It is a lot of work some days," Flare admitted. "I have been meaning to ask, would it be possible not to lean on those of us who guard at night? Not during the day, at least."

"Yes, I can keep that in mind." She _ha_ d tried to keep the extra duties to those of her guard who would have been on duty at the time anyway, but nobody had complained yet.

Maybe she should reconsider that, given Flare was now complaining. Respectfully, subtly, in a way that was not really complaining at all, but still.

"I'll definitely adjust some things," she promised. This was her warning, and she wouldn't push them far enough to get another.

"Thank you," Flare rumbled. "Now, I am cold, so I am going to finish this," he waved his tail at the waste pit, "as fast as possible. Am I free to go inside after?"

"Definitely." She had no reason to keep him out longer than that; the most onerous task should be rewarded with an early end, anyway.

O-O-O-O-O

"There is something… enjoyable… about pushing snow around." Cedar was panting so hard that his words came out in quick barks, sounds pushed out with the mist that was his breath.

Lily kicked at a chunk of hitherto undisturbed snow and scattered it down the narrow passage between boulders, out of the way and out of mind. Her method of moving snow was less strenuous than Cedar's, but as his required strong, fully mobile wings, she couldn't copy him.

"Is there?" Liona huffed, pressing her forehead against his side to warm it. She had not settled on one method of excavation yet, instead trying different things every so often. From the looks of things, she had just given up on trying to use her forehead.

"If you do it right," Cedar chuckled. "That way might freeze your head."

"Yes, but my paws are going numb, and I cannot stand to let it touch my wings," Liona complained. "How do you do it?"

"I ignore the pain like a male," Cedar said proudly. "You would not understand."

"I understand that you must be ignoring a lot of pain," Liona retorted. "Given your wing is turning blue around the edges."

Lily looked up, alarmed by that observation. "That is bad," she interjected, looking at Cedar's currently folded wings. She couldn't see anything, but discoloration couldn't possibly be a good sign-

"I am just kidding," Liona revealed, pawing at her mate's wings. "Though that does make me wonder… If heat makes us lose our color, why is it that cold does not give us more?"

"That is an interesting theory…" he rumbled. "We should test it!" Cedar turned on his mate and lunged at her, quickly bowling her over into the chest-high drifts next to them, just off the beaten path. Liona shrieked in surprise and shock as she disappeared into the pile, and Cedar roared in delight as he followed her in, the pile collapsing over them an instant later and hiding them from sight.

Liona burst from the top of the pile a moment later, scattering snow everywhere and shrieking loudly, and proceeded to jump up and down on the rapidly compressing mound of snow to hinder Cedar's escape for as long as she could in retaliation.

Once Cedar clawed his way out from the pile, Liona hopped back onto mostly clear ground, and laughed in his face. "Are you ignoring the cold now?" she said mockingly.

Lily liked seeing Liona's attitude; her ease with Cedar and the confidence with which she acted were improvements over how she had been not so long ago. It seemed Cedar _had_ done wonders for her self-confidence, as predicted.

"Are you?" Cedar retorted, shaking himself off and splattering Liona with more slush. She shivered dramatically, and he quickly put a sheltering wing around her.

Lily could see that neither of them was going to last much longer outside in the frigid cold and occasional wind; she would have chastised them for messing around and throwing each other into the snow if what they had been doing was important. Given the _actual_ purpose of having them out here at all was to check up on them and get to know them better, she didn't mind their shirking of the task she had assigned.

"I think this will have to wait until the next break in the storms to be completed," Lily announced, reminding them both of her presence. "You two can go back inside."

"Whoops," Cedar said halfheartedly, looking at the uncleared portion of the path. "Should have waited until we were done. Will you be coming with us?"

"As far as the entrance," Lily said. She still wanted to check on Mist.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily found Mist standing to the left of the dark cavern mouth, digging with her claws. Dirt and snow mixed to form dirty, unappealing slush.

"I take it the 'miniature pond' idea isn't without its flaws?" Lily asked.

"I needed a hole to hold the water in," Mist grunted. "Every time I made a nice hollow out of snow, it melted when I tried to flame other snow inside it."

Lily held in an amused snort. That was the sort of thing she would have expected Mist to think about beforepaw, but maybe it just wasn't very obvious. "How big do you want it?" she asked instead, leaning over to add her paws to the effort, shoveling surprisingly warm dirt out of the growing hollow.

"As big as we can manage before the storm starts up again," Mist sighed. "If the dirt gets hard, flame it. I just had to break the surface."

"I see why you've only gotten this far," Lily huffed, scraping her paw along the sloped side of the hollow. A frustratingly small amount of dirt was removed, leaving plenty more. Her claws and the pads of her paw just weren't made to easily dig small things. Larger, more loose excavations, maybe, but not like this.

"It took longer than I would have liked to start this," Mist huffed. "Oh, and speaking of things taking longer than I would like, have you checked up on Root lately?"

"I _have_ been sharing a side-cavern with his family," Lily reminded her. "Why? Is Whirl giving you any more trouble?"

"She raises a stink whenever Root wants to hang out with me, but that is not important," Mist said dismissively. "It is just… I feel that he should be getting back to something approaching normal by now. It cannot be _that_ hard to adjust to being blind. He has had more than a season-cycle."

"I think Root would know better than either of us how long it should take," Lily said reproachfully. "Who are we to judge something we have not experienced for ourselves?"

"All I am saying is that I think I could learn my way to the waste pit with my eyes closed if given a season-cycle to practice, but he cannot even do that," Mist retorted. "He always has to have someone with him, or thinks he does."

"And you think Whirl might be to blame for his lack of progress?" Lily guessed. Mist's dislike for Whirl was obvious enough, and people tended to connect separate events in ways that supported their already established opinions.

"You say that like there is only one reason," Mist said slowly. "I think she is _one_ reason for how slow he is to adapt. But she is a reason someone could remove, whereas whatever goes on in his head is near impossible to change."

"We agree on that," Lily sighed, remembering Root's stubborn refusal to even consider the stupidity of challenging Claw. "But Whirl is getting better." Root had been in and out of the side-cavern far more often this cold-season, and from what Lily could tell he was spending that time with his friends, not his family, meaning that Whirl had let up on trying to keep him all to herself.

"Better does not mean good," Mist growled. "I am going to flame the hole again."

Lily looked up, judging the rapidly darkening clouds. She had very little idea of how long they had spent outside, but surely it should be around midday, not dusk. Her stomach, if nothing else, would let her know if it had been that long. In any case, they had time. "Go ahead."

"There," Mist grunted a moment later. "And that was my last shot for the time being, so if we want to keep digging, you will have to pitch in with your fire."

"We will be going in as soon as Clay gets back," Lily said, sticking both of her front paws into the pleasantly warm soil.

"Weird," Mist grunted, pulling back with all her might and dragging up a chunk of rock. "You never use his name."

"I had a hard time remembering it for some reason," Lily admitted, surprised that it had been noticeable. "But I am trying to get to know everyone."

"Is that why you brought us instead of the people you actually know?" Mist asked. "Paying the backup team some attention?"

"You are all part of the same team, nobody is on a backup team," Lily retorted.

"Sorry, I know." There was silence for the time it took to drag out another hunk of rock, jagged and heavy enough to require both of them to roll it up the slope.

"Can I ask you something?" Mist requested. "I do not know if you want people to talk about it, so I will keep quiet about your answer, but I want to know."

"Depends on what you're going to ask," Lily said cautiously.

"Mates," Mist revealed. "What is the long-term plan there? Eggs are male or female in equal numbers, and we have far too many extra females, but now none of the older ones can court new males. But you also did not say there was no planning for when those males get older, so the older females are still trying to catch their interests... Is the plan that the younger females get first pick, and then everyone else?"

Lily had to think for a moment before she answered; she hadn't really considered the problem quite like that. In the back of her mind, she had assumed that naturally unbalanced collections of eggs would slowly cut down on the excess female population, every season-cycle with an excess male population… But there would be just as many with excess female populations, now that she thought about it.

"I do not know if I have an actual solution to the imbalance," she admitted. "For now, I just want to cut down on the predatory way some look at acquiring mates, while not blocking actual relationships from forming. But long-term? I don't know yet."

"There is not some super-secret master plan going on?" Mist asked doubtfully. "That seems unlikely. You had plans for my season-cycle, and they worked out great."

"Your season-cycle was balanced," Lily retorted. "Unless I can convince some females to take each other as mates, pure matchmaking will not solve this problem."

Mist shuddered at that. "Leave me out of that, please. Just because Root is not the one for me does not mean I am giving up on males. But I might have to wait a while…"

"Everyone will have to wait a while," Lily said solemnly. "In a few season-cycles I will revisit the problem, see how the current state of things settles." There was a lot she could learn from how the pack as a whole dealt with the way things were now, and that information would help her figure out a complete answer later.

"But that means waiting," Mist said, backing up from the hole and dragging her claws through a nearby pile of snow, trying to rid them of debris. "You will make everyone wait season-cycles before changing anything?"

"That's the thing, though," Lily responded, copying Mist's movements in an effort to dislodge a stubborn pebble from between her claws. "I have left it open enough that any real romance that might develop, can develop. Since I cannot create more males out of thin air, that is the best I can do in the short-term. There will be waiting no matter what I do."

"Not necessarily." Mist looked her in the eye. "I am not saying it is a good idea, but you could allow some males to take a second mate, just to clear up the excess."

Lily felt a visceral wave of disgust. "No," she immediately growled. "That is a horrible idea." Maybe in a pack where taking multiple mates had not been one of the previous alpha's trademarks, with people like Gold coveting the privilege. As it was, she was struggling with the marks, obvious and subtle, that Claw's mentality had left on her people. Allowing something like that would only exacerbate the issues they already had.

"I know, I was just making a point," Mist said quickly, lowering her head. "There are things you could do now, is all I was saying."

"No good things," Lily huffed. She could see a light wing approaching, just now clearing the mountains. Clay was on his way back.

"I understand," Mist said, following Lily's line of sight. "If it is meant to happen, it will happen, and if not, then I am not being forced to mate with some random male because he happened to be hatched in the same season-cycle as me."

"And that is better," Lily said firmly. "For what it is worth, I hope you find a male. Have you talked to any of those currently available?"

"A little, but neither really interests me," Mist admitted. "I can wait. It just feels weird to, when my entire life I assumed that I would have a mate by now, that it was inevitable, just the way the world worked."

"Growing pains," LIly said absently, thinking of something Pyre had once told her, back when she was so clumsy she was practically flinging herself into walls. "Just because it feels awkward now does not mean you will regret the change or the time spent achieving it later."

"I like that," Mist laughed. "It makes the whole pack sound like a bunch of fledglings."

Lily purred softly, leaving it at that. She had used the metaphor for that very reason. The pack was a bunch of fledglings, and she the Dam guiding them through this time of change and uncertainty. Some required a light paw and others far heavier discipline, but the end result was always the same.

O-O-O-O-O

"She is worse than Claw."

Lily knew the comment had been meant for her ears, meant to draw her in and antagonize her. She knew it was a setup, and that there had to be a follow up ready. The words and the speaker combined offered no other explanation.

She let herself fall into the trap regardless, because she had the measure of Diora's skill at manipulation and rabble-rousing, and knew it no match for her own cunning. "What was that?" she asked coldly, turning to look at the female.

Even _looking_ at Diora was enough to tell the older female was itching for an argument. Her body was tense, her ears back and her back arched, all betraying the pathetic attempt for relaxation she feigned with wide eyes and an attempt at innocence.

"What, alpha?" Diora asked politely. The two females she had been speaking to, two of Claw's more ardent former mates, both stared at Lily, anticipating an explosion of temper.

"Oh," Lily said calmly, aware that the many eyes of those occupying the main cavern were on her, and the many ears doubtless angled in her general direction, "I thought I heard something, but I must not have."

"What did you assume you heard?" one of Diora's co-conspirators, for that was what they were, asked hopefully.

Lily could see how this was meant to go. She was meant to leap upon a painful, irritating insult and chew Diora out for it, only to be told by three different females that she was being unreasonable. Maybe she would have just misheard, or maybe it would be explained as a back-pawed compliment, or about someone else entirely. Whatever the excuse, it would be a thorn in her side, a black mark on the image she was trying to project.

"Something comparing me and another alpha," Lily said calmly. "I was interested in hearing more."

Diora's allies looked to her, but she clearly saw a problem with her simple plan and avoided committing. "Oh, we were just talking about how things have changed."

"They certainly have," Lily agreed pleasantly. "I have tried to make life better. We no longer tolerate abuse or spiteful insults, though our previous alpha was fond of those things." If Diora thought to provoke her, she should be ready to resist the exact same tactic turned back on her, accompanied by a subtle hint that her ploy had been seen and recognized for the intentional provocation it was..

"Claw never said a harsh word to me," one of Diora's accomplices growled, falling for the bait.

"But the rest of us were not so lucky," Lily said scathingly. "I am not bothered to hear you comparing me to Claw, because any comparison would have to cast me in a positive light. It is hard to imagine how one could be _worse_."

"He had his faults," Diora said, "but he also had his good qualities." She spoke tentatively, and the way she looked at Lily had changed. From a predator surveying a possible mark, to prey. There was far more wariness now.

It took so little to make her back down. Lily was not impressed, but at least it was in line with the faulty planning and failure to adapt that she had seen previously. "We will have to disagree on that," she said firmly. "So long as we keep in mind that he is gone and should not cause any more strife, that is fine."

Diora nodded, purring as if it were her own idea, not Lily's. "Of course, we cannot let our opinions divide us, alpha," she said eagerly. "I always thought as much."

Ironically, _that_ blatant falsehood came closer to getting a rise out of Lily than any of Diora's intentional provocations, but she held firm, keeping a tight grip on her annoyance. Diora had not won this exchange, however she wanted to make it seem.

A small annoyance, Lily thought as she turned away. She hoped Diora would truly take the veiled warning for what it was and reform, but it was far more likely the female would just bide her time and wait for a better chance to irritate her.

So long as she kept it to easily-countered irritations, Lily couldn't easily do anything about her, either. Diora was the natural result of a system built on fairness, second chances, and a shaky precedent for the alpha's use of power. Better one minor irritant go uncorrected than the system itself fall apart.

But if that minor irritant became a larger problem, Lily would not hesitate to collect evidence, accuse, and punish her. All within the pack's new system for such things, all visible and obvious, all fair. That was how a good leader was supposed to do things.

O-O-O-O-O

Another cold-season passed slowly, the days fading away in a monotony of grey clouds, minor disputes, and sleep. Life was more tolerable this cold-season, at least compared to the previous one, in no small part because Lily continued to take volunteers out into the valley between storms and setting them to whatever tasks seemed most useful.

The drinking pool by the cavern entrance grew, and in time was joined by another as everyone began to use it, the two crudely dug holes framing the cavern entrance, constantly refilled by anyone who drank from them.

At the same time, the path to the pond and waste pit became more and more defined, Lily's volunteers clearing it as thoroughly as possible after every storm. While the snow to either side piled high, the path itself remained only a paw-height of tightly-packed snow, an easy walkway compared to any alternative route.

Other things also contributed to the easier cold-season. Her guards took more initiative, using the precedent set last cold-season to handle small problems and temper flares before they exploded. They often had to come to her when a dispute outgrew their limited ability to mediate, but they weeded out the small things.

Then there was the overall more peaceful atmosphere of the cavern. Lily wasn't sure whether it could be attributed to everyone settling into the new way of things, or just that the cold-season hadn't caught them all by surprise, but not only were her guards handling the small things, there were less small things to handle to begin with. Everyone was more interested in sleeping and otherwise lazing around to get up to much trouble…

Though the tight quarters still caused flaring tempers. Lily sometimes wondered how peaceful the cold-season would be if everyone had enough space to stretch out and be alone on occasion. Would she even be needed to act as the alpha if everyone had their own space? It was not as if anyone could get into arguments if there was nobody nearby to argue with, and no reason to start anything.

She knew that she had to give more thought to the growing problem of space. The caverns weren't expansive enough, and the pack was only growing. Nobody died, and eggs were being produced at a steady rate.

A conundrum for another day. Today, she was enjoying the sunlight and the warm breeze, a welcome break from the cold, though another of the countless storm fronts was visible on the horizon. The cold season wasn't over yet, and everyone knew it, no matter how mild this particular day's weather was.

That knowledge wasn't stopping anyone from enjoying the brief respite, though. The joyous calls of fledglings in the distance occasionally drowned out the more placid murmuring of the adults lounging in the sunlight on the rocks around Lily. She and her guards lay on the plateau, taking advantage of the space it afforded.

"I wish there was no cold-season," Crystal groaned contentedly. Clay grunted in agreement.

"But if there was no cold season, would we appreciate the warmth?" Lily asked lazily, basking in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. Soon, it would set and drape the valley in darkness, but for now it warmed her body, setting a luxurious warmth into her scales, even the scar tissue of her back. If it were not for the few points of aching pain that never seemed to go away, she would be totally at peace. As it was, this came pretty close to perfect anyway.

"Too warm to care," Crystal retorted.

They lay there in silence for a little while longer, though Lily could see the valley in front of her darkening even through her eyelids; the bright light seeping through gradually faded, and all too soon, a shadow began to cut across the plateau.

Clay rose, sighing wistfully, and prodded at Crystal. "Grass is here," he grunted.

Lily opened her eyes to see the named dragon landing right in front of her. "You're a little early," she rumbled, rising to her paws.

"I did not know where you would be sleeping tonight," Grass explained. "It feels like it will stay warm overnight, but it might storm again."

"The cavern," Lily said regretfully. She hadn't even considered her cave. It would be risky _and_ set a bad example for everyone else, and she suspected the storm in the distance would break overnight, bringing a renewed chill to the air along with freezing rain or snow. "Flare?"

"He guessed correctly," Grass grumbled, stepping aside to let Lily hop off the plateau and begin the walk back. "Next time, I will probably try to guess, and then guess wrong."

"Just assume I am going to do the smart thing," Lily suggested. "That's a safe bet."

"Only if I know what that _is_ ahead of time," Grass retorted, opting to hop along the boulders instead of descending and following Lily. The boulders were almost all empty due to everyone still sleeping in the caverns, and those who had been sunning on them anyway had been driven away by the encroaching shadow. A general migration back to the caverns was in progress all around Lily.

"True, but I believe in you," Lily said supportively.

Grass snorted derisively at her. "If you were a fledgling I would smack you for that."

"I am allowed to sound patronizing," Lily objected, not at all bothered by Grass' reaction. She didn't expect such effusively optimistic support to evoke anything other than annoyance from Grass; that was why she had used it. Quite, no-nonsense statements of fact couched in cold, hard truth were what best encouraged Grass, who considered them unbiased.

Lily knew that assumption to be false; she knew how to frame facts in a way to prop Grass's confidence up, or reassure her. She just wasn't going to let Grass in on that secret. So long as the other female thought such statements could not possibly be _meant_ to encourage, they would do just that.

"That does not mean I have to like it," Grass growled. "By the way, should I be snarling at idiots who get in my personal space, or is that not appropriate behavior?"

"Have you done it recently?" Lily asked neutrally, accepting the abrupt change in topic. Grass was asking her what was and was not acceptable behavior, and that was a chance that could not be passed up, even if it was cloaked in sarcasm and feigned indifference.

"No, but I felt the urge to bite a few tails when two young idiots leaped right over my rock this morning," Grass growled, jumping over Lily to land on a boulder on her other side. "They interrupted my nap."

"You're within your rights to growl at them," Lily offered.

"Fine," Grass conceded. "They really were stupid, though. Who forgoes warmth and relaxation to run around in aimless circles?"

"Fledglings with too much energy who have been told to hold it in while in the caverns." She thought _that_ was obvious. "Besides, we _can_ just flame ourselves at any time if we want warmth, and the sun will be back soon enough."

"It would be odd to see people flaming themselves just for that," Grass muttered, looking around in between jumps. "We do not use much fire in the valley."

"There's no reason why not, except that it just is not done, which in turn has no real reasoning behind it," Lily countered. She was working to tear that pointless restriction down anyway. She would have liked to see a few camouflaged light wings about today, though the quick heat of flames was not quite as good as the persistent warmth offered by the sun. The latter had a way of seeping deeper than the former, making for a far more pleasant experience.

"I suppose… And there is somebody now," Grass continued, looking up. "I would not even have noticed them if I was not looking for camouflaged light wings."

"Where?" Lily asked, stopping and looking up. She certainly could not make out any obvious blurs above them, even with the added assistance of watching Grass turn as she tracked the near-invisible light wing across the twilight sky.

"Right there, in front of the mountain," Grass said. "Can you not see it? Something is strange, like it is not working perfectly."

Lily tried again to spot the apparently flawed camouflage, but couldn't see it. "Where are they going?" she asked, wondering if it was a fledgling who had somehow in their inexperience managed to mess it up.

"They are just circling above us," Grass reported. "It is not Flare, he flies much faster. They are circling above _us_ , not the valley… and getting lower."

Lily growled, alarmed by that new information. _That_ did not sound friendly, and caution dictated she assume this was an imminent attack, and act accordingly. If it was some hapless light wing coming to talk to her, she would chew them out on common courtesy later. "Don't let them know you see," she hissed.

"What are you saying?" Grass growled, still turning in place to watch the apparently still circling light wing. "It is obvious. I would rather make sure they know, and ward them off, whoever-"

Lily instinctively crouched as Grass leaped down, pushing her to the side and knocking her off-balance. As she stumbled to her paws, narrowly avoiding knocking her back against a boulder, a weak blast exploded in the dirt a few paces from where she had stood.

Even now, under attack and likely to be attacked _again_ at any moment, her mind worked, piecing through everything she knew. That shot had been badly aimed, but the only light wings who had bad aim were fledglings and none of them had any reason to attack her. Was it a warning shot not meant to hit her?

Grass roared defiantly up at the sky, leaping up to meet the blur Lily only caught a quick glimpse of, crashing into them and knocking them off-course. Answering roars of alarm came from other light wings in the vicinity, and then the mingled screeches of two females fighting viciously from where Grass and the other had fallen.

Lily leaped up and quickly scanned the sky, though Grass had only seen one light wing. She couldn't rule _anything_ out, and it was possible there was a larger conspiracy, others waiting to strike.

But that was unlikely, while the noises of conflict were real and happening even as she stalled, so she did not spend long looking for a second strike. She leaped up onto a boulder and jumped over to the next, seeking the place Grass was fighting.

It was easily located; other light wings were converging on it even as Lily approached, some leaping into the fray and others just watching. All was confusion and chaos, but Lily didn't need to do much. By the time she saw Grass, it was over.

Grass, Crystal, and Clay all had paws on shimmering air, pressing down on the light wing. There was blood, some of it from a cut on Grass' chest, but most seemingly stemming from a floating cut, the rivulets of dark liquid slowly revealing what Lily thought was probably the light wing's neck.

Lily leaped over to the rock immediately overlooking the carnage, pushing a male aside in her haste to get a grip on what had happened. "Is anyone seriously hurt?"

"Only Grass," Crystal reported. The many bystanders all went quiet to listen to what she had to say. "It does not look that deep."

Lily glanced around, but she didn't see Honey or Copper, both of whom were probably in the cavern and oblivious to what had happened. That was fine, she wasn't ready to reveal their new occupation to the pack yet. "And the attacker?"

"Dead," Grass said bluntly. "She tried to cut my stomach open, and I stopped her." She glared down at the camouflaged body as if able to see it. "I do not regret it. So stupid, to attack…"

The way Grass spoke implied she knew the attacker, and that was enough of a hint for Lily. Grass had been in close contact and could smell them, and there was only one light wing who would provoke exactly that reaction.

"Cressa?" Lily asked, prompting a wave of murmurs through the onlooking crowd.

"Smells like her," Crystal reported. "Not entirely, though. Hard to say now, over the smell of the blood."

"Right, we will just wait until the camouflage wears off, then," Lily decided.

"You _did_ say we would kill her if she returned," Grass ventured hopefully.

"I did," Lily agreed. "And now it is done." It had been quick, unexpected, and brutal, an attack out of nowhere with no forewarning, and now it was done.

"You can all go back to what you were doing!" she cried out, addressing the crowd. "There's nothing more to see, and no harm has been done to anyone of the pack." A subtle reminder to all that Cressa was not one of them, not anymore.

A few departed at that reassurance, but most stayed. Lily growled to herself, annoyed. "The full story will be given tomorrow, as best we can piece it together," she promised. "But unless you want to stare at a dead body there will be nothing more to see, and if you _do_ want to look, then what is wrong with you?"

 _That_ got most of the pack moving. A few stayed, avoiding Lily's gaze, but she allowed that. There should be a few witnesses not affiliated with her, just to prevent any accusations that it was not really Cressa at all later… Though she had no idea who the hypothetical rumor-spreading light wings would say _had_ been killed, if not Cressa.

Crystal jumped up onto the rock and circled Lily, looking her over. "You are okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I have more cause to ask you that," Lily responded. "She never even got near me." Grass had intercepted, driven her away, and then killed in self-defense. Lily couldn't have asked for a better outcome, or by extension for a better guard. If Grass had not already earned her trust, she would certainly have it now.

"Clay and I only arrived just as it was ending," Crystal reported, looking down at the seemingly sourceless stream of blood sluggishly running down the body. "Grass had it handled."

"Only because she was not fighting very hard," Grass explained bluntly. "Viciously, but without much force."

"I wonder what we will see," Clay murmured, poking at the body with a paw, seemingly both disgusted and fascinated. He had likely never seen death up close before, even in the current mostly-obscured fashion. "Some of this does not seem quite right."

Grass had said as much too. Lily hopped down to the ground, carefully skirting around the blood, and tried to see what they meant.

It was not easy to define, even in her mind; what she saw was not an absence, but also not a color. It was as if the faint rays of fading light _bent_ in random patches, not passing through a blurry shape so much as deteriorating and spreading. She had no reference for this, nothing to compare it to.

"It looks… well, kind of like how light went through Cedar's melted sand." Crystal leaned close, staring at the strange aberrations. "You know, the one on the shore we never really go to?"

"I remember," Lily said, recalling what Crystal meant. She had mostly forgotten about that spire of somehow clear melted sand; it just wasn't important in the grand scheme of things. But if this reminded Crystal of that…

No, she could not deduce anything from that tenuous connection. This was not a result of death, because Grass had seen it before Cressa died, and it was not something normal, but that was as far as Lily could deduce. There simply wasn't enough-

Even as she dismissed the question as having too little information to be answered, a new thing happened. The strange patches of camouflage all began wearing away, revealing skin.

No scale. Cracked, wrinkled skin, like that of a wound that had yet to heal and be recovered by scales. There was not much glint, either, which was a strange thing Lily had only ever noticed in one other injury. Her own, which lacked any glint at all.

Maybe there was a connection? She stared in morbid fascination as Cressa's corpse rippled, slowly losing the necessary heat to maintain camouflage, always the scaleless patches of wrinkled skin going first.

When the return to visibility was complete, Lily had a very solid theory as to why this had all happened, from the nonsensical attack, to the misaimed shot, to the weakness with which Cressa had fought, and to the strangely imperfect camouflage.

"Yikes," Crystal murmured. "She had a rough time out there."

"I'll say," Lily agreed, looking over the emaciated, deteriorating body in front of her. Cressa's stomach was sunken inward, her ribs showing. Her body was littered with patches of bare, cracked skin, a few with dry blood covering them, somehow remaining even after being flamed. There was a haggard, desperate, _angry_ snarl frozen on her face.

Lily noticed the little details too, which told more of the story. The way Cressa's paws were flecked with mud and seaweed. The way her mouth, slightly open in the snarl, was discolored, looking dry and unpleasant, and also flecked with seaweed.

"I think," she began, wanting to shed light on this macabre mystery before everyone else began coming up with horrible theories based in fear more than logic, "that she had a difficult time on her own. It looks as if she was not eating or drinking enough."

"We have had two strong, difficult cold-seasons," Crystal said quietly. "But she could fish, she could melt snow… She should have been able to survive."

"And she did for a long while," Grass said. "She lasted more than a season-cycle. Maybe she was doing fine until this cold-season."

"Something happened," Lily mused, feeling as if she was only missing one thing, one final component to the story. "Those missing scales look like they flaked off, and the skin looks bad… The cold, maybe." That would make sense as it was possible Cressa had been unable to find sufficient shelter. But what about the rest?

"Grass, did you use fire?" Clay abruptly asked, pawing at one of Cressa's wings.

"No, none of us did," Grass growled. "What is that?"

"There are a lot of missing scales here, and a strange scorch mark," Clay reported, pulling Cressa's wing out. They all seemed to have collectively put aside most of their disquiet about dealing with a body in favor of finding answers.

Lily examined the old wound, for it was indeed old, a scorching scar that branched out across the bone of Cressa's left wing. Not a grounding injury, obviously, as she had flown here…

It all fit together. Lily nodded to herself. "She was injured by chance at the start of the cold-season. It _looks_ like she took a blast to the wing, which might have been lightning or something else entirely. It was bad enough to ground her for a while, and without flight she could not fish."

"A whole cold-season without much food, freezing, living off whatever else she could find…" Crystal shuddered emphatically. "Maybe it drove her crazy, so when her wing healed she decided to come here and finish what she started, even though it would end like this."

"She might not have been crazy so much as desperate," Lily suggested, "but yes, that seems right. Temporary grounding put her in a bad spot, and when she recovered she decided she couldn't or wouldn't go on as before."

"Now we know why," Grass growled. "For all the good it does us."

"Better to have an explanation to give everyone else," Clay offered. "I can rest easy, or at least easier, knowing the whole story."

"The same goes for the pack as a whole," Lily agreed. Cressa's story was one of bad luck preceded and followed by bad intent, and not one anybody else would worry could happen to them. Nobody worried about random chance striking them down, and one was in control of one's own choices and actions.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily purred reassuringly to the fledglings as they arrived. A few looked worried despite that. She wondered if they thought they had been summoned to be called out on something they had done.

If they worried about that, then she assumed they probably _had_ broken a few minor rules or annoyed their parents, but she wasn't going to pursue it. She had called the oldest fledglings together for a different reason. Punishment or even just a lecture wasn't on the agenda.

There were five males and four females assembling in front of her, an imbalance that promised renewed conflict among the unmated females of the pack. The last season-cycle's males had both eventually chosen females from their own season-cycle, but this time at least one male would not be doing that.

Scratch that, at least _two_. The annoying male with the odd glint dropped down from above, landing on the plateau with a loud rumble and throwing his wings out as he touched down, exaggerating every move to garner attention.

"Is this everyone?" Lily asked, blatantly ignoring his display. She hoped he had thought better of bothering her with his advances, but given she had used his age as an excuse, she would soon know if he hadn't.

"I am here now, so yes," Cloud proudly declared, turning to face her. A confident smirk crossed his face, not faltering at all as he took in her neutral expression.

"There are ten of us," one of the females volunteered more timidly.

"Good. I will not keep you long," Lily assured them. It was a beautiful, warm day with a strong breeze and not a cloud in the sky, and she knew they would rather not be standing around on the ground. On a day like today, even she would have wanted to be airborne-

But that couldn't happen, and whenever she thought about it the pain in her back and tightness in the skin between her wing shoulders grated on her, physical reminders of her disability that she could not shake.

"You can keep me as long as you like," Cloud offered slyly.

Lily _almost_ didn't mind his stupid quip, as it helped her take her mind off the pain and lack of flight. "I just want to make sure you all know your rights," she continued.

"Rights?" one of the males asked.

"Yes. You might remember the little issue we had at the last ceremony," Lily said. Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, that was the only ceremony so far that younger fledglings had been allowed to attend. She wanted to correct any misconceptions before they caused trouble.

"That was not the males fault, right?" one of the females asked curiously. "I thought it was the females."

"Yes, and I want to make sure you all know that, among other things," Lily agreed, taking the question in stride without missing a beat. "Males, you know that none of the older females can be taken as a mate. They are not allowed to take anyone under ten season-cycles as a mate."

"That was supposed to be temporary, though," a larger male objected. "And some of us will have to anyway, right?"

"You do not _have_ to do anything, and that rule will remain in place," Lily said firmly. "Regardless of what others say, you should _all_ know that there is no _need_ to take a mate immediately. Relax, follow your hearts, not what other people say."

"Fine with _me_ ," Cloud said enthusiastically. "That rule does not apply to the younger females who have no mate, right?"

"Not to any under ten season-cycles themselves," Lily reluctantly confirmed, already seeing where he was leading. "That includes Mist, Crystal, and Root, as a few examples."

"But Root is blind," one of the females murmured to another. Neither seemed to like that.

Lily sighed, seeing yet more proof of something it had taken her a while to notice. While the females had all fallen over themselves for the two newest males, Root had not attracted a single one, even before Lily had made a rule against it. But there was nothing she could do about that.

"Those are not the _only_ females who are available," Cloud said loudly.

"No, they are examples of options from both genders," Lily retorted, easily redirecting the conversation away from herself. "Options you do not have to take. Again, there are no time limits, nothing forcing you to choose. Take your time, follow your hearts, and be sure before committing, because I do not intend to break up any newly mated couples. You have all the time in the world."

"Okay… Is that all?" There was barely-restrained impatience in the voice of the female who had asked, and more than a few of the fledglings cast impatient glances at the sky.

"If you have questions I am happy to answer them, but other than that, yes," Lily confirmed. Two thirds of the group immediately took off, leaving Cloud and two females.

"What are the older females allowed to do?" one of the females immediately asked. "With our males."

"They are not yours," Lily gently corrected, "but I understand what you mean. They are allowed to talk, to get to know the males," because all else aside, there was no way to prevent that, "but they are not allowed to engage them in more intimate ways, the same as one would not with an actual fledgling. Once the males are ten season-cycles of age that restriction will be lifted." She had left the path of an older female getting to know a male and then courting him later, if only because few would have the patience for that.

"But you cannot stop them from all tempting him?" the other female asked worriedly.

"With what?" Lily replied. "Their bodies? That is not allowed, not if they do it actively. With companionship, friendship? I would not stop that if I could." It was a messy rule, one with complications and loopholes, but it had to be that way. She would act as the filter, allowing the well-intentioned to bypass it while firmly putting a stop to the ill-intentioned.

"But… That is not fair!" the female exclaimed. "There are dozens of them and one of me!"

"He will not go astray, though," the other female said, nudging her. "Stop worrying and make sure he has eyes only for you."

"That is good advice," Lily agreed, keeping to herself the observation that it was surprisingly contradictory, on one paw saying not to worry, and on the other saying to take steps to prevent that which should not be worried about.

The two females left without any further questions, leaving Lily alone… with Cloud. She felt the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Any questions about the ceremony?" she asked, resigned to the inevitable but forcing a light tone. It was possible he had an actual question to go along with his shameless flirting, and just because she did not like him did not mean she would withdraw the same things she offered the other fledglings.

"How does one best go about wooing the female of their dreams?" he asked smoothly.

"First," Lily said coldly, "find out whether they might return the affection, and stop bothering them if they clearly do not. Then find out what they like." Good advice, and a very strong hint directed solely at him.

"And if they do not seem to care, but will probably come around sooner or later?" he pressed.

"How would you know that?" Lily retorted. "Maybe try listening to her when she says no, and respecting that opinion. If she changes her mind, which she probably won't, she'll approach you, not the other way around."

"That is no fun," Cloud objected. "I will just find out what you like and woo you anyway," he concluded, dropping the pretense that Lily clearly wasn't falling for anyway.

"Why me?" Lily growled. "There are four pretty females who you stand a far better chance with, and dozens more if you choose to wait." Why was he so stuck on her, of all people?

"You are pretty, and smart, and you get to order the whole pack around," he said happily. "And you have no mate. Why not you?"

"Because I am _not interested_ ," Lily hissed, turning her back on him. She had gotten her answer, though he had hidden it among more false flattery. It was her power that attracted him. He had admitted that it was alluring, and there was nothing else she held over any of his other options. She certainly did not have an edge in looks, and he was not the type to actually appreciate her intelligence or her cunning.

"You will be!" he called out even as she left. Luckily for him, he had just enough sense to not follow. She was seriously considering making a new rule about not harassing the alpha. If he pushed it any further, she would. Any male who wanted her for her power would be forever disappointed.

O-O-O-O-O

"I am proud of you all," Lily proclaimed, gazing down at the crowd, and at the fledglings who had just been announced adults, mingling comfortably. Most of the unmated females were nearby, but being in the same proximity was a far cry from fighting over the males they wanted in the middle of the celebration. "This ceremony has gone far better than any I can remember."

A ragged, tired cheer rose from the crowd. They had been mingling for a long while, and it was probably past midnight, though the blanket of clouds above made it impossible to tell. The ceremony was winding down, and she had felt it best to give it a definite end before departing for her cave and some well-deserved rest.

"Enjoy the rest of your night!" Lily concluded, hopping off the plateau and making a beeline for the path up the mountain, quickly passing through the crowd.

"Do you think they will stay up much longer?" Crystal asked. "I know I could, but there are little ones who will be groggy and cranky all day as it is."

"I doubt it, some are already turning in," Lily replied. "You can too, you know." Grass and Flare were watching from above, and soon Mist and Crystal's Sire would take their place.

"Like I said, I do not feel like sleeping," Crystal repeated, running forward to walk ahead of Lily in a show of excess energy. "I keep expecting something to go wrong."

"Nothing is going to go wrong, and if it does I will have people protecting me," Lily admonished.

"But it is the perfect setting," Crystal objected. "A celebration, all is well, your guard is down, the full moon hidden behind the clouds…"

Lily flinched. "The full moon?" she asked. She had not thought it would be full for another few days, but with the clouds above, she could not check.

"I have been talking to Root recently, and he likes to talk about how in stories there are always things you can count on to signal trouble," Crystal explained, missing Lily's plummeting mood. "The weather, choices made, people spoken of when there is no real reason…"

"Life is not like that," Lily said, her heart falling. She had set aside this very night for mourning, and she would not dismiss that. It just wouldn't be the same if she did it any other time. "You can go. I am safe."

"I suppose…" Crystal shook her head. "No, you are right. See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Lily agreed solemnly, dropping any hope of sleeping tonight. She had deeply-buried feelings to unearth tonight, and that was an activity that promised no rest.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily entered her cave with trepidation, feeling as if she had neglected someone, left them to wait without reason, forgotten them for something happier but less important.

It was all just a feeling. There was nobody to scold her, nobody to be disappointed. She would give almost anything for that not to be the case, but as she had just told Crystal, the real world did not work that way.

At least, she thought to herself, curling up in the center of the cave, forgoing her usual spot in favor of being where she always remembered Pyre sleeping, she had not missed the whole night. She could still mourn, and it would be over that much quicker.

Alone. Always alone when it mattered. She felt cold, though it was hot outside and the cave's still air should be stifling. She remembered Pyre mourning, how he had said it was far more bearable with someone there for him.

Just remembering that day in the forest put a crack in her resolve, and the sadness fell over her like an enormous wave. She keened softly, desperately wishing he were still alive, that she had saved him somehow, that she had not gone to him for help, _whatever_ would have let him live. It was not logical, it was not fair to herself, not what he would have wanted for her, but she thought it all the same.

Another whimper broke free of the tightness in her chest, and she sniffled like a fledgling, feeling absolutely miserable. She had lost Pyre, she had lost Granite, and both were her fault, and she could not even properly mourn them because she could not fly above the clouds to know when the full moon was, and next time she might miss it entirely-

Lily was so wrapped up in her spiraling grief that she did not immediately notice the movement at the mouth of the cave, the white blur stepping into the cavern and rushing to her.

"Lily, what is wrong, is it your back?" Crystal gasped, nosing at her side and finding little resistance. "I knew I should not have left, where are my Sire and Mist?"

It took a frighteningly long moment for Lily to pull her grief in long enough to comprehend, and even then she only wanted to be left alone. "Not hurt, fine," she gasped.

"No you are not!" Crystal retorted, staring at her with wide eyes. "Why…"

Lily whined, against her own will, and hoped that Crystal would go. This was something she tried to hide, something her friend didn't need to see, something nobody was supposed to see.

"You do not smell hurt," Crystal remarked, crouching in front of Lily, "but that makes no sense!" She turned in a tight circle, checking the rest of the cavern for danger.

By the time Crystal had turned back around to Lily, her head and wings were drooping and she had lost her much of her frantic haste. "Oh…" she said quietly. "You… Oh, Lily..."

Lily whined again, hating that she was so helpless in her misery and unable to do anything about it.

Crystal said nothing more, instead laying down beside Lily and pulling her into a tight embrace, only narrowly avoiding her back. Lily felt a wing drape over hers, and a muzzle against the back of her neck. Crystal hummed softly and settled in, apparently not intending to leave any time soon.

Lily almost fought her, so sure that she needed to be alone… But she had done as much for Crystal, back when Claw had them and Crystal was bearing his egg and couldn't take it. She had done as much for Pyre when he was grieving.

Maybe she could trust her best friend with this? It didn't matter, in the end; whether she wanted Crystal's presence or not, she couldn't make her leave. Not like this, not when all of her emotions had come out and would not easily be put away again.

Lily chose, in the last few moments of adrenaline-fueled clarity, to accept her friend's presence. She ducked her head against Crystal's chest and let out a long, pained wail.

Crystal purred comfortingly and nuzzled the back of her neck again. "I am here," she murmured. "Want to talk about it?"

Lily choked back a bitter, pained laugh. She wanted nothing less than to talk about what was going through her mind, it was painful enough confined there…

But she found herself mumbling anyway, the words spilling from her without forethought or censoring, in a stream she was half sure Crystal would not understand. _She_ didn't understand some of it, her grief for those she had lost making it unintelligible, a sputtering torrent of words punctuated by sobs.

Crystal listened patiently, humming assurance and understanding, and even in the midst of her grief, Lily felt a surge of relief and comfort. She still had her best friend, she had not lost _everyone_.

_**Author's Note:** _ **I, personally, have never experienced Thundersnow, and didn't know it existed until this chapter. I only know about it now because I wanted weird weather, thought 'wait, can you get lighting with snow?' and looked it up. Now I kind of want to experience such a storm.**

**(Also, yes, I know that was a jarring tonal transition from the end of this chapter. Oh well.)**


	35. Alpha

Lily watched from afar as Root sat alone at the edge of the pond, his sightless face pointed out at the water. His ears and stubby frills shifted with the wind, but other than that he didn't move.

She could go down to him and ask what he was doing. She was going to in a little while. But right now, she was more interested in watching, in observing from afar. He might not tell her the truth if she just asked, people could be stubborn about revealing their troubles.

She laughed a little at that thought, recognizing it as hypocrisy. Had she herself not been caught in the act of hiding her grief only a season ago, and by her best friend, no less? She had _known_ that mourning was worse alone, and had no issues with trusting Crystal, yet she had still hidden it.

It was embarrassing to look back on that decision. Nothing bad had come of Crystal being present for her night of mourning, and aside from a few practical questions in the morning, there was no fallout afterward. Crystal had been kind and understanding and best of all didn't pry past the essential details. Lily _could_ say she had learned from her mistakes, if this was the only relevant event.

The fact that she had previously done much the same for Crystal, on the other paw, showed the opposite. She had espoused the virtues of not hiding pain, and then proceeded to do exactly that.

The question of wisdom or hypocrisy aside, though, she was still going to confront Root on his own problems, if he had any, and watching him under the pretense of sunning herself had given her an idea of where to begin picking at his defenses.

She would get up and talk to him as soon as the shadows encroached on her rock. That seemed like a good compromise between her need to do something and the lethargic desire to just savor all the warmth she could before the cold-season crept up on her again. It would not be long now, anyway. She could see the shadow creeping across the valley, swiftly closing in on her position.

"I am going to go get Flare," Crystal yawned from a neighboring rock. "Clay, stay here and guard the alpha."

"I hear 'stay here and sleep'," Clay rumbled groggily, rousing himself at the mention of his name, "but okay."

"How about I bite you if I find you asleep when I return?" Crystal threatened, departing with a leap and a flick of her tail.

"Just like my mate," Clay huffed, rolling onto his side and then to his paws, looking over at Lily as he stood. "Are we going anywhere?"

"Down to the pond," Lily decided, pushing down with her front paws and arching her back, though it hurt. The pain was _not_ all good pain, like a normal light wing might describe stretching long-unused muscles, but it was still tolerable, and not stretching on occasion made her feel weak and claustrophobic.

Her body as limber as it was going to get, she leaped forward, softening her inevitable impact with the ground by landing already on the move.

Root looked up, hearing her noisy approach, and scrunched his nose, an expression made all the more odd by the hollows where his eyes had been, at present not covered even by his flat eyelids. "Dam? Cedar? Mist?"

"None of those," Lily purred agreeably. At least he had a list of people he was expecting, however small. It was not as if he was alone all of the time. Just right now. "How are you doing, Root?"

"Lily," he said with a hint of relief that she immediately noticed, though it was small and likely unintended. Another bit of evidence to build her probing questions off of. "I am fine, more than fine."

"I'm not sure I believe that," she said bluntly, sitting on her hind legs next to him. A tap of her wing to his side let him know where she was, and maybe if he was good with interpreting touches and extrapolating, which way she was facing. She didn't know, though it certainly seemed like that would be possible if one tried hard enough to learn how most people moved and-

"I am not sure either," he admitted, catching her off-guard. "Better to say I am doing as well as can be expected. That is fine, but only relatively so."

"What is to be expected?" Lily asked curiously. "How can we know what to expect at all?" Claw was not exactly in a habit of blinding those who challenged, though had things gone differently he might have developed such a tendency.

"I _expected_ ," and there she could not miss the bitterness in his voice, "to eventually figure out how to go places on my own. As you can see, I have managed that. Mostly." He flicked his tail against her side and quickly withdrew it, likely checking to be sure she was still there. "Other than that? I also expected to be about as helpless as I still am. There is only so much I can manage on my own now."

"You have friends," she objected.

"Friends who have to make time for me because I cannot join normal activities," Root retorted. "Friends with mates, responsibilities, _lives_. They get to keep moving forward while I struggle to get back what I no longer have. I feel like an oversized fledgling who refuses to strike out on his own, and it is not a good feeling."

"But," he said, his voice softening to nothing but regret, losing the bitterness, "that is all unavoidable. I _do_ have friends, and I have always liked stories. At least I can still listen to those, and make my own. I have been doing that recently."

"Tell me one?" Lily requested.

"Maybe some other day," he demurred. "None of them are much good yet. It takes time to think up a story that makes sense when you look at it from another angle, but is also interesting."

"I will hold you to that," Lily threatened. "But when you are done making stories, do you want some responsibility?" She could come up with something he could do without sight.

"Yes, but not from you," he said vehemently. "Do not give it to me. Someday, hopefully soon, I will find something I can do. Something useful."

Lily was surprised to hear an echo of Honey's desires coming from Root; the two were nothing alike, but it seemed they both had the same basic need at their core. The difference here was that Honey had gladly accepted someone else telling her how to fulfil that need, while Root was determined to find the answer himself.

In that way, he had not changed at all. Lily purred ruefully and tapped her tailfins on his. "How long will that take? I need useful light wings, and I will wait impatiently for you to become one, if that spurs you on."

"No idea," he huffed. "Give me time to get my Dam off my back more thoroughly, time to learn the valley so well I can claim my own rock, time to maybe discover a female who can look past… all of this." He tossed his head, drawing attention to it. "Or not, on that last part. I will figure it out. What is a good story if the authority character just steps in and gives the other their purpose?"

"One with a happier hero?" Lily offered.

"I am not the hero, you are, if anyone," Root corrected her, speaking neutrally. "I do not know what I am. That is kind of the point. I will figure it out on my own, however long it takes."

"So long as you do not push your friends and family away in that quest," Lily said, speaking in the same neutral tone. "I approve, by the way. Of whatever it is you end up doing." She didn't need to know _what_ it would be; he would be good at it, and he was not a person to do something others would be hurt by.

"I will keep that in mind," he said, standing and pawing at the water in front of him.

"Want me to walk you back?" she offered.

"No," he said shortly. As Lily watched, he began pacing around the edge of the pond, his paws in the shallows. Once he reached a rock that bordered the water, he began following that instead, circling around it and disappearing in the maze of boulders that made up most of the valley.

Lily sighed, wondering how long it took him to get anywhere with such a careful, indirect way of keeping his orientation. She understood why it had taken him so long to gain even that level of independence; without eyes, the valley had to be a horribly complex maze.

He seemed to think he would continue to improve with time. She hoped he would, but her own experience with her back and Pyre's wings had taught her that some injuries could not be fully recovered from. It remained to be seen how true that was for him.

O-O-O-O-O

The cold-season came and went, bringing with it, for once, no particularly bad weather or new problems to solve, aside from the constant one that she still had no idea how to correct, that of overcrowding.

But with the arrival of the warm-season, the one many called the life-season, new problems began to crop up. Lily never ceased to be amazed at the variety of issues her people brought her. Many were small, easily solved with no trouble, and they certainly helped the days go by faster, but some were absolutely ridiculous.

On this particular day, with the sun high in the sky and a fleeting storm approaching from the East promising heavy rain and a swift departure, she was on a roll, much to the annoyance of one of her companions.

"You cannot possibly get this next one right," Cedar complained. "If you do, I think you are rigging it somehow."

"She most certainly can," Pina objected, sounding proud. "It is obvious in hindsight."

"No, it really is not," Cedar retorted. "How in the world do you go from 'male with one closed eye' to 'fight between old friends that turned ugly' without him saying anything?"

"I have my ways," Lily said, enjoying his confusion more than she should. She had the advantage of being good at reading expressions and having a passing knowledge of everyone in the pack, though that often boiled down to nothing more useful than remembering connections between people. Add a bit of guessing and enough vagueness that she could spin her results to match the truth afterward, and Cedar was losing every time he bet against her.

The winner, on the other paw, was practically glowing with the pride of a Dam, and the joy of one who was now owed what amounted to three days of being served fish whenever she wanted. "Here comes someone," Pina said enthusiastically. "Quick, Cedar, want to go for another meal?"

"No," Cedar snorted, shaking his head. "I know when I am being played. I do not know _how_ , but I know it is happening."

Lily might have objected, but her knowledge of everyone in the pack _was_ a bit like cheating, background information Cedar didn't know she was privy to. He couldn't look at the approaching female and know that she was a single Dam with a fledgling daughter, but Lily could.

"It's something about her daughter," Lily murmured to her guards, noticing how quickly the female was walking. Not something immediate, but urgent all the same. If it were about a male, Lily would be seeing anger or frustration, and if it was a personal problem, less urgency.

"Alpha," the female called out, stopping short of the plateau. "I need help!"

Lily rose to her paws to convey a sense of urgency; lying around while someone asked for help would make it seem like she didn't care. "With what, and how quickly?" she asked.

"My daughter has been missing since this morning," the female fretted. "I thought she was off playing with her friends but they have not seen her and she was supposed to be back by midday."

"And you want people to help you search," Lily concluded. "Pina, do you want to take the lead on that?" She would rather delegate the task to someone who could fly than try and take it on herself, only to slow everything down by not being able to take to the air.

" _You_ gave me plenty of practice in hunting down elusive fledglings," Pina quipped. "I can handle it. Also, Cedar, that makes one more free meal."

"I did not bet," Cedar growled. "Thankfully. I will stay with Lily."

"Well, you will have to walk," Lily decided. "Come on, we are going to go check around here." She couldn't lead this search, but she could contribute.

O-O-O-O-O

By nightfall, the whole pack was looking for the missing fledgling. Light wings roamed the valley, calling out and checking around every rock. Others flew, surveying the mountainside. The fledgling couldn't fly, not for long distances, but she might have made it partway up or even over if she persevered and landed to rest.

Lily thought that possibility more likely than not, but she couldn't help with that part of the search, so she was hunting through somewhere else entirely.

"Nothing over here," Honey called out, appearing from between two jagged boulders. "Nothing living," she clarified with a whole-bodied shudder. Lily understood that; they had come across the occasional skeleton, the reminders of Claw's bloody reign as alpha.

"I do not think a fledgling would hide here," Copper added, coming up behind her. "But there are many good places for one if they did. We might be up all night."

"We won't," Lily said, mindful of her tone. "It's more effective to sleep and then search again in the morning, so if we do not find her soon I will call most of the pack in for the night." She had a few people with her to spread the word; Grass and Flare had sought her out as night fell, intent on doing their duty while searching.

"But what if she is hurt?" Honey whined. "We might be leaving her to bleed out, or sleep with a heavy headache, or die of cold-"

"It is not cold out," Copper snorted. "We cannot find her if we do not search, and instead talk." He said it kindly but insistently, and guided Honey over to the next opening between rocks.

"Weird," another light wing murmured, watching them go. "What do those two have in common?"

"More than you might think," Flare murmured. He, like most of Lily's guards, knew of the connection between them, partners in their soon to be official position as pack healers. The pack at large didn't know, though, and to someone not aware of that…

Well, Lily supposed it looked like Copper was courting Honey, or vice versa. What other reason would an unattached male and female have to spend time together when they were not friends? Becoming friends, probably, but again, not something anyone out of the loop would know about.

Maybe they _were_ courting. Lily found that she couldn't dismiss the idea now that it had occurred to her. They were friendly, shared a common goal, and worked well together, so who was to say? They certainly seemed compatible, and Copper was a good balance to Honey, firm when she needed it but not forceful. Lily had split Copper and his mate at the request of both, and he had said then that he didn't want another, but maybe that had changed.

"Nothing here," someone called out from Lily's right, reminding her that there were more important things going on than a possible attraction between two of her people, especially one she wasn't even sure existed. She tried to focus on the search.

Focusing on the search, however, meant going into one of the many dead-end passages that littered the densely packed boulders of the burial grounds, and that in turn meant possibly seeing bodies, and _definitely_ seeing memories.

Lily had not gone into the burial grounds in the last few seasons, and only rarely before that. She didn't like it; Granite's body was lingering somewhere around, and though she did not _think_ she was anywhere near where he had been laid to rest, it was possible she would turn a corner and be confronted by the sight of his scorched bones and old scales.

It was also possible she would turn a corner and find the missing fledgling, so she kept looking, mindful of the rising moon. Just one more corner, and then she would start calling people in-

"Found her!" a male roared from surprisingly close by, in the direction Lily had been going anyway. She hurried along the dark corridor of stone, quickly reaching the male in question.

He was crouching in front of a limp little body, and for a brief moment Lily recoiled, seeing something undefinable and twisted in the scene, the faint moonlight casting distorted shadows over the male. She quivered, torn between irrational fear and anger at herself.

"Out of the way!" Copper barked, leaping over a low rock and landing opposite the scene. He dropped to the ground next to the fledgling, and Honey quickly followed.

"Who are you to tell me to go?" the male demanded, sounding more curious than angry.

"Let them," Lily said, finding her voice and her rational mind at the same time. She didn't understand why she had frozen in fear, and she didn't care, not while there was something to be done. Honey and Copper were not yet ready to be working on real, live light wings, and she needed to watch and ensure they didn't make any mistakes.

"She is unconscious," Honey said aloud, nudging the female's limp body. "Her paws are bruised- No, one is broken, the other three are bruised."

"Check her wings," Copper urged, leaning in over the female.

"Wings are fine," Honey huffed. "It looks like she fell hard. Exhaustion. No sign of other injuries. A few more bruises."

"Stinking sap, pain relief, and maybe nausea-easing bark?" Copper suggested.

Honey pawed at the little female's side, rolling her onto her back briefly. "Yes, but bring back both kinds of pain relief, we can test and see if it is safe to make her sleep."

"On it," Copper barked, leaping into the sky. His departure corresponded with the next wave of light wings, those who had heard the male's triumphant roar but hadn't been close enough to easily locate him.

Lily stood back, allowing Honey to sink or swim on her own. She'd offer her official support of Honey if needed, but she was curious to see both how the pack reacted, and how Honey handled the situation. A real, live test of her ability was possible, and Lily wasn't about to pass that up.

"You found her!" the fledgling's Dam all but screeched, landing right behind Honey with a loud thump, not bothering to cushion her descent in her haste. "Is she okay? Let me through!"

"She is hurt," Honey cautioned, refusing to move out of the female's way. "Do not move her, we will wake her up and check her head first."

"Who are _you_?" the female exclaimed, shoving at Honey's shoulder. "I am taking her _home_ , not waiting!"

"It is better for her safety if you do not move her," Honey repeated, shifting just enough that the female could shoulder past her. "It will only be a moment, my assistant is coming back with the plants we need right now."

"I do not need plants," the female complained, nuzzling her unresponsive daughter. "She will wake up on her own... "

"She should, but we have to check that she is not hurting anywhere we cannot see," Honey explained somewhat impatiently. "Look, there is Copper now."

Sure enough, Copper was diving down to meet them, his front paws clutching vines and bark, and a dripping stalk dangling from his mouth. He let the latter drop the moment he was on the ground, coughing to himself and immediately stepping away from it.

"No!" The fledgling's Dam was adamant now. "You are not putting that disgusting plant anywhere near her!"

"Listen to her," Copper growled. "We actually know what we are doing, unlike you."

"You are crazy!" was her response. She leaned over to gather her daughter up.

Lily chose that moment to intervene, seeing that some measure of authority was required to make the female listen. "Let them do their thing, they have been taught everything I know about plants." Or close enough to everything for this particular matter.

"They… They have?" the female crouched protectively over her daughter's prone form. "I do not understand."

"We can explain what we are doing," Honey offered. "Right now, Copper is going to bring over very smelly sap that will wake her up."

"Yes, I am," Copper sighed, approaching the stalk and gingerly stabbing it with a claw as opposed to carrying it in his mouth.

"And then?" the female asked worriedly.

"When she wakes we will ask her a few simple questions," Honey continued. "If she can answer them, and there is no pain we do not already know about, you can take her home with the plants we will give you."

"If she cannot answer?"

"Then we will go from there, knowing that she has hurt her head and should not be moved," Copper said, holding out the dripping stalk in front of him, walking on three legs. "Move or risk losing your last meal, this stuff stinks."

"Okay…" The female moved, slowly but surely, reassured by the explanation. Lily was of the opinion that Honey should have started with the explanation from the very beginning, but she couldn't blame Honey for that; all of their training scenarios had not factored in concerned Dams objecting out of ignorance. Lily considered that her own failing, not Honey's.

A small, pained whine was quickly followed by a small flood of bile and half-digested fish, and the fledgling opened her eyes, groaning miserably.

Lily watched as Honey and Copper went through the steps she had taught them, verifying that no, the fledgling didn't hurt anywhere but her paws and broken leg, and yes, she remembered her name and how she had gotten hurt.

It was a relief to hear from the fledgling that she had simply overexerted herself and come down hard; Lily had worried about an intentional attack, though that could be her lingering, irrational fear at work.

Thoughts of nefarious plotting put to rest, and worries for the little female's health aside, Lily was pleased with how Honey and Copper were handling their first real injury. They moved with the ease of familiarity, accommodating each other with no trouble, and their patient with almost as little difficulty. In terms of the treatment itself, they were flawless, doing exactly what Lily would have done, down to advising the Dam on how, exactly, to keep her daughter's leg from healing crooked.

Said Dam, throughout the whole process, grew less and less obnoxious, and by the end was asking questions. She left with a soft purr of thanks, a far cry from how she had arrived.

"I think we did everything right," Copper said to Honey as the female and her fledgling left. "We gave them the plants, told her how to use them, how much… We did it all."

"I think so too…" Honey looked over at Lily. "So?"

"I saw absolutely nothing I could have done better in your place," Lily said honestly. The only real issue had been a lack of reputation and thus an initially uncooperative Dam, and were she in their pawprints she wouldn't have been able to correct that without help from whoever the alpha was in that scenario.

"So…" Copper grinned hopefully. "Do we get to help people for real from now on?"

"I'd say yes," Lily decided. She hadn't meant for them to have a final test quite like this, but what else could she do? They had faced a real situation and handled it admirably.

"Everyone," Lily roared, addressing the lingering crowd that had gathered while Honey and Copper did their thing, "if you have injuries or illnesses, go to Copper and Honey! I will give more details tomorrow," because it wouldn't be as easy as making a single announcement in the middle of the night to a small fraction of the pack, "but that is the important thing. Our pack now has two well-trained healers to help with their knowledge of plants and injuries!"

No cheer rose from the assembled light wings, which Lily understood; now was not the time or the place for jubilance. Relief was the most appropriate emotion, as a fledgling _had_ hurt herself rather severely by accident, and could easily have gone unfound until she woke and struggled back to the rest of the pack.

But all in all, for such a potentially tragic event, all had turned out well, and the pack had glimpsed a sneak peek of those who would be their healers, a position that hadn't even officially _existed_ previously. Honey and Copper were the heroes of the night.

As they should be. Lily was okay with that, and more than okay with getting out of the burial grounds and subsequently burying her confused, painful feelings. She had a night for letting those out, and it was coming soon enough, but this was not that night.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily sniffled quietly, breathing irregularly with every spasm of grief. The sun was beginning to shine outside, and she had not slept a wink.

The same could not be said for Crystal, who was snoring softly right beside her, a comforting presence that had not moved all night. Lily didn't begrudge her ability to sleep; one of them should be well-rested for the day just beginning outside.

While Lily had accepted sharing her grief with Crystal, she didn't want anyone else to know about it, so she slipped out of Crystal's comforting embrace and took a deep breath. The heavy sadness that lay over her like a low cloud didn't go away.

She couldn't help but compare her own experience to Pyre's. He had seemed _better_ after mourning, tired but less depressed and sad. She couldn't say she felt anything like that. All her grieving seemed to do was dig up the pain and grief and leave it out in the open for her to have to bury again.

She had to assume that it would get better with time. Until then…

Until then, Crystal would comfort her, she would wake up in a sheltering embrace, and then she would bury the pain that was no less for the night of wallowing in it.

Lily stretched, pulling one wing out at a time and testing the limits of her hobbled wingspan. It hurt, everything to do with her shoulders or back hurt, but she tolerated the pain long enough to confirm that nothing had changed.

Her injury was not a happy topic, but it was something to take her mind off of her grief. She walked out into the warm sunlight, considering the pain.

Contrary to what she knew about wounds, her back was not healing. There was still a massive patch of grey scar tissue, and it still lay loose against the rest of her back, tighter than it should be when she stretched out her wings. She was hobbled, held back by her own body not healing properly, and it was not getting better with time.

Three season-cycles was more than enough time for anything that was going to heal at all. She knew, deep down, that she was never going to fly again. It hurt, but in a distant, resigned way, the exact opposite of how losing Pyre and Granite hurt-

She folded her wings in again and stamped a paw on the ground in frustration. She needed to pull herself together and prepare for another day of leading the pack, not wallow in her pain, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Good morning, Lily," Pina called out, landing opposite her. "It's a nice, hot day. We are going to have the ceremony soon, right?"

"Tomorrow, or the day after," Lily agreed. The hot-season had just begun, and the ceremony was always around the start, though the exact day varied. Sometimes it was before the first full moon, and sometimes after. She preferred after, so that she wasn't preoccupied during the ceremony.

"Good," Pina purred. "I was asked about the exact day last night, so if you told everyone, that might clear some things up."

"I'll make an announcement," Lily decided. It was hard to push away her grief, but moving forward and burying herself in her responsibilities was a good way to do it.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily watched curiously as the fledglings assembled themselves on the rocks around the plateau. There was an imbalance between male and female this season-cycle, but not in the way she would have preferred. Two males to four females was not good, and the matter was complicated by the fact that of all the soon-to-be adults, only one male was _not_ Claw's offspring.

Lily shook her head at that, wondering how in the world she was going to solve the population issues. There were several different problems all tangled together, each affecting the others. The male to female imbalance, Claw's ridiculously large amount of offspring, and the looming overpopulation all required solutions, but she could not address one without addressing the others at the same time, for fear of making them worse.

And then there was the fact that each season-cycle's group of fledglings was wildly different. This one was small, very unbalanced, and almost entirely composed of half-siblings, but the previous season-cycle had been larger, unbalanced in the other direction, and mostly fledglings unrelated to each other. How could she plan a strategy to solve the various problems when she could not even rely on the ongoing influx of new adults to be consistent in makeup?

The pack was gathering, and the ceremony would start soon, but for the moment Lily was more interested in the problem she could see personified in the fledglings in front of her, the ones currently debating over who would sit where, though it didn't matter in the slightest.

Four females to two males, and one of those males was related to all four of the females through their Sire. How would Claw have even handled this? Lily shivered to think of it, but there was only one real answer. His son would have died, and he would have taken at least three of his own daughters, furthering the depraved practices he had begun to openly display by taking her.

She would have fought to save them, had they reached this time without usurping Claw. That was a given; not only would she have fought to save anyone in their places, she knew the son. Rain, Dew's son. She couldn't have let it happen, not when it would mean watching Dew and Pina grieve.

But Claw was gone, and these six would not face his depravity. She had to remember that, lest her mood be dark and unhappy. Rain would find a mate as he chose, not forced to die or choose from his own season-cycle and thus have no choices. Blur, the other male, would also have his free will to choose, and the four females theirs.

She knew at least three of them meant to exercise that free will, too, so it was good they were being given the choice. Holly, Cara, and Aven were resolute in not intending to choose any mate for a long while, if at all. Shalla, the remaining female, had eyes for Blur…

Blur, Lily recalled, watching as he took a place right next to Holly only to be pushed away for getting far too close, had been tight-lipped in his intentions. In her brief meeting with all of the prospective fledglings of this season-cycle, he had said little and committed to nothing. She suspected he harbored feelings for one of the three who didn't intend to take mates, and was planning on doing something to change her mind, though that was more guesswork than logic.

In the end, it didn't matter what he meant to do; he was free to do as he chose, and that was what was important.

"Lily," Pina called out from her spot in the crowd, close to Dew and Rain's rock, "I think everyone is here."

"Yes, thank you," Lily said loudly, hearing the helpful suggestion for what it really was, a reminder that she had a ceremony to conduct. She could speculate on the population problems later; though lacking a way to change the situation, such speculation wasn't very helpful. "Tonight, we are gathered to celebrate six fledglings, soon to be six adults! If you would all join me?" she offered, waving her tail at the plateau. The six quickly converged on the plateau in front of her.

"Rain, Holly, Cara, Aven, Shalla, Blur," Lily recited, "you are now adults of the pack, and-"

"I challenge you to your position as alpha," Blur interrupted, roaring so loudly that everyone else on the plateau except Lily cringed. She held herself steady, more bothered by what he was saying than the volume he was saying it at.

A silence fell over the valley, and Lily hoped it was one of shock and dismay, not anticipation. She was not going to let this happen, but it would be better if the pack stepped in so that she wouldn't have to.

"We do not do that anymore!" Crystal snarled, glaring up at Blur from the ground right by the plateau. She and the other guards were holding back, but only as long as Blur did nothing but talk, something Lily was grateful for. She knew they would jump in the moment it got physical, but that wasn't the best way to end this, even setting aside the possibility of injury and near-certainty of pain if it went that far.

"I do not care, we did it once and I am having us do it again," Blur retorted. "I want to be alpha, and this is the way to do it."

"This is not the way," Lily said calmly, hoping that she looked only unimpressed and slightly annoyed. Inside, she was tense, feeling the urge to either fight or flee that was both powerful and totally useless in her current predicament, but outwardly she wasn't showing any of it. "There are ways to become alpha, and they do not involve challenges or fights. That is what Claw did, and we are better than him."

"Just because he did it does not mean it was wrong," Blur said.

"And just because that is true does not make this _right_ ," Lily shot back, glaring at him. He stood alone, as the other fledglings had stepped away from him, presumably not wanting to look like they supported his rash actions. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want to be alpha, and you cannot hope to take me in a fight," Blur explained, "so I know I will win."

"And you think you will _keep_ your position as alpha after killing me?" Lily hissed. "I think better of the pack than that."

"I was not going to kill you!" Blur shook his head vehemently. "Just win and take over!"

"To do what?" Lily pressed, immensely relieved, not for her own sake but for the sake of the pack. Even the ones opposing her now balked at killing for the position. If nothing else, she had ended _that_ custom for good, and it was likely to stay dead and gone.

"To lead!" Blur exclaimed. "I want to be in charge, and do everything you do, but better. I can fly, I am a male-"

"So _what_?" Cara exclaimed, surprising both of them. She stalked right up to Blur and glared at him, so close he could probably feel her breath on him. "How does that matter?"

"Everyone looks up to males," Blur said, his eyes flicking back and forth between Cara and Lily. "It should be a male in charge."

"What idiot taught you that?" Cara asked scathingly. "I know it was not your Sire, he is in charge of nothing but when he relieves himself."

"It does not matter!" Blur exclaimed desperately, "I am challenging and that is it!"

"We will not let you," Cara growled. "You are being stupid, and that is not how things work. If you bring back challenges, what next?"

"Someone else will probably beat _you_ and then decide they want more than one mate," Holly supplied, casually walking between Lily and Blur. Lily noticed that she stopped there, physically blocking the way.

Lily, by this point, was bursting with pride and more than happy to let the pack, or at least these few representatives, handle Blur. _This_ was what she wanted! Light wings standing up from the start, stopping bad ideas without needing to be led and coerced into doing so, standing up for themselves and each other.

"We do not want you to fight her," Aven chimed in, joining Holly in standing between him and Lily. Her ears were down, and though Lily couldn't see her face she got the impression Aven was doing her best to guilt Blur into submission.

"I want to be alpha," Blur growled, visibly losing his confidence as his peers so thoroughly defied him. "Shalla?" he asked hopefully.

"I do not want this to happen either," Shalla said hesitantly. "Can we just forget it and go back to the ceremony?"

"She will not let me," Blur snarled, tossing his head angrily. "I started this and I cannot take it back." He tried to glare at Lily, but Holly moved to block him, throwing up a wing just enough to totally obscure his view.

Lily appreciated that, but she felt it was time to step in and provide Blur with a way out, so that this could be resolved. She stepped aside, out from behind the protective blockade, and met Blur's angry, slightly bewildered gaze.

"We both know that I cannot just forget you tried this," she said quietly, knowing that straining to hear her would just ensure everyone paid attention. "But you only intended to seize power, not kill me, so I am not going to punish you too harshly. You are on waste pit cleaning duty for the next three moon-cycles, for trying to break our new customs and challenging the alpha to a fight." It was a small enough punishment that she didn't feel the need to have a pack meeting.

"And that is it?" Blur asked hopefully. He turned away from her, trying and failing to project stoic indifference. "I do not care."

"Heed me, put this terrible plan away for good, and that will be it," Lily promised, meaning it. She fully intended to investigate him and ensure this was not another push by an unseen paw working against her, but she doubted she would find anything. He was just trying to seize power for its own sake, and in a way that any mastermind capable of prodding him into action would never advise. The foolishness of the attempt proved its lack of greater purpose; all he had done was strengthen her position by demonstrating how unpopular such a move would be for all the pack to see.

"I…" He flinched, catching sight of the trio of fiercely glaring females opposite him. "Fine. Sorry, Lily."

"Alpha," she said sternly. "Since you do not seem to respect that. If anyone," and there she raised her voice, "wants power, they will do _as I have said_ and demonstrate that they can protect and care for the pack." They would also be waiting a very long time for her to step down, and would have to contend with her chosen, trained option for her replacement, but it was a path to power for any willing to take it.

"Yes, alpha," he murmured, bowing his head.

"Good. Now, everyone cheer up!" Lily commanded, knowing it was futile. Blur's attempt at seizing control had crushed the jubilant, carefree mood. Nobody liked being reminded of why happy, pleasant ceremonies were new, not yet the normal way of doing things.

Lily knew she was the exception, and she took care to hide it, but inside she felt giddy with relief and pride. Someone else had stepped up, someone who wasn't under her influence, and next time more would follow.

If there was a next time. She certainly didn't intend to let it happen on her watch.

O-O-O-O-O

"Oh, believe me," the female said angrily, savagely pinning a limp fish under her paw and grinding it into the ground, "he is going to get a long lecture and a tail-slapping for this. I specifically said not to do anything stupid."

"Did Blur seem like he would do something reckless?" Lily asked.

"He is always reckless," the female said bitterly. "I had _hoped_ he would get over it, but he has a habit of doing stupid things to impress females, always trying to get their attention without actually seeming like he is doing anything. As if anyone would fall for that."

"But he does seem to have the attention of one now," Lily ventured, unsure whether Blur's Dam knew of Shalla's veiled interest.

" _That_ might explain it entirely," the female exclaimed, lashing her tail restlessly. "He _would_ do something big and dramatic, something to make himself look important. I am sorry he chose _that_ , though." She whined apologetically.

"He's your son, but he's also an adult now, and he makes his own choices," Lily said consolingly. She didn't entirely believe that, as in her experience parents had quite a bit of influence over the behavior and thus actions of their children, but it was clear Blur's Dam disapproved, and it was not like he paid her any attention now. That had been made _abundantly_ clear.

"Such as sleeping on his own," Blur's Dam growled. "Can you make him come back home, at least until he has a mate?"

Lily was sure she _could_ , given Blur had immediately accepted the task she had assigned as punishment and likely would bend to her will if she wanted, but she wasn't going to push him too hard. "No, like I said, he's an adult now."

"Fine," the female huffed. "Sorry again. _I_ do not want to see anyone other than you in charge. You have done a great job so far, I have always thought so, from the very beginning."

"I'm glad to hear that," Lily purred, wondering as she did whether Blur had wanted that approval for himself. At first glance, his Dam did not seem very happy with him, and it sounded like they clashed over his behavior.

After she had said goodbye, Lily wandered away from the female's rock-

Only to be accosted by a certain cautious friend. "All is clear, but we are being careful," Crystal rumbled, walking right behind Lily. "Clay is watching Blur, Cedar is stalking us from the shadows, and Pina is with Rain, getting an idea of what Blur is like."

"That's great," Lily said, not willing to outright chastise her friend for the extra precautions, not when such things were _exactly_ why she had guards, "and it is good practice, but I don't think Blur was being manipulated. It seemed like he had ample cause to do something big, possibly motivation to gain my power and thus his Dam's approval, and a female to impress. Combine that with the lowered stakes and him not wanting to kill me, and I can see him doing this on his own."

"Where there is one, there might be more," Crystal countered seriously. "What if there really is someone behind it all?"

"Then they stink at choosing proxies," Lily laughed. That, to her, was a comfort; either there was no hidden opponent, or they were incompetent. She was leaning heavily toward there being no hidden paw working against her after all. Diora had organized her part in stirring things up out of spite, and Blur was just an overconfident male with a passing desire for power and acknowledgment.

"Maybe they just _want_ us to think that," Crystal suggested. "That is something you would do."

"Then they really are stupid." Being underestimated was good, but not nearly as good as not having the opposition know of one's existence at all. Even if the play with Diora had been a mistake not meant to show the hidden light wing's paw, the smart move would be to lay low, not try again with someone else. There was no reasonable permutation of motives and actions that depicted an intelligent hidden enemy.

"I will keep extra guards around you for a while anyway," Crystal decided. "Better safe than sorry."

"Go ahead, but no pulling the others into extra shifts whenever you want," Lily cautioned. "They'll resent it and be tired when they should be alert."

"We need more guards," Crystal said. "Eight is too few. Ideally, we would have backups for everyone, and a few more just in case-"

"And then you have a fifth of the pack involved, and someone will be less than dedicated, at best," Lily countered. "We can talk about recruiting a few more, but quality over quantity."

"You sound so sure they will not be needed."

Lily stopped by the pond, taking in a mouthful of water along with the view. A dozen light wings were drinking or relaxing around the water's edge, all at ease. "I hope they will not. I have a feeling."

"What about?" Crystal asked, coming up beside her.

"I think that was the last big challenge to my authority for the time being," Lily admitted. The pack had demonstrated that they would not allow things to slip back toward how they had been under Claw, and she had succeeded, through hard work and clever maneuvering, in depicting herself as the guardian of the idyllic, happy life all lived now. There would be no violent, rash attempts to seize power, not when the pack would just throw the perpetrator out, and now everyone had seen that some people, at the very least, had the guts to stand up to such things without Lily's leadership.

She felt _secure_. Things were not perfect, trouble would come again, but her position was not in question. The pack was not in flux, things were not being changed, or adjusted to, or endured while a better solution was found. The only problems she had left were long-term and for the most part invisible to the rest of the pack, such as the population issue.

"Saying stuff like that is asking for trouble," Crystal cautioned.

"Only if you believe the world likes to spite the overconfident," Lily flippantly replied. She had seen and done too much to believe that her words would _inevitably_ come back to haunt her, and in a way, that would be too perfect anyway. Life did not punish those who needed or asked for it, other people did, and she could deal with other people. She knew her people, and none of them were a match for her. Some came close, but those were the ones closest to her in other ways, anyway, and thus didn't count.

She was alpha, the Dam of the pack, and they were all her fledglings. She looked out over the pond at her people, and sighed contentedly. Life was not perfect, but it was good, and it was peaceful.

**End of Book 1**

_**Author's Note:** _ **Book 2 is going to be here, too, just FYI. The book designations are more for internal consistency than anything.**


	36. Unannounced

_**Usurpation of the Darkness** _

**Book 2**

The wind was warm and gentle, like a caressing touch from a Sire or Dam soothing a sick fledgling. It did not fit the mood at all, though it was at least better than the storm that had forced them to postpone the ceremony last season-cycle. Tonight would be a good night.

Lily stood on the plateau, overlooking the preparations. Light wings were everywhere, scores of them all working together for the benefits of others, more or less. They themselves were going to enjoy what they were setting up for, so she could not attribute entirely altruistic motives to them, but it was close enough.

Three light wings swooped down, dropping dead branches onto an ever-growing pile nearby, one of five scattered around the plateau atop various rocks. Their burdens delivered, the light wings immediately turned around and began the trip back over the mountains.

Meanwhile, others were gathering and piling up fish, and still others were huddled in groups, whispering. She knew what that was too.

Tonight was the coming-of-age ceremony, the fifth one since Claw had been deposed. Each ceremony was more elaborate and chaotic than the last, which she attributed to everyone slowly forgetting the terrible worry that used to be associated with the event, and truly cutting loose. It was no longer disrespectful to wholeheartedly celebrate those officially recognized as adults, and with every passing season the pack grew more inclined to do so as thoroughly as possible.

The shadow of the mountain passed over her, and Dew lit the piles of wood, a small blast to each starting the fire and scattering a small number of wood shards. Light wings gathered around, all watching and waiting.

The lighting of the fires served as a nice way to signal the beginning of the ceremony. Lily liked it, and intended to ensure the fires were made a permanent part of the night's festivities.

She stepped forward, looking around. Her guards were mingling with the crowd, all close enough to leap in and intervene were anything to happen, but otherwise off-duty. The other distinguished group of light wings was separated from the pack by merit of being perched on boulders near the plateau, up on the same level as Lily herself. She made eye contact with each of the nine fledglings, purring softly and waved her tail invitingly.

As the small group made their way over, leaping or walking as they chose, she nodded to each in turn. This was a good group, and she knew several in passing, though none stood out to her as people to watch. They were normal, mostly happy fledglings eager to take the next step in their lives, and unafraid, because there was nothing to fear.

"It is time," Lily announced loudly, calling attention to herself. "Tonight, these nine are adults, full members of the pack, equals to all."

At that cue, all of the adults roared in congratulations, their voices mixing and carrying into a massive sound so strong it felt like a physical thing that hung in the air.

Once they had quieted down, Lily rumbled solemnly, but did not continue as they expected. This was where she was supposed to end the ceremony and set everyone loose to congratulate the fledglings and eat, celebrating informally, but she had something else to say.

"This ceremony is especially significant," she said loudly. "Does anyone know why?"

Silence fell. No one spoke. It seemed they had not done the thinking, which made sense. Many did not consider such things significant.

"Five season-cycles," Lily said softly, entirely audible over the quiet crackling of the fires. "These are the last fledglings to have met Claw in any way, to have seen the horrors he wrought in the end. From here on out, Claw will not be remembered, because he will not be known. They will not know him."

A ragged cheer began, only to be cut off by Lily's growl.

"They will not remember him," she repeated. "But they need to be told of him, of the terrible things he did, because we let him do those things. They must know enough to object if such things ever happen again. Forgetting him might mean our descendants have to suffer as we did to relearn these same lessons, and will suffer similar consequences."

She knew, without really intending it, that everyone would be looking to her back, or possibly to Root, or to each other, recalling smaller injuries. The fledglings, now adults, who had seen her torture would be remembering nightmares, and parents their lost sons.

"They need to know," Lily repeated. "Keep that in mind. But tonight is not about him." She warbled happily, hoping to restore the carefree mood. "This is about them!" She waved her tail at the fledglings, now adults, who were _supposed_ to be the center of attention. She had no desire to steal their night of glory any longer than necessary.

Someone took up a loud, cheerful roar, and everyone joined in. Little ones, now allowed at these events, rushed the fish piles, while those who were being celebrated scattered, going through the crowd, to friends and family, or just to enjoy the moment. The fires gave a festive atmosphere, and there was more than enough food for everyone.

Lily carefully leaped down from the plateau, wincing at four sharp twinges in her back. Always the same places, irregularly spaced across her old injury. They were the only part of her that still hurt after so long, but they did not seem to be fading at all, no matter how much time passed.

She flared her wings, feeling the odd pull on her back that stopped her from extending them fully, as if she was always in a corridor just too small for her to stretch. It was a familiar feeling, but one that always made her claustrophobic.

She should not be thinking of that. Not now, not tonight. She folded her wings back up and wandered through the festivities, watching and listening. Everyone was happy.

Almost everyone, she thought, correcting herself upon seeing a familiar, unpleasant face. It was Diora, watching one of the males who had just become an adult, her face scornful. Lily didn't even bother correcting her. She was an annoyance, and one that was still unmated, which was no surprise given how much competition she had.

Said competition was skirting the edges of what Lily had decreed acceptable, subtly gravitating to the newest, available males, finding excuses to speak to them. The lack of balance between males and females was an ongoing problem, one Lily hoped would eventually solve itself through chance. This season-cycle, for instance, there were six males and three females. That meant three more females who had no mate would find one… leaving only about fifty more.

Claw had unbalanced them by slaughtering males, and short of somehow creating more males to make up for that, Lily had no way to prevent the imbalance and subsequent focus on every available male by a large portion of the pack.

Well, almost every available male. She spotted a hint of brown glint in a forgotten corner between two rocks. Unable to leave alone what she had glimpsed, she wandered over and sat down nearby, purring loudly to announce her presence to the one who would not be able to see her even if his flat eyelids had not been closed at the moment.

"Let me guess..." Root tilted his head. "You are considerate, to tell me where you are, and patient, to not just speak. But I know both my Sire and Dam are off enjoying the celebration, and Crystal does not have any reason to speak to me… But our caring alpha probably does not like to see me like this, does she, Lily?" He purred, satisfied.

"Correct," Lily agreed. "Both on who it is, and why I'm here. You look like you are hiding, you know."

"I am," Root replied seriously. "I have no desire to spoil the good mood."

"That isn't right," Lily objected. "You would spoil nothing. Everyone is used to you, and you are as much a part of this night as anyone else. Nobody would treat you differently if you mingled and enjoyed yourself."

"If only," was the growled reply. "I cannot so much as mingle without being led around or bumped around. People are sickeningly helpful... for a while. And then they stop feeling helpful, and I am a burden. Better to just stop going through that over and over again."

"Root..." Lily growled warningly. "Do I need to talk to Whirl and Flare?" His Sire and Dam were supposed to ensure he didn't get like this, and normally-

"I am not depressed, Lily." Root shrugged his wing shoulders, his voice softening. "This is just me being practical. I am a burden, one my family willingly carries, but a burden nonetheless."

That tore at her heart. One of her fledglings, as she saw the entire pack, was hurt, and there was absolutely nothing else she could do for him. It was somehow worse that he accepted that.

"Go on, Lily." Root chuckled. "Tell me I am not. We both know you can lie quite convincingly." His tone was somehow light, despite everything, and more familiar than she was entirely comfortable with.

"I do not blame _you_ for how people treat you," Lily muttered, looking out upon the pack, choosing to ignore his presumed familiarity. "They are still-"

"People, Lily," he sighed. "I do not blame them for not keeping up the act indefinitely. They do not have to care about me. I have others who do."

His Sire and Dam, and a few friends. That was it because no other female in the entire pack so much as looked at him. Mist had long since made her feelings on the subject clear, but at least she had gotten to know him first. The rest of the pack's available females, so insistent upon laying claim to any other male, shunned Root.

"Let me rephrase my earlier threat," Lily drawled. "I think I'm sending Crystal over here the moment I see her." She trusted Crystal to draw Root out of his mood, whereas Mist might just remind him of what he was missing out on, through no fault of his own.

"Please," Root replied seriously. "I cannot, for obvious reasons, seek her out."

"All you had to do was ask," Lily purred. "Is there anything else you need?"

"To forget my troubles for a day," he grumbled. "But you say we should remember…"

Lily waited patiently as Root paused for a long moment. It was much harder for her to deduce what he was thinking, as she could not see his eyes, but she tried anyway. He had been joking, somewhat bitterly, and then stopped as if thinking of something… Or possibly just brooding.

"That is an idea," he hummed thoughtfully. "You said the fledglings will need to learn of Claw, of our history. I could talk to people, get different viewpoints, and remember as much as possible. I like stories, and it will take a long time to hear this one from everybody."

Lily could hardly believe her luck. "Is this what you meant when you told me you need a purpose?" He had also told her it would not work if she gave him one, which was why she hadn't previously.

"You still remember that?" he asked. "Yes, maybe. I do not know, but it is something to do. I can learn the story, put it all together, and then maybe tell it to others, so that the pack will not forget for a long, long time."

"I approve," Lily said happily. She was glad to see his morose mood wiped away with the prospect of a challenge he was still more than able to take on. Better yet, he would be doing something very useful in the process. This was perfect!

"So... send Crystal over?" Root purred, sitting up on his hind legs. "I may as well start with her. And then you, sometime."

"I…" she wasn't actually sure if she wanted to talk about all of that, to go over it again in detail. Even _thinking_ of some of what had happened broke her for a while, and she did not like feeling weak in front of the pack. But she could not very well deny Root her input, especially given it was as much her story as it was one of Claw, in the end. "I will set aside a time."

"Down here, please." He grimaced. "Your ledge and cave make me very nervous. I do not like... I do not like the sky when I cannot see it."

She had figured as much, especially given he was almost as grounded as she was, if mentally instead of physically. Flight was asking for death when one could not see, and Root did not seem at all inclined to even try to fix that, aside from rare flights shepherded by his parents in the air, which he had often professed to be terrifying now, unable to see or guide himself.

"Down here," she agreed. "Wait for Crystal," she commanded, walking away.

"As opposed to... what, exactly?" was Root's parting shot.

That was good, at least. She still intended to talk to his parents and ensure they had not seen any other worrying signs. But right now, she needed Crystal.

Where would she be? Probably with one of the newest adults, knowing her, making them feel special. Whoever had the smallest crowd of well-wishers.

Lily headed in that direction, passing a mass of females in the process. She stopped walking when she heard a growl of frustration. She might just be paranoid about a mass of females and a young, now eligible male, but that bothered her enough that she couldn't pass by without investigating.

A quick hop, triggering a bit of pain from those four spots, and she was on a rock, looking into the situation. Crystal might have to wait a moment.

"I told you, I will choose Cara if she wants me, and if not you can try and convince me _then_ ," one of the newly adult males said brashly, glaring at two of the females closest to him.

Lily growled, taking in the tightly-packed crowd of females. They were being way too pushy. Not nearly as bad as that first ceremony, nobody was coming to blows or getting into the male's personal space, but still far from proper and polite. She would put her paw down _hard_ on this, just in case any of them needed a reminder.

"Back off," Lily roared, startling many of the females. "He has told you this. Do I need to intervene?"

The response was slow but steady, a general loosening of the crowd around the male as everyone attempted to avoid being associated with those Lily was angry at. Many melted back into the crowd entirely, obviously intending to avoid further discipline. Good enough. She had no desire to give a furious lecture to those who remained, cutting their pride to the ground in order to prevent them from coming to blows. It was not a fun event for anyone.

The male nodded in thanks and crept off, probably looking for Cara, if what he had said was any indication. Lily doubted he would have any luck with her.

"She will send him whining with his tail between his legs," a smooth male voice said from her left. "He should have started courting her long before now."

Lily turned to the male, who was lounging atop a boulder, out of the crowd for the moment. She recognized him, of course; Rain was one of the very few males who had been an adult for a while and remained unattached, despite having options. He was memorable, and even more so for being the son of Pina and Dew.

The male he was speaking to was also memorable, for far less pleasant reasons. "I do not see it," Blur huffed irritably, staring at Rain from another adjacent, slightly higher rock. "But if you say so. What about me?"

"Why do you come to me for advice?" Rain asked lazily, sprawling out on his boulder. "You ignored me back when I _wanted_ to help you out."

"I did not know you were… like this." Blur waved a wing at Rain. "I thought you were after Shalla and trying to sabotage me."

"Please," Rain snorted. "I know where I am not wanted, and Shalla _had_ eyes for you and you alone, not to mention we had the same Sire. There are other females. And again, it has been two season-cycles. Why now?" He wasn't even looking at Blur, lazily glancing over the crowd.

"Because she keeps pushing me away!" Blur blurted out.

Rain's eyes passed over Lily, and she did her best to look unobtrusive, knowing that to try and hide would just make her stand out. He didn't seem to notice her.

Or maybe he did, and just did not care. She saw little of him, but she knew from Pina that he was a relaxed, laid-back male with no apparent desire to chase after anyone. He was either waiting to reach ten season-cycles of age and thus be able to court any available female, or just waiting for someone to catch his eye.

Either way, he didn't seem the type to mind if someone was listening in on him.

"And you are coming to me because…" Rain prompted, flicking his tail.

"Because," Blur gritted, "I see the females eyeing you, and I see you not caring, and I want that from Shalla."

"You are well on your way to getting that second part from her," Rain laughed. "Okay, fine. What did you do that got her mad at you this time?"

"Nothing!" Blur exclaimed. "We were having a nice time tonight, and we were talking, and then she just huffed and walked away!"

"Did you get pushy about being mates?" Rain asked, still lazing on his stomach and eyeing the crowd.

"No, I did not even mention it," Blur growled. "We were talking about the alpha, and her speech, and I said I did not agree."

"And there you go," Rain snorted. "What part did you disagree with?" he continued, asking exactly what Lily was hoping to hear. His lazy eyes passed over her, again not even pausing to notice, and she knew for sure that he was aware of her presence. Nobody just _missed_ something like that, not while talking about the person in question. He knew she was there.

"That we need to remember," Blur huffed. "I think we will all just forget and never do it again. For some reason, that made her mad!"

"Okay, I see what you did wrong," Rain revealed. "You do know she is female, right? And that Claw was her half Sire."

"Of course," Blur said angrily.

"Do you remember him almost hurting her as a fledgling, and then scarring her Dam?" Rain continued languidly, only a hint of seriousness coloring his voice, just enough to set him at odds with the light, joyous celebration occurring all around him. "Do you think, maybe, that she has reason to want that sort of thing to never happen again?"

"Yes, but I did not say it would!" Blur objected, sounding bewildered.

"She liked hearing that the alpha would not _let_ it happen," Rain sighed. "Lily plans to _do something_ to keep people like Shalla safe, but you are arguing against that and say to just let everyone forget. Even if you believe that will be fine, you have to admit that it sounds far worse to someone who fears it more than you do."

"But…" Blur stamped his paws, looking for all the world like an overgrown fledgling having a minor tantrum. "That is stupid and tiny! She should not have stormed away over _that_!"

"You are already on thin ice," Rain sighed, rolling onto his back and angling his head to stare at Blur. "Two season-cycles and she has not said yes, so clearly she has some reservations, and you are not helping her get past them."

"I should never have challenged the alpha," Blur snarled, looking down at his paws. "But that was long ago! Lily does not even hold a grudge about it. Why should Shalla?"

"I do not know exactly why, but you really should find out and soothe her worries," Rain advised. "Do not come to me for more advice, either. I like females, I like their attention and the potential, but I do not have anyone I _really_ want. I know how to flirt, not court."

"Same thing," Blur huffed.

"Really not," Rain retorted. "I am not looking for anything permanent or real yet. Just having fun watching the older females try to feel me out without making the alpha mad. If that is what you want from Shalla, then you should be happy she has not said yes to you yet."

"You are right," Blur huffed, turning away from Rain, "I want none of what you do."

"Good!" Rain laughed.

Lily growled to herself. She was of half a mind to go up there and find out which females were trying to court Rain despite her rule against it… But at the same time, he both clearly didn't mind and didn't intend to let anything come of it. He had even said they were heeding her rules, pawing the line but not passing over it.

She was more annoyed that she hadn't _known_ such a thing was happening. These females, whoever they were, had to be taking plenty of precautions to manage that. She had only found out because of Rain.

Rain _had_ told her, though, and he knew she was listening, so it wasn't an unintentional revelation. She was fairly sure that he would come to her if it got too much for him, and in the meantime it was not doing any _harm_ , exactly. They were just trying to get around the spirit of her rule.

Either way, there was nothing she could do about it now, so she put the problem aside to think about later, possibly after getting the input of a few other people. Grass and Pina sprang to mind, possible sources of more information, or at the very least a few other perspectives from those who were close to the problem. Grass would by cynical and scorn her fellow unmated females, and Pina would worry more for Rain than anything else, but she could still get their input.

She could leave it alone for the moment because Rain liked it, but if she found the same females skirting the rules with other, less carefree males, there would be trouble. That in mind, she began working her way through the crowd, intent on finding some of those available young males. Root was ignored, Rain was fine, but where was Wax, for instance? He had just come of age.

She found him easily enough once she thought to leap up onto a rock and search for his yellow-orange glint in the crowd. He was sitting out of the way, in the company of only two other light wings. There was no crowd of females circled around him at a slight distance, likely because word of Lily's recent scolding had spread.

Wax didn't seem to mind the lack, either. He tossed back a fish, swallowing the thing whole, and then laughed at Honey's annoyed expression. Copper, the other light wing with them, said something, and Wax laughed at him too.

Lily stopped short of making her presence known, lingering on the edge of the crowd. Her questions about females being too persistent would only sour the mood, and she had no desire to do that. Another thing to let slide until later.

But in the meantime, she could observe. It was interesting to see that Copper had been invited to their little group, given they seemed to be avoiding the rest of the pack for the moment. As far as Lily knew, Copper and Honey were not a pair yet, or even obviously courting, but there was a closeness there, one she could not label as purely friendship. They worked together and thus spent a lot of time together, they trusted each other, and now Copper was getting to know Wax.

Put that way, it almost seemed that they were taking too long to progress from friendship to something more. Lily didn't like sticking her nose in the affairs of others without fully understanding what was going on, so she decided to feel the two out, separately, on what they thought of each other. Facilitating happiness aside, she wanted to be sure her two healers wouldn't suddenly have a fight and cease to be able to function as a duo when it came to their job. They did good work.

Lily turned away, unwilling to disturb their semi-peaceful little group, and pushed back into the crowds. Wax, Rain, Root, the male she had already defended…

She leaped up onto another rock to confirm what she had noticed. There were no telltale signs of females crowding around males, so she could assume that the others were fine.

What next? She could seek out some of the more troublesome females, such as Diora, but that would do no good, not when they had reason to be wary of her, and ample excuses to slip away. Yet _another_ thing to do later, not now.

"Lily, how nice to see you," a smarmy voice called out from behind and below her.

Lily only barely stopped herself from groaning, utterly annoyed in an instant. "Cloud," she huffed, belatedly remembering another young male with no mate.

Said male walked around the bottom of the rock she was standing on, his face smug. Even his tail was held high, confidence and false charm oozing in the way he walked. "Not happy to see me?"

"Not particularly," Lily said truthfully. "What do you want?"

"I think you know that," Cloud purred. "But right now I just want to compliment you on dispersing that mess with the females."

She nodded tersely, considering exit strategies. It was bad practice to make enemies of her own subjects, no matter how annoyingly persistent they were, or how smitten they were. He was a good person, mostly, a far cry from the likes of Claw. He just wanted power, probably for its own sake, and saw her as a route to it. She was not inclined to allow that.

If it were only that, she would put him down as thoroughly as she could manage and not let up until he had no illusions as to his chances with her, but he also served as a useful way to monitor how someone who cared about power saw the pack. As long as he chased her, she knew he did not see some other source of power somewhere else, growing quietly to challenge her. That was why she did not drive him off or even make sure he knew she was not interested. He was a minor safeguard against possible problems of a certain kind rising without her knowledge. An imperfect one, but one nonetheless.

"Cloud!" a female called out, much to Lily's relief. "Your sister is throwing up in a fish pile!"

Cloud winced and left quickly, groaning as he went, his tail dropping to drag on the ground.

Lily sighed thankfully, moving off the rock and in the opposite direction as fast as she could. Thank goodness Cloud's Dam was lazy and insistent, and his newest sister a pawful. It made him bearable because he only sporadically had time to harass her.

Still... Lily took one more look around. All of the big issues had been dealt with and people were settling in, calming down a bit. The festivities were going to wind down soon, mostly because all of the little ones would need to be handled, occupying most of the responsible adults.

She couldn't see any reason she would be needed for the rest of the night, and if problems arose Crystal could handle them. Her cave called to her, peace and quiet appealing compared to the happy but grating din.

Then something else occurred to her, something she had promised. Root wanted to see Crystal.

"Liona," Lily called out, selecting the first trustworthy face she recognized in the crowd in front of her.

"Yes, Lily?" Liona asked, squeezing between two large females to reach her. "How are you?"

"Great," Lily said. "You're having a good time too, I hope?"

"Definitely," Liona laughed. She didn't seem inclined to elaborate.

Lily nodded happily. "Would you do me a favor? Find Crystal and tell her Root wants to see her."

"Oh, definitely," Liona agreed. "I think I saw her a little while ago…" She awkwardly turned, bumping both females a second time, and receded into the crowd.

Lily laughed, amused, and turned away. _Now_ she wasn't needed.

She headed away from the plateau and up a familiar, well-worn path. Her cave was a place of quiet, if nothing else, somewhere nobody went without a real reason. They respected that the few times she was not in the valley were probably necessary for her sanity. Or they just didn't want to bother flying up here. One of the two. The only light wings who went there regularly were her guards-

Her guards, Grass and Flare. She paused in her ascent, looking up in a futile attempt to check for them. They would be above, and Flare would be camouflaged… If they had remembered to come to her. It was possible they were still at the ceremony. If so, she was alone.

But that was okay, because everyone was at the celebration, and nobody knew she had left early. Her guards would come to her once they noticed her absence, either Grass and Flare any moment now, or Mist and Crystal's Sire once the moon began its descent in the depths of night.

Lily continued onward, and soon settled down on the ledge, looking out over the valley. Here, she could at least watch to be sure no all-out fights broke out, though she was far too high and distant to hear or even identify individuals.

And here, unlike in the valley, she was alone. A full day spent around others meant she savored any time in which she could hear nothing but her own breathing and the wind.

Had she valued solitude before all of this? Somewhat, but not this much. Still, she would not trade what she had now for solitude all of the time. Just a small portion of the time.

Five season-cycles. It was a significant timeframe for her personally, not just for the pack. She had been alpha for that long. Five season-cycles of peace, of manipulating and leading, stopping disputes and petty arguments.

All worth it. She was doing what she did best, taking care of people who needed her guidance.

An errant gust of wind brushed over the ledge, and she raised her wings almost unconsciously, catching the air as it passed over and around her. The feeling helped her forget her grounding for a little while. She was disappointed when it died away.

A soft sound resounded from somewhere nearby. She tilted her head, confused. That was not the whine of the wind whipping through the rocks, and it was not the valley below. Nothing had changed there. It was not a high-pitched noise at all, really, more of a clatter. Rocks falling from above, possibly dislodged by the wind?

On another night, she would have been content with that explanation, or maybe sent Grass to investigate, but tonight she was alone, and that made her unwilling to dismiss the noise as nothing. Better safe than sorry.

Assuming the worst, that some unknown light wing was creeping around, what was the best course of action? She could try and run back down to the valley, but if there was something or someone about, she would be exposed and vulnerable. Or, she could hide in her cave. That would allow her to be cornered, but it would also put anyone with wings on equal footing with her, and her guards knew better than to sneak into her cave, so if anyone did she could strike without hesitation.

She chose the cave, slowly backing up until her tail hit rock, the back of the cave. It was not a deep cave, but it was something. A way to not be snuck up on, if whatever had caused the noise did not know she was here... and all assuming she was not just being paranoid.

Another clatter... and a bark of surprise, deep but distant. She felt a bit of annoyance. If this was Cloud or some other simpleton trying to sneak up on her for fun...

"Watch it," a male rumbled loudly. "I am below you, you know."

"You wanted to walk all the way down," another male complained. "Why could we not just fly in, again?"

"We still don't know whether this is hostile territory or not, Spark." The more solemn voice sighed. "You know it would be stupid to just fly in blindly."

Lily's heart was beating too fast for comfort, and she would have roared at herself for leaving her guards behind if noise was not dangerous right now. There was no male named Spark in the valley, and she knew neither voice. These were strangers.

"I know, I know." They were right outside her cave now, having descended from above. "This is a nice view."

"It is." A dark shadow moved in front of the cave, silhouetted by the moonlight. "And it is someone's home."

Lily shrank away from the softly illuminated entrance, wishing she had possessed the presence of mind to camouflage. Then again, her fire, which was necessary to do so, would have alerted these two...

Dark wings? She peeked out as the looming shadow began to retreat, taking a small risk to satisfy her curiosity, and there was no glint on the black silhouette, though the moonlight should have revealed one. What was a dark wing doing here?

They were visitors, clearly, or invaders, though she had not heard enough to say. Her mind went to invaders, as that was the worse of the two scenarios. They were sneaking down instead of announcing their presence, and considered the valley possibly hostile territory.

"A current home by the fresh scents," the dark wing continued, his silhouette shrinking and disappearing. "We should not intrude."

"Come look at this, Beryl," the one called Spark said happily. "It looks like a celebration is going on down there."

The dark silhouette departed, presumably going to join the other by the edge. "Hmm... it does, actually. And with bonfires. I thought that was a thing of No-scaled-not-prey, but I suppose it's not that surprising others have come up with it."

A small thing forced itself to the forefront of Lily's mind, a hint hidden in their surprisingly innocuous statements. The one called Beryl spoke with the same accent as she did, the one she had copied and adopted from Pyre. The one that usually came from knowing the language of No-scaled-not-prey, which he had even mentioned. Curious.

"I am not sure if it is a good idea to go down there," Beryl rumbled uncertainly. "We should check things out subtly. If Claw is still around, I'd rather he not know who we are or why we're here until too late."

That was promising, if odd. They worried about Claw. If he was what they considered hostile...

That meant they would not consider her hostile. And now that she thought about it, there was a dark wing in her past that might have reason to send others here.

"But we have nowhere good to sleep tonight," Spark complained. "It's warm and nice down there."

"It is the middle of the hot season, Spark, and therefore warm everywhere. If you want to go to that party, just say so. You are not a whiner." Beryl shook his head. "Well, come on. If we have to fight off Claw because of this, I am telling Sire it was your idea."

"We could take him," Spark replied, looking around. "Hey, there is a path here."

"I suppose that is..." Beryl grunted. "Actually, that is strange. Why would a dragon want a path? Unless the one who lives here is grounded, but then why live up here at all?"

"The wind?" Spark warbled questioningly. "Would that help?"

"At that, it would help quite a bit," Beryl admitted.

He sounded as if he spoke from experience. That made no sense, but Lily could not deny what she had heard.

Now she wasn't content to hide. Judging by their expectation of fights and animosity toward Claw but desire to avoid them, these two were no immediate threat, and if she cowered in a cave, what kind of alpha was she? Not that they had to know she was alpha right away...

She held in a purr as she walked out of the cave. They both had their backs to her, a pitch-black shape and a lighter shade that might be yellow or gold in the sun, but was simply grey in the shadows.

"It does help," she loudly agreed, startling them.

Spark, or so she assumed from the way his bark was pitched, slightly less mature than the other voice she had heard, whirled and leaped in surprise, almost stumbling off the ledge, his eyes wide. She inferred from his reaction that he was not a natural fighter or at least not good with surprises.

Beryl, on the other hand, spun immediately, his teeth out and claws gripping the stone in a tense crouch. He was ready for a fight, ready to be attacked. Cautious, even when he saw her standing there passively.

"And yes," she continued, "this is my home. A home you are trespassing in." As long as she claimed the ledge as well, which she did.

"Our apologies," Beryl rumbled politely, at odds with his appearance even though he had relaxed a little. "You were listening?"

"It was hard not to listen to two invaders standing on my ledge," she remarked sarcastically. "You wish to know who is alpha? Why?" Best to hold a grating personality, if only to test their tempers. She doubted anything she did could provoke an otherwise peaceful dragon to violence, so her provocations would only strain intended deception.

"That is not something I wish to say, if the answer is not a good one," Beryl retorted. "Some things are best left unmentioned."

"He is dead," Lily revealed, hoping to get a confirmation of what she suspected. She would say her guess, but that would very much narrow down her identity as one of the two people who knew for sure that Storm had taken Crystal's egg and hatchling to safety, and thus could accurately guess.

"Great!" Spark set off down the path immediately. "We can go down there now!"

"Go ahead," Beryl said tiredly. "And find Crystal. We should not linger in delivering our message."

"Got it!" Spark paused, looking back. "And you?"

Beryl shrugged. "I will be along."

Now, why was he staying? Lily did not like the idea of being caught alone with an unknown dragon. "If you wish to speak to me, I'll be going down there now too."

"Fine by me," Beryl huffed. He stood still, awkwardly looking at her.

"What?" She noted with annoyance that Spark was already gone, down the path.

"I was going to let you go first," Beryl admitted.

"Excuse me for not wanting my back exposed," Lily growled. "I do not trust you in the slightest." More acerbic than she would have put it, but that was the persona she was holding to.

"It was to be polite," Beryl growled back, turning his back to her to go down the path. "I do not have bad intentions."

"I do not trust your word on your own motives," Lily remarked. "Especially when you have not told me why you are here." She followed him down, noting and planning for a surprise attack in case he got angry or aggressive. Being behind him on a narrow path _was_ a good advantage, one she would need, lacking flight. Her first hit would be to shred that tail...

Though he was holding it carefully, a bit further up and away from her than a normal light wing would. A precaution, habit, or fear? He seemed to value his tailfins quite highly. Maybe she would too if they were of any use to her.

"It is not your business," Beryl said after a few minutes of silence, descending towards the valley. "But we are here to ensure it is safe for others to come. Claw was... not safe."

That was pretty strong proof towards her theory, but she could not act on it yet, so she followed where his words would logically have taken someone ignorant towards the situation. "And you want to talk to Crystal. How do you know her?"

"You ask many questions," Beryl complained. "Answer one for a change. Why were you up here instead of down there?"

Lily disliked the note of pity in his voice. "I was down there earlier, but large gatherings aggravate me after a while, so I came up to my cave for some peace and quiet."

"Oh. I guess I get that." They were getting close to the valley itself now. "What is your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" She was almost looking forward to the moment someone let Beryl and Spark in on her identity, if only to wipe the confidence out of this male's voice. He was... aggravating. She wasn't sure why, but he just got under her skin. Not that much, a small irritation she could ignore, but still. She was enjoying annoying him with her false persona more than she otherwise would have.

"So that I know who to avoid?" His voice was past annoyed now. "I don't know what I did to so quickly get on your bad side, but clearly I'm already there."

Well, at least he could hold his temper. "You'll figure it out sooner or later." They were down in the valley itself now. "And I very much doubt you'll be able to avoid me for the short time you are here."

"I'll try," Beryl muttered, running ahead to catch up to Spark, who was close to the plateau now. They were both getting stares, everyone stopping to gawk as they became aware of the anomalies among them. Tails fell limp, eyes widened, and dragons stopped walking abruptly, some even running into each other.

If that were all, Lily would assume her people were just amazed by the simple sight of others different than themselves. But there was a darker edge to the looks Beryl and Spark received as they approached. A stilling of motion, a quieting that was not entirely shock, lasting longer than it should have. The joyous, unconcerned cries of fledglings abruptly tapered off even from the depths of the pack, which to Lily implied that the message being passed back was worrying enough to cause Dams to gather their children.

Her people were not used to strangeness, and they had bad memories that strong, relatively dangerous-looking males would evoke by appearance alone.

Many eyes flickered from the males to her, standing behind them. She sat on her haunches, wrapping her tail around her paws to convey a lack of serious worry. Those who saw her would hopefully take that to heart. Wariness was good, but outright fear was not.

"Are you Crystal?" Spark approached a random female on the edge of the crowd, who shook her head in denial as she leaned away from him with wide eyes. He turned around, clearly taking in how many candidates there were. "Can someone help me find Crystal?"

Beryl chuckled. "For a moment there, I thought you were going to just check everyone yourself." His laughter, devoid of malice, helped remove some of the remaining tension. Claw had never laughed like that.

"Yes..." Crystal shoved her way through the crowd, a strangely apprehensive look on her face. "Who are you?"

"Spark," Spark supplied helpfully. "And Beryl, too," he added, nodding to the other dark wing.

"This might be better explained in private," Beryl suggested, looking at the large crowd silently watching them. "It is good news, but also personal news."

"Are they coming back?" Clearly, Crystal had made the same leaps of deduction Lily had.

"It's safe here for that?" Beryl made a show of looking around. "It seems so, but I might as well ask."

"Yes, of course. When can they...?" Crystal was looking up at the mountains. "Are they waiting out of sight?"

Lily blinked. Crystal seemed almost reluctant. Why...

On second thought, did she really even need to wonder? There were so many reasons for Crystal to be nervous, or guilty, or worried about this. Not good reasons, but still.

"No, we need to go back and tell them." Beryl shrugged apologetically. "They don't know where we went. That way if it wasn't safe yet, they wouldn't get their hopes up."

"How long?" Crystal whined.

"Spark and I can make the trip back in two moon-cycles if we hurry," Beryl explained, "but it'll take three more to get back here."

"Almost half a season-cycle," Crystal muttered, sounding relieved. "Okay. When do you leave?"

"Well, ideally not tonight." Beryl chuckled. "Can we at least stay until morning? Maybe a few days more to rest a bit if we'll be hurrying back."

"I guess... you should ask Lily." Crystal glanced over at Lily, who nodded, unseen by Beryl or Spark. "She is in charge."

"Where is she?" Spark didn't even bother looking around this time, surrounded by likely females.

"Right there." Crystal nodded at Lily. Both dark wings turned to look.

Lily purred smugly at the look of confusion and then shock they both wore. This was going to be satisfying.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Why yes, it did take me 36 chapters to bring in any non-OC characters (originally it was going to be 24…). I was surprised to see nobody guessed that the maturation of Crystal's fostered children might be a prompt leading to this sort of thing; it seemed like the sort of logical connection everyone would jump on.**


	37. Aggravating

_**Author's Note** _ **: This is going out about 12 hours late because, no joke, I totally forgot what day of the week it is. Sorry about that.**

"You..." Beryl shook his head in apparent confusion. "You are alpha."

Lily snorted in amusement; he and the other dark wing stood in front of a whole pack of wary light wings. Did he really think anyone would claim she was alpha if it was not the truth? Somebody else would call her out on it. Or had she done such a good job in playing the abrasive loner that he couldn't believe it?

Either way, she was glad to see his smug confidence shaken, and intended to push forward while he was off-balance. "Yes," she said as she stalked forward, putting on as much affected authority as she could muster, totally dropping the antagonistic tone she had been using with both of the newcomers, keeping her voice neutral. "Why is that a surprise?"

"Alphas generally tell us who they are," Spark said. "How would we know if you did not? Of course, we are surprised."

He sounded a little hurt. Lily held in a laugh at that. He reminded her of an older fledgling, though he was clearly an adult of some age. Probably less than ten season-cycles old by the innocent persona he exuded.

"That, and alphas generally don't try to make visitors mad at them," Beryl added angrily. "Was that an act, or are you really like that? Storm spoke well of you, but she _would_ do that just to mess with us."

"I wanted to see who you were," Lily explained, not letting even a hint of apology seep into her tone. She did not regret it at all. "How you responded to frustration. You do not respond well."

Beryl flinched, his black silhouette clearly outlined against the white of the rest of her pack. "I... I do not respond well to frustration?" He sounded utterly bewildered. "What?"

"You do not. You have little control of your anger." She was still exaggerating, still testing him. Even more effectively now, because he believed _she_ believed what she said. In reality, she had nowhere near enough evidence to say either way, but keeping him as bewildered as possible allowed her to remain in firm control of the conversation.

Even as she thought that, he relaxed, visibly letting go of his annoyance, or at least pushing it away. "Say what you will, but I know I have more than enough control when it counts. I know that much."

"Wait, what?" Spark warbled, pawing at Beryl's side. "Why do you say that?"

"Brother, you know what happened when our paths diverged." Beryl purred smugly. "Can you think of an example from that time where I had self-control, a time when it made all the difference?"

"Oh, that." Spark nodded happily. "I forgot about that."

Lily did not like being out of the loop, but everything they said told her something, and often not what they intended. Now she knew they were brothers, a fact that would have easily escaped her had they not revealed it by chance.

Beryl turned his attention back to her, calmly meeting her gaze. "I do not think you can judge either of us on the basis of a short walk."

"It is my job to ensure my pack is safe," Lily retorted, aware that they were being watched. She could hear the shuffling of padded paws alongside the clicking of claws, light wings moving to get a better view, and she could also hear the indistinct murmurs and whispers from all sides, carried on that same soothing wind. They were relaxing, taking the continuing verbal conflict as a sign that the dark wings would at least not resort to violence upon a chance provocation.

"Snap decisions on temper while _provoking_ the ones you judge are not a safe way of deciding anything," Beryl remarked. "I was told you were smart."

Lily bristled, her wings flaring slightly. "You insult the alpha of the pack you have your back to. I cannot say I believe you are smart either."

"My apologies," he said with a quick glance back, a wry twist of his words indicated he did not enjoy saying that, a light undertone of a growl projecting his voice. "But you are provoking both of us when we come with nothing but good news for one of your own."

Lily froze, her mind working through that for a moment. He was... right, at that. She was allowing that little annoyance she felt to affect her decisions and strategies. It had been a while since someone had rightfully rebuked her for anything, and she did not like the small wave of shame that followed.

Aside from that, she would not allow him to lower her reputation in front of her fledglings, so whether or not he was right, she could not admit it directly.

"Then I shall try not to provoke you further," she capitulated with a low snarl. "Tell me, exactly what do you intend here?"

"Did you not hear us tell Crystal?" Spark asked innocently. "We are here to ensure it is safe for Thunder and Lightning to visit their Dam."

So that was what they had been named. She was going to have to make sure Crystal was coping with all of this later. This had to be a lot to take in, and all of it emotionally charged. She herself felt a surge of annoyance in even finding out that Burble, as she had liked to call him, had been renamed. "And why you? Why not the one who promised to raise them?" she continued.

"Because they would follow her?" Beryl chuckled.

"Because she asked us to," was the more helpful addition from Spark. "Well, she asked our Sire, and he asked us."

"And who is your Sire," Lily continued, feeling quite annoyed by having to ask at all. "Why did Storm ask him?"

"Must you know every detail?" Beryl growled, lashing his tail. "It is not as if all of this matters to you. Our Sire is her brother, and he did not want to leave our little brother and Pearl for so long."

Which made the links clear, and told her something else, something inconsequential, but nice to hear. It seemed Pearl had a hatchling of her own at some point. Lily had vaguely worried, on the rare occasion that she pondered Pearl's abrupt entrance and subsequent exit from her life, that she had somehow made Pearl as barren as herself. It was nice to have that vague, hypothetical guilt assuaged. Unimportant at the moment, but nice.

"Are you satisfied with that?" Beryl rumbled sarcastically. "Or would you like to hear our life stories too? Maybe our most personal fears and flaws?"

"You speak sarcastically, but I would if I thought you would ever tell me the full truth," Lily remarked. "I need no more from you two, not now."

"So... can we stay here for the night?" Spark was looking around at all of the other dragons. "It is nice down here."

"You can stay with my family," Crystal offered almost before Spark had stopped talking. "You know them." She was referring to her children with that, and the implication was obvious. She would be questioning these two for hours on end.

"That is not necessary." Lily did _not_ like the idea of the dark wings staying in the valley. "You two can come back tomorrow morning and answer Crystal's questions, but you are not allowed to remain in the valley tonight. There are plenty of ledges on the mountains."

Crystal shot her a hurt and disbelieving glance, which was annoying. Didn't she see that they did not know enough about these two to trust them in the valley when all would be asleep and vulnerable? She did not suspect ill will from Spark, as innocent as he seemed to be, but Beryl... she could imagine him harboring bad intentions.

"I guess we will sleep on the ledges, then." Beryl yawned. "But we are allowed back in the morning?"

She didn't like saying yes to that either, really, but Crystal would be hard enough to calm down as it was. "Yes. Come find me immediately. I do not wish for you to be here unsupervised."

"Fine." Beryl grunted. "Come on Spark, I saw a ledge on the way here, on the far side of the mountain." He jumped up onto a rock, spread his wings, and flew away.

Spark cast Lily a hurt look before leaping into the air, following his brother. The two silhouettes disappeared quickly, flitting out of sight.

"Why did we send them away?" a younger fledgling asked loudly. She was quickly hushed by her Dam, but the question lingered.

"Just because they seemed nice does not mean they _are_ nice," Lily explained kindly. "I don't know if they are as good as they seem, and we cannot assume they are. It is better to be safe." For the moment, the pack was of like mind, judging by their unease, and she was more than willing to encourage them to be wary.

"Even when it means being rude," Crystal agreed reluctantly.

"Exactly." Lily sighed. "I was rude to them to test them. Now we need to be careful. They are outsiders."

There was a mutter of general agreement to that. Most of the pack dispersed, returning to their homes. Crystal, however, lingered, and approached Lily.

"You were not just testing them," Crystal huffed. "You treated them like you treat Cloud, aggressively neutral but annoyed underneath that. What did they do to you?"

Again, Lily had to look at her own actions; if it was so obvious Crystal saw it, she had gone further than she intended. "I did not try to go that far," she admitted. "He was right in calling me out, but I cannot admit fault to an outsider, so I did not say as much."

"It is strange to see you make mistakes," Crystal growled. "And with this, no less. Lily, I..." She trailed off in a soft whine.

Lily put her wing over Crystal in comfort, though she could not really extend it as far as she would like to. "What do you think of all of this?" she asked gently.

"A good question." Lily, already on edge, jumped in surprise as Moss, Crystal's Dam, abruptly joined the conversation, walking up behind her. "Daughter, this is a time to be happy, surely."

"It is, but..." Crystal shrugged Lily's wing off, turning to face her Dam with wide, uncertain eyes. "I cannot explain what I do not yet understand myself. Just give me time to figure out why I am not jumping for joy."

"And I should _not_ do exactly that in your stead?" Moss asked. "Just so I know." Her tone was playful, but the underlying question was far more cautious than it sounded. Lily appreciated that, for Crystal's sake; Moss didn't want to offend her by reacting in the wrong way.

"Celebrate if you want to, Dam, but I do not feel like joining you," Crystal sighed. "And it is going to be a long time yet before they actually return."

"Come on, then," Moss said firmly, nudging her daughter in the direction of their rock. "If you want to question those two attractive males on your children tomorrow, you need to be rested."

"Dam!" Crystal sounded resigned to the teasing. "Fine… If you do not need me tonight, Lily?" she belatedly added.

"Go," Lily said, glad to see that she was not the only one caring for Crystal. "You do not guard nights, and you do need your sleep. I will see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, if I can sleep," Crystal mumbled, turning to follow her Dam.

Lily watched them go, momentarily at a loss. So much had happened in so little time, but now it all, much like the many less urgent problems she had put aside earlier, was postponed until the morning. Was there anything else she needed to do, or could she just go back to her cave and try to sleep?

Wait, no, definitely not that. She couldn't go back there, not without guards.

As if summoned by her thoughts, two light wings crept into view, both with their ears back and their steps cautious. Grass and Flare, acting as if she was going to scold them.

She _could_ ; she certainly had reason to. But right now, she needed their willing cooperation, and if she scolded Grass too harshly she'd just get into an argument. "Bad luck," she said diplomatically. "What are the odds the one time I'd need guards, they would be enjoying a celebration?"

"You could have let us know you were leaving," Grass said petulantly, apparently aware that such an argument didn't really hold up. Technically, Lily could argue that Grass and Flare should have been following her since sundown, and thus shouldn't have needed to be told anything about her whereabouts.

"It is our fault," Flare said apologetically. "We failed you."

"Yes, but I let it happen," Lily huffed. "Consider this time a reminder that you _do_ have a duty, even when it seems a pointless formality." She had not been attacked in season-cycles, so it stood to reason they would grow lax in their dedication to her safety, seeing it unnecessary. She didn't like it, but she understood.

"We will not fail again," Flare declared.

"Good. I am not going to be sleeping in my cave tonight," Lily informed them. "I'll be in the valley with… Pina and Dew." She had chosen them without really thinking about it, as she was improvising all of this as she spoke, but it was a good idea. Best not to return to a place the dark wings knew was her home, not when she could not be sure of their intentions. "I want you two to camouflage, seek out the dark wings, and watch them tonight. Let your replacements know they will be doing so as well, and do not let anything happen." She trusted them to know what she meant.

"They will not enter the valley," Grass growled, "not if I have to pin them myself." If Lily had to guess, Grass was turning her guilt to anger, which in this case was fine so long as Flare stopped her from doing anything stupid.

"Pin them yourself?" Flare snorted. "I thought you did not like young males."

"I do not like _inexperienced_ young males," Grass retorted, turning her tail on Lily to glare at Flare. "The black one suits me just fine."

"No seducing them, either," Lily commanded, shuddering at the thought. Hearing that Grass approved of Beryl was _not_ doing anything for her instinctive dislike of him, and she wanted to stop hearing about it. "Go, tell your replacements and then seek the dark wings out."

"Yes, Lily," Flare barked, leaping into the air. Grass followed at a more languid pace, leaving Lily alone to make her way to Pina and Dew.

It was a short walk, though knowing she was exposed made it feel longer. Lily took little comfort from the drowsy light wings on rocks all around her; she felt all the more exposed to be the only one walking around.

Both Pina and Dew were still awake when Lily arrived, lying side by side and gazing at the sky. Rain was not around, having long since chosen his own rock upon reaching adulthood, and Lily saw plenty of space for herself next to Pina. She also saw a conveniently hanging tail, which would allow her to avoid drawing too much attention to herself.

Sure enough, Pina yanked her tail back immediately upon feeling a paw prodding at it, and looked down to see Lily. "Do you need me for something?" she asked quietly.

"No, but I could use a place to stay for the time being," Lily explained, looking up at her.

"Let me check…" Pina pulled back. "Dew, you do not mind?"

"Of course not," Dew rumbled sleepily. "Be sure to cover her back… So it is not visible from above."

Lily hopped up onto the rock, not bothering to wait for an official confirmation of what she had already heard, and nuzzled both females in thanks.

"I hope you are not too used to sleeping in a cave," Pina murmured, settling down and lifting a wing in invitation. "The sun can make it hard to sleep soundly, or it might wake you early."

"I want to be up early," Lily countered, arranging her own wings to protect her back. She appreciated the much-needed anonymity a covering for her back offered, but if she was not careful, she would wake to blazing pain the first time either of them shifted in their sleep and jostled her.

Pina's wing gently dropped over her, and she felt herself relaxing, losing tension she hadn't even felt. Now she was one sleeping body among scores, safe in anonymity. Her guards were watching the dark wings, and all was, if not well, then at least safe.

O-O-O-O-O

A flickering beam of light across Lily's face was the first thing she felt upon waking. She was momentarily confused; why had she slept at the entrance to her cave? That had been stupid if her; she should have anticipated the sun waking her.

Then she noticed the shifting warmth against her side, and a smell that reminded her of her time as a fledgling. "You slept late," Pina said gently.

Lily groaned, forcing her eyes open against the tempting lethargy that threatened to drag her back into sleep. "The dark wings," she huffed.

"They have not entered the valley yet," Pina assured her. "Cedar went to relieve the others watching them, and at that time they were still sleeping."

"How long ago was that?" Lily groaned, pushing Pina's wing off and standing. Her head was swimming and everything was too bright, but the rush of knowing that she was late, in a sense, was doing wonders for clearing her head.

"Not so long," Pina replied. "Dew is off getting fish, you could stay until she returns."

"The dark wings are definitely still asleep?" Lily asked.

"I think so, but I cannot say for sure," Pina admitted. "Cedar will be trailing them, wherever they go, and it is not like they can hide in the daytime."

"That we know of." She couldn't recall if Pyre had told her whether dark wings could camouflage. Cedar would see them doing so, though, assuming they had to use flames like light wings did-

A fish slapped down in front of her, seemingly falling from the sky, and Pina laughed loudly. "Dew, she is not used to it raining food," she called out.

Lily looked up, and sure enough Dew was circling above, dangling more fish. Another slipped from her paws, rapidly picking up speed as it fell, only to land on Pina's outstretched wing.

"Rain liked this game," Pina said by way of explanation. "We still do it. Sometimes he stops over in the morning." She sighed wistfully.

"Missing caring for a fledgling?" Lily asked, prodding at the flattened fish in front of her. It didn't seem all that edible now, smashed by the impact and oozing its guts out across the rock.

"You only eat the ones that are caught," Pina explained, stepping in front of Lily and flaming the fish's remains out of existence. The scent of burnt fish was a surprisingly appealing one, and Lily felt a surge of hunger. She gratefully accepted the one Pina had caught when it was offered.

"And yes," Pina said as Lily swallowed the fish, "I do miss it. But we still watch plenty of them most days, and neither of my fledglings are distant, so it is okay." She purred contentedly.

"That reminds me," Lily said, "I overheard Rain talking to Blur last night. When did he turn into the ladies' perfect light wing?"

"I do not know," Pina laughed. "Dew, what did you teach our son?" she called out.

"Depends," Dew said as she landed. "What has he done now?"

"Something about being good with females," Pina elaborated, nuzzling Dew in thanks and deftly taking a fish from her at the same time.

"Nothing he could not learn on his own," Dew rumbled, passing another fish to Lily. "I think it was _you_ who gave him the talk, was it not?"

"Being the ladies' light wing is a good thing, right?" Pina asked Lily.

"I would say so. He is more relaxed about things than most." She did consider Rain's laid back approach to be a good thing, though it was different to how most were about love and the possibility of taking a mate.

"Then that is from both of us," Pina decided. "In equal measures. But what, exactly, was he doing last night? Is there a female we should be nagging him to introduce us to?"

"He was giving Blur advice, but only because he was practically begging for it," Lily elaborated. "It seems Rain has a reputation, at least among his peers, and it is a good one."

"I approve," Dew hummed happily. "Especially as it seems he might have more competition after today. Those dark wings did not say if they had mates, did they?"

"No, they didn't say," Lily said. She hadn't even thought about that aspect of things; hopefully the females of the pack would stay wary throughout their brief visit. They were enough trouble already.

"Well, someone will find out very soon," Pina predicted. "You saw them. Rugged, built up, handsome, with scale colors and scars like nothing we have here? Running an errand on the behalf of their family, going out of their way to help others? They will be swarmed once the ice breaks."

"I'll have them gone before that happens," Lily decided.

"That _would_ cut down on the squealing, dreamy-eyed females we are sure to see," Dew snorted. "But you will have to be quick about it."

"Why?" Lily asked. "Aside from the obvious."

"They just landed over there," Dew replied, staring past Lily's head and over her shoulder.

O-O-O-O-O

Finding the male dark wings, Beryl and Spark, was not hard. They already had a small crowd around them.

"Can you camouflage?" A light wing asked quickly, as if worried she would not have time to speak normally. Her voice was high-pitched in excitement. Not hope or attraction, not yet, simple curiosity. Lily hoped it would remain that way.

Spark, with surprisingly golden scales that gleamed in the early morning light, laughed at that. "Nope!" he said cheerfully.

"But we do blend in a little better with darkness, given we're not sparkly and white," Beryl added with a snort, a dark presence that remained mottled black, even in direct sunlight. "So it's not a big deal."

Lily lingered at the back of the crowd, unsure of what to do and unwilling to draw attention to herself until she had decided. Wasn't Crystal supposed to be asking the questions? She was standing there, awkwardly waiting, while a crowd of those with no personal reason to be there kept the dark wings occupied. It didn't seem voluntary, more that the others were monopolizing the dark wings' attention.

That was unacceptable, an obvious issue to be resolved, and it provided Lily with the plan of action she needed. She snarled softly, drawing the attention of a few of the closest dragons. "Let me through, please."

They moved aside, giving her an easy path in. That, at least, everyone knew to do. She was not averse to pushing through an inconsiderate crowd, but sometimes, if she got unlucky, a wing hit her back in the wrong place, making it a risky endeavor.

"Lily," Spark greeted politely, catching sight of her. "How are you?"

At least _he_ was polite. Of the two, Lily could more easily deal with him. "Well enough. How long have you two been here?"

"Not long," Beryl huffed. "We were surrounded the moment we landed. Your work?"

She didn't want to admit it was not... but she also did not want to claim this unruly crowd depriving Crystal of a chance to ask what she so desperately wanted to know with any semblance of privacy. "No, actually."

"I guessed as much." Beryl glanced back to Crystal. "And these were not the questions I expected to be answering."

So he understood what was going on, and why it was unacceptable. She didn't consider that much of an accomplishment, but it proved he was not stupid.

"Which of you would be better suited to answer Crystal's questions?" Lily inquired brisky, hoping to quickly resolve all of this and send them both on their way. Efficiency would help her do that.

Beryl shrugged. "Either of us, we both know them well. I am more tactful than Spark, so probably me." Spark barked in mock offense, but otherwise didn't object.

Somehow, she did not doubt that Beryl was the more suitable of the two, as Spark seemed a low bar for maturity. "Crystal, Beryl, come with me. Spark, stay and keep the pack entertained."

Spark stared at her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. "That is a very strange way to put it," he said with a low growl, looking around at the pack, most of whom were waiting eagerly to resume asking questions, only held back by the dark wings blatantly ignoring them to focus on Lily for the moment.

"They have questions," Beryl rumbled. "She meant that you can answer them."

"Right," Spark huffed. "Okay, who wants to learn about dark wings?" he called out. The cacophony of requests resumed in an instant, and Lily lost sight of him as a small flock of fledglings blocked her view.

Seeing that Spark had them occupied, Lily quickly left, assuming Beryl and Crystal would follow. Most of the rest of the valley was fairly empty, the majority of the pack behind them now.

"You taunted him," Beryl growled from behind her. She resisted the urge to turn and face him.

"I told him what needed to be done-"

"You treated him like a subordinate to give orders to, and spoke of your own people like fledglings in need of distraction," Beryl rumbled disapprovingly. "He is not naive enough to miss that slight, however optimistic he remains."

"Your younger brother _is_ naive, clearly," Lily retorted. "And you, to not see it." She had only taken charge and arranged things to everyone's benefit; if they wanted to take offense at how she managed it, they were welcome to, but she would not recant. This was her pack, not theirs.

"You are not the first to think Spark is naive, and you will not be the last," Beryl snorted. "Also, he is the older of us by a season-cycle."

That stopped Lily in the middle of formulating a retort. "Surely not. You are clearly the leader among the two of you. Why would he allow that if he was older?" Among fledglings, the hierarchy was mostly determined by age, and though that was not the case with adults, she suspected it would be with siblings.

"Why, indeed," Beryl warbled nonchalantly, his good humor apparently restored by throwing her for a loop. "He does not seek control, and knows that when dealing with the world, I have far more experience."

Lily's mind went to the accent he had likely obtained the normal way. The accent his... older... brother lacked. But she said nothing of that. There was no reason to seem interested.

"Are we going somewhere?" Crystal asked impatiently.

"If we stop moving, another crowd will form," Lily said quickly. "Ask him now, while we walk." She hated to rush Crystal, but her reasoning was sound, based on the curious looks they were getting from the late risers lounging around.

"Their names, you said Thunder and Lightning?" Crystal asked Beryl. "My hatchling and egg..."

"Thunder was the male hatchling and Lightning his sister who hatched a few weeks into the trip," Beryl explained as they walked. "Storm named them, as nobody had told her if they already had names."

Lily looked back to see Crystal, looking guilty. That made her mad. "She was waiting to give him a name that fit his personality," she growled. "Better than being named after the dragon who decided to raise him." So self-centered.

"I do not like that tone," Beryl growled back. "Storm, for all her faults, took a task she did not have to accept, in a way that also gave her no mate to share it with, and did it well."

"I do not mind that she named them," Crystal added quietly. "I suppose she would have had to…"

Lily huffed, annoyed at herself and at Beryl. What was it with this dark wing? He managed to correct her constantly, and she had not felt so consistently off-balance in ages. Maybe she just wasn't used to a non-submissive male. There certainly weren't any around, not when it came to her. She was the alpha of the pack, so by definition they all obeyed her.

"I am sure she did a fine job," Lily capitulated, putting her own dislikes aside to facilitate the conversation Crystal deserved to have. "Was there a reason she called them Thunder and Lightning, or do your kind not follow our customs of naming them for themselves?"

"We do name them for themselves, and those names fit," Beryl argued. "Both take after Storm in lack of tact and general loudness… and they take particular pleasure in messing with my brother and me, so take all I say with that in mind," he concluded, rumbling wryly.

"Are they good people?" Crystal asked, sounding unsure. Given she had just been told her children were loud and tactless, Lily supposed that was a fair question.

"Like Storm, they have good hearts and are not afraid to show what they feel." Beryl said carefully, obviously phrasing his opinions in the most positive possible way. "That means a lot of arguments, but no grudges, no festering frustration, and no secrets. Storm taught them well, both from her own personality and from her mistakes."

Lily was starting to resent how much Beryl was comparing them to Storm, for Crystal's sake. "It sounds like she made them just like herself," she observed.

"In a way, but I don't think it was intended." Beryl didn't seem annoyed by that accusation. "They copied her, as fledglings will do with their Dam and Sire, and that is what she showed at all times. She was open with them about everything. No secrets, very little softening of sad or scary things, but also no lies, no misunderstandings, and as a result, as close to complete trust as I think is possible."

"They must tell her everything, and feel free to ask her anything," Crystal remarked quietly. "If she is so open with them, they must be totally happy with her." The forlorn undertone to her voice made Lily want to nuzzle her and bite Beryl, but she forced herself to keep walking, lest she do one and then be unable to stop herself from doing the other.

"I guess that doesn't make you happy," Beryl replied softly. "But they asked of you often. She told all she knew, and Pearl told much more, but they are still curious. So curious that Spark and I were sent here now, just to be sure it is safe before they get it into their heads to fly out here and check themselves. As it is, I am half sure we will run into them on the way back, coming here because Storm could hold them back no longer, regardless of the danger."

"It does make me happy to know they are..." Crystal took a deep breath, her voice shaking as she continued. "I wanted them safe and content, and they got that. I could not have known it would not be necessary. I did the right thing?"

It was a question, one Lily had answered before. But this time, the newcomer beat her to it.

"I've spoken to Pearl about this place, what it was like," Beryl said seriously. "I am amazed Storm was not submerged in a pile of hatchlings, fledglings, and eggs to save. Of all here, only you did the hard but right thing."

Lily had said much the same herself in the past. But, to her surprise, it was apparently enough when it came from Beryl.

"Thank you." Crystal purred, though there was still an edge to her voice, an edge of regret. "I needed to hear that. And it was not at all knowable, that we would so suddenly be at the end of Claw's rule, so soon after Storm and Pearl left."

"It seems to me you did it amazingly quickly." Beryl was looking around now. Lily had fallen to the side so as to not have her back to Beryl and her best friend any longer. It also helped that she could watch him.

"Quickly... yes, it was quick enough after that." Crystal sighed. "Less than a season-cycle."

"And with so few losses. Claw must not have been that hard to unseat."

Beryl did not seem to realize what he had just said, but both females stopped walking. He noticed after a moment that they were both staring, and not moving.

"Did I-"

Crystal snarled, but Lily cut her off. "Let me."

"Do what?" Beryl raised his tailfins high, clearly lifting them to safety, a continuance of that odd pattern Lily had noticed. "What did I say?"

"Follow me, dark wing." Lily turned abruptly, heading somewhere she was sure Crystal would recognize and understand the significance of. This was a message she wanted to make loud and clear.

They walked for a few moments, quickly reaching the place Lily sought. Crystal remained silent, and Lily assumed that meant she understood what was about to happen. It was obvious to anyone who knew where they were.

"Okay..." Beryl looked around, still tense. "Am I about to be attacked or something?" He sounded half-kidding and half worried he was right.

"No, not at all," Lily said neutrally. "We brought you here to meet someone." She turned, raising her voice, but keeping it pleasant. "Root? Can you come over here, by the far edge of your family rock?"

"Here?" Root deftly slipped over the side, keeping a wing extended to remain in contact with the rock he had come from at all times.

"Yes," Lily purred, directing his attention to herself, "here. How are you?"

"Fine," Root replied neutrally. "Are you here to talk about the story?"

Right, she had promised to do that. "Not today, but very soon." She moved closer, putting a wingtip on his side, so he knew where she stood. Beside him, glaring at Beryl. "But this is related. Could you do me a favor and open your eyes for a few moments? An idiot with a big mouth said something that needs to be corrected."

Root wilted, his head hanging almost against his chest. "Am I a punishment now? Is it that hideous?"

"No, no, not at all!" Crystal blurted out, horrified. "You look fine! It is not how you look, it is what you suffered that needs to be seen." She rushed forward and nuzzled Root apologetically. "Please, it was not meant that way!"

Root sighed. "Crystal, a simple explanation was enough. You do not have to..." He growled softly. "Fine. Please, stop freaking out."

"Sorry, sorry." Crystal was glaring at Beryl and Lily now. "I did not expect her to phrase it like that, but this is important."

"Is it?" Root growled. "Does it have to do with the chatter I hear of visiting dark wings?"

"Apparently," Beryl supplied wryly, his expression betraying his discomfort. "I may have said that Claw seemed, from what I had seen of how well this place has recovered, easy to defeat."

Root stiffened. "Did you, now?" He moved his head to face Beryl. Crystal subtly corrected his slightly off gaze with a nudge.

Root slowly opened his flat eyelids, revealing raw, unscaled skin and scar tissue coating the inside of empty depressions where eyes should be. "It is so very easy for you to say that, is it not?"

Well, now that he knew why, Root was extremely good at being intimidating. Lily heard a very deep threat in his voice, despite his entire situation preventing him from doing anything.

Beryl, to his credit, did not look away. "I misspoke."

"Yes, you did." Root shook his head. "I would have died if things had gone as they normally did, but it took a while for me to consider this better than that alternative. We won... and prices were paid."

"But not all is lost," Beryl remarked softly. "You can still live life as before."

Root barked out a dry, almost painful laugh, one filled with bitterness. "Yeah, right," he continued. "It took me a season-cycle to memorize the path to the waste pit, and that is my proudest achievement so far. Do not make me laugh. I can do almost _nothing_ like before."

"But…" Beryl warbled, trailing off.

Something was going on, something very important. Lily leaned forward, ready to intervene. What was that she could hear in Beryl's voice, that which made this so strange?

Confusion.

"Can you not see with sound?" Beryl continued.

That was not what Lily was expecting, though she could not have said what she _was_ expecting. Somehow, she had expected something _reasonable,_ not a strange, random assertion that made absolutely no sense.

"See with sound?" Root grumbled in annoyance, just as bewildered as Lily. "Do not taunt me with impossibilities. Why not listen with my paws, then? And hear with my nose?"

"I'm not joking," Beryl objected, "My Sire does it, and he taught his sister and Pearl. They can make a special sound, and it comes back and puts an outline in their mind of the world around them-"

Root _lunged_ for Beryl, slamming into the dark wing and pinning him to a rock, pushing against him to hold him there. Crystal shrieked and made to intervene, but Root flailed his wings and drove her back with a flurry of light blows to the head and back, preventing her interference.

"I... I will kill you, if this is a lie," Root stammered, his claws to Beryl's chest, awkwardly digging furrows that were not deep enough to draw blood. "My Dam and Sire will hold you down and I will-"

"Calm down!" Beryl sounded, understandably enough, both panicked and confused. "I have no reason to lie!"

"Some people," Root ground out, "like to hurt because I cannot fight back. Little things, spiteful words, and false hopes. But not even they tried to give me hope of _seeing again_."

Lily held in a snarl, resolving to get to the bottom of this new admission from Root as soon as she could. That was not something she was aware had happened or was going on, and her pack should be better than that! She should be better, should have caught it!

"I don't hurt people for sport, or at all." Now Beryl's voice was calm and consoling, despite the threat of violence. "And I would stop it if I saw it happen. I cannot teach you this skill, but it does exist, and when we go back to get Thunder and Lightning, I will make sure someone who knows how to do it comes so that you can learn. I swear."

"You... you swear..." Root was shaking. "Lily, you heard him. If he is lying.."

"I will allow you and your family to do what you will," Lily replied coldly. "If not help myself." She scarcely believed it, though that disbelief was countered by how earnest Beryl _seemed_. She could not honestly say whether she thought he was being truthful or not.

"That is a little harsh," Beryl complained, "but as I am not lying, fine by me."

"I want to believe you," Root huffed. "To see with sound... to see at all." he crumpled against Beryl as if his legs had been suddenly rendered boneless, now held up by the dragon he had been pinning against a rock not a moment earlier. "I spent so long... convincing myself it was not coming back... so that I would not hope for the impossible."

Beryl began humming softly, holding Root up. "It will be moon-cycles before they can be here, and maybe longer before you master it. I don't know how long it took Storm or Pearl to learn from Ember, and never bothered learning myself." Somehow, he made caution sound comforting, and Root whined wordlessly in response.

"Should we..?" Crystal leaned forward, paused, and then leaned back with a shake of her head. "No, Beryl has it, and Root does not like me butting my head in when he is unhappy."

"Really?" Lily hissed, watching the two males. Root was vulnerable, the dark wing was far too close to him, and Crystal didn't feel the need to intervene. "You are letting the dark wing comfort him?"

"It is working," Crystal pointed out, gesturing to the two. Root had pulled back, but Beryl was having none of that, stepping forward to fold his wings over the smaller dragon, pulling him right back into a comforting embrace.

Lily sighed to herself, aware that she was being unfair. It was a recurring problem; her strongest reaction to Root's relief and hope was to resent Beryl for being the one to bring it, which was downright petty. Something was seriously wrong with how she saw and interacted with these dark wings, and she was _not_ going to let it damage her position or ability to help her pack. If an outsider could give Root some semblance of sight back, then she would be happy for Root... and plan horrible pain for the outsider, if it turned out he lied.

But, on the subject of Crystal knowing better… while Beryl waited for Root to calm down, a process both Crystal and Lily watched carefully, Lily muttered to Crystal, "did you know?"

Crystal must have expected the question, given how quickly she responded. "No. I am going to find out. He will be more likely to tell me if I make it seem I simply want to commiserate with him. He does not want you punishing on his behalf, I think."

To tell who had apparently hurt him with 'spiteful words and false hopes'. Lily held in a snarl. "And you will tell me. I must know who needs to be corrected before they get worse."

"Do not do it publicly, or in Root's defense," Crystal suggested. "Maybe watch them until you can catch them at something else, to make sure he does not know the real reason? If it is even still happening."

A good plan, though Lily wasn't sure why he wouldn't want the alpha to make things right. "I can do that."

"He is good at this," Crystal remarked suddenly, speaking of Beryl. "I wonder why."

"Is he?" Lily asked skeptically. All Beryl was doing was letting Root sob against him. He wasn't trying to talk him through it, or even find out what was wrong, though the latter was obvious.

"Well, he is not pulling away and dismissing it, or trying to distract," Crystal reasoned. "That would not work at all. And he is not bringing any more attention to it, which I am _sure_ Root will appreciate later. He even seems to have forgotten about us, so do not remind him." She stuck a wing out, and they both backed away, still within sight but out of hearing range.

"Whatever," Lily huffed. "You have more questions for him after this, right?" She assumed so.

"Yes, but…" Crystal turned to look directly at Lily. "They know my children, and I want to know my children," she whispered. "Should I ask to go with them, to see my son and daughter a few season-cycles sooner? That would be better than any number of answers, and we could all come back together."

That was not a thought that had crossed Lily's mind before now, and she didn't like it. "Crystal, no. Anything could happen out there, and you would be alone. Here, you have support."

"But it would be quicker..." Crystal sighed. "You are right. Moon-cycles travelling alone except for these two dark wings, in a world I do not know? That _is_ dangerous."

A dark thought entered Lily's mind, brought to her attention by something Crystal had said. Maybe this was all a trick to get a female out, far from the pack. It was a massive, horribly ruthless plan if so, but it was a possibility. All the pieces could fit. Beryl would assume they could not be tracked, Crystal voluntarily following many days of flight away, and would not have an issue lying to Root if he knew he wasn't coming back.

What they would do with Crystal, and how they knew of her, was not so clear. Lily did not want to fill in those blanks. Besides...

She was thinking the worst of the outsiders, _again._ There was absolutely no proof any of this existed anywhere but her own mind. Beryl had not even suggested it, Crystal had come up with the idea of leaving, it hadn't been suggested to her.

"Why do I hate them? I do not know them." She asked it quietly, not intending Crystal to hear.

"Honestly, Lily?" Crystal was also quiet. "I think it is because they are not under your protection, and therefore dangerous in your eyes. It is not good to be so hostile. They seem nice." She gestured to how Beryl was now helping Root back up the rock he had descended from. "He did not need to do that, for instance."

"It could all be part of a facade" was Lily's immediate reply.

"Facade? That is a new one. After so long, I still cannot be sure if you make these words up on the spot."

"Never. I got them all from Pyre." Lily felt a pang of guilt and sadness, which she adeptly accepted and moved through, never letting on that anything had happened. "A facade, he told me, is a front, like a scale. How it looks from the outside and what it covers might not match."

"I see." Crystal said. "But so easily? He does not hesitate. He did not strike out at Root when Root threatened him. Can someone be that careful and calculating?"

"I could," Lily admitted, still watching Beryl. "He seems smart enough to do the same." Maybe that was it. He was a smart, confident male dragon. Not as smart as she was, but closer than most ever came. Close enough to feel threatening.

That was it. She felt threatened by him, and maybe his brother to a lesser degree. It was an understandable feeling. They were bigger, stronger, and capable of flight. She was small, weak, and grounded. Adding a comparable level of cunning to that unfair matchup would make her nervous.

But they had brought nothing but good news to her pack and were leaving imminently, so she would just have to suck it up for a short while longer, and not let her feelings rule her.


	38. Troublesome

Lily knew it was wrong, but she was enjoying watching the dark wing on the defensive, even if it wasn't her putting him there. She was letting it happen, after all, so it was her by proxy, and she had no intention of stepping in.

"You are _sure_ he can learn," Flare growled, looming over Beryl. "You are not giving him and us false hope." Skepticism colored his tone, completely overriding the joy Lily expected would only come from believing the dark wing, whatever it took to make that happen.

"My Sire never said anything about some people _not_ being able to learn," Beryl said carefully, meeting Flare's stern gaze.

"Then why have you not?" Flare pressed. "I want to understand."

"I saw no need," Beryl said quickly. "It is a niche skill that takes time and effort to master, and I had other occupations. It just slipped my mind."

"What are its limitations?" Flare asked, abruptly switching topics, either satisfied with the answer he had gotten or trying to keep Beryl on the defensive. Lily would have done the same for the latter reason, but for Flare she suspected it was the former, as he seemed happier than he had just a moment ago. He believed, or at least he was less suspicious now.

"Do not talk about _limits_ ," Whirl hissed from the side, "not _here!_ " She pressed the side of her head to Root's face, ignoring his halfhearted attempts to pull away from her.

"I can hear the truth," Root objected, almost whining in embarrassment. "Come on, Dam, let me go. I am _fine_."

"She is never going to let him go," Crystal said to Lily. They were both sitting off to the side, waiting out the interrogation. Crystal's tail was the only thing betraying her impatience, roughly thumping against the rocks in agitation every time Flare asked another question.

"I don't want to take Beryl away before they are convinced," Lily admitted, answering Crystal's unspoken need. "If he is lying, that would make it my fault." She wouldn't stand in the way of his interrogation.

"I do not think he is lying," Crystal said firmly. "Why bother? He gets nothing from it except breaking Root's spirit and angering our whole pack. He is far too nice to want that. Besides, I thought of more questions to ask about my children."

"You will get the chance to ask," Lily promised, her attention on the continuing discussion playing out in front of them.

"I do not know if it has a range," Beryl was saying patiently. "Like I have said several times already, I do not know how to do it, and those who do barely ever use it. It has little to no use when we can already see at night anyway. Fog, dragons who cannot be seen by eye, that sort of thing, but that's rare since Storm told Thunder and Lightning that it wasn't sporting to use camouflage to sneak around."

Crystal whined quietly. "I want to hear more of that," she whispered to Lily.

"I do too," Lily agreed, her heart aching in sympathy. She stood, deciding that enough was enough. "Flare, are you satisfied he tells the truth?"

"Yes, I just want more details now," Flare admitted. "He is not giving many."

"Because I don't _know_ the answers," Beryl stressed, his patient facade slipping a little and revealing the annoyance it hid beneath. "That is why I am not just teaching it now, I'm not an expert."

"He is, on the other paw, an expert on something Crystal would like to ask questions about," Lily said diplomatically, "so his time would be better spent with her, if you would not mind."

"Oh!" Whirl barked loudly. "Her hatchling and egg! We have heard enough, stop bothering him, Flare!" She hugged Root even closer with her wing, and completely overrode his attempts to break free.

"You _wanted_ me to bother him a moment ago," Flare sighed. "Dark wing, assuming you speak the truth, thank you. If you want something in return, something reasonable we can provide…" He shrugged his wings. "Ask."

"I'm not expecting to be repaid," Beryl said kindly. "This is just something I can do for someone who really needs it. I'm happy to help." He sounded so sincere that Lily almost doubted him for that alone; she knew few dragons who would not take advantage of that. He might plan to call in the favor later, when it worked out to his advantage. She would have to keep a close eye on Flare, just in case. He might be compromised.

"Sorry for the wait," Beryl said, leaping off the rock to land in front of Crystal. "I got kind of tied up with all of that."

"We did start it," Crystal said with a dry laugh, immediately forgiving him by the sound of it.

"Let's keep walking," Lily suggested. They hadn't acquired a large crowd of observers yet, which was a surprise, but she didn't trust her luck to hold.

Once they had left Root's family behind, Beryl sighed softly. "I pity them almost as much as him."

Lily assumed he was speaking of Flare and Whirl. If so, she understood the sentiment; they cared for Root long past when a normal dragon would need it, as he was dependent on them for so much.

That didn't mean she liked him saying it. The idea of an outsider pitying her people bothered her immensely. "They don't need your pity," she growled. "They do what is needed, and never even considered not doing so. They are strong."

He cast her a strange look. "Isn't it often the case that the strong are the ones who most deserve help and pity? It does not make their struggles any less bad, that they can handle them."

"Sometimes," she admitted reluctantly. "Other times, people need no help, and your pity is simply condescension." She had noticed the way he looked at her while saying that, and he was not about to apply his logic to her. She would not allow it.

"And it is determining which is which that is so difficult," Crystal interjected, clearly trying to pull the conversation back to where she wanted it. "But-"

"Hide me!"

Lily whirled to see Spark, running toward them and panting, his eyes wide.

Beryl spun, running to meet his brother. "What is it?" he asked anxiously.

Spark stopped for a moment, turning in a tight circle, scanning his surroundings. "Everything was fine, but I said something I should not have."

Lily groaned. She suspected she knew what had happened to Spark. She had _hoped_ to get them out of the valley before this...

"Don't tell me you said Claw was easy to defeat," Beryl groaned. "I just finished with what that got me into."

"What? No, not that." Spark said quickly. "I said in passing that I had no mate."

Crystal snorted in amusement, clearly catching on. Lily didn't find it nearly as funny as her best friend seemed to. Her fledglings should have long since learned to control themselves.

"So? What of it?" Beryl asked, confused.

"They went crazy!" Spark whined piteously. "Ten or more females started fighting over me like I was not even there. I only got away because they did not notice me sneaking off!"

Lily snarled angrily. She had also thought _that_ long since dealt with.

"Okay..." Beryl rumbled. "But why are you running _now_?"

"They are looking for me," Spark growled. "See up there?"

Lily followed Spark's gaze, now noticing the females circling above, looking for something or someone. It was subtle, given many dragons did exactly that for fun or exercise, but these were different, more obviously directed by a single purpose. They hadn't spotted Spark yet.

"I might get tackled out of the sky if I go up there!" he whined. "I know we wanted to look for mates here, but this is ridiculous!"

Beryl winced. "That wasn't the big reason for coming," he muttered, half to Spark and half, it seemed, to Crystal and Lily, "but it was a consideration for sending us. To at least look around."

So she was right to suspect them of something! Coming around with the excuse of news for Crystal, and scoping out potential targets for mates in the process. It didn't justify her behavior to them up until now, but it definitely would going forward.

"This is important." Beryl covered Spark with a wing as best he could, looking up anxiously. "What did you tell them about me?"

"Nothing. They did not ask." Spark shrugged his wings, moving Beryl's cover to be a bit more effective, crouching down as he did. "What do I do?"

"Is it really that overwhelming?" Beryl asked dubiously. "When you say fighting over you, you do not mean literally?"

Crystal laughed. "Probably, knowing them," she interjected. "Lily will have to straighten them out... again."

Lily nodded, though she now found it somewhat appropriate that the males who had come in search of mates were swarmed by females with the exact same intention. If they didn't like it when the tides were turned on them, too bad. She would still sort it out, both to preserve her authority and to chastise those who really should know better, but she felt no pity for Spark or Beryl.

"Okay..." Beryl closed his eyes for a second, humming deeply. "Spark, make your way to that path up and out and wait for me near there. If anyone asks, I'm not looking for a mate."

"But you are," Spark warbled in confusion.

"I'd rather not be swarmed, brother," Beryl explained. "No need for them to know."

"I think they will still swarm you once they think about the other new male in the valley," Crystal snorted. "Are you unattached?"

"Yes, but keep that quiet, please," Beryl requested. " At least one of us needs to be able to walk around without being the center of attention, and as Spark is already outed, it will be me."

"I do not think I will let you lie about that," Lily interrupted, inserting herself into the discussion now that she had a firm stance she could take. "It is manipulative and predatory to look for a mate when they all think you are unavailable."

Beryl stared at her for a few heartbeats, shook his head, and snorted in annoyance. "But they are so much easier to deceive and prey on when I can get to them one at a time," he said neutrally.

Lily hitched in her stride, for an instant ready to snarl at him and order him to leave and never come back, sure he had just spoken his mind and stupidly revealed his true intentions. Once she got over _that_ , she was still angry for only slightly less serious reasons. "That was not at all funny, and you should be ashamed of yourself," she hissed.

"I was not aware you couldn't take a joke," Beryl growled back.

Not when the joke was at her expense, bordered on offensive, and poked fun at the irrational distrust she harbored, the one she was _trying_ to ignore. "We do not joke about abuse, not after what we have suffered," she retorted.

"Fine," he conceded blandly. "That was out of line. I still don't want to be swarmed by females."

"So you can lurk, unnoticed, and decide who you want when she is not even aware of what you are doing?" Lily growled angrily. "No. You will tell anyone who asks the truth, or you will leave right now."

"I want to leave now," Spark barked. "Maybe when we come back in five moon-cycles they will have calmed down!"

"No, do not leave yet!" Crystal barked right back. "I have more questions!"

"Right!" Beryl agreed enthusiastically, his voice softening as he spoke to Crystal. "I am not going to leave you like that, we _still_ have not gotten much of a chance to talk."

"Can you hide me while you talk?" Spark requested. "Or can the alpha make them stop?"

"Can you?" Beryl echoed, looking at Lily doubtfully. "Crystal said this was a problem before…"

"They will stop, but I am going to address the whole pack, not one at a time," Lily replied shortly, further angered by his skepticism and bothered even more by her inability to prove him entirely wrong. She suspected none of her fledglings would try anything with her present, but she was less confident of her ability to stop them outright. The solution was obvious; she would just not leave them alone until they left, which would be soon.

"We can do what we were doing earlier," Crystal suggested. "Walk and talk."

"Toward the path up," Lily directed. She wanted to get them in the mindset of leaving.

That settled, their little group set out. Lily found herself in the front, with Spark directly behind her, and Crystal and Beryl bringing up the rear. She didn't _really_ mind having Spark behind her; he was nothing but an overgrown fledgling, no matter what Beryl said about him, and she couldn't imagine an attack from him being anything but clumsy and ill-planned. She was cautious, but not overly so.

"Did you get the names of anyone fighting over you?" Lily asked him as they walked. A few pointers as to where to start her planned lecturing tour would be nice.

"I did," a familiar voice suggested. Clay leaped into view, trailing them from atop the mostly unoccupied boulders lining their path. "I was watching him, since I figured you would want me to."

"You read my mind," Lily agreed, neglecting to mention that not only had she _not_ intended that, she had forgotten Clay was doing what he always did when guarding her, staying out of sight and thus presumably out of mind of anyone planning to strike at her. She was glad he had done what he did, but she hadn't thought to order him to. "So, who?"

"The usual suspects," Clay said dryly. "Every unmated female over thirty season-cycles, quite a few under, Diora was in the mix… Quite the scuffle."

"Diora?" Spark yelped. "Gross!"

"Indeed," Clay replied sagely. "I recall her _not_ being part of the last incident, so I suppose you really attracted her."

"Ugh," Spark groaned. "I want that out of my head."

"Why does she bother you specifically?" Lily asked, already guessing at the answer.

"She is Pearl's Dam, that is all I need," Spark huffed. "Also, she has a mate already."

"Not anymore," Lily corrected him.

"Still," Spark said, casually breezing over that fact. "We are far too close, so that is gross."

"Not to mention how terrible a person she is," Beryl called out. Lily couldn't help but agree with them on that.

"So," Crystal began, drawing Lily's attention, "Beryl, my children. What… What are they like?"

"They go most places together," Beryl said. "Thunder does most of the talking, while Lightning either watches, or sneaks up behind to scare whoever is being spoken to. When it comes to games you can almost guarantee they will find a way to cheat, but they'll be blatant about it and half the time they have just found a hole in the rules."

"The other half?" Crystal asked.

"Everyone else breaks the rules too, and makes it pointless. They have mostly given up on actually breaking rules, but there was a time when neither of the other fledglings wanted to play with them." Beryl snorted. "Or any of the adults, for that matter. Lightning liked to bite for a long while, and she did not pull her teeth in."

"Normal fledgling stuff," Crystal said quietly.

"Definitely," Beryl reassured her. "No more or less than any other fledgling I have seen. They all find ways to get into trouble. Thunder and Lightning were only worse because there were two of them, and they never fought each other, so they were always turning on the rest of us."

"Never?" Crystal asked.

"Storm put a stop to that," Beryl chuckled. "The three of them often argue, but that is it, no hard feelings afterward. Storm still carries grudges with the rest of us on occasion, but never them, and she taught as much."

Lily noticed a duo of wide-eyed females crouching on a nearby rock, clearly preparing to leap down and join them, and glared fiercely until they backed off. She took that as a sign that Spark's presence had been noticed, and assumed that there would be more. So long as she could ward them off, it would be fine.

"They had playmates, right?" Crystal asked. "It was not just them? You said the other two fledglings a moment ago."

"Silva and Thaw, yes," Beryl confirmed. "Thaw is younger than the other three, but Silva is a playmate their own age."

"Was a playmate…" Crystal sighed. "They are adults now."

"All but Thaw, yes," Beryl said softly. "Still brazen and sneaky and playful. You have not missed that, it is who they are."

"But they are adults," Crystal repeated. "Do they have mates, or prospective mates? Have they found their own rock, or separate rocks, or however it is done where they are?"

"No mates or potential mates, mostly because we are all family," Beryl explained. "Silva and Thaw are their only options really, and that is a little too close even then. We look outward to find our mates, however difficult that makes things for some of us, so you have not missed any of that. They still share a cave with Storm."

"I missed their childhood, though," Crystal whined. "I have to hear about it from others, people who were there when I was not."

Lily turned down a lesser-used passage between boulders, forcing everyone into single-file to fit. They were on the edge of the burial grounds, and she was warding off females every other moment, dissuading them from leaping on Spark with a glare and a not-so-subtle shake of the head. Thankfully, they all heeded her.

"At least you did so for good reason," Beryl offered. "Very good reason."

"Yes…" Crystal stopped speaking as they passed into the shaded part of the valley. When she resumed, her voice was even quieter. "It was a good reason."

From there, Lily only heard bits and pieces of their whispered conversation. She understood why, the burial grounds had a sombre atmosphere that encouraged silence, or barring that at least quiet conversation, but it was annoying. She would have to get the highlights from Crystal later.

What Lily had heard was enough to clash with what she remembered, though. Burble, the little hatchling she had cared for, was now one half of a duo, the more talkative one? She couldn't imagine it. In her mind, he was still a little burbling hatchling, still blowing bubbles in puddles and crawling around. She couldn't make the leap from that to a fully adult male with his own personality, an adult sister, and an apparently close-knit community of dark wings all around him.

They made it through the burial grounds without incident, Lily guiding them on the most well-trodden paths, and by extension straying away from the darkest corners and dead ends that might contain old remains. She led them a little way up the path to her cave, and stopped at a convenient turn in the path.

Crystal, who was now bringing up the rear, nodded to Lily. "I will always have more questions," she reasoned, "but I want to meet them more than I want to spend time asking."

"Go, then." Lily said to the dark wings, flicking her tail upward as she spoke. "You have my permission to return," and here she growled, "provided you bring the three you promised. No excuses."

"As if we would not?" Beryl chuffed. "You do not like us, and I don't know why. But you are at least fair enough despite that if one looks past the abrasive attitude."

"Three?" Spark warbled curiously. "Who else?"

"Sire, Pearl, or Storm. Probably Storm since she would want to come anyway. I'll explain later." Beryl looked up, judging the sky. "Let's go over the water, so we can get fish on our way out."

Spark stepped into an open area and crouched, preparing to fly. "You know, I will be mocked incessantly if Storm's side of the family hears about how I was fought over," he said, looking out at a few of the still-searching females in the sky above the valley.

"Storm will not mock you, Spark," Beryl laughed. "She would wish for such a thing for herself. Envy, maybe."

"Envy that? Beryl, they were roaring and clawing at each other!" Spark shook his head. "I am not that great a prize, am I?"

"Don't let your head get too big, brother, but pretty much." Beryl flared his wings and looked up, but halted just short of actually taking off. "Wait a moment, one of those females is looking this way. Anyway, yes. You might need to get used to it when we come back here."

"Get used to that?" Spark sighed. "I would not want to get used to that."

"Okay, it's clear. Race you to the coast?" Beryl flared his wings again.

"Definitely." Spark leaped into the air. "Go!"

Beryl followed, a black blur matching gold in twin streaks, diving and swerving to avoid the half-hearted attempts at pursuit from the few close females.

"Wow. They are _really_ good fliers," Crystal said, voicing what Lily was reluctantly admitting in her head.

"Looks like they've got a lot of practice running from things," Lily grumbled.

"Seriously, Lily, they are not even here anymore," Crystal groaned. "It will be good to get you back to normal."

"I am normal," Lily half-heartedly objected, internally agreeing with Crystal. She was more than ready to not have to deal with her own internal issues. The pack was more important.

And thinking of the pack… "Crystal, go spread the word to those... overly enthusiastic searchers." She had only avoided saying 'airheaded idiots' at the last moment. "The dark wings are gone, and not coming back for a very long time."

"Got it," Crystal barked, leaping into the air with wild abandon. She quickly settled down to a more reasonable pace, but for a few moments it had looked like she was trying to replicate the high-speed departure the dark wings had pulled off.

Lily's back chose that moment to twinge, and she shrugged, resettling her wings and stretching to her reduced full wingspan. As always, she felt like she should be able to go further, but knew that if she tried it would just exacerbate the feeling of being trapped, her own skin and scar tissue holding her from the sky.

She ignored the pain and looming claustrophobia, forcing herself to think of something, anything else. The irrational, uncontrolled conflict over the dark wings was a good distraction, though not a pleasant one. She would deal with that, and by the time she was done, she wouldn't be thinking about flight and her disability anymore.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily made her way to the plateau, knowing that the pack would gather if she stood there. The only time she ever lingered up there was when she wanted to speak to everyone at once, a rare enough occurrence outside of the annual ceremony.

Sure enough, people gathered, if slowly. She noted when Crystal returned, knowing that meant the searchers had all been called off. Clay was around somewhere too, guarding from afar.

"First and foremost, the dark wings have departed," Lily began, getting right to it. "They had delivered the message they were sent with, and had a long trip back to their home to make."

"But they just got here!" a female cried out. "And Spark left too?"

"I did say both dark wings," Lily clarified. "Yes, he left, and I'm disappointed in all of you for how you acted." For the moment, she left all of the anger she felt out of her words. That would come later, when she was addressing those responsible specifically.

"But he is single," someone whined. "We need more males anyway."

"Does that mean fighting each other for them? It shouldn't if you have any dignity." Lily growled. "He was honestly scared by what you did, but another, less innocent male might have taken advantage of all of you." If her previous tactics hadn't driven this out of their minds, she would appeal to their sense of self-preservation, and see if that worked better.

"You are acting as if you need mates," she loudly continued. "We do not need outsiders to help us with anything. You should have presented a unified front to them. If they had wanted to tear us apart, you gave them an easy way to do it."

"But-" someone whined loudly. Lily snarled, cutting them off.

"No buts," she said firmly. " Act your age. This goes for all of those who have no mates. Act like the adults you are."

"They are gone anyway," someone added. "It is over."

"Until the next time an available male is around," Lily countered. "This is not the first time I have had to give this sort of reminder." It would not be the last, either, as she fully intended to go around delivering more personal rebukes later.

"Why did they leave?"

Lily growled, wondering if they were even listening. There were only so many ways to convey the same message, and if they weren't getting it, she wasn't going to waste her time repeating herself. "They needed to make haste."

"But why were they here in the first place?" a male asked, giving her a chance to pull the discussion away from disappointed mate-chasing females.

"Good question," Lily said. Only a chosen few knew for certain what had happened to Crystal's hatchling and egg, back in the days of Claw's rule, and without that context all that the dark wings had said the night before would make little to no sense. The official story had been that Pearl stole the egg and hatchling, and this didn't line up with that at all, not without further explanation.

"The day Pearl came back," Lily began, resolving to keep things brief, "there was also a female dark wing. Crystal, knowing what Claw did to us, was worried for her hatchling and egg." The crowd was silent, it was impossible to tell how they were taking this.

"So, she approached Storm, and obtained a promise. Storm would take Crystal's children and raise them as her own, safe and far from here." Lily nodded to Crystal, who was staring defiantly at anyone who happened to meet her eyes.

"But what does that have to do with any of this?"

Trust the pack to speed along anything aside from what they wanted to know. It was useful, if annoying sometimes. "Those dark wings were sent by Storm," Lily replied, "to check and be sure it is safe for Crystal's children to return and meet their own Dam. They have now left to tell their family that it is indeed safe."

"So they will be coming back!" A female crowed happily.

Lily felt like collapsing then and there, utterly exhausted by the one-track mind many of her fledglings possessed. Instead of getting pulled into discussing Beryl and Spark even more, she chose to misinterpret the statement.

"Yes," she said loudly, "Crystal's children, now adults, are coming back. And I know it was a difficult decision for her to make at the time, so we should all be very happy for her." There. That should give them the not-so-subtle hint to be careful with Crystal on this subject.

"This dark wing took a hatchling and an egg," a voice called out, a very familiar one, one Lily had forgotten to take into account.

Diora. The female who had lost a fledgling of her own that day, one they had all assumed was taken by Pearl. The same female who had barely even bothered to investigate her own daughter's disappearance, making a stink about chasing Pearl but giving it up when nobody wanted to go on that wild goose chase.

"She did, with Crystal's permission, after swearing to care for them as if they were her own," Lily confirmed, dreading the inevitable follow-up and subsequent argument. "I was there. For obvious reasons, it was not a public matter."

"So she took my daughter too!" Diora roared angrily. "She and Pearl! And you let those dark wings go without even mentioning Silva?"

"Honestly, Silva never crossed my mind," Lily admitted calmly. "I assume she is being raised by her sister, Pearl, who by all appearances is more than capable of doing so."

"You should have made them tell where she is!" Diora stalked to the front of the crowd, glaring at Lily. "My daughter was stolen, and you let the only way to maybe find her fly away!"

Lily growled, not liking how Diora was trying to get the pack on her side. "You use interesting words, Diora. What makes you think Silva is a prisoner? I do not believe Pearl would allow that."

"That... female who I tried to raise and clearly failed," Diora gritted out, "stole _my_ daughter. I want her back. Any Dam would!"

"You do realize that Silva is an adult by now, right? It is no longer your choice at all. If she wanted to come back, she would have." Lily was annoyed that Diora had so easily side-stepped the obvious pitfall of being dragged into explaining why she thought so badly of Pearl; that would have stopped her in her tracks, possibly permanently.

"Unless she does not know where we are!" Diora snarled. "They could be keeping her wherever they are!"

"I very much doubt Pearl is that vindictive, Diora," Lily began, "but you might be right."

Diora blinked, surprised by that. "I am?"

"Maybe." Lily shrugged her wings, ignoring the little flashes of pain. "But we don't know, do we? If you really want to be sure, you could go catch up to the dark wings and join them on their trip home. If you go now and fly fast, you should be able to catch up."

"I..." Diora wilted, looking distinctly less angry. "If you say so, alpha," she conceded meekly. With that, she slunk away.

Lily wasn't falling for that; she knew a shifting of blame when she saw one. Diora didn't want to go to the effort to chase the dark wings, but she also didn't want to look callous and uncaring. Reluctantly putting her faith in the alpha and dropping her righteous anger effectively preserved the appearance of a wronged, worried Dam, while not making her look bad or forcing her to go to any particular effort to preserve said appearance.

If it were anyone else, Lily might be more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and not immediately assign such selfish, manipulative motives to their actions, but this was Diora. Not once in the last two season-cycles had Diora raised the issue of her missing daughter and requested that something be done, a search party sent out, or gone herself. She clearly wasn't motivated by her own daughter's plight, whatever that may or may not be. This aborted attempt to rabble-rouse off of the issue only reaffirmed that impression.

"Does anyone else have any major issues that the entire pack should hear about?" Lily asked. She hoped none of the more ditzy females brought up the dark wings _again_.

It seemed nobody wanted to volunteer anything; light wings began drifting away, a process that accelerated as others noticed people were leaving. Lily remained atop the plateau, watching as they departed.

"That was a mess," Mist announced, hopping onto the plateau. "I thought I saw Clay nearby during the scuffle, but he did not intervene, so it might not have been him."

"He was only there to observe and stop the dark wing if he did something bad," Lily explained, acting as if it was her idea. "Nobody intervened?"

"Oh, a few mated females jumped in and broke up the few actual fights," Mist said dismissively. "I was stuck at the bottom of a pile, so I could not do much."

"Why were you at the bottom of a pile?" Lily asked, piqued by her guard's nonchalant admission and leaping on it.

"He is young, bright, obviously independent to handle a group of females with no backup, and easy on the eyes," Mist said happily. "I like the look of dark wings. We light wings are all so plain in comparison."

"He was not so independent," Lily clarified. "He let his younger brother call the shots and lead him around."

"Younger?" Mist huffed in surprise. "Well, either way, it struck me as just deferring because he did not feel the need to be in charge. That speaks of confidence."

"Or subordinance," Lily argued.

"Or immaturity," Mist countered, "but I know what that looks like, and I know what subordinance looks like. Did they have to leave so soon? If you gave me a few days, I might have gotten an invitation to go with them." She tilted her head and slowly blinked at Lily.

"If that is the best you can do when it comes to seduction, I think it might have taken you more than a few days," Lily joked.

"It is my best attempt to get 'dust' out of my eye, and the first of many tricks to attract males," Mist snorted. "Too bad I have nobody interesting to practice on. When are they coming back?"

"Five moon-cycles," Lily said, hoping that Mist wouldn't spread it around.

"More time to practice, I guess," Mist sighed. "I can work on Cloud. If he even notices me, then I have managed something, given how ridiculously focused on you he is."

"Do you want him?" Lily offered. "I certainly don't."

"No, definitely not," Mist laughed. "But he is an available male who does not want me, and thus is not an easy target. I am going to go bother him right now. See you later!"

Lily snorted in amusement as she left the plateau. The dark wings were _clearly_ attractive to all the available females, and likely to many of the already mated females too, but she just didn't care for them. Physical attractiveness was only one of many things on her own list of preferences, and they bothered her on such a fundamental level that it didn't matter anyway.

Crystal joined her as she walked toward her cave, following her on the same path they had traveled once that day already.

"Lily, did you really do that?" Crystal asked incredulously.

"Do what?" Lily said. She couldn't recall anything in her conversation with Mist that would make Crystal so incredulous.

"What in the world did those dark wings do to you?" Crystal asked in way of reply, her tail swaying in agitation. "I refuse to believe you trying to send Diora after them was not intended to torture them the whole way back."

"Actually, it really wasn't," Lily said defensively. "I wanted to point out that she could easily take matters into her own paws if she wanted to expend the effort."

"And sticking her with the dark wings you have some sort of tail-jerk dislike for was just a bonus," Crystal grumbled.

"Why are you defending them, anyway?" Lily asked. "They aren't even here."

"Lily, they came here for me." Crystal shrugged, not meeting Lily's eyes. "Sure, Storm sent them, but they came. This was a massive trip, apparently, and they did not even get to look around for mates. But did either of them complain, or push you to stay? No. And you pushed them at every opportunity. I feel like I have said all of this before, but you have a real problem if good people are immediately enemies."

 _That_ hit hard, for some reason. "It did not affect how I acted as alpha-"

"This time!" Crystal jumped on that, walking closer, her tail lashing behind her. "What if you had offended them, and they just gave up before delivering the message? What if they had just gone home and said 'no need to go back' instead? You got _lucky_! Lucky they were not the kind of dragon that holds a grudge."

"I didn't try to..." No, she had no excuse. "You are right. Again. But you do not have to defend them so avidly." No matter how unfair she was being, it hurt to have Crystal take someone else's side so readily.

"I kind of do," Crystal retorted. "While they are my only link to my children, I _will_ try to stay on their good sides. Promise you will treat them better?"

"When they return, I will... try." How could she promise any more when it was so involuntary? "Will they return, though? Only Storm and your children need to come to fulfill the agreement. Storm is one of those who can teach Root."

"They spoke as if they would come back, so probably," Crystal reasoned. "Not for a while, though. Until then... I guess I wait?"

Lily grimaced. "That's a long time to wait. You need to stay occupied."

"I suppose. It is a good thing you keep me busy most of the time," Crystal said lightly. "Maybe busy relaxing for the rest of today?"

She did like the idea of relaxing for a day. "I might take a walk through the forest to clear my head."

"Does your head need clearing because of the dark wings, or because of how the pack reacted?" Crystal asked conversationally as they started for the path up the mountain.

"Both." That was the truth. "They are getting better, but the subject of mates drives some of them-"

"Crazy," Crystal finished knowingly. "I know. It would be better if they were all settled down."

"Yes, it would be." By unspoken agreement, neither of them included the other in that opinion. If there was a male for either of them, he wasn't around yet.

For Crystal, finding such a male someday was at least a possibility. Lily didn't think the one for herself existed, or would ever exist. He would have to be an impossible combination of intelligence and contentment, to like her despite her being grounded, and to not like her for her position, or want her power for himself. Like Flare, maybe, but more intelligent because she would not be able to stand anything less in a mate. She wanted an equal, as unlikely as it was that she'd ever find one. To make it even harder, as if her other specifications were not difficult enough, he would have to not care about having eggs, because she couldn't do that.

Crystal, on the other paw, had none of those difficulties, and knew what kind of male she liked.

Lily looked over at her friend, pushed her dislike of the dark wings aside, and decided to broach the subject. She waited until they were a bit more private, climbing up the smooth path Pyre had blasted out so long ago.

"So, the fight over Spark," Lily began smoothly. "We did not get to see it."

"What would there be to see aside from the same fighting we had to break up last time?" Crystal chuckled. "Though he did not know what he was getting into, which was probably funny."

"If you had been there, would you have been involved?" Lily asked lightly. "He is not bad, as males go." Anyone would admit that. Both dark wings had been strong, fit, and outwardly pleasant. It was what lay under the surface that bothered her.

"Maybe, but I would not choose anyone based on a few talks about something else entirely," Crystal snorted. "Neither is anything like… Why do you ask?" she concluded weakly.

"Just curious," Lily said, moving away from the painful reminder before it could drag either of them down. "I am sure you could have been mated long since if you wanted, so I assume you have not found one you like yet. These dark wings were new, and not like any of the males in our pack. It was a fair question."

"One I might have asked of you if you did not despise them upon first sight," Crystal agreed. "If I ever find someone, I promise to tell you fourth."

"Fourth?" Lily snorted. "Really? I understand that you would tell your parents before me, but who else?"

"The male in question?" she laughed. "I am not going to pine from afar if I have any choice in the matter. He will be the first to know."

"I suppose that makes sense." Crystal was the kind of person to do that, straightforward and honest.

"And you?" Crystal tapped Lily on the side with a wing, carefully avoiding her back. "What is your order of people to tell?"

"For that?" She didn't know, and would never need to know, but she could make one up if it made Crystal happy. "Probably you and Pina, and then the male. I'd want to be sure you all knew first because if I am actually falling for someone, I'm probably not the best person to be sure they're good and right for me. I trust you and Pina to check them out for me."

"Ever cynical, Lily." Crystal shook her head, laughing softly. "I would think if you actually liked someone, they would have already undergone the most intense scrutiny possi-"

Crystal stopped talking, her eyes, which had been gazing beyond Lily, abruptly focusing and narrowing. "Strange."

"What?" Lily turned, looking out beyond the valley. There were two dots in the sky, circling around to the back of the mountains, the same way Beryl and Spark had approached-

That couldn't be them. "Why are they back?" She didn't like this at all.

"I will go find out-" Crystal offered, but Lily cut her off.

"No! You are not going out there alone," Lily said firmly, hating that she could not accompany her friend. "It's too dangerous."

"Lily," Crystal growled warningly. "What did we say about this?"

"I'd be saying this no matter who was out there," Lily clarified. "They seem to be moving fast, and they might be running from something that could hurt you. Let them come here, where it is somewhat safer."

"Fine." They stood on the ledge halfway down the outside of the mountain and watched as the gold and black shapes got closer. Lily saw a camouflaged blur lurking on the mountainside close by, and ignored it. Clay would follow her lead.

"How did they see us?" Crystal looked back at the mountain behind them. "We must stand out against a grey background, but they were really far away."

"They might just be coming this way to come into the valley in secret," Lily added. "To avoid the crowds and mobbing females." She personally would have guessed at a more sinister motivation for coming in secretly, but that was unfair... to voice. She could still think it.

Eventually, the dark wings landed a few feet below Crystal and Lily, panting.

Lily tensed as Beryl looked up, but his eyes were determined, not dangerous. "Why have you returned?"

"We came to warn you," Beryl explained. "There is a No-scaled-not-prey ship sailing in this direction, and they look dangerous."

"A _what_?" Crystal asked, utterly confused.

There was a long beat of silence. Lily couldn't help but wince at the growing worry displayed by both dark wings. They looked at Crystal, and then to each other, as if confirming that they had heard correctly.

"Define dangerous," Lily requested, hoping to quickly glide past that embarrassing moment. _She_ knew what they were talking about. Vaguely.

"Heavily armed, skulking along the coastline..." Beryl said. "Your pack knows how to handle this, right?"

"Handle what?" Crystal asked, again revealing the general ignorance Lily had hoped to keep hidden. "What are No-scaled-not-prey, and why are we talking about the weight of their limbs?"

Lily _wanted_ to claim they could handle this, whatever it was, and brush the dark wings off. She wanted to send them away, forget they existed, and hope that they were lying for some vaguely nefarious and now thwarted purpose.

But she knew that was the wrong reaction. Posturing, acting on her instinctive dislike, was _not_ what an alpha did, and if she could not control herself for the sake of her fledglings, then what was she doing as alpha?

She sighed and spoke truthfully. "I know nearly nothing of No-scaled-not-prey, just their name and that they are not to be taken lightly. They have never come here before."

"Yes they have," Spark barked helpfully. "They caught Pearl and that other light wing. Right?"

"They did," Beryl confirmed. "You mean other than that?"

"I mean that we did not even _know_ of that," Lily growled worriedly. "And other than that, no. How much danger are we in?" Regardless about how she felt about the dark wings, she needed information and an informed opinion, and it just so happened they were the only ones with the ability to give one.

"I don't know," Beryl huffed. "They might just be passing by, in which case just not being seen is enough to keep you safe, or they might know that there is a pack here and intend to attack, or they might not know but will bring others the moment they find out. You will be fine so long as you either are not seen, or destroy them before they can leave."

"That is easy if you know what you are doing," Spark volunteered.

"And if we do not know what we are doing?" Lily asked, ignoring how humiliatingly out of her depth she felt. "This is a peaceful place, and we know little of combat."

"Little?" Crystal exclaimed worriedly. "Lily, we know _nothing!_ None of us know anything about fighting each other, let alone other dragons or whatever we are talking about."

"This could be a disaster," Beryl muttered to Spark. "If they are all like Pearl before Ember and Storm taught her to fight…"

"But they know how to hunt," Spark loudly objected. "They can just adapt that." He looked over at Lily.

"Actually," Lily sighed, "most of us probably do not even know that much." It certainly wasn't taught in the pack now; she had gotten a few lessons from Pyre, but the forests around their valley lacked anything large enough to be worthwhile prey.

Both dark wings regarded her with disbelieving stares. She had managed to go below their already low expectations.

"Do you know how to walk, then?" Beryl asked disbelievingly. "Fly? Fish? Use fire?"

"Yes to all," Lily snapped, glaring at him. "Do not poke fun at us, this is serious!"

"Sorry," Beryl said, not sounding sorry at all, "but how have you survived without knowing the first thing about fighting _or_ hunting?"

"We do not _need_ to know those things," Lily snarled. "Or, we did not." She could not help but feel this lack was her fault, as alpha, though the need had never come up prior to this.

"What are the odds they will just pass by and never return?" she asked. She already knew what she had to do, there was no choice, but she asked anyway, hoping for an alternative, a way to make this all go away.

"I have no idea," Beryl said. "But betting on that is a terrible idea. Others may come some other time, and you will still know nothing to defend yourselves with."

"Just diving on them and firing a lot will not work?" Crystal asked.

"They would bring you out of the sky in droves if they were halfway decent hunters," Beryl said brusquely. "With evasion, planning, and knowledge of how they operate, it would almost certainly work, but you have none of that."

"We should stay," Spark offered. "We know this stuff, so we can help."

There it was. Lily growled to herself, annoyed beyond reason that she hadn't even been the one to propose the distasteful answer to their conundrum. "That is a possibility," she gritted.

"But…" Crystal whispered. She didn't say it louder, likely because she did not want to seem selfish, but Lily heard it all the same.

"One of you will stay," Lily offered, trying to take control of the discussion. "Spark, stay and teach. Beryl, go and fulfil your promise to Root, and bring them here." If this had to happen, that was the ideal way to do it.

"That is backwards," Spark immediately objected. "I do not like fighting, and Beryl is great at it. I should go."

"I don't really want either of us staying or going alone," Beryl growled. "It is a long trip, and I don't want to go on another huge search and probably rescue mission."

"That would stink," Spark agreed. "I can make it back, though. I remember the path, I can fly high and only come down at night, I can sleep in hidden places and not go near anything strange-"

"You don't have to convince me," Beryl interrupted. "I'm just complaining about the inevitable. You go, I can stay and bring this pack up to speed. It would be even worse for us both to go and bring everyone back only to find nothing but a smoking ruin of a valley."

Lily wanted to claw at something, but she held that impulse in. "If you are more able to teach, then you should stay, Beryl," she agreed. "But why not both stay?"

"Because it will probably take a while if we are starting from scratch?" Beryl snorted. "And because we do not want to make Crystal wait any longer than necessary. Were those not the reasons _you_ first suggested one go and one stay?"

The _real_ reason Lily had suggested as much was because she wanted to keep the lesser of the two annoyances and send Beryl away, but it seemed she just wasn't going to get that. She nodded in agreement. "Yes, that was why. So it is decided. You will stay, and Spark will go, assuming there really are No-scaled-not-prey around."

"Even if there were not, would your pack not need to be taught to fight anyway?" Beryl rumbled. "It doesn't matter, they are there. Deal. I'll stay for the duration."

"Deal," she confirmed, already regretting her decision, even if it was for the good of the pack.


	39. Arrogant

Lily hated the choice she had made, mostly for her own sake, but it was the only intelligent thing she could have done with the circumstances she found herself in, so she wasn't about to take it back. She had to move forward and make it worth the frustration she was guaranteed to feel.

The important thing, she thought, was that the pack might be in danger. "Crystal, go with one of the dark wings and make sure there really is something on the water."

"I can take you on my way out," Spark offered. He and Crystal took off.

"Someone should have all of your people stop flying out over the water," Beryl offered, looking up at a duo of light wings headed out over the mountains. "They might be seen."

"They need to eat, I am not keeping them from that," Lily growled. "Clay!"

"Yes, alpha?" Clay asked from somewhere nearby, startling Beryl.

"Go make sure that everyone leaving the valley camouflages," Lily ordered. This wasn't something that could wait until she got back to the valley proper, and she certainly wasn't sending Beryl to order her people around. She wasn't sure how she was going to use his knowledge, but it certainly would not involve giving him any authority that was not seen to come directly from her, and she hadn't set that up yet.

"That works," Beryl agreed as the camouflaged light wing departed. "But why are you not going out to see it yourself?"

"Think about it," Lily hissed, annoyed. He knew she was grounded.

"I _think_ you could walk along the shore and see it," Beryl huffed. "Stop treating me like an obnoxious idiot. I am just trying to help."

"I don't like your help," Lily retorted. She continued the walk up the mountainside, resigned to going to the beach and seeing what could be seen. Too much of what Beryl suggested made sense, she couldn't ignore it without acting against her pack's best interests. She had to suck it up and deal with him, like it or not. "I need it, but I don't like it."

"At least you are practical," Beryl muttered, following behind her, much to her unease. "How much does this pack know of No-scaled-not-prey?"

"I cannot speak to any individual's knowledge," she responded. "Assume that none of us know anything relevant." She _wished_ somebody knew everything there was to know about this new enemy; she'd go to them for advice and toss Beryl out on his muscular tail.

"But you have the accent," Beryl said as they passed her cave. "How did that happen?"

"As a fledgling I spent time around someone who had it, and imitated them," Lily said shortly. She didn't want to talk about Pyre, not with this dark wing, not with anyone. That way it was easier to hold back her memories and by extension her feelings, to be let out at the appropriate time, and no sooner. "Is that enough for you?"

"I guess that would explain it," Beryl huffed. "Can you _please_ stop talking to me like that?"

"Like what?" He would have to be more specific.

"Angry. Combative." He leaped up onto an overhanging ledge of rock and managed to walk off to her side, though that meant he was picking a path through the unsmoothed, rocky slopes of the mountain itself. "If you want my help, stop it."

"Are you making demands now?" Lily growled. She picked up the pace, walking quicker in an attempt to leave him behind. He was disadvantaged by the rough terrain…

Though it didn't seem like it, given how easily he was hopping from place to place, always landing on flat stone and not steep slopes. He kept up with ease.

"Yes," he said loudly. "That's my demand. Tell me why you don't like me, what I did to get on your bad side, and let me get off of it before I just decide to give a short speech over your valley and then fly away for the next five moon-cycles."

"If it only took a day to teach us everything we needed to know, there was no reason for you to stay," Lily snarled. Had she been taken advantage of? Better to know now than later, at least.

"It doesn't, but I'm not going to stand for this," Beryl snarled back. "Well?" He leaped up onto a boulder and raised his wings, visibly indicating that he was ready to fly away.

Lily hated that she was being pressured into backing down, but once again, she had no choice. "I just don't like you," she said coldly. "Haven't since I first heard your voice. It does not help that you are… like that."

"Like _what_?" Beryl asked, leaping onto the path in front of her.

"I don't know," she admitted bitterly. "Maybe I have a problem with males I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me." There was nothing he could _do_ with that information; he certainly couldn't use it to worm his way into her good graces. It still bothered her that he had forced her into revealing it.

"It is not something I have done?" Beryl asked.

"You are not _helping_ matters," Lily huffed, 'but no, it's not. You are a male who is clearly confident, and that is all I know, and apparently that is enough to bother me."

"That's quite the sweeping dislike," Beryl rumbled. He hopped off the path once more, allowing her to continue downward, but his eyes never left her. "Do you hate Spark too?"

"I don't hate fledglings with large bodies," Lily said honestly. "No. He does not bother me so much." He had at first, but that had quickly faded in comparison to Beryl. Spark just did not feel like a threat, no matter how she looked at it. Even if he was a master manipulator, he would not act as he did; there were more efficient personas if one wanted to appear harmless, more believable ones.

"I think I am going to have to take that as a compliment to him," Beryl snorted. "It is good to hear you do not hate me for myself, but this is not going to work if you keep treating me like dirt."

"I know that," Lily admitted. She knew she was going to have to get over or at least hide her dislike, and part of her annoyance stemmed from her inability to do so. She was used to being able to project whatever image she wanted to whoever she wanted to see it. Not being able to hide her annoyance was unusual, and spoke to how strongly this dark wing was unsettling her.

"But you are not trying," he retorted, leaping off the stony hillside and gliding the short remaining distance to the forest edge.

By the time Lily made it down to him, a few moments later, she had an answer ready. "I am trying," she said neutrally. "If you really want to help, you will be understanding while I try. Some things are not within my control, not after…" She trailed off, and made sure to drop a wing long enough to let him glimpse her back in full.

If she could not control her annoyance, she'd channel it into deceiving and manipulating him, like she should have been doing from the start. It at least made her feel she was getting one over him.

Sure enough, he looked away and lowered his head. "Fine," he rumbled. "Just so long as you are trying."

"I will get better," Lily purred, pleased with herself. It had taken her far too long, but she finally had a handle on her emotions, and thus the situation. She did not feel that it was uncontrollable, or even necessarily Claw's doing, but so long as _he_ believed that, he was the sort of person to keep it in mind, giving her more room to work.

"I hope so," he agreed, heading off into the forest. He was following the mountain around, the quickest way to get to open water, so Lily didn't bother correcting his course. She walked off to the side, threading between bushes and trees, while he walked in the sunlight.

As they walked, she focused on examining him as discreetly and thoroughly as possible. He wasn't so aggravating when he was silent, at least. His body talked too, and in far less offensive ways.

His tail she had already noticed, but even now, under no threat of any kind, he held it more carefully than she was accustomed to seeing in other dragons. Usually, light wings let their tails drift almost to the ground, the tips of their fins occasionally glancing across things. She herself walked that way, though it felt awkward as soon as she started thinking of it. He, by contrast, held his firmly above ground, not straight but noticeably higher than anyone else she knew. His brother had walked like a light wing, so it was not a trait of dark wings in general.

From that little hint, she couldn't determine much, but the rest of him told her other things. His muscular legs told her he could run, his strong chest that he had stamina, and the muscles rippling all across his body that he was just extremely fit in every way. He had spoken of hunting and fighting, and by the looks of it he spoke from much experience.

That assumption was only strengthened by the many little scars that peppered his black scales and skin. Most were slashes, varying in size and position, grey mottling on his otherwise monotone body. She was envious of his scars, and had no problem admitting it to herself. She'd take any number of his if they would just replace hers. His were not debilitating in the slightest.

She could extrapolate from all of that, and add in what she knew from his words, both today and yesterday. An able hunter and fighter, younger brother to another dark wing, son of a Sire who had recently taken a mate, a mate that had learned to fight in turn, going from helpless to able to best Claw himself. Though, looking at Beryl, Lily wondered if Claw had been anything special compared to what the outside world had to offer-

Beryl looked her way, and she continued to stare brazenly, only slightly shifting her eyes so that it seemed as if she were watching the sky beyond him, or the mountainside. She knew better than to look away and thus signal that she had indeed been staring at him specifically.

"Looking for another camouflaged light wing?" he asked, turning to examine the nearby mountainside. "Do you often have unseen watchers?"

She knew he was referring to Clay, and briefly considered how much to tell him. The odds that he and his brother were playing some sort of long game were low, but not low enough that she wanted to give the full truth. "Not always," she eventually lied. "Some of my people are more protective than others." She would not let him in on the existence of her guards, either, though he might very well find out from talking to her people.

"I wish I had learned to see with sound," Beryl murmured. "For Root, and for me, because now I will never be sure I'm alone."

Lily would have laughed if she weren't trying to make him think she was treating him more fairly; that was _exactly_ the reaction she had hoped for. Let him worry at all times that he was being watched, listened to, spied on. Anyone with a plot to carry out would be bothered by that. Most people without a plot would also be bothered, so she couldn't take his reaction as proof of anything, but still.

"I guess I can just flail around to check," Beryl mumbled to himself, likely not intending Lily to hear. She didn't choose to respond, distracted by the glimpses of blue she could see between the trees ahead of them.

The shore was bright and welcoming, but Lily's eyes immediately went to the horizon as she strode out onto the sand. That line of blue meeting blue, the one that marked the furthest one could see.

"There it is," Beryl hissed from behind, having not left the cover of the trees. "To the left, down the shore but not directly off of it.

Sure enough, there was a strange brown smudge on the horizon, floating where nothing should be. She knew this coastline, there were no islands in that direction. It really was a new, possibly dangerous thing.

Upon actually seeing the enemy the dark wings spoke of, Lily felt some of her skepticism crumble away. She could see it, and Crystal would soon return with observations from far closer. There was no chance they were making it up for nefarious purposes.

"Can it see me from here?" she asked, turning back to Beryl.

"White on yellow-white? No way. But they might notice me, so I am staying back," Beryl explained. "It would help if you camouflaged, though. Just for my peace of mind."

"I care little for your piece of mind," Lily retorted, unwilling to reveal that just as her back prevented her from flying, it also prevented her from camouflaging in any useful capacity. She retreated to stand between the trees, though, so as to not provoke him further. She had to keep up the appearance of being annoyed but tamping it down, lest she lose his willing cooperation.

"Tell me what I need to know," she requested. She knew better than to just start asking questions without anything to base them off of; that would only reveal the depth of her ignorance.

"Where do I start?" Beryl rumbled. "Well, what you see right now isn't one of them. It is just a bunch of trees broken down and arranged into something different. It floats and can carry dozens of them wherever they wish to go on the water."

"Are the broken trees still flammable and breakable?" Lily asked.

"Yes, though they can do things to try and prevent that," Beryl replied. "The ship, as it is called, isn't the real danger. The No-scaled-not-prey are."

"In what way?"

"They make things," Beryl said bluntly. "They are physically weak, and what we would do with our fire or teeth or claws they cannot do on their own, but they make things. False scales and claws and fire, but other things too, and it is never certain what they might come up with next."

"When you say they make things…" Lily tried to imagine how she would take trees and fashion something big enough to hold her and float. She would have to knock trees down, uproot them, somehow remove all of the roots, because those were no use… That was as far as she could imagine. She didn't know how she would make anything useful. "That is their biggest strength?"

"Yes and no," Beryl admitted, staring out at the ships. "Some of them make new things, but most just know how to create the old ones over and over again. I don't think these will have anything too new and crazy, that's rare. But they are stubborn, there's a lot of them, and they have a _lot_ of experience fending off dragons of all kinds. They could be No-scaled-not-prey who hunt down and kill our kind for a living, and if so they would be far better, more specialized, at exactly that. That is the biggest threat they pose to your pack."

"Specialized…" Lily recalled Pyre telling her about dragons more suited to the cold, or to the heights of the world, or even to flying below the ground. "So they may be like predators, with us their preferred prey." Thinking back, he had also mentioned No-scaled-not-prey that hunted their kind specifically.

"Maybe," Beryl confirmed. "It's hard to tell before fighting them, because every group is different. I don't expect these will be much of an issue, though."

"That undermines your whole point," Lily observed. "Are they dangerous, or are they easy to deal with?"

"Dangerous for you, easy to deal with for me," Beryl clarified arrogantly. "I wouldn't _want_ to risk it, because you never know what they might have ready for such an attack, but I think Spark and I could sink their ship."

"And you are not, why?" Lily asked coldly. If he would just do that, he could leave.

"Because there will eventually be more, and your pack would be just as vulnerable next time, when I might not be present?" Beryl snorted. "I feel like you know that already."

"Right," Lily huffed. "What you have just told me, I assume that is not even close to all there is to know about them?"

"You could spend a lifetime with them and still not know all there is to know," Beryl laughed. "There's a lot more, but I'm not sure telling it all to you directly would help much. I can teach your people how to fight and what to keep in mind when facing them, strategies for sinking their ships without much danger, but that will take time, and a lot of it."

"You'll start soon," Lily decided. So long as she stood behind him and prefaced his teachings with the right sort of speech, he would be seen as her proxy and thus coming from her authority, not seizing any influence of his own. It would be troublesome, anything involving an outsider male always would be, but she could manage that. Plans for how she was going to break the news were already forming.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily lounged on the ground next to a small rock in the burial grounds, waiting for the others. She had sent Clay to gather certain light wings and direct them to her, and they should be arriving any moment now.

The key to breaking this news without causing a panic was control. She had to control where it came from, how it was presented, and who found out first. This gathering was to be the first phase of her revealing the situation, and she had carefully chosen who would be in attendance. The rest of the pack had no idea anything was going on; she had even snuck Beryl back into the valley on paw so they would still think he'd left.

Said dark wing sat in the shadows across from her, patiently waiting. She still didn't like him, but at least he listened when he thought she was making an effort to treat him fairly. He hadn't argued with her on this plan, at least not yet.

Light wings began filing in from the various openings between rocks, arraying themselves in the tiny clearing Lily had selected for this gathering.

First came Crystal and Clay, the two who already knew what was going on. Pina and Dew quickly followed, representing all of the Dams of the pack. Flare and Copper came next, the other two males Lily had decided would stand in for the males of the pack.

After the obvious choices, she had been forced to think harder about who needed to know first, and who could spread the news without raising a fuss. Personality was as important as position in the pack, which was part of the reason she had not invited Honey, Whirl, or Diora; though the latter would have been useful in spreading less volatile news, assuming she could be manipulated into doing it.

Cedar and Liona dropped in from above, slightly flaunting Lily's request to come in secret, though she could excuse it as nobody would follow a young couple to a private location, which served as its own sort of secrecy. Liona had almost not made the cut for personality, but Lily didn't want to burden Cedar with the task of conveying the bad news to his mate.

A few moments later, Mist appeared out of the darkness of a particularly shaded pathway, and the group was complete. These were the people Lily felt she needed to tell first, and the ones she could trust to pass on the news to large portions of the pack in a way that would not cause panic before the official announcement. Nine light wings, not counting her, and the dark wing they all noticed as they took up places in the clearing.

"This is important, right?" Flare asked carefully, looking around. "You only brought those who would be serious."

"That was as much for my own sanity as for how important this is," Lily admitted. "The pack likes to get off topic when our visiting dark wings are involved." She nodded at Beryl, who shrugged his wing shoulders, as if to say there was nothing he could do about it.

"So? What is it?" Dew shook her head. "Do not tell me Diora has convinced you to question them, or something. She does not need to find Silva, she just wants the attention."

"No, not at all." Lily nodded to Crystal. "Crystal, tell them what we were shown when the dark wings came back today."

Crystal stepped forward. "There are No-scaled-not-prey in the area, and they probably are not friendly. They approach from the water on moving trees shaped into platforms, and might be coming straight for us."

To the credit of those assembled, there were no outbursts of fear or denial. Lily couldn't see that as purely positive, though. Copper summed up her worries quite nicely. "What are No-scaled-not-prey?" he asked.

"Dangerous." Lily knew that few of them knew any more than that. "The last time this pack fought them, we lost two-thirds of our people."

"So many..." Pina growled. "So, we fly away. We find somewhere even more isolated."

"Or you stay and fight them off," Beryl proposed, his eyes narrowed, all business. "It would be more dangerous to run. You are all out of touch with the world around you, and No-scaled-not-prey are not the only danger. They are just the most widespread. You would be just as likely to fall to hunters on the run as you are here." He stalked forward, out into the center of the small clearing.

"Beryl," Lily said in way of introduction to those who didn't know him, "has agreed to remain here and teach us of No-scaled-not-prey so that we are able to drive them off if needed." She was annoyed that he had taken so much initiative in explaining the problem, and by extension stepping on her paws, but it had worked and she needed to keep this moving.

"Why would he help us?" Copper asked suspiciously.

"Aside from it being the right thing to do, and you all clearly needing it?" Beryl shrugged expressively. "Some of my family are coming back here. I would rather their trip not be for nothing. And I'm always up for spiting dragon hunters."

"I thought they were No-scaled-not-prey?" Liona interjected.

"They are, but they are also probably dragon hunters, to be out here where no ships usually go." Beryl sighed when it became clear he wasn't getting through. "They are a specific kind of No-scaled-not-prey that hunt us as their way of life. They capture or kill us simply because they can, and because other No-scaled-not-prey might want us for some reason."

"Why would they want us?" Crystal asked.

"Many reasons, most of which are twisted," Beryl growled, stalking around the inside of the small circle, looking at a new dragon with every new possibility he listed. "Skin for coverings. Claws for weapons. Heads for display. Eggs for all of the above in the future. Or maybe just to keep us in cages. Or to train themselves by making us fight their fledglings, to grant experience. Or a hundred other strange and terrible things I cannot think of. They are creative."

Lily felt her heart race, terrified despite herself by that nonchalant list of horrors. She was far from the most affected, going by how scared everyone else looked.

"But we can fight them?" Liona asked, practically quivering in fear. Cedar's protective wing over her didn't seem to be helping.

"Most of my scars are not from them," Beryl admitted. "I have fought more dragons than No-scaled-not-prey. But I have killed more than my fair share. They can die and fail just like us. They are just different."

"What I want to know is how we know you can be trusted," Mist growled. "It is convenient that you and they show up at the same time."

"If you knew more of No-scaled-not-prey, you would not see any connection," Beryl retorted wryly. "They don't like my kind, and my head would be a trophy like no other. They would shoot on sight."

"So you cannot be working with them, because they are all killers?" Mist asked.

"They are not _all_ killers, but yes." Beryl closed his eyes, looking tired for a moment. "You cannot hate them all. Hunters, yes, but not all of them. There is enough strain between our kinds as it is."

Lily intervened. "But these we can and will kill." What was all of this about not killing them? Even if there was nuance, she didn't care for her pack to be divided on the subject of their own self-defense!

"Yes. But there are those you should not, as rare as they are." Beryl shook his head. "If one is not hostile, if they have no weapons and speak softly, do not trust them. But if they understand you, it is likely there is a reason. If they know what you say, the odds are in favor of them being friendly."

"They do not even speak the same language?" Cedar asked incredulously.

"No, and for both of our kinds, learning the language of the other has... side effects."

"You mean the accent, right?" Lily asked, momentarily drawn into the tangent by confusion.

"That, and hearing both spoken at the same time can give you a headache. Nothing worse than that."

"But how does one learn?" asked a young voice, one Lily definitely didn't remember inviting. How had Aven known to come here?

Looking towards the source, Lily saw all three of the sisters sitting in the shadows, acting as if they had every right to be there. She wasn't particularly thrilled they had found out about this, but she wouldn't call them out right now. There would be time to discipline them later, after she had accomplished what this whole meeting was intended to do.

"Listening to No-scaled-not-prey talk for long enough is pretty much it," Beryl explained, likely unaware that the three weren't supposed to be there. "Put a little effort into hearing the patterns, figure out a few basic words, and it goes from there."

"And you know this other language?" Copper asked suspiciously. "How did _you_ learn?"

"That's a long story, but suffice to say I got shot down and spent a lot of time with one. A good one, one who with my help stopped a war." His voice was optimistic, and his tail swayed with the memories. "I learned, and a few of the other dragons did too, once we started sharing a nest with them."

"What?! You just told us they were killers and monsters!" Cara exclaimed.

Before Lily could intervene and attempt to get everyone back on topic, Aven jumped into the conversation again. "No, he said most were. But some were good?"

"Some. By the time he and I had left there, some of the No-scaled-not-prey were learning our language. Last we heard, they were happily living in peace."

"So why leave?" Aven asked, sighing wistfully. "It sounds great there."

"Something bad was hunting him and me. We left to draw it away." Lily couldn't help but notice his unease, but she was fed up with irrelevant side conversations.

"That is enough on his past," she cut in. "We are not here for that."

"But can you tell me the whole story later?" Aven asked enthusiastically. "I want to hear more about them."

More about Beryl, by Lily's guess. Fine by her, though it looked like the news that Beryl was as available as his brother was not going to be long in coming.

"Sure, sometime." Beryl didn't look particularly happy with that. "Anyway, I know them, the good and bad, through experience. I can teach you what every dragon knows, and what few know. With my help, this shouldn't be too hard."

He glanced over at Lily. "How many able-bodied dragons can fight if needed, anyway?"

She didn't actually have an exact number, but the pack had a lot of fledglings... "Maybe two thirds, all in all? Half, if we leave protectors for our young and injured." At the moment, that last category really only included Root, and Lily was not letting Whirl or Flare go into battle.

"That's _way_ more than enough," he said happily. "I'll teach everyone how to fight, and that will-"

"Who says we _want_ you to teach us to fight?" Cara interjected, glaring at Beryl. "Tell us about them, fine, but we can fight!" Her sisters both took a subtle step back, as if letting her speak her mind but not backing her up on it.

"I was under the impression your pack has only fought one battle in several dozen season-cycles," Beryl said condescendingly. "You are likely out of practice, at best."

"I can fight, we do not need you for that," Cara retorted. "What makes you better than me?"

Lily had intended to step in, but now she was content to let Cara's challenge play out, if only to get an idea of how Beryl reacted to people other than her challenging him in a less than polite way.

"I do not want to be taught by some male saying he knows better," Cara asserted, stalking up to Beryl and glaring at him. She had to tilt her head back a little to look at him, given he had a bit of height on her, but she managed to look intimidating anyway.

"Fighting No-scaled-not-prey is not the same as fighting each other," Beryl warned. "so even if you are skilled in the latter you would need my help. But I think you might be overestimating yourself. How many real fights have you been in?"

"I wrestle with anyone who is willing to get shoved to the ground and made to eat dirt," Cara bragged.

"That's not what I was asking," Beryl chuckled, using the exact comeback Lily would have in his place. "Real fights."

"Wrestle me," Cara growled. "I will have you pinned in moments."

"Okay…" Beryl shrugged his wings. "Fine. Here, now?"

"I want to see this," Copper called out.

Lily nodded. "We may as well get a demonstration of the prowess of the one who claims he can teach us," she reasoned. Beryl was being challenged, already, and he wasn't going to back out of it. If he did, that would destroy his reputation with the people who would then be required to listen to him. She wasn't going to let him undermine his own ability to teach.

The other light wings all backed away, clearing as much space as possible, and Cara took a few steps back to face Beryl from just out of reach. "You know how to wrestle?" she asked condescendingly.

"I don't know what rules you want to use," he retorted neutrally. "Are we going to first blood, or until one of us cannot fight back any longer?"

Lily saw Cara's sisters wince at that, and Cara herself seemed taken aback. "No, not like that, just until I pin your back to the ground."

"That's not much of a victory condition," Beryl remarked, "but okay. Fire?"

"No fire," Cara quickly clarified.

"Claws? Teeth? Or are we just using our gums and paws?" Again, Beryl asked it all neutrally, but Lily and everyone else could hear the underlying arrogance. They hadn't even begun the fight, and already Beryl had restored his own reputation. Cara was not skilled in anything applicable to the real world, and disallowing so many valid tactics demonstrated that quite nicely.

"No, we only wrestle until one has pinned the other on their back," Cara snapped. "Are you done stalling?"

"Ensuring I do not break your rules is not stalling, and yes, I'm done," Beryl said with a snort. "Hit me with your best shot."

Cara immediately obliged him, leaping the short distance between them in a single bound, landing on top of him and grappling his neck-

Lily instinctively ducked as Beryl's wings shot up, tossing Cara into the air again. Beryl hopped to the side just before she came down on top of him, pivoted to the side, and somehow hooked a paw under her leg almost immediately, before she had even recovered from the hard landing. He pulled and leaned forward, his tail whipping around to pull at hers, and just like that Cara was on her back, her chest heaving as she panted in shock.

She wasn't down yet, scrabbling wildly at him with all four paws, but Beryl ignored it, placing a paw on her chest and another on her stomach, and looked down at her from the side.

A sick feeling rose in Lily's stomach, and she looked away, unable to master the revulsion she was feeling. It was irrational, she had expected and wanted him to win decisively, but her feelings often weren't rational, and the sight of a strong male physically overpowering a young female made her want to either intervene with sharp words and sharper teeth, or barring that to empty her stomach, neither of which she could do here.

"How long do I have to hold you like this?" she heard Beryl ask conversationally. A moment later he yelped, and Lily heard him leap away.

She forced herself to look up at them then, knowing that there was some distance between them. Instead, she saw Beryl, bleeding from one paw, and holding the other, claws out, to Cara's throat.

"Enough," Lily barked, far more weakly than she would have liked.

Beryl's bared teeth parted a little further, and he glanced at Clay, Flare, Copper, and then Crystal, all in the space of a moment. Before Lily could even process that brief look of cold calculation, Beryl growled at Cara, sheathed his claws, and leaped back. She rolled over and glared at him, and he glared back as he licked his injured paw.

"You cheated," Mist said dismissively, oblivious to how close Beryl had been to snapping in that instant. "He won fairly, and you cheated."

"That was only cheating because the rules were too restrictive," Beryl growled. "I'm not stupid enough to do that in a real fight. I left all of her paws unrestrained, which is a death sentence if your enemy wants to kill."

"You still cheated, though," Aven said sadly, looking at her sister. "You hurt him."

"I was mad," Cara growled. She spit a tiny blast at the ground between her paws, snarled, and turned to face Beryl. "I am not sorry."

"Good to know," Beryl said evenly. "Want to be taught now? Or do you want to go again with claws and teeth?" He sounded far too enthusiastic for another round.

"No," Lily intervened, feeling even sicker at the thought of another one-sided fight, and genuinely concerned how far he might take it. "Cara, what do you think now?" She could already see the answer in Cara's petty refusal to apologize. She would either storm off, or-

"I will be the first in line to learn," Cara snarled. "So long as we fight again once I know what you do. I still think I can beat you."

"Good enough," Beryl huffed. "Anyone else?" he asked arrogantly. "I would rather get to teaching, but if I must I will prove myself against everyone here."

"We would rather you put that energy into correcting our lack of experience," Lily said coldly, "not exploiting it." If she did not think several camouflaged light wings could easily dispatch him, she would be worried for her pack and for her position in it. As it was, she just wanted this meeting done with.

"That is enough for me," Copper said deferentially, bowing his head to Beryl. "You can teach us. What else should we do?"

"I am going to set people to watch the No-scaled-not-prey day and night," Lily revealed, "but we are not going to let them know we exist, if it can be helped. I want you all to quietly, carefully spread the word that there is a danger, but the alpha is handling it and will soon be explaining." So long as the rumor of danger was accompanied by the news that she was on top of it, there would be no undue panic.

"Soon?" Crystal asked. "Because some people are going to complain if they think we are being kept in the dark, and it is going to be hard to keep everyone camouflaging when they fly if they do not know why."

"You all start spreading the news now, and I will call the pack together at sundown," Lily said. Until the No-scaled-not-prey were gone, she couldn't assume they had any time to spare. At the worst, she wanted Beryl to have taught everyone the absolute basics about No-scaled-not-prey by the morning.

"Okay," Pina replied, speaking for everyone. "Thank you for telling us all of this. And thank you, Beryl, for coming back to help us."

"It's no problem," Beryl said haughtily. "Glad to help."

As the assembled light wings left, Lily stalked toward three in particular. "No," she said, glaring at the three sisters, "I want you three to stay a little while longer."

"Why?" Aven asked innocently, watching Cedar and Liona leave. "We can spread the word too."

"You _could,_ " Lily agreed, "if I wanted you to. But I do not remember sending anyone to invite you three to this gathering."

"Maybe your memory is flawed," Cara grumbled. "I heard us being invited."

"By who?" Lily challenged.

"By the weird amount of people talking to Clay and then wandering into the dark side of the valley?" Holly offered, speaking up for the first time since Lily had noticed the trio. "We could not help but notice that, so we followed."

"We did not know we were not invited," Aven chimed in guiltily.

"Well, you were not," Lily huffed. "And Cara, you especially made things more difficult than they had to be."

"I don't know about that," Beryl interrupted, speaking up from across the small clearing. "Someone was going to challenge me eventually. At least we got it out of the way immediately."

"I do not plan on apologizing," Cara repeated.

"If I wanted you to be sorry, you would be," Beryl replied in the same tone.

"We are sorry for eavesdropping," Holly said to Lily. "For sticking our noses in, too. We just did not know what was going on, and then we saw Beryl and heard there was danger, so we could not just leave."

"Be that as it may, I'm not letting you off with just an apology," Lily said irritably. "You three are going to be doing a lot of small tasks in the next few days, since you saw fit to stick your noses somewhere they don't belong. I want you nearby until further notice, ready to carry messages." It was a boring, simple task that she had until now been delegating to her guards, and was as much for her own convenience as their discipline, but it served for both so that was fine. They had not done anything _that_ bad, but she wanted to discourage them from making nosing about her business a bad habit.

"Yes, alpha," Aven said obediently. "Can we help Beryl, too? Since he is going to be teaching everyone, he will need help."

"I could use a teaching assistant or two," Beryl agreed before Lily could shoot the idea down. "A few willing light wings to demonstrate on wouldn't hurt."

"I can do that," Cara immediately volunteered, running over to Beryl. "You two can help Lily," she said to her sisters.

"No, I want to help too," Aven complained, quickly following her sister. "But not with fighting. Can I do something else?"

"I do not think that is what Lily meant by making us carry messages," Holly said, looking at her sisters.

"But it will be useful!" Cara objected. "He needs someone, why not me?"

Lily shook her head sternly. "You will be doing _both_ , then," she told Cara. "Helping him clearly is not a punishment for you."

"Okay," Cara agreed. "Where do we start?"

"With the same demonstration I will be giving everyone?" Beryl replied.

"No, I have to know more than everyone else if I am going to be your assistant," Cara responded. "So teach me some things now."

"And me," Aven added. "But not fighting."

"Ugh," Holly groaned. "I wish they were not fawning over him like that."

"You and me both," Lily said honestly. She was surprised Holly did not have the same attraction. "Why not you too?"

"He is very attractive," Holly admitted, "but I would rather not. I can control myself, and there are more important things going on. Besides, he probably already has a mate."

Lily chose not to clarify that, not wanting to lose yet another female to mindless attraction quite yet. It was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't care for him at all. "It's good to see someone with higher priorities."

"Well, that is just how I am," Holly said confidently. "But you do not seem to like him that much either. Has he done something wrong?"

Lily looked over at Beryl, Cara and Aven. Beryl was doing something, though she could not tell exactly what as Aven was blocking her view. It looked like he was lifting and lowering his paws, one at a time, but there had to be more to it than that.

"No," she answered. "Nothing, really. He just gets on my nerves sometimes."

"I think I understand that," Holly said in a low voice. "He comes in here, promises Root and Crystal what they want, makes to leave, and is then conveniently forced to stay to teach the whole pack something vital. Is there something more behind all of that?"

"No, there isn't." It made a lot of sense from Holly's point of view, but she was lacking a lot of context, and likely the ability to decide that Beryl was more or less sincere in his aims. One had to be good at reading people to figure that out.

"But he is taking up a lot of responsibility," Holly persisted. "Would it make things easier if he stumbled every so often?"

"No, not really." She needed her people to trust Beryl long enough to learn what he had to offer, and making him look bad wouldn't help that at all.

Then the possible hidden meaning of that question occurred to her, and she stared sternly at Holly. "No," she repeated slowly, "I would rather he not suffer any unfortunately embarrassing incidents precipitated by your sisters."

"I was just offering," Holly mumbled, looking down. "I mean, since they have gotten so close to him so easily _already_."

"There are better ways to get your sisters back for that," Lily laughed, calling out Holly's motivations. "I thought you had a good sense of priorities."

"I could do both," Holly huffed.

"Well, don't." Lily was thankful for the offer, if only because it made her laugh, but it was a bad idea. "We need him teaching confidently, not tripping over his assistants at every other step." She could count on Holly to keep a sharp eye on Beryl, at least, judging by her attitude toward him. That was one less thing to worry about, and with the danger lurking outside the valley, she was glad to see any problem solve itself.

O-O-O-O-O

"Where did you put him until nightfall?" Crystal asked conversationally as they walked through the valley.

"Watching the No-scaled-not-prey from afar with Clay," Lily replied. She had also given Clay orders to not talk much to Beryl aside from the inevitable small talk. Probably unnecessary, given Clay did not talk much anyway, but she didn't want Beryl learning too much about her guards. That was just common sense.

"You know," Crystal said, "he is being very accomodating, doing things your way. I am sure you appreciate that."

"I do, and he is being so accommodating because he knows I am working past an unfair, instinctive dislike," Lily revealed, declining to add that she was manipulating him with that fact. Whatever helped her handle him was worth doing.

"Or maybe he is just being nice because that is who he is when not aggravated?" Crystal said.

"Same thing," Lily snorted. "See Diora yet?"

"Not yet, but she is around here somewhere," Crystal asserted. "I heard her on my way back. Her voice is very grating and easy to hear."

"I cannot possibly stoop to insulting my people," Lily said diplomatically. "But I can say that her melodious voice reminds me of a wailing hatchling." Technically, she could say she was only complimenting the sound of wailing hatchlings.

"Ironic," Crystal snorted. "Given she seeks attention like a hatchling, too."

Lily snorted, then put a wing in front of Crystal. "I hear her." Diora's voice really was shrill enough to be instantly recognizable, and now served as an easy way to find her.

As they approached, Lily began to make out what Diora was saying, and then who she was talking to. A cluster of Dams, all with young ones in tow, were listening to her whine.

"It is not fair," Diora was saying, "the alpha just let them go! Silva is mine, and I wanted to see her."

"This again?" Crystal groaned. "I am going to stay back. She will make me mad if she whines in my face about it."

"That's fine," Lily allowed, leaving her friend behind. Diora's aims here were obvious, leveraging her lost daughter to gain the sympathy and attention of those who would be most likely to pity her, but they would become far more troublesome if Diora learned that Beryl was back, though Lily couldn't predict what she would do in response. Nothing useful, for sure.

"Alpha!" one of the Dams exclaimed. "How nice of you to join us! We were just comforting Diora, here."

"Yes, and I have good news for her," Lily said, improvising a way to handle Diora as easily as possible without giving her any more leverage to seek attention with. "If you all could give us a moment?"

The assembled group of Dams and children took a few moments to clear out, and by the time they were gone, Diora was scowling angrily. "What is it, Lily?" she asked innocently, though with her eyes narrowed in annoyance. She clearly didn't like the attention being taken off of her.

"Circumstances beyond anyone's control has brought back one of the dark wings for the time being," Lily said, thinking on the fly. "I think I can get him to give _me_ the information you want, so long as he does not think it will go to you." That way, she could manipulate Diora into staying away from him and thus not causing a fuss for the duration of his stay. That would be ideal.

"I… Yes, you question him on one end, and I will pressure him from the other," Diora exclaimed. "That will be good."

"No, no pressure from you," Lily corrected. "He needs to think it an idle question, and if you make a fuss he will not think that."

"I want to be part of interrogating him," Diora growled stubbornly, flicking her tail restlessly. "And I want Pearl too, remember?"

"We will see what he lets slip, but only if you pretend nothing is amiss," Lily offered again.

"I want to question him… But I can wait a little while," Diora conceded.

"Perfect. There will be an announcement later today." Lily didn't even bother mentioning the possible danger they were in; Diora didn't know, and wouldn't care. She would likely remain oblivious, assuming anything she heard about such things was related to Beryl's return and thus already under control.

"I will be there," Diora promised.

Lily didn't doubt she would; she would be present, waiting, for as long as her patience held. Lily _also_ fully expected news of this little interrogation to leak immediately, because that was just how Diora worked. It would get to Beryl, and she would use that to push for more extreme, public measures, all to put herself into the center of attention again.

All of that could be countered by simply telling Beryl about the deal, and then extracting whatever information was useful to have in reserve. Lily didn't like him, but at least he was useful in resolving some of the problems his presence brought.


	40. Sarcastic

"To sum it up, there is no reason to panic," Lily said loudly, concluding her reassuring speech with even more blatant reassurance, just in case the message hadn't gotten through. "They likely do not know we even exist, and will pass by without ever learning differently."

"But what if they do not?" someone asked. One voice in a crowd of light wings, all probably wondering the same thing.

" _That_ ," Lily said, leaping on the helpful question before anyone else could add to it, "is why I have procured us someone who can prepare us, just in case." She was glad Beryl wasn't back yet from observing the No-scaled-not-prey; he would return to find a pack primed to hear what he had to say. If he was caught off-guard by being thrown directly into teaching the whole pack, well, that was just a side-effect of efficiency.

"Is it the dark wings?" a young female asked eagerly.

"One of them," Lily reluctantly admitted, seeing no way to avoid the inevitable celebration that news would prompt. "Beryl has agreed," she continued, speaking over the outbreak of murmuring and happy barks, "to teach us all what he knows of their kind, starting with the basics. Tonight, he will go over the most vital, important things for us all to know, so that you can sleep more soundly." In truth, such information was likely to scare them _more_ , but they needed to know just in case absolutely everything went as badly as possible and they had to deal with No-scaled-not-prey directly in the very near future.

"Where is he?" what felt like a dozen females asked, each asking in slightly different words, but all requesting the same information, their eager voices blending together.

"He will be back soon," Lily announced.

"Actually," Crystal said, landing on the plateau beside her, "I have an update on that."

"Tell me quietly," Lily requested, seeing the many eyes that had immediately gone to Crystal with that revelation.

"He is back, nothing is wrong, and he is waiting in the dark side of the valley while I see what you want to happen next," Crystal whispered. "I was going to tell him where he could sleep tonight, but now you are going to have him teach immediately?"

"Just in case, and just the basics," Lily clarified quietly. "But yes, I want everyone to know enough to survive, and I want them to know before the sun rises. Bring him out here now."

"But… he has been up all day, and is probably tired," Crystal objected.

"Our safety is more important than how tired we all might be," Lily huffed. "Bring him."

"Okay, fine." Crystal leaped back into the air.

"Beryl will be arriving any moment now," Lily relayed to the pack. "When he gets here, he is going to leap right into telling you all what you need to know, so do not bother him with irrelevant questions or requests. This is for your own safety, so take it seriously, and we can all get to sleep before too late." She was probably being overcautious in requiring the first lesson be _right now_ , when tomorrow morning would probably work just as well, but she had already committed to it.

Lily expected to be forewarned of Beryl's approach by a round of lovestruck gasps from the female portion of her pack, so she was caught off-guard when he thumped down right beside her without any fanfare, though she didn't show it.

"Lily, I am supposed to teach them _now_?" he hissed. "I thought I would have time to prepare." He was fine, he looked too alert and agitated to be tired.

"Just the basics, what No-scaled-not-prey are, why they are dangerous, and what to do if you see one," Lily requested, secretly savoring his unease. He bothered her with many of the things he did, so it was only fair she enjoy getting her own back.

"You did not tell them any of that?" he asked incredulously. "What _did_ you tell them?"

"That there is an enemy off the coast who likely does not know of our existence, but might be dangerous if we do not observe the proper precautions," Lily explained. Most of her speech had been geared toward making sure nobody panicked and everyone understood that they could not afford to be seen.

"Leaving the rest to me, the rest in this case meaning _all of it_ ," Beryl snorted. "Thanks. Way to make this as simple as possible."

"I did make it simple," Lily shot back. "The one who knows is the one who will explain. Now get to it." If they spent any longer arguing in front of the whole pack, she would look weak.

"Right." Beryl glared at her for a moment, then turned to face the pack. "I guess we should get started," he said slowly. "You all probably heard about me, or my brother. He has gone home, but I am staying here to make sure nothing bad happens because nobody really knows about No-scaled-not-prey in this part of the world." That was… quite well worded, he was easily avoiding accusing them all of being vulnerable idiots. It would make things a lot easier if he stayed on the pack's good side… And harder, in other ways, but she was already having to deal with that.

"I was going to wait until tomorrow, as the ones we might have to deal with aren't going anywhere fast, but I guess the alpha has spoken, so we'll ignore how late it is and go over the basics." Lily bristled at the contempt in his words, resolving to address his attitude later.

Beryl stepped forward, to the edge of the plateau, and looked across the crowd. "Uh… Dams, your fledglings should hear tonight's lesson, as it's going to be stuff everyone needs to know, but in the future they probably should not come… I'll think of something."

Lily snorted quietly; she could tell when someone was feeling overwhelmed, and with Beryl it was not subtle. His shoulders twitched irritably, and his tail flicked from side to side as he postponed dealing with the younger pack members. She would be sure to remember that tell in the future.

"For now, I'll teach everyone at once." He looked back at Lily. "Do you plan on joining in, or asking questions, or something?" he asked flatly. "I don't know if you all have precedents for this sort of thing." The unspoken corollary was that he would have asked, had he time to plan for this, but Lily didn't believe it. He was just using that was an excuse for when he inevitably stepped on her paws in front of the whole pack.

Of course, she didn't intend on letting that happen, and she needed to firmly establish where he stood in relation to her. "You are the teacher when it comes to this, and I will also be learning. Pretend I am not here." She stepped back, intentionally not joining the pack on the ground, but nonetheless leaving Beryl by himself. The impression she intended to give was of one supervising him, and she was certain she had succeeded.

"Yes, that's perfect. Good."

She gestured impatiently with her tail, looking at the pack behind him, and his eyes widened. He was truly off-balance now, which was perfectly all right in her mind.

"Well…" He shook his head and seemed to throw off some of his nervousness. "I'm going to tell you a lot of things, and later teach you a lot of things, and I want you to do some things for me in return," he said. "Make mistakes. Ask questions. Don't interrupt me, but ask when there is a quiet moment. Here, a mistake is harmless, but out there a mistake can mean death or worse. I would much rather see you get things wrong here."

He snarled softly and strode forward, standing at the edge of the plateau once more. "On that note, no mocking others for mistakes. You will all make them, and it is no shame to do so. I do not know how this pack works, but I will not see anyone treated badly while I teach. That hinders learning, and hindering learning here, with this subject, is making it more likely that person does not know enough later. Mocking or hindering someone here is basically killing them, if indirectly. I will stop it as soon as it starts."

Lily didn't like how authoritative he sounded, or how quickly he had shaken off his unease, but at least he had made it clear. Most of her fledglings weren't good with subtlety.

"Now, on to how you will learn." He pawed at the rock below him, staring out at the fledglings in particular, his eyes lingering on a group clustered atop a boulder near the back of the crowd. "Later on, I will teach certain fighting techniques. These are not so good against others of our kind, but they are still dangerous. No using them on each other, here or elsewhere. If you see someone else doing so, tell me. That person does not get to come back for another lesson."

"But you just said stopping someone from learning is like killing them," a female objected timidly.

"Yes, I did, and that is a good point," Beryl agreed. "And I may still teach them if they can convince me they will not do it again. But endangering each other is not acceptable. If I must be responsible for death or injury, it will be because one of you was not taught, not because one of you killed another with my teachings."

The female nodded, not looking at him. "Okay, thank you-"

He cut her off with a purr. "No, thank you for asking. I need people to ask questions. If you all stand here and nod while not getting it, I have wasted my time."

He was trying to teach them to question things. Maybe it would work, but Lily had serious doubts. They had lived most of their lives not questioning. It was one of their biggest collective weaknesses, what had let Claw get away with what he did for so long, unopposed. Changing that would not be as easy as Beryl was making it seem.

But his attempt could not hurt, and she did want that weakness corrected eventually, so she said nothing.

"Okay, down to what we're here for," Beryl announced. "How many of you know what a No-scaled-not-prey is? Sit upright if you do."

A few of the older adults reared back onto their haunches. Lily was surprised to get so many, really.

"You," Beryl called out, looking at an older female. "Tell us what you know."

"Dangerous, small, no scales, not prey," she admitted sheepishly. "I know little else."

"But you know something, and you are not wrong." Beryl looked down near the front of the crowd. "Aven, could you come here please?"

Aven practically pranced to him, leaping up onto the plateau with an exaggerated jump Lily was sure was purely for show.

"Stand on your hind legs and pull in your tail and wings," Beryl instructed.

Aven quickly did as told. She stared out at the pack, waiting for whatever was to come next.

"This is a little bit like what they look like," Beryl announced. "No scales, no wings, a different kind of head, and smaller, but the legs and body are pretty close." He nudged at Aven's front paws. "These can hold things, with long and blunt claws far more nimble than ours. They are not naturally armed with sharp claws, so they make large ones for themselves."

"Are they as big as we are?" someone asked.

"No. I picked Aven because I know she is willing to help out. A fledgling would be a better example for size, but even then it varies. Some are smaller and some are larger." Beryl gestured for Aven to return to the rest of the light wings. "They cannot breathe fire of any kind, but may be able to shoot spines like certain dragons do, if they have the right fake claws."

"How do they get these fake claws?" Cara asked. She was, of course, also standing at the front of the crowd, ready to be called upon in turn.

"That is complicated, but…" Beryl shook his head, presumably trying to think of a simple answer. "They make them from the world around us. A tree can be turned into a weak fake claw, for instance. Our own claws and teeth can be used to make their claws stronger, or even some kinds of rock. If it's shiny, that means it's the most dangerous kind, a metal claw. Metal is a kind of rock that is extremely strong when it is melted and let to cool in certain ways."

Lily wasn't sure what to make of the level of detail he was giving. He spoke confidently, knowing that all he said was true, or so it seemed. How could he be so sure? She had no desire to derail the lesson in favor of asking about his past, but she might have to find out later.

"How strong is metal?" Cara asked.

"See all the rock around here?" Beryl asked. "Can you break them with a blast?"

"Most of them," Cara replied. "Do you want to see?"

"No, I was just making sure. You can't break thick metal with a blast. It is strong enough that it will not break at all unless you get it weak, which might take a very long time and a lot of blasts. It is far stronger than stone."

Lily was reminded of an old and faded memory, one of Pyre. He had told her it took many weeks to weaken his place of captivity enough to escape. It must have been made of metal.

"There are different kinds of metal too, but we don't need to get into that, as it doesn't matter for our purposes," Beryl concluded. "So, you know their shape. You know they can't fly, they can't fight very well without their false claws and scales, and that they are somehow still considered dangerous." He took a look around. "Anyone want to guess what makes them so dangerous?"

"Are they fast?" someone asked.

"No, not really. We're far faster." Beryl snorted in amusement. "They have two legs for running, we have four. It's not even a contest."

"They're smart," Aven answered confidently. "Like us. Right?"

Lily wondered whether Beryl had given Aven that answer ahead of time. It would be a sneaky thing to do, a way to move the lesson forward in the direction he wished in case nobody could think of that answer unaided.

"Exactly," Beryl agreed. "They are not animals, but rather the same as us. They plan, think ahead, make things. These particular No-scaled-not-prey might even have prepared for this. They may have traps, false claws and scales, and plans. Not to mention that they might be very skilled at what they do."

"But," and here Beryl rumbled confidently, "they do not know our kinds. They cannot because we are so rare. They also do not expect organized opposition, if they have come here looking for a fight at all. It's possible, even likely, that they'll just pass right on by."

"So we should hope they leave?" a fledgling asked.

"Hope, yes. Count on it? No. Tell me, what would you do if you saw one of them… say, in the forest?"

The fledgling in question shrugged her wings. "Run?"

"That is the perfect response," Beryl laughed, ignoring some disgruntled muttering from what Lily assumed were the more hotheaded light wings of the pack. "Most dragons will attack and fall into whatever trap that hunter might have prepared. It is better to retreat and force them to come to you, in a place where they cannot set up tricks beforehand."

"Like this valley," Lily called out in agreement. "They cannot set things up here, because we're all here already."

" _Like_ this valley, though it would be stupid to lead them to where you live." He looked down at the fledgling. "I think you want to keep them far from this valley."

Said in a way that agreed with her in the process of calling her stupid, but she had to set a good example for her pack, so she shrugged it off. "So we set up a place that is not here to lure them into?"

"It doesn't need to be much, but yes. But that depends on what comes. I should be teaching what to do in general."

She nodded in agreement. So far, all of this had just taught her fledglings how to recognize doom as it approached, and to know how much danger there was. There had to be more.

"So, the same scenario," Beryl continued. "Your first response should be to run or fly away if at all possible. If you cannot for whatever reason, you fight. That is what I will spend most of my time teaching. How to fight them."

How to fight. Lily recalled that Pearl had done what all took as impossible, a smaller female utterly outmatching and humiliating Claw… with less than a season-cycle between when she had disappeared and then. If he could teach that…

It appeared someone else had the same idea. "Can you teach us to fight like Pearl did?" Whirl asked curiously.

Beryl had not been there to see it, but he obviously knew what Whirl was referring to. "I could?" He warbled cautiously. "My Sire and his sister taught her, and my Sire taught me… but that was for fighting each other. The same tactics would be horrible against No-scaled-not-prey, they are smaller, and if you're wrestling one, you're in serious trouble. You want to strike and pull back because they are most dangerous up close."

"How dangerous?" Aven asked.

"It depends on how smart and skilled they are, but it's safest to assume they all can kill if you let them get too close," Beryl explained. "We're stronger and bigger than them, so it's tempting to rush forward and strike, but if you're not careful, they can use that against you."

"Show us how to attack without risking that!" Cara called out eagerly.

"Well, it's getting late," Beryl demurred, looking up at the waning moon. It wasn't yet at its peak, but it was getting there. "Does everyone want to learn a little about self defense before we stop for the night, or should we wait for tomorrow and stop now?"

The response was unanimous, much to Lily's surprise. A dozen variations of "now" echoed across the valley, and all the fledglings began chanting it, over and over.

"Okay!" Beryl laughed. "A little bit now, something that works on its own…" He nodded to himself. "If you must fight, starting off by blinding them can work. You all know how to fire?"

That got the reaction Lily was expecting; he was asking them if they could do something, and for the first time in his speech, they all knew exactly what he was talking about. There was an undeniable tone of relief, and a desire to please hidden within that, one that bothered her. Beryl's unease was all but gone, and he had the pack hanging on to every word he said, so quickly and easily.

"If you are facing a group and cannot flee, firing _into_ the group is good, but tricky," Beryl said, shaking his head. "Armor, and weak points, and how blasts push outwards, but we'll be going over all of that later. An easy thing to do, if they are standing on loose soil or gravel, is to fire at their paws. Land it right in front of them, and you will spray them with dirt or stone, blinding and possibly unbalancing them."

Lily found herself nodding despite her annoyance. It was a sound tactic, assuming conditions were right. One shot exchanged for disorienting a number of foes was good, assuming that same shot couldn't be put to greater use in another way. But it was useless without some follow-up action, either an attack or an attempt to flee.

"That is one thing you can all do, if fleeing and hiding does not work," he concluded. "I would have you practice, but…" He looked out at the large crowd all around the plateau, and, Lily assumed, total lack of organization or ready targets. "We can do that bright and early tomorrow, somewhere with open space and loose soil."

"There are some clearings in the forest," Lily offered, seeing a place to remind everyone of her authority. "You may use one of those."

"Sure, that works," Beryl agreed. "See everyone there bright and early tomorrow morning?"

Lily was surprised by how easily and quickly the crowds broke up at that simple dismissal; she had assumed a large portion of the pack would stick around and try to get his attention afterward, but it looked like everyone was leaving. Dams and Sires were shepherding their drowsy fledglings away, unmated females were flying off… She wanted to interpret their willingness to leave him alone as a sign of her lecture working, but it felt like there were other factors. Maybe the time of night, maybe the promise of an early morning session…

"Nice work," Crystal remarked seriously, hopping onto the plateau to address Beryl. "But just so you know, half the females near me were talking about getting a good night's sleep so as to impress you tomorrow."

Lily snorted in annoyance; that confirmed her suspicions. He had only delayed the reckoning, not avoided it.

"And I will have to encourage them by saying I have no mate?" Beryl asked in a quiet but haughty voice, turning to Lily with a raised eye ridge. He looked odd like that, and she wasn't sure what he meant to convey, besides a sense of confusion.

More important to her was the thinly-veiled jab at her decision in regards to him and his status as an available male. She would have laughed at his attempt if it wasn't just strong enough to force a retort. "I would rather they prey on you than the other way around."

"Yes," he said dryly, "because we all know that I will spend my days stalking them if they do not do it to me first. Because I'm _so_ subtle and sneaky in a valley filled with white dragons and on occasion camouflaged dragons."

Crystal barked a short laugh at that, and Lily growled to herself as she was forced to concede, if only a little. He made frustratingly solid points. It wasn't like he could blend in with the crowd, or sneak around. He stood out. "It is about honesty as much as preventing you from taking advantage of them."

"I could honestly tell them that my heart is claimed," he offered sarcastically. "I just would not mention that I do not know by who, yet."

"That seems like a good compromise," Crystal added seriously. "He is not swarmed, but he is not lying either!"

"It is lying in all but the stupidest technicality," Lily growled. "Tell anyone who asks that you are unattached, or I will just announce it to the whole pack tomorrow morning." She would be done with this stupid argument now, and giving him an ultimateum might manage that where arguing had not.

"Anyone who asks," Beryl huffed. "So long as you will make them stop harassing me when they inevitably learn, fine."

"They should know better than that," Lily growled, pleased that she had won their little debate. "Are you going to go out and watch the No-scaled-not-prey for the rest of tonight, or do I need to send others?"

"That depends, do you want me to do everything, or only _almost_ everything?" he asked, dramatically rolling his head. "You can just go up to your cave and get some sleep, I'll handle it all." He flicked his tail up in the general direction of her cave.

"We don't expect you to do everything," Lily growled. She didn't _want_ them to rely on him, either. The sooner he passed on the necessary knowledge and skills to render himself redundant, the better. These repeated jabs at her authority were already getting to her, and this one in particular was so bad she would have called him on it if she wasn't so certain Crystal would take his side. That would be just too much for her to stand right now.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily woke early the next morning with Pina's help, feeling as if she had gotten no sleep at all. At least she was in good company. The pack, as a whole, was worried and restless this particular morning, as evidenced by the unusual amount of light wings awake and alert at this time of morning.

"Has anything changed?" she asked the moment she saw Cedar. She had put him in charge of meeting with the night's watchdragons, so as to streamline her own morning. She had to walk out to the closest forest clearing before Beryl began his morning lesson, and that meant she didn't have time to personally meet with the two light wings she had put to the task. Cedar was able to walk with her and give a quick summary, in theory.

"Nothing, it is just drifting toward us," Cedar said quietly. "It is a strange thing. I do not like the look of it at all."

"You were camouflaged when you went out to relieve them, right?" she asked. Everyone needed to be camouflaged when they flew above the mountains or out over the ocean, and if her pack was going to mess anything up, it would be something like that.

"Of course," Cedar rumbled. "Are we going to the forest?"

"Yes, we are." Pina would usually be with her, but she had asked her to fly around the valley and ensure everyone who left it was camouflaged. "You'll be with me for now."

"Okay… You will be spreading the weight of all these tasks around?" he asked hopefully. "Not that I mind going out and getting reports and telling people that they are next to watch the ship, and telling them what to do, and maybe watching myself, but…" He trailed off meaningfully, and glanced over at her.

"It's a lot, and I certainly don't want to overload you or anyone else," Lily confirmed. She was going to have to find Holly and set her a long list of tasks at some point today, because she couldn't keep compromising her own security to have her guards convey messages. "I'm looking into getting some assistants to do all of that, and Beryl will take up some responsibility, and depending on what he teaches we might soon have others more than capable of doing those things without being told."

"So this craziness is all temporary," Cedar huffed. "That is good to hear."

O-O-O-O-O

"So," Lily asked irritably, roaring to be heard over the excited babble coming from the clearing behind her, "do you have a plan, or do I have to step in and salvage this?" She wasn't surprised that telling the pack to gather in a clearing early in the morning had resulted in a loud, disorganized mess of light wings, but she _was_ interested in seeing how Beryl sorted them out, if he could do it at all.

"Yes, I slept well on that isolated ledge, as the guard you set to watch me can attest," Beryl said with a low bark. "Thank you for your concern."

"What guard?" Lily asked innocently. Her facade was aided by the fact that it _wasn't_ a facade in this instance; she hadn't bothered to have him guarded, knowing where he would be in the morning.

"Either a guard or a creepily silent secret admirer," Beryl grumbled suspiciously.

"One of those," Lily agreed, resolving to set someone to the task of watching him in an official capacity, and ideally catching whoever was doing it of their own volition. "Anyway, how you plan to salvage this."

"Anyway, thanks for being polite before leaping into questioning my plans," Beryl snorted.

"Time is of the essence," Lily retorted, annoyed that he hadn't been sidetracked enough to drop his line of thought.

"Fine," he growled. "I actually do have a plan, so long as I can get their attention with a roar or two. I'll be splitting them all into two groups to start. Everyone without the slightest clue of how to fight in one group, and those who think they know something in the other."

"Sorted by you?" Lily asked dubiously.

"Self-sorted, with those who claim to know something checked by me as the next step," Beryl explained. "Hopefully, I will find someone who knows the basics and can teach that to everybody, and get all of them on the same page without boring anyone."

"What's a page?" Lily asked, nonplussed. Not only had she never heard that word, it didn't seem quite right, like a mangled version of 'paw' mixed with the noise for 'tree.'

"Oh… Nevermind, it's something my Sire says," Beryl huffed. "I want to determine where everyone is in their knowledge, and then bring those who know nothing up to where the most experienced of your people are. That will be what we do today, mixed with interesting little things to keep everyone involved and enthusiastic."

"And you will just go from there with one huge group?" she asked. Personally, she would prefer teaching smaller collections, but that had its own problems. There wasn't one optimal solution.

"No, eventually I want to pick out a few fast learners and good teachers, and split things up again," Beryl elaborated with a purr, "but that comes later."

Lily's respect for his planning skills rose; while there was no perfect solution, that was much better than anything she could think of on the spot. Still, she had to poke holes in it. "What if you find no good teachers, or if the only good learners are terrible teachers?"

"Then I'll do something else," Beryl said. "Is that all you need to know about my plans?"

"Yes, that's sufficient," Lily concluded. She had heard enough to be confident that he actually had a well-reasoned plan. "I suppose I should go join the group with no fighting experience."

"I haven't split them up yet…" He stared at her curiously. "How did you lead a revolution without knowing how to defend yourself?" His eyes drifted to her back.

"Very carefully, and by the time I could have used that knowledge, it was too late," Lily said tersely. "And then it would not have mattered what I knew, because I was too injured to fight anyway." Not that actually fighting Claw would have helped her situation by that point...

But if Granite had known how to fight? If he had killed Claw, done what they all saw as impossible, and taken over? She found herself pondering that as she stood at the back of the clearing and waited. Hypotheticals were more interesting than watching Beryl get everyone's attention and explain, far too slowly for her patience, that he was splitting them up based on experience.

She would like to think that between her and Crystal, they could have convinced Granite to fix things. He only had eyes for Crystal, so it wouldn't have been hard to get him to end the policy of multiple mates for the alpha, and the rest could easily be stopped. He would be alpha, in that scenario, and he would already have been in the habit of taking her advice.

But there were flaws in that scenario. Granite was not some invincible fighter, and he would push back if she tried to impose too much of her will on him. He would be displaced sooner or later, by age or by another male, and there was nothing stopping his replacement from reinstating the same problematic customs. At least the painful struggle she had gone through ensured the pack didn't _want_ another leader anything like Claw. They would push back against that, unlike in the scenario where Granite took over.

Not to say she preferred her reality over that one; she felt a low, painful ache in her chest at the very thought of Granite, and a less than optimal solution to the problem of Claw would be worth having him back...

Enough of that, she thought to herself, pushing the memories and pain away. Hypotheticals were no use when they could never happen. She looked around for Crystal, hoping to start up a lighter conversation, but couldn't see her anywhere nearby.

It was only when Lily gave up and looked at the other side of the clearing that she saw her. She supposed it made sense that Crystal saw herself as one of the few who knew something about fighting; she had been one of those to hunt down Claw, at the very least, and in this pack having a kill was rare.

Crystal's presence made some sense. On the other paw, Cloud was over there too. What in the world did he know of fighting? Beryl had moved past Crystal and was saying something to Cloud...

Lily held in a groan, hoping that the imminent disaster she could see coming would be averted. If Beryl sent Cloud over to teach, he would almost certainly abuse even that small taste of power. Beryl didn't know her fledglings like she did. She should be over there to-

Cloud shrugged, nodded, and made his way back over to the beginner group, heading in her direction. There was no way she was avoiding him. The group was too small, and it would be exceedingly obvious if she tried. This was going to be annoying.

"Lily, what a surprise to see you here," Cloud rumbled, coming to stand next to her.

"Why are you here? You went to stand with those who knew something." Cloud was certainly not an expert in combat, but he had to have _some_ reason to consider himself experienced.

"The dark wing does not think what I know is 'good form', whatever that means," Cloud growled. "He says I should forget what I taught myself. I will show him. This will be a waste of my time."

She didn't bother holding in a derisive snort. "I do believe he would know better."

"I do not," Cloud growled back. "Why did you decide we needed an outsider?"

"Did you know any of what he has already taught?" Lily asked coldly. "No, because you would have said so. He has already shown why I decided we needed him." Beryl must have hurt Cloud's pride, for him to be so rude toward her.

"Whatever," Cloud grumbled, seeming to realize that he was sabotaging himself. "If there are partner exercises-"

She cut that transparent ploy off immediately. "I will step out of any physical exercises until I can determine whether I can do them, and then I will partner with," and she searched her mind for someone who would give her a legitimate excuse to avoid Cloud, finding only one good excuse, "Root, as he is also challenged. He and I need to be extra careful, so it makes sense that we will work together if that is required." It would also let Whirl and Flare work together without having to help their son, so it was not even an excuse so much as a convenient necessity. She was proud of that one; it was fairly solid for an excuse concocted on the fly.

"Fine," Cloud agreed. "That-... He needs all the help he can get."

That pause… she could guess why he had hesitated. The disdain in his voice was telling, if only because of who they were talking about and what she had recently learned. If she found out he had been one of the ones tormenting Root, she would set him down so harshly he might never look at her with desire again.

"Please, Cloud," she said in a deceptively neutral tone, "tell me what you were going to say. You should be able to tell your alpha anything." Cloud wasn't very smart, and if he didn't think he was in the wrong…

"Well, I was just going to say what everyone is thinking," Cloud admitted.

"What is everyone thinking?" she continued carefully. It would not be everyone, just Cloud's opinion, or maybe the opinion of his friends, assuming he had any.

"He likes to play up his blindness," Cloud said hesitantly. "Sometimes too much."

Lily knew that wasn't true. She knew that Root hated that he was blind at all, and it was her assessment that he would happily have everyone forget it if at all possible. Using it to his advantage was not something she could imagine him doing.

But she said none of that, instead nodding serenely. "Some do think that." Her tone was light and accepting, and given the circumstances, he would assume she was one of those people.

"He likes to 'get lost' and ask for help," Cloud grumbled. "To have people lead him around. It is a waste of our time. He has to know the entire valley by now."

"What else?" she asked. In the background, she could see Beryl arranging several of the light wings around Crystal into a line of some sort, but her attention was on the clandestine interrogation she was conducting. That could wait.

"He gets to laze around all day, has food brought to him, does not do anything… he is living off of his own parents, and does nothing for the pack, save for providing some entertainment." Cloud snorted derisively. "Everyone knows it."

"Entertainment?" she asked, holding in an anticipatory growl. He was almost there, and his defenses were mostly down.

"We can joke with him, at least, when he is not being a leech," Cloud offered.

"Who is we?"

Cloud shook his head. "Lots of people."

Not lots of people. If it was most of the pack, Root would not be bearing it in silence. She needed names. "Like who?"

"It does not really matter," Cloud muttered. "Everyone would if they had the guts."

"Yes," Lily purred encouragingly, "it does matter. I need to know who I can rely on to have such 'guts' in the future." He would give up his friends if he thought they would benefit. If he thought _he_ would benefit. "I would be very grateful if you told me. It would save me some effort."

Cloud purred happily. "Okay." He ran through a short list of names, mostly younger males and females who had been hatchlings by the end of Claw's rule, people who were only just barely adults, six others aside from him. Worse than she had hoped, but better than she had expected.

She waited until he had finished, and then let out a thankful warble. "I will keep them in mind. Now, if you will excuse me," she stood and walked by him with a slight wave of her tail, "I need to go talk to Beryl." That, at least, was pure truth.

Cloud did not follow, looking surprised and pleased as she left, which suited her just fine. She wanted the coming retribution to be a shock. That worked better if he didn't suspect that she did not agree with his selfish, cruel opinion.

Lily made her way out of the inexperienced group and stood off to the side, taking the opportunity to watch Beryl at work and be seen overseeing him instead of interrupting. Benevolent authority was more impressive than pushy, annoying authority, and interrupting him for no big reason would be the latter.

"Show me your paw placement again?" Beryl requested.

Flare shuffled his paws and did nothing significant that Lily could see.

"That's great," Beryl said. "You say your Sire taught you?"

"He did, but I do not remember anything else," Flare admitted. "Maybe some of it will come back to me once you start teaching…"

"Maybe," Beryl agreed. "You've got great paw placement, and that's one of the most important things for everyone to know before we get to anything else. Think you could demonstrate for the rest of the pack?"

"I would be teaching for you?" Flare asked dubiously.

"On this one thing, yes," Beryl said confidently. "I want to get an idea of how well you teach others, as part of assessing your skills." It seemed he was getting an early jump on the later parts of his plan. Lily wasn't sure whether she would have done the same if it were her; letting someone else give the first lesson threatened to undermine the real teacher's authority…

But he didn't have to worry about that, because unlike her, his authority came from a higher source than himself. He could undermine his own control without worrying about unfixable consequences.

"That seems reasonable," Flare rumbled. "Now?"

"No better time," Beryl said, flicking his tail over at the waiting group. "I'll be watching."

"My turn!" Cara crowed, staring intently at Beryl from her spot at the front of the line.

"Yes," Beryl agreed with a small purr. "Show me how much endurance you have by jumping as high as you can without wings, over and over again until I say stop." He sounded just serious enough that Lily couldn't rule out him actually intending to measure her stamina.

"Got it!" Cara began leaping immediately.

"Yes, Lily?" Beryl said, turning to her. "Clearly you were not mad about something urgent, as you waited to talk to me?"

He thought she was mad about something? She didn't feel mad now… But she had when she arrived, and thinking about that reminded her why. "Correct. I have seven names for you. While you're teaching, I want you to find them, in this group or in the other, and pull them aside. Tell them that they will be receiving special instruction tonight, and to tell nobody of it, as it is secret. Make them feel special."

Beryl winced. "The way you say that makes me think I should ask what I'm setting them up for before I agree to anything."

"You said you would not let those who should not learn participate without proving they will not misuse it. I think the ones who torment a blind dragon for fun need to prove that quite thoroughly." Admittedly, that wasn't her initial reasoning behind enlisting him, but it worked.

"Oh, that," he said darkly, putting the pieces together faster than she expected. "You work quickly. You're sure they're the ones?"

"Admitted freely by one of them, given the right motivation," she replied. "I can discipline them without you, but your help would ensure this remains private. I don't want to do the public part until after they understand." A public apology would ensure the lesson she intended to teach stuck, either through embarrassment or guilt. If she ended up requiring one. Maybe Root would be happier not knowing she had intervened.

"Okay… What do you plan on doing?" he asked.

"You'll see." She had some ideas, but nothing specific quite yet. "Something to ensure they understand why what they've been doing is so wrong."

"That sounds good," he replied. "Okay, I'm in. What are the names?"

She told him and then headed back Flare's in-progress lesson, hoping she hadn't missed much. This time around she specifically sought out Root, who was standing on the far side of the group, right next to his Dam, though she would bet he would rather not be by her. Neither looked over as she stood next to Root.

"We are stocky," Flare said loudly as Lily turned her attention to him. "Do not be afraid to use that." He flicked his tail at one of the females closest to the front of the crowd, then placed his paws firmly, his shoulder to her. "Hit me."

The female stared at him, either uncomprehending or unwilling. Beryl watched from afar, but made no move to intervene yet.

"Charge me with your shoulder and hit me on mine," he repeated. "You all need to be used to just how much force we can take and give. If you plant your paws right, it will not throw you."

The female rushed him and bounced right off, stumbling back, despite them being the same size. If anything, Lily would have said the female was heavier than Flare.

"See?" Flare shrugged his wings. "It is useful to know how to position yourself. To take a hit, maybe to give a hit. Partner up and try it. Make sure to leave space for both of you to fall backward."

Lily wished she had seen the rest of his little lesson; she had missed most of it, by the looks of things. "Do you want to try?" she said, tapping Root with her wing to ensure he knew she was speaking to him.

He didn't turn to look at her, a side-effect of not being able to see her anyway. "How can I?"

"How can I?" Lily shot back. "My back still hurts sometimes. But I want to learn anyway."

"I am not sure why I am here," Root admitted. "Probably because my ever-considerate Sire and Dam do not want me to feel left out."

"No," Whirl corrected blithely, "we want you to learn whatever possible. Lily, you want to partner with him?"

"Yes," Lily said firmly. "We both need to be careful, so we may as well work together." She tapped Root with her wing, this time to direct him toward a space that had opened up. "Over here. There is room behind both of us."

"Fine." He shifted, placing his paws. "I could not see how my Sire wanted us to do this. Am I in the right stance?"

"It looks fine to me, but I can't be totally sure. We can just check, I guess." She backed up, suddenly dreading the four spikes of pain she was sure to feel in her back from the impact. But she had said she'd do it, and there was no backing out now, not without giving Root an excuse to give up. He had already given up too much for her to let him do it again.

She charged, angling herself as taught, and hit him in the shoulder-

Agony erupted. She collapsed against him, her back afire, familiar claws of searing pain driving deep into those same four places but with unbearable intensity and seemingly raking out over the rest of her back.

"Lily?" Root asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Lily realized that she was whining and forced herself to stop, stumbling to her paws before anyone aside from Root could notice. "I will be fine," she grunted. It didn't feel that way at the moment, but she assumed the pain would pass. It always did.

"What happened?" he asked.

"My back," she explained as the pain receded. "It hurts if I get jolted too much."

"So… why are you doing this? Did you not know it would hurt?" She felt him nudge her head. It made sense that he could find her, given she had basically hit him and collapsed.

She shrugged, though he could not see it, the movement causing a tiny surge of pain; a mouthful compared to the pond. "I didn't think it would be so bad." Claw had left his mark on her life, and she was seeing a new consequence of that now. She was not going to be able to fight if this was what awaited her at every impact.

"Did you hit your back specifically?" He avoided that spot, though his muzzle trailed across her forehead like he was looking for further injuries. The casual contact bothered her, but she bore it without complaint. For him, this was just how he saw, at least for now. Maybe not forever, which was more hope than she could have given him.

"No. Any jolt will do it." She had gotten careful with her movement over the season-cycles specifically to avoid little jolts. Maybe that was why she had underestimated it this time. She wasn't used to the pain anymore. Not sharp pain. Dull, throbbing pain, she lived with.

That was fine, she just… couldn't do any of this. She looked around, noting all of those who were throwing themselves at each other. Some had it down, others did not, but they were all trying, improving. The fledglings, in particular, were giving it their all with playful exuberance.

"I guess we should find you another partner," Lily sighed, bowing to the inevitable.

"Actually, Lily," Root said, "I do not think I can do this either. What good is it when I barely know what is going on? I will wait and learn once I can see."

A part of her wanted to say he needed to learn now, that he shouldn't put all of his hopes on being able to see with sound once Spark and another returned… but she couldn't say that, not without casting doubt on Beryl and his promises. She wouldn't do that unless she had an actual reason to doubt him. "Then we will watch and listen," she agreed. "Not everyone can fight."

"The hatchlings and us, you mean," Root summarized. "Nobody expects them to fight, and you are our leader, so that just leaves me."

"You," Lily continued with no hesitation, "are just as important in a non-combat role. You're going to keep our history alive. Without your work, mine might be undone in the future." She really didn't understand why the pack didn't already have someone to remember and tell tales of old. It was a good way to convey lessons and prevent past mistakes. Everything she was having to teach her fledglings could have been taught through stories, and the same could be said for what Beryl was telling her people...

Yes, Beryl's lessons could be condensed into a story with a moral. The moral, at least, she already knew. No underestimating the enemy.

Root didn't respond so she took another look around, noting Beryl gesturing wildly with his paws and ears, sitting on his hind legs, demonstrating something to the advanced group as a whole. Everyone was giving him their undivided attention. She could say that she had learned that lesson, at least.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily walked quickly through the dissolving groups of light wings, intent on catching three in particular before they left. Everyone was taking to the air, intent on sating the hunger that came from eating early in the morning and then doing light physical activity until noon, but she had other plans for the trio. They were supposed to be making up for their nosiness by running errands, but she had yet to set them any. That was about to change.

Luckily for her, as she couldn't fly and thus couldn't chase them down if they did leave, all three were busy demonstrating something for a small group of males who had apparently not gotten it the first time around.

"Holly, Aven, Cara," she called out sternly. "I want to see you once you are done with that."

"We will be right there!" Aven chirped happily, before turning back to the three males.

"They don't really need help," Beryl murmured, coming to stand beside her.

"I had guessed," Lily agreed, though she actually hadn't thought anything of the sort. She hadn't been observing long enough to notice that their clumsiness was feigned, and their eyes on the females for more reasons than eagerness to learn. She saw it _now,_ of course, having had it pointed out, but it would have taken her a little while to catch it without help.

"While we're waiting," Beryl continued, "could you give me the background on a few people?"

"Who?" Lily asked warily.

"Her," Beryl rumbled, looking over at a group of females that was busy chattering about something instead of leaving. "The large one. Is she… okay?" he asked.

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked, confused. She saw who he meant, but there was nothing different about her. She certainly didn't _seem_ injured, or bothered, or anything like that.

"Her size," Beryl elaborated. "I noticed that a lot of the pack is out of shape, but she is _very_ quick to lose her breath, and I was wondering if it was some illness, or some problem she has always had."

"Not that I know of. She eats a lot and moves little, that's all." She vaguely remembered ogling this particular female's fish pile as a fledgling.

"Oh, okay. You know that's not safe, right?" Beryl asked her. "I mean, if she had to flee something, anything really, it would catch her in a heartbeat. The same could be said for a lot of the larger light wings here."

"So tell her that," Lily reasoned. "Fear might be a good motivator."

"I just wanted to be sure I would not be sticking my paw in my mouth again," Beryl huffed. "I will have to make another group, one for those who could stand to burn off some extra weight. What about the female next to her, the thin one?"

"She does not have any illnesses either, if that's what you're going to ask," Lily snorted. "She just does not eat much." She was certain none of her people had serious problems, Honey would have come to her for advice if there was anything she could not treat.

"Being thin is not great either," Beryl huffed. "It's less problematic, but still. I am not overstepping my bounds if I address this?"

"Does it give my people a better chance at survival if things go bad?" Lily asked.

"Definitely, there is a safe range of size, and those outside of that range will suffer if they need to push their bodies," Beryl confirmed. "Usually, just living life keeps us in that range."

"If it's a problem, fix it," Lily decided. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually," Beryl grunted. "Who is that female over there? The one staring at us?"

Lily followed his gaze to find Diora, staring rudely. She met the other female's gaze and flicked her ears to the side. Diora sullenly looked away.

"Diora," she growled. "You know, the Dam of the fledgling Pearl-"

"Saved from her," Beryl interrupted with a low snarl. "Yes, I know. I will not be teaching her anything."

"Why not?" Lily asked, turning on him. She wanted his rationale for that, even if she didn't necessarily object.

Beryl glared at her, his wings flexing subtly, though she felt his anger wasn't directed her way. "I live with Pearl and my Sire. I have seen more than enough to make me hate Diora, and I'm not putting _any_ sort of power in her claws."

"You've seen, not you've heard?" Lily asked, seizing upon the only part of his explanation that she didn't understand.

"Not all scars fade and disappear," Beryl growled. "Including those left on the mind, the personality. Pearl has to work to keep herself confident and assertive, and I've seen how she acts when she forgets that. There was one time…"

He snarled angrily at the ground to his side, loud enough that Cara looked up from her demonstration, alarmed.

"I'm not going to talk about that, she wouldn't want it spread around," Beryl concluded bitterly. "Just take my word for it, I have reason to refuse teaching Diora anything but the most basic defenses against No-scaled-not-prey."

"I'm not demanding you teach her anything else," Lily assured him. She wasn't sure whether she liked or disliked his vehement anger on Pearl's behalf. On the one paw, she knew Diora had treated Pearl terribly, and she definitely could empathize with bad treatment leaving marks on the mind that didn't go away once it was over…

But on the other, seeing Beryl angry and assertive about _anything_ bothered her on a deeper level, one she might not have consciously noticed if they weren't talking about similar concepts. She was trying not to let it bother her, but she felt the urge to put some distance between them, at the very least, though she knew he wasn't mad at her.

"Good." Beryl shook his head and sighed. "That's all. You have people watching the ship at all times, right?"

"Still do, yes." She couldn't say much for Beryl's skills at transitioning away from awkward silences; that had been clumsy at best.

"About that," Aven interrupted, walking right up to them. The three males were still talking to her sisters. "Can Cara and I do that for a while?"

"One of you, with someone more reliable," Lily said bluntly, not bothering to hide that she considered them somewhat unreliable at present. She still had a bad feeling about that floating danger in the distance, and she didn't want to send unreliable, overeager volunteers to watch it without oversight.

"I can go with you each in turn," Beryl offered. "At night, of course."

"Me tonight, Aven tomorrow night," Cara said hopefully.

"That's acceptable," Lily said sternly. Her worry over someone doing something stupid had not abated, but at least she could control the risks, for all that it felt like everyone in the pack was a risk in one way or another.


	41. Frustrating

The sun was shining brightly overhead, the day was warm and bright, and Lily was in pain. If she were being optimistic, she would be grateful that it wasn't cold and rainy, but it was hard to be optimistic when she was in pain. Her back was a fact of life, a constant ache she just had to live with. That she had aggravated it by literally throwing herself at Root only made it more noticeable.

Really, the worst part about being in pain was that she couldn't let herself show it, not when anyone could see her. Aside from the obvious danger of letting a stranger see her weakness, her fledglings might take any weakness from her as a worrying sign, and now of all times she couldn't afford to have her people more worried than they already were.

So, since she couldn't let it show, she had to hide it and move normally. No flinching and stopping to let particularly bad throbs die away, no resting, no wishing she could just lie down and let it slowly fade back to something approaching normal.

No, she had stood at the back of the inexperienced group all morning, and now she was walking up and down a literal mountain to get back to the valley. By the time she reached her cave, she was seriously contemplating not returning for the afternoon lesson, if Beryl even intended to teach one of those. She could get reports from Holly or Aven, and sleep the rest of the day away…

But that was laziness speaking. Her fledglings needed her to be on top of things, and there was still so much to do. She forced herself to keep moving, past the ledge and down the other side of the mountain, down to the valley. Holly and her sisters would be returning for more orders soon, and the patrols out to the No-scaled-not-prey needed to be finalized and organized, and all of that was on top of everything else she did on a normal day. No time for rest, no matter how much she wanted it.

Most of the pack had returned to the valley in the time it had taken her to walk back, and it seemed there were no plans for an afternoon session of Beryl's teachings after all, judging by the number of light wings lying around in the sun.

Lily made her way for the plateau, so as to make it easy for people to find her. Every step was another little jolt, and she sighed with repressed but very much still present relief when she was finally able to climb up onto the plateau and rest her paws. Times like this made her wonder which she missed more, the convenience of flying, or the time when she could walk and do things without worrying about pain just bad enough to be frustrating, but not terrible enough to warrant a fuzzy head, or sleepiness, or any of the side effects the plants she knew of would give her along with relief.

"Lily!" Honey's piercing shriek was almost physically painful, and Lily had to stop herself from twisting around and possibly irritating her back further.

"Yes?" she asked calmly, holding back her irritation, as Honey and Copper approached. They seemed worried, but also confused, which was never a good sign.

"How are you?" Honey asked as she leaped up to the plateau with ease. She immediately set to circling Lily, looking at her from all angles. "What do you feel?"

"If there is pain, how bad is it?" Copper added, following Honey's path. Lily turned with them, which didn't seem to bother either of them. "And where is it?"

"What is this about?" Lily demanded. She could only think of one event that would merit this sort of concern from them-

"You hurt yourself today!" Honey exclaimed. "We wanted to check up on your health."

"We were asked to check up on your health," Copper clarified.

"But we will not say who asked, we do not do that," Honey interjected. "Breathe in and hold it, please."

Lily hesitated, well aware of the myriad of interested eyes on her, thanks to Honey and Copper making such a scene. On the one paw, submitting to their orders would make her look weak… But on the other paw, not supporting their authority would totally undermine them, and they were vitally important to the continuing health of the pack, and would only be more important in the coming days.

"I was hurt, but I am fine now," Lily sighed, before inhaling and holding it. Her back _did_ twinge at that.

"Yes, but it should not hurt," Honey retorted. "Hold it while I poke you, please." She proceeded to tap her paw along Lily's sides, and up toward her back.

The moment Honey's paw began tugging at the scales and skin adjacent to her back, Lily let out her long-held breath with a pained bark. "My back aches sometimes," she said tiredly.

"Yes, but that is not normal!" Honey seemed to be getting more demanding and serious with every new detail. "Why did you never come to us about this?"

"Because she taught us everything we know?" Copper supplied with a wry purr.

"It is our responsibility to care for the pack's hurts, and she is one of us," Honey grumbled. "Lily, does it hurt whenever something touches your back? How much pressure is needed to hurt you?"

"Any pressure is enough to set it off, and it aches constantly besides that," Lily admitted quietly. She wasn't worried about the details getting out, so long as she spoke quietly; Honey and Copper had been taught to keep such things to themselves outside of treating their patients, so as to foster trust. "But there is nothing that can be done."

"Well…" Honey moved her muzzle over Lily's neck and shoulders. "Crouch down."

Lily did as told. This whole exercise would build the reputation of her healers, so she would tolerate it, even if nothing could be done for her specifically. Really, she should have gone to them voluntarily after quite visibly hurting herself earlier. Doing this on the plateau, in the middle of the valley, was her penalty for not thinking about that at the time.

"Copper?" Honey called him over.

"It is a big scar," he said neutrally. "No scales, grey skin… Tight, it looks like?"

"Yes, I know all that," Lily said quietly. "Don't touch it, please."

"We might not be able to fix this, Honey," Copper said solemnly. "Lily would have, if she could do it, and we only know what she taught us. Do you have any ideas?"

"Do you?" Honey asked sadly. "Lily, do pain-dulling plants work?"

"Yes, I take them when I have to, but it's usually easy to ignore."

"That is all I would have been able to suggest," Honey sighed. "Did you take any today?"

"No, not yet," Lily admitted.

"Copper and I will bring you some." Honey perked up a little at that, though her frills and wings still drooped. "Light ones now, heavy ones tonight for when you sleep?"

"That would be great," Lily agreed, raising her voice. "Thank you for checking up on me. I should have gone to you immediately." She would make this as potent a lesson as possible for those watching, since teaching a lesson was the only thing she was going to get out of this mild embarrassment.

"Yes, please ask us if you need anything," Honey sighed. She was quick to leave, leaping straight into the air. Copper lingered.

"I do not think we have run into something we could not help before now," he said, his low voice solemn. "It might be a blow to her confidence. I know I feel disheartened."

"If a lot of little, easily-solved injuries would help, you can look forward to Beryl's next few lessons," Lily reasoned lightly. "I think we'll be seeing a lot of strained paws and bruises." The little she knew of fighting, and roughhousing in general, seemed to point to that being the case.

"Maybe. I hate to see her unhappy." Copper sighed. "And I hate to see someone in constant pain. I wish there was more we could do."

"Do me a favor and be _sure_ that does not get around," Lily growled. She couldn't think of a worse blow to her image than everyone learning that she was always suffering. Sure, the smarter light wings might respect her all the more for knowing that all she did was done in spite of such an obstacle, but they would be the minority of the pack. The majority would associate 'suffering' with 'weak' and think nothing more of it than that.

"We do not betray details of one light wing's problems to another," Copper recited. "You taught us that, and we have not forgotten." It was as close to a rebuke as he could get while remaining calm and polite.

"I know," Lily admitted. "Go cheer her up."

"See you soon, alpha," Copper said politely before backing up and taking off.

Just like that, it was over. Lily had no problem dealing with Honey and Copper, though one was someone she had found insufferable in the past, and the other a male.

At that, she mused, sitting on her hind legs and tail and surveying the valley, what made Copper so much more bearable than Beryl? Both were male, both had rebuked her today, in their own ways.

It wasn't _really_ that much of a mystery, when she compared the two. Aside from those small similarities, they couldn't be more different. One was submissive, a product of Claw's reign liberated but nonetheless fairly passive, happy to follow orders and take advice, and the other was a stranger who had flown in, compromised grudgingly, and made himself invaluable out of a sense of obligation to those he considered unable to protect themselves. Beryl was out of her control, to a large degree, and had no intention of just following orders. One did not bother her at all, and the other provoked a visceral dislike that she had to fight off. It certainly didn't help that he took shots at her authority whenever he felt like it.

A glimpse of black scale between boulders brought her out of her musings, and she wondered whether she should follow. This was the first time Beryl was able to freely wander the valley since he had arrived, and she could learn a lot about how to manipulate him if she could see what he chose to do, and how he acted.

She could come back to the plateau later. Some stealthy observation would be far more useful to her right now.

That decided, she stood, braced herself, and leaped off the plateau, landing with a thump and a jolt of agony. There were more important things than avoiding pain.

O-O-O-O-O

Beryl, Lily quickly discerned, was a very active dragon. It might have been the recent conversation about how much of her pack was out of shape, or her lingering pain, but she was noticing just how fast he walked, even when he seemed to be at ease, and how hard it was for her to stealthily keep up. She hadn't done much spying recently, but this felt different, more strenuous.

Her clandestine shadowing wasn't helped any by his wandering path, either. He had doubled back once already, and only quick thinking had let her strike up a conversation with a random bystander, helping her blend in by the time he passed by. He didn't seem to be going anywhere in particular.

Lily wished he _was_ going somewhere specific; not only would that make her shadowing easier, but it would give her insight. As of now, all she could determine from what he was doing was that he was probably getting a feel for the pack and the layout of the valley, which was neutral, neither good nor bad. Anyone who would be staying in the area for a while would do what he was doing, regardless of ulterior motives.

"Hey, good-looking," a female called out.

Beryl continued onward as if he hadn't heard, and Lily bristled. She ducked down a side passage and came out behind where the voice had come from, and spotted the perpetrator almost immediately. Older, one of Claw's former mates, and distinctly annoyed, if her flat ears and angry grumbling was any hint.

Lily was glad to see that the female didn't pursue Beryl any further; she certainly wasn't defending him, but if that had happened, she might have been forced to step in. There was a line, and if her people crossed it, she had to pull them back. If Beryl crossed it…

Well, then she'd figure something out. She could make his life difficult without letting on that she was specifically punishing him for anything, but he would probably catch on. She couldn't publicly discipline him, as he was an outsider, and she had no power to give ultimatums while he still had teaching to do.

If she needed to punish him for something minor, she'd have to get creative. For something major, like preying on desperate females, or something like that? She might just kick him out and deal with their lack of knowledge some other way.

Lily rounded a corner and caught sight of Beryl again. She casually pulled back until only her face was visible from his direction, and pretended to be picking at something under her claw.

He was talking to two younger females. One was unmated, and the other was a fledgling.

"I was going to arrange something for all the younger light wings," Beryl said kindly. "Don't worry, it will be safe _and_ fun."

"But I want her to learn to fight too," the older female said stubbornly. "She cannot do that if she is stuck with the hatchlings." She held a possessive wing over the other female, though Lily couldn't quite understand why. They were friends, as far as she knew, certainly not related.

Beryl, however, didn't know even that much. "Your sister _will_ learn to fight," he explained. "I am only splitting the young ones off from the main group so that I can teach them easier. I honestly have more experience teaching fledglings than adults, so they will probably get more from me than everyone else."

"She is not my sister, but thank you," the older female purred.

"Do you mind me asking what connection you two do have, then?" Beryl asked diffidently. "I don't want to assume again."

"I was friends with her older brother," the older female said simply, as if that explained it. It did, to Lily at least, seeing their relative ages and remembering a familiar grief.

"Was?" Beryl asked, lacking the context to understand.

"Claw killed him," was her terse reply. "I want to keep his sister safe."

"I want to fight," the younger female said innocently.

"I understand," Beryl rumbled. "Don't worry, you will learn."

"That is good to hear," the older female purred. "Maybe you and I could meet up sometime, outside of these lessons?" There was a hopeful lilt to her voice, and Lily felt like groaning. Why did _every_ available female feel the need to make their availability known? It just made them look desperate!

"Maybe," Beryl said noncommittally. "I-"

"Hey, look who it is!" a familiar voice interrupted. Mist rounded a corner and stopped right by Beryl. "I was hoping to catch you and ask you something."

" _I_ was talking to him," the other female growled. Her younger friend looked at the two of them for a long moment and then slowly began backing away from the scene, her expression mischievous.

"And you have some sort of claim?" Mist asked scathingly. "I am not going to try and get him into my cave, so I get precedence."

The other female's jaw dropped at that vulgarity. "Good, because you do not stand a chance talking like that," she said sourly, glaring at Beryl as he chuckled in poorly-hidden amusement.

Lily was forced to retreat back into another side-passage as the disgruntled female chose her direction to stalk off in. Luckily, she was so angry and wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice her alpha standing awkwardly off to one side.

"If you do not want those sorts of propositions, be more firm," Mist said casually. "You will get a lot, otherwise. You should have brought your mate, if you really wanted to keep them away."

"She had a legitimate concern," Beryl huffed, neatly dodging confirming or denying the existence of a mate. He was _nearly_ going back on his promise to tell any who asked, but technically, Mist hadn't asked.

"And then she used that to break the ice," Mist snorted. "No tact."

"Speaking of no tact, is 'getting into her cave' a common term?" Beryl asked lightly.

"No, but it gets the point across," Mist purred. "Youknew what it meant, she knew what it meant, and any little ones around here would just be confused. I would have been kinder, but that sort of thing gets on my nerves."

"Does it?" Beryl asked. "Because, one _could_ guess that this is your way of breaking the ice."

"Please," Mist snorted, not bothered in the least. "I need no excuse. Besides, I have a personal policy. No romantic interest until I have known the male for at least a moon-cycle."

Lily rolled her eyes at that one; she knew it wasn't true, or if it was, it was a policy created with Beryl in mind. In this small valley, Mist had already known every available male for season-cycles before any of them were thinking about taking mates.

Beryl seemed to suspect as much, by the way he looked at her. "Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Really," Mist confirmed. "I do not know if you are my type yet, or even if you are available. You are safe from me for the time being, and I will tell you if that changes."

"You remind me of my Sire's sister," Beryl mused. "And in this case, that's a good thing. I could use some friends around here, and the males all act like I'm going to bite them if I feel like it, not to mention the alpha glaring disapprovingly every time I so much as blink wrong."

"Whereas the females all drop everything to fawn over you from afar, held back only by our alpha's disappointment and stern words," Mist commiserated. "I get it. Maybe try making friends with mated females, then?"

"And have their mates flinching away from me? I have only worked with the males of your pack for one morning, and I already know that's a bad idea." Beryl shook his head. "I will stick to the friends I can make, like you and Crystal."

"Crystal is great," Mist agreed. "Want to go find her and go for a flight, or something? That has to be better than hanging around here and probably hearing the same three pickup lines over and over again."

"I shouldn't fly, not when we're trying to avoid being noticed, but we could do something else," Beryl agreed. "Lead the way."

Lily was amused to see how easily Mist had ingratiated herself with Beryl. Apparently, all it took was a promise to _not_ make moves on him for the time being, and a bit of commiseration. Simple, but not a tactic many of the females lusting after him would want to use, as it all but forfeited their chance with him in the immediate future; he didn't seem like the kind of male to take someone breaking their word lightly.

But Mist was cunning, and obviously playing the long game. Lily was glad to have someone she trusted getting close to Beryl. Another someone, actually, if he also counted Crystal as a friend. She wouldn't lack eyes on him.

A blur leaped from rock to rock, following Mist and Beryl as they left. Lily only noticed it because she too was following, and thus looking in the same direction. A camouflaged light wing was trailing them, and might have been trailing Beryl before now.

Lily growled quietly, her eyes on the barely-noticeable blur. Whoever it was, they were being careful, sticking to the air and paths less traveled whenever possible. Some light wings noticed them all the same, but none spoke up. They probably thought the camouflaged spy was a guard set by Lily.

But she hadn't set anyone to follow him. Her current guards, Crystal and Clay, were not present and somewhere nearby trailing _her,_ respectively.

She stopped in one place and looked around. Clay was apparently lounging against a stone behind her, chatting with one of the other males, so it wasn't him. He was following and subtly guarding _her_ , not Beryl. Crystal was off doing something with her Dam; she had asked and Lily had allowed it, feeling no particular need to have two guards for the afternoon.

Was it one of her other guards? Grass, Cedar, Pina, Mist… It certainly wasn't Mist, Pina always spent her free time with Dew, Grass wasn't the type to shadow someone without being told to, and _certainly_ wasn't the type to resort to sneaking around if there was any other way. Cedar didn't seem to fit either; he would have asked first.

Beryl and Mist took to the air, and the anonymous blur followed, disappearing against the partially cloudy sky in a heartbeat as Lily lost track of them. Just like that, her observation of Beryl was over, and the mystery of the unknown spy left unsolved.

For now. Lily suspected this clandestine shadow would continue to follow Beryl, and she had arranged to meet with him at sunset, so as to deal with Root's tormentors. She might be able to catch them by surprise then. She wasn't particularly bothered by someone taking the initiative to keep an eye on Beryl, but she _did_ want to know who was doing so, and why they felt they should. She felt like she was the only one in the pack who was still wary of Beryl, but this mystery shadow seemed to feel the same.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily watched the dark blur glide low over the mountain and then dive again, sticking so close to the slopes that a lesser dragon would have faltered at the first errant gust of wind and immediately dashed their body against the unforgiving rock.

Beryl couldn't know that he was being watched from the forest edge; he was taking so much care to _avoid_ being seen. Things like this made her think that he was either a very skilled flyer, to do such a risky thing so casually, with nobody around to see…

Or he was very good at keeping up a front, like she was, and did as much not because he was comfortable with tricky flying maneuvers, but rather to create a favorable impression in the mind of anyone who happened to be watching, even when he thought himself unobserved.

But she didn't think he was _that_ manipulative. He wasn't even close to being on her level, however quick he was to fire back when he was annoyed. She wouldn't have issues with him if he was a skilled manipulator, because he would have realized right away that his current persona was a great way to make her dislike him.

Beryl flew over the treeline, over her head, and out of sight. The sun had set only moments ago. Lily hadn't seen any of the light wings Beryl had requested attend this clandestine meeting, but she didn't need to see them. It was time.

The clearing they had used earlier that day was not far from the forest edge, though it was in a direction Lily didn't often go, straight away from the coastline and into the depths of the peninsula their valley was situated near the tip of. She preferred to stick close to the shores, the borders that allowed an escape into open air if need be. Pyre had taught her that, back when she was young and prone to getting turned around in the woods.

She stuffed down a whine before it could begin, held her breath for a half-dozen paces, and then sighed heavily. Right now, she needed to focus on the less than pleasant task at paw. Root had been tormented, persecuted, and Beryl had gathered the seven responsible. It was her duty to correct them, and to do it efficiently.

Efficiently disciplining young light wings while keeping their misdeeds and thus Root's involvement quiet wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but she'd had plenty of time to think as night slowly fell, and she had a good plan. Done right, this would both punish and correct them at the same time, and in a way that they could not turn around and blame on Root.

Of course, it was not _guaranteed_ that what she intended would go off without a hitch; there might be complications. She thought she had the measure of those most likely to cause trouble, Beryl and Cloud, but it would be touch and go.

Worth it, to deal with the various aspects of this in one fell swoop, instead of lingering and trying to correct each individual part on its own. She walked out into the clearing with an easy gait intended to lull any who saw her into a false sense of security, even if they were suspicious.

Cloud and his friends were already present, and seemed to have been in the clearing for a while already. A scorched patch of ground and shreds of grass caked in and around the males' stomach scales implied they had been roughhousing while they waited. The females were all still pristine, and if Lily had to guess had been judging the males in some sort of competition. That was how older fledglings spent their days, and Cloud's group of friends certainly still fit that description, despite being several season-cycles too old.

Cloud happened to look over first, and cast her a very smug and pleased glance… before rolling his eyes and glaring at Beryl, who paced the outer edge of the clearing, staring into the forest. It seemed he still held a grudge about being told he had poor form. Lily was entirely okay with that. Beryl was her doing, in a way, and if Cloud resented him, maybe he wouldn't be so eager to pester her in the mistaken hope that she would be attracted to him.

She took a moment to size up the people Cloud had unwittingly named as his fellow tormentors. She did not really know much about these six, but she knew their type. Young, adults in body but not in mind, on top of the world and flying high, their lives simple and yet somehow important. They would settle down at some point, but that had not yet happened. They were arrogant, and innocent in a sense.

More innocent than she had been, for sure. They had not been forced to grow up, forced to endure, forced to resist. Their lives were easy. That was what she had fought for, in part, but it did not come without side effects.

"You were all brought here today for a reason," she began, keeping her voice neutral and formal. "Thank you, Beryl, for helping me arrange this, though you did not know what it was about." She would not implicate him in this in any way except as an assistant, both to shield him from undue resentment and to make it clear this was her work and her idea. The focus needed to be on her, not him.

"We are going to learn more because we are the best," one of the females asserted suspiciously. "That is why we are here, right? How would he not know that? He is teaching us." She was a little brighter than the others, to have so easily caught that something was amiss.

Lily let her neutral tone drop to one a little more ominous, stalking forward slowly. "You think so, do you? Tell me, why would he single you out?"

"I told you we were the brave ones," Cloud announced. "That is why."

One of the other males stared at him. "Why would you do that? We do not really do anything together, anyway. Except…" He trailed off, shoulders going slack as he stared at Cloud.

So it seemed he had gotten it. The other bit of new information, that these might not be friends so much as malcontents who worked together only against Root, was helpful.

The other light wings all turned to glare at Cloud, who balked defensively. "What! She said she liked that! It was a good thing!"

"She pities Root, idiot," one of the females snarled. "You are a thick-headed-"

"Enough," Lily cut in. "I want one of you to try and explain what Cloud told me." She would let them dig themselves deeper, not knowing what Cloud had said.

One of the other males growled. "We just had a little fun with him. I am sure he is making it sound worse than it is."

Beryl, who had been watching quietly, narrowed his eyes, though he did not intervene. Good. She could count on him letting them get what was coming.

"Oh, I am not basing any of this on Root, because he did not tell _me_ about this," Lily hedged. "I am solely basing it off of what Cloud said. So please, explain."

"Root fakes needing help to annoy people, and we just… balanced that out," one of the females volunteered. "It is nothing more than that, Cloud was probably trying to impress you."

"I was…" Cloud trailed off, clearly realizing that he was caught no matter what he said.

"We did not do anything wrong," one of the males said. "Root annoyed us, we got him back."

Lily stared at him, and he slowly wilted under her silent look of contempt. They had to understand that she would not be convinced by such painfully blatant attempts at deflecting or minimizing their activities.

Once the male had trailed off, and no other excuses were forthcoming, Lily stared at each of them in turn. "Hearing it said, does any of that strike you as odd?" She would ask, though she did not expect a real answer.

Nobody spoke, shuffling uncomfortably, some staring back obliviously, and some not meeting her eyes. She noted the male and female who did not meet her eyes. They already understood that they were in the wrong. They would get no lenience from her, but it was good to know.

"You have all done terrible things," she announced, "and I expected better from you, some sliver of decency."

"But-" Cloud objected.

" _Terrible,_ " she snarled, glaring at him. "To taunt and mock a disabled dragon, to pick on one who cannot fight back, to declare his real issues exaggerations and attempts at getting attention. You cannot argue that, no matter how stubbornly you hold to it, so do not try." She let that hang in the air a moment.

"It took me a while to decide what to do with you," she growled. It hadn't, not really, but they didn't know that, and it sounded ominous. "Every normal punishment I could come up with just did not seem to fit the situation." Her tone and the fear she was eliciting with it was all part of the punishment.

She made a show of glaring at them, stretching the moment out before continuing. Every pause was intentional, though she hoped that wasn't obvious to _them._

"Luckily, I have alternatives others might not. I know the plants of this forest and what they do." She nodded towards the forest around them. "Out there, I have your punishment, picked and gathered. Once I have made it clear what is going to happen, we will go there, and you will each eat some of what I have collected."

Now they looked confused. "What… what will that do?" Cloud asked cautiously, his confidence gone. They did not know what plants were capable of, and she did. He was afraid of the unknown.

But he was not afraid enough, not yet, so she shook her head. "You all do not understand, do not empathize, and do not want to change. So I will force you to understand in the only way I can. That specific plant will blind you."

"Permanently?!" the angry female squealed fearfully, her anger gone in an instant.

"Maybe," Lily growled. "Or maybe only for a few moon-cycles. You will not know until one day it ends, or does not. That is your punishment."

"Lily, I do not-" Beryl began.

She shot him a glance, less heated than it could be, and hoped he would shut up long enough for her to drive the point home. "I am alpha, and how I discipline my fledgling is my decision, not yours. You may object as much as you want, but it will not change anything." She turned back to the shocked and in one case whining miscreants. "You mock Root and say he seeks attention. Tell me, would you rather I announce to the pack that you are all like him, or would you like to explain yourselves? Your Dam and Sire will need to know, to care for you… or, if they choose not to, I will have volunteers do so."

One of the males began whining, spreading his wings as if to flee.

"Leave, and you may never come back," Lily growled. The male let his wings fall, still whining wordlessly. Even now, he feared the unknown more than he feared utter humiliation and possibly permanent blindness.

Beryl growled, moving forward. "I'm not letting you do this," he announced. "Bullying someone does not deserve to be punished by blindness."

Lily was annoyed, but she had taken this sort of reaction into consideration, and for the moment he was playing right into her paws. "It's probably temporary. Besides, they think Root is faking in needing so much help, so surely they know how to adapt to not being able to see."

She made sure they all heard the sarcasm in her voice. "They know the valley, so surely they can navigate it without sight. _Surely_ they know how to live without sight better than the already blind dragon. Else they would not think he is faking needing help, would they? Maybe when they need help just finding the waste pit for moon-cycles on end, they will rethink their cruelty. Maybe there are others who will torment them in turn, though I would hope no more of my fledglings are so cruel. If they ever regain their sight, they will then be qualified to critique Root's behavior."

That did it. All seven were whining, Cloud included. They all totally believed this was going to happen, and were imagining it, dreading it. More intelligent light wings might be wondering _why_ she would go to such lengths, or picking at some of the other logical flaws in this scenario, but they weren't in the right state of mind to do that, if they even could.

"No." Beryl didn't back down in the slightest. "There is discipline, and there is cruelty. What kind of example are you setting?"

He was making a good point… if all was as it appeared. She glanced over at the whining, fearful dragons. They feared for themselves, and might not all regret what they had done yet… but to persist would force things in a direction she did not want them to go, with Beryl fighting her. She had hoped to keep the pretense up a bit longer. Maybe she should not have let him stay, but his predictable objections were perfect for driving home the point, for making it really look like she was serious.

Either way, it was time to end this. "It would be cruel if I actually had such plants."

Beryl tilted his head, taking a second to understand. Then his eyes widened, and he glanced over at the other dragons, who were not so quick on the uptake.

"You… you do not?" One of the females gasped.

Lily shrugged. "They do not exist. That would be far too convenient." She waited until the whining had tapered off to continue. "If I _ever_ catch word of any of you tormenting Root again, you will be harshly disciplined and then publicly humiliated. As it is, Root does not like attention drawn to him, and does not know I am intervening, or even really that I know at all, so I am going to keep this quiet for his sake. If you mention this to him, I will treat it as you taunting him, and act accordingly. You may go." The abrupt reversal and lack of further discipline were intentional, further manipulation on her part. She wanted them to go home still upset, to look around and see, remembering the moment they truly believed they would not be able to do so again… and, if they were at all redeemable, thinking of Root, who would get no such relief, no such abrupt turnaround. They would get no closure from her, no reassurance that this was over, no easy way to forget any of this.

Cloud and two of the males flew away immediately, fleeing the scene. The other males and one of the females muttered apologies and followed them.

But one remained, staring at the ground, looking utterly despondent. Beryl looked from her to Lily and back again, asking a silent question.

Lily shook her head, wondering why he felt it his place to help the remaining female, and approached her. "You are still upset." They all were, but this one, Shalla if she remembered her name correctly, was showing it.

"I did not…" She looked up, her eyes wide and open, hurt and ashamed. "I just went along with them, I had fun, it was funny…"

"Is it funny now?" Lily asked.

"No!" Shalla howled, putting her head between her paws, resting her chin in the mud. "I am a horrible person!"

Lily put a wing over her, wincing as she hit the limit of how far her wings could stretch without aggravating her back. "Maybe you were. Do you want to be?"

"Does it matter? I _am_ ," Shalla moaned.

"I was too," Lily revealed quietly. "I had to be taught to care about others, just like this." Not just like this, as she had voluntarily gone along with Pyre's cunning plan to teach her empathy, but close enough. "You just need to understand and do better."

"I… I can do better," Shalla repeated. "But…"

"Go to him and apologize," Lily advised kindly. "Don't tell him about this, just tell him how you feel _now._ I think he will forgive you if you really mean it."

"But… he hates me," she objected sadly. "He should, I let it happen and laughed."

"Does he? I'm not so sure about that," Lily countered. "And even if he does, you should still do it."

"Okay, I will," Shalla decided. "Now?"

"If you feel up to it. Maybe waiting until morning would be better. Just be sure not to mention all of this. He would only feel worse to know that I had to intervene, and your change of heart is real, no matter the reason."

Shalla pawed the mud off of her muzzle, still looking a little miserable. "Thank you," she called out as she left, flying at full speed back to the valley, presumably to make amends with Root if at all possible.

Lily felt eyes on her back, and turned to meet Beryl's probing stare. "Tell me, was I unnecessarily cruel?" She was legitimately curious as to what he would say, though she knew she had only done what was necessary to be sure they learned their lesson. He would, of course, agree that she had not-

"Yes."

"No, I was not," she immediately shot back, stung.

"There were other ways to do that," Beryl explained calmly. "Ways that would not have ended with seven dragons groveling and whining because they believed you would actually risk permanently disabling them to make a point. You were _definitely_ unnecessarily cruel."

"Give me one better solution," she challenged. He really thought he knew better?

"You asked me," he remarked casually. "And yet, you are defensive when I answer. I would have brought them here and done what you did without actually making them believe they were going to be blinded for foolish bullying. The same exercise, putting oneself in another's place, would have worked without the fear. You wanted to punish them, not just help them be better." He glared at her with that condemnation, eyes narrow. "I understand that, given what they were doing, but I would not want to see any leader of mine getting revenge on her own subjects like that, using fear and threats."

Lily bristled, glaring at him. "It was not revenge, it was necessary discipline. Whether or not they learn, and we cannot be sure they all did, I needed to be sure it would not happen again. Your scenario would not do that." Hers had both scared them away from future misdeeds, _and_ likely put them in a state of mind that would favor remorse and empathy.

"Maybe not, but did they need to be punished so cruelly? I don't know. I think, as that female just demonstrated, the guilt would be enough in this case, and if not, there are other, less cruel ways to discipline."

"Maybe, but I can't rely on guilt alone, and this worked." She didn't like that she was on the defensive. "I have to stamp cruelty out as effectively as possible. This pack needs to be kept on the right path."

"But stamping it out by being cruel yourself?" Beryl shrugged. "I see your point, and I'm not saying you did _wrong,_ just that you didn't pick the best solution. You asked."

She did ask. She forced down her frustration to acknowledge that. "Yes, I asked." If her voice was cold and subtly hostile, so be it. "But it is done with, and it worked anyway. With at least one of them, it worked better than I hoped."

"By making a foolish young dragon cry and hate herself," Beryl observed. "Yes, it worked, but if she had not stayed? If she had hidden it, left, and hated herself in private?"

"I already planned to check up on them once all of this wears off in a day or so," Lily replied, done with this conversation.

"But there were _easier_ ways to achieve the same ends," Beryl growled. "Gentler ways. I wouldn't want to live in a pack where the alpha uses complicated plots to discipline. It feels condescending."

"I guess it's a good thing that you don't live here, then," Lily growled. "You are only here for the time being."

"Yes, just here to help you," he shot back. "I'm going to relieve the guards with Cara. Maybe switch out your hidden watcher, so they don't fall asleep while spying on me." He flung himself into the sky, a black patch silhouetted against the stars, and flew away.

Lily growled angrily and began the long walk back to the valley. "I don't want to talk," she huffed, addressing her nighttime guards, who had been lurking in the forest this entire time. She was going to use the long trip to cool down, put frustrating arguments out of her mind, and sleep soundly once she reached her cave. Beryl could spend the night thinking about this, for all she cared, but she knew she had done the right thing… Even if there _might_ have been other ways to reach the same result.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily woke to the noise of someone landing right next to her, and lashed out on instinct.

"Ow!" a feminine voice gasped loudly. "Lily!"

Lily trembled, panting rapidly, and tried to regain control of herself. Her heart was racing and her claws were flexing of their own accord.

Each passing heartbeat came ever so slightly slower than the last. "What?" she asked hoarsely, taking in the situation at paw as she gradually calmed down. Pina and Dew were awake, but she hadn't struck at them. Aven had that dubious honor, and was bleeding from a set of long scratches.

Lily was thankful she hadn't done any _more_ damage. She had struck out of instinct, or trauma, or _something_. The sudden wake-up, the looming presence right by her, it had all combined into something deeply troubling.

"Come see!" Aven barked urgently, ignoring her injury and gesturing frantically in the direction of the plateau. Lily could see several light wings there, all crowded around one in particular.

At another time, Lily might have been annoyed by the lack of an immediate explanation, but the quick walk to the plateau offered time to fully clear her head and calm down, so she took it without complaint. Pina and Aven followed behind, as well as Rain, for some reason, though he shouldn't have been up or around at all, not at this time of night-

Lily firmly shoved that thought to the back of her mind as she leaped up onto the plateau. That was something for later. Right now, Holly and a few others were clustered around…

Cara, whose face was streaked with blood, and who was missing her frills and the top two thirds of her ears. "Lily, I messed up," she said in a small, pained voice.


	42. Problematic

_**Author's Note:** _ **There's a fun AU one-shot in NSSA for anyone interested, about Lily and a way things** _**could** _ **have gone-**

**What? You don't care about an AU, you want to read the resolution of the cliffhanger I left you with last week? Well, read on then!**

"Lily, I messed up."

Lily didn't think Cara could have said anything more ominous if she had tried. The words on their own already carried an undertone of failure and consequences of some sort, and the soft, pained whine with which Cara said it only reinforced that.

The blood all over her face, mostly dry but some still wet and dripping from various wounds, particularly where her frills used to be, added a dangerous connotation to that single statement. The consequences would be severe, had _already_ been severe, and whatever Cara had set into motion was not yet over.

If all of that wasn't enough, it was night and the wind had picked up, scattering clouds across the sky. The entire situation could not be any more ominous.

"Someone get Honey and Copper," Lily commanded, focusing on the things she could easily correct.

"On it," Rain volunteered.

"We have to go get him," Cara said in a quiet whine. "Lily, can you call the pack together, or something?"

"Before I do anything else, I need to know _exactly_ what happened," Lily replied. She had only just noticed a specific absence, peculiar in that he _should_ be here, with Cara. "Where is Beryl, and what happened?"

"We were flying high above the No-scaled-not-prey, and I wanted to get a closer look, and he said I could do one pass so long as I was careful and silent, and I did," Cara whimpered. "But my camouflage wore off while I was approaching them, and Beryl could not warn me without giving away our presence, so I guess he followed, but I was flying fast."

"Then what?" Lily asked. She already expected the worst, and Cara's story was well on its way to getting there.

"They took me down right as I passed over," Cara related, a sudden anger brimming in her voice. "I hit the deck hard. I think Beryl came in to protect me, but they hit him with something else, and he fainted."

"They captured both of you?" Lily asked in a low voice, aware of the slowly growing groups of light wings watching from afar. They hadn't made too much of a scene, so most of the valley still slept, but that was going to change as word spread and neighbors woke each other up to see the midnight huddle on the plateau.

"Yes, then they did this," Cara growled, shaking her head.

"Do not do that!" Aven cried out. "You might bleed more!"

"They cut them off and then burned the wounds," Cara snarled. As she talked, she seemed to take energy from her own outrage, straightening up and lashing her tail. "They put Beryl in a big thing of shiny stone like he told us about, made some noises, and let me go."

"What?" Lily asked, momentarily surprised. She hadn't expected _that_ to be the conclusion; it made far more sense for Cara to have escaped while they were busy with Beryl, and she had been expecting that to be the next part of the story.

"They let me go!" Cara yowled. "I will show them, they must have thought I was no threat!" She spread her wings as if to launch into the air and go prove the No-scaled-not-prey wrong right that instant.

Holly stepped on her sister's tail. "You are hurt," she objected when Cara whirled to glare at her. "At least wait for Honey to check you over!"

"Maybe they were being nice?" Aven offered. "To let you go, I mean."

"Nice does not explain cutting her frills and ears off," Lily growled. If it were a decision to be made solely through emotion, she would be right there with Cara in wanting to strike back at the No-scaled-not-prey. What they had done reminded her far too much of Claw, senseless mutilation for his own reasons.

"Who did what?" Honey exclaimed, arriving on the scene in a flurry of nervous energy that reminded Lily more of embarrassment than anything else-

Copper was right behind her, followed by Rain, who was smirking. Lily had a guess as to what all of that meant, but now wasn't the time to follow up on it. "No-scaled-not-prey hurt Cara."

Honey yelped in surprise as she saw Cara's bloody head. Copper put a paw on her side, and she stopped, closed her eyes, and exhaled loudly.

"Are those your only hurts?" she asked calmly a moment later, opening her eyes and leaping up onto the plateau with poise, as if she had all the time in the world. Lily was impressed by how quickly she had mastered the rush of fear or doubt or whatever had taken ahold of her.

"Yes," Cara grumbled. "Tend to them fast, we have to get back out there!"

"We can go without you," Holly said firmly. "Where are they now?"

"They are right by the beach, Beryl said they were staying in place for the night," Cara volunteered, flinching away from Honey as she tried to lick some of the blood off of her jaw, where her frills had been.

"So we can strike quickly," Holly said hopefully.

"It has not been decided whether we _are_ going to attack or not," Lily objected.

Every light wing on the plateau stopped what they were doing and stared at her as if she was insane. Honey, the three sisters, Pina, they all looked as if she had hit them upside the head with her tail.

"He tried to save Cara," Holly said tentatively. "Is there a reason we _should not_ save him?" She, at least, seemed willing to listen.

Others were not so calm. "Lily, we _have_ to save him, he is captive and they will leave with him!" Aven exclaimed. "He said No-scaled-not-prey hate his kind specifically!"

"I am going back and killing them, and nothing you say can stop me," Cara said stubbornly.

"I am alpha, and I'm making the decision," Lily said firmly, thinking rapidly.

"But why _not_?" Pina asked. "Help us understand why this is in question."

"I have a responsibility to protect my people," Lily replied. Her gut reaction said to go out there and attack, but then she had thought about the potential consequences. These No-scaled-not-prey were dangerous, they had downed Cara and Beryl, taking advantage of one mistake to capture both, and had the gall or confidence to release Cara. What would happen if her people attacked and made another exploitable mistake?

More importantly, was the undeniable risk worth the potential gain? What was the potential gain?

Beryl's life.

They were asking her to risk her people for him. She had a responsibility to protect her people, not him, and it was possible that if she tried to free him she would lose some of them. He had flown out into danger, and a part of her wanted to keep her people safe and let him suffer the consequences.

A part of her wanted to follow through on the instinctive unease she felt around him, by letting him disappear from her life. Unlike before, that part now had the backup reasoning of keeping her people safe, not letting the No-scaled-not-prey know there were more than a solitary pair of dragons here, and generally being cautious. They didn't have experience, they didn't have a plan, all they had was a target with unknown capabilities and blind enthusiasm. Beryl was a skilled fighter with knowledge of the threat, and they had taken him down, so what chance did her unskilled and ignorant fledglings have?

But that was pessimism speaking, not logic, and she didn't think it was quite right. It felt far too much like something Crystal would chastise her for, were she present, and upon reflection seemed like the same bias she was working to correct, nudging her in the wrong direction. She just needed a plan that would minimise the risk to-

"If we let them go, they will tell others that there might be more of us here," Holly ventured.

"A male and female were caught together, and Beryl told us his kind does not really gather together," Lily retorted absently, still thinking about more relevant considerations but nonetheless easily able to see the flaw in that reasoning. "They let Cara go so she clearly is not valuable to them, while he is. Odds are they would assume he and Cara are a mated pair, alone here, and think they have the only prize worth keeping from this area."

"We have no idea what they will think," Holly argued back, still in the same diffident, considering tone that made Lily feel she wasn't just being obnoxious on Beryl's behalf. "What if they just assume there will be more like him? We cannot let them leave now."

"Besides, he was nice to us!" Aven added in a much less tolerable tone. "We have to save him, it would not be right to just leave him like that! He was teaching us, and he stayed to help us, and we need him!"

"Lily," Pina said carefully, "this seems like a very strange choice for you to even _consider_ making. What do we not know?"

"Just give me a moment," she demanded. "I'm trying to think!"

"But-" Aven began.

"No!" Lily barked. "Everyone shut up!" She needed to think without interruption, they were throwing her off with these constant questions.

After a few heartbeats of silence, Lily decided that they had listened, and turned her attention back to the problem at hand, starting her thoughts all over again. Beryl was captive, and she needed to think about whether saving him was feasible, not whether the pack wanted her to. She knew they did, it was exceedingly obvious.

She would rather save him if possible, once her baseless dislike was shoved aside and ignored, but _only_ if there was a solution worth taking, one that did not trade his life for the lives of others she cared for.

Looking at it _fairly,_ without any bias… on the one side, there was an unknown force and a captive to work around. Beryl had also cautioned against attacking them where they could have set up tricks, and it was possible they had let Cara go to lure out the rest of the pack. On the other, they had some very general information to work with, strength in numbers, and certain abilities the No-scaled-not-prey didn't possess. Fire, flight, camouflage, and if Beryl was to be believed, being underestimated by the enemy, who didn't consider them to be people.

They would have to avoid an actual paw to paw fight or a prolonged strike of any kind; those would get her inexperienced fledglings killed. Thus, any strike that freed Beryl would have to get him and get out extremely fast, which would be complicated given Cara had said he was restrained in a strange way they might not be able to quickly correct. Or they could somehow kill off all of the enemy with the same sort of speed, thus removing the threat.

Pina shifted on her paws, looking worried, and Lily realized that she was damaging her image with every moment she stood there deliberating without explaining. They thought she was hesitating over even _wanting_ to save him, which was not true. She had only fallen prey to that line of thinking for a brief moment.

"Nobody is going anywhere until we have a workable plan to retrieve him without risking ourselves unnecessarily," she declared, choosing her words carefully to imply that it had never been in question. "I am only allowing this if we know we can do it."

"Beryl did not teach us much yet about fighting them," Cara growled, "but he told us weaknesses and strengths on both sides. We can do this."

Lily nodded in agreement. She noticed the many relieved expressions all around her, both on the plateau and out beyond it, and knew she had skirted close to a dangerous place in terms of how her pack saw her. They thought they had seen her hesitate on saving a beloved, benevolent figure. That didn't speak well of her on its own, and any explanation she gave would look like an excuse, so it would take time to subtly correct that mistaken perception.

"Safety is my only concern here," she reiterated. In committing at all, she was setting herself up for a nasty backlash if she decided there was no safe plan, but she didn't have any other option, and ideas were finally starting to come to her, concerns addressed and assuaged. This was probably doable.

O-O-O-O-O

Each leap down the dark path was a leap of frustration and urgency. Lily was alone, totally alone, her guards having joined the fight; ironically enough, she felt safer than ever before, moments before her people all threw themselves into danger for their own continued safety, and for the dark wing.

She growled, hit the ground just before a switchback in the path, whined loudly as the jolt caught up with her, and then leaped again. She could see the ship in the distance, a dark wooden bulk by the shore. She _couldn't_ see her people, but that was good. They would be striking soon, far sooner than she could possibly hope to arrive. Beryl's lifespan in captivity might be shorter than the time it took her to reach the shore, so they would not be waiting for her.

It hurt, physically and mentally, to be rushing down the mountainside instead of coordinating or even leading the assault herself. She had never felt her disability so keenly as she did now. Being grounded barred her from following, guiding, and protecting her fledglings, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about that. She had given them a plan, one pulled from their strengths and built to avoid their many weaknesses, but now they would be enacting it without any further guidance.

Any moment now. She knew, in the logical part of her mind, that she might as well walk instead of run, given she would not reach the shore in time either way, not by a long shot. For that matter, she could just as easily stop here and watch the attack from afar. No matter what, she was too slow, too crippled, to participate or even be there when it happened-

A light glimmered on the shore, and then dozens all around the ship, some in the air and some on the beach. Lily reflexively closed her eyes as dozens of her fledglings fired in unison, bombarding the enemy with overwhelming firepower. She stopped at the edge of a steep slope and ducked her head, though she was far enough that there was no real reason to take cover. The thunderous rumble of those shots echoed out, quickly followed by five more volleys.

Her people couldn't fight very well, they weren't very experienced, but they could fire, and there were many of them. That initial onslaught would have obliterated any tree she knew of, and it would do the same to these enemies. Beryl would survive, by Cara's reports he was in the middle of the enemy and protected by reflective stone.

The light faded, and Lily looked up. The floating arrangement of trees was shattered and broken, blazing merrily in pieces everywhere, and it had sunk down in the shallows. She couldn't see it from this distance, but light wings were leaping aboard, rending anything that moved, their last shots focused on individual threats and breaking Beryl free. That was the plan.

There was movement in the shallows between the wreckage and the dry shore. Dark shapes, parts flickering with fire, unwieldy and dense and _wrong_ in silhouette, thrashed, and in some places lashed out. None lasted long.

A chunk of mottled grey stone that reflected the firelight splashed into the shallows, sliding up and off the ruined side of the assembled tree construct, and Lily perceived the work of many camouflaged light wings in its unnatural, seemingly sourceless movements. It looked much as she would expect the thing Cara had described to look from afar, and that meant Beryl was within, though she couldn't see him as anything but a darkness against the flickering fire.

Sure enough, white-hot flames began to congregate on the stone in certain places, looking for all the world as if the stone itself was spontaneously burning, not being burned.

That was all that was happening. Nothing else moved, aside from the crackling fire. Lily began to walk again, her pace picking up with every step, though she didn't resort to recklessly bounding down the mountainside as she had been. She felt no relief, only anticipation. The worst possible outcome had been averted, but her distant view had not afforded her nearly enough details to be reassured. She would only get those when she arrived.

Beryl had been rescued, the enemy annihilated through sheer force, but had she sacrificed her own for him? Had life been traded, not preserved?

O-O-O-O-O

The shore looked no less chaotic from up close; Lily slowed as she exited the trees, taking in the carnage with wide eyes. Wood was scattered across the sand, and stone, and reflective stone, and pieces of things she didn't understand, and blood, which she did understand. The many, many blasts had scattered things far and wide, and the stuff on the shore was noticeable.

There were likely many more shards of unrecognizable things lurking in the surf between the shore and the burning hulk of dark wood, but those would not be visible beneath the waves, which reflected red and orange in a way that seemed almost as violent as the scene she had witnessed, as if still reflecting the attack itself.

The burning lump of wood itself, half sunk in the water and only visible because the water was shallow this close to shore, was strange in its own way. Lily found her gaze drifting to it whenever she stopped looking at anything in particular. It was wrong, and looked nothing like she had expected. She had envisioned trees cut up and rearranged like a fledgling might with stalks of grass, mutilated and ordered but still recognizable. This was nothing like that, and she might have not made the connection between it and wood at all, had she not been told that was the case beforepaw. It was smooth and intricate and bore no signs of trees, no bark, no leaves, nothing.

"Alpha!" someone called out, announcing her late arrival.

"Any injuries?" Lily called out, addressing the now visible light wings scattered throughout the wreckage.

"I burned my paw poking at some of this stuff," Rain offered from the side. "Totally worth it, though. Can I keep some?"

"You burned your paw?" she asked, confused.

"The shiny rock was glowing, and I stepped on it before I noticed," Rain said matter-of-factly. "I am fine. I do not think anyone was badly hurt."

"Where are Honey and Copper?" Lily asked, addressing the light wings around her. She couldn't quite tell who most of them were, with the fires flickering everywhere and casting light and shadow about so aimlessly. It was playing havoc with her eyesight, and her tiredness made her eyes feel fuzzy and dull before that was factored into account. It was far past midnight by now, and she had not gotten any sleep, aside from a short time between dusk and Cara returning.

"Over here," Copper volunteered from somewhere to her right, by the treeline. He and Honey were hunched over a third figure.

Lily rushed over, worried by the lack of movement from the other light wing. "Are they okay?" she asked.

"I am fine," the prone light wing provided, not moving from her position, on her back with her paws splayed out. There was a gash running down her stomach, not deep but jagged and uneven.

"She was attacked by one of the No-scaled-not-prey, and it pushed her down onto a piece of debris before she stopped it," Honey explained, running her tongue over the wound. "She has already had some good pain-dulling plants."

"I feel amazing," the female said neutrally. "You know, except for the wound. It was surprisingly fast, even burning and bleeding all over."

"Where is it now?" Lily asked, feeling all the more unsettled for hearing that.

"Dead in the surf?" Copper suggested.

"I ripped the top of it off," the female confirmed. "It dropped like a rock."

"Good," Lily said quietly. "Any other major injuries?"

"No, she is the only one," Honey said happily. "Some scorching, a few splinters from blowing up all that wood, but nothing else. Only one of the No-scaled-not-prey even lived long enough to attack us."

"It was a good plan," Copper agreed. "Worth doing. Beryl is down by the shoreline, if you care." His tone made it a genuine uncertainty, which bothered her more than a snarky shot at her indecision might have.

"I do care, I'm glad he's safe, and I'm doubly glad saving him was safe to do," Lily said firmly. She could already tell that she had more work to do in correcting the damage her hesitation had done to her image, and the first step to that…

Well, she thought, looking back out over the eerie wreckage and silhouettes picking through it, the first step was probably getting out ahead of more damage before it could be done. Beryl was here somewhere, and she needed to be proactive. He would hear of her hesitation if he hadn't already, and the last thing she needed was a bad reaction to that.

Not to say she wouldn't get a bad reaction if she explained herself and put a more accurate spin on it now, but at least she would be in control of what he heard.

That was easier said than done. She could see a particularly dark figure nosing around off to the left of the main wreckage, right by the shoreline as she had been told, but she needed to make her way to him, and that meant picking through the wreckage, some of which caught her eye far too strongly to be ignored.

Lily stopped to paw at a chunk of smoldering… something. It looked like grass had been dried and wound around itself, but it was far too large for that, and felt much stronger than she would expect. Was it some sort of giant grass that had been dried? It had caught her eye _because_ it actually resembled something she knew, unlike most of the detritus around her.

Another chunk of unidentifiable material caught her eye soon after she abandoned that one, not four steps from where she had started. Beryl, she saw, was still looking around near the waterline. She could spare the time to satisfy her curiosity. It was not as if people were congregating or sharing rumors right now, those who had stayed were here to look at the many interesting things they had just helped destroy.

This thing was half buried in the sand, driven in by the explosion that had dislodged it from the greater whole. She turned it over with her paws, pushing one end down to drive the other up to the surface. It was jagged and thin and _far_ too strong, like stone but reflective and sharp, shaped with one solid, circular end of a different texture, and one long stretch of sharp edges tapering into a point reminiscent of a claw.

Lily honestly couldn't tell if it was meant to be a false claw, like Beryl had spoken of, or a part of a larger whole. She could see the largely unaffected bulk of the construct that had held Beryl, only a part of one corner melted away, and this piece could easily have come from something like that, broken free by the explosions.

"It's a false claw," Beryl offered, startling her both with his sudden presence and with the way he seemed to be answering her unspoken question. She looked up, and met his surprisingly friendly green gaze. "I think I'm going to take a few back to show everyone tomorrow, as an example. This is a good find, it doesn't look damaged."

"You can have it," Lily agreed, taking her paw off the flat of the stone. "I certainly don't want it. Just be sure to bury them deep once you're done with showing the pack." She didn't like the idea of claws lying around; someone had already been hurt just picking through this wreckage, and gathering the parts _meant_ to hurt others seemed like asking for accidents.

"Will do," Beryl agreed. "I just wish I could bury my confusion."

"About what?" She knew it was an obvious leading statement; he clearly _wanted_ to talk about something he had noticed. It likely led into him explaining that he had heard about her hesitation, and since he was doing it so calmly, she'd happily take the prompt.

"This whole thing," he explained, looking back at the wrecked hull. "I know dragon hunters, I've spent time as a captive and time fighting them. These weren't hunters."

Lily blinked twice in the time it took her to process the change in subject. He hadn't been leading to her choice at all. This sounded much more important. "What does that mean for us?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "A lot of what they said and did just doesn't fit together."

"Maybe it will make more sense if you just go over it with me," she proposed. She knew nothing about No-scaled-not-prey that he had not told her or the pack, but she could possibly put things together that he couldn't.

"Sure," he agreed. He began walking, skirting around still-flaming wreckage, and she walked beside him. "Well, first, Cara lost her camouflage right above their ship. I assume that was bad luck."

"She was not paying attention to her scale warmth," Lily said primly. That was a mistake no self-respecting light wing would make. It was never exactly predictable how long camouflage would last, but when one felt one's scales cooling, that was a usable indicator. For Cara to have lost her camouflage when she did, she must have been completely distracted and not thinking.

"She was netted," Beryl continued. "I know nets, that's normal for hunters or anyone with a net to spare. When I landed, I was planning on just slashing the net, disabling anyone who got too close, and getting out. But that's the last thing I remember of my attempt."

"Really?" Lily asked, more than a little worried. Beryl stopped in front of a lump of something just above the tideline and poked at it for a moment before moving on, and she stopped to keep pace with him.

"Yes. I don't even know how they did it, which is my first problem with all of this." He shook his head. "I have a headache, so I guess they hit me, but it takes a lot to knock me out and none of the ones near me looked strong enough to do it on their own."

"That sounds like a better breed of hunter, then," Lily offered. "Either stronger than normal or better in some other way."

"Not even necessarily a breed, they can make new things and spread the knowledge," he corrected politely. HIs whole demeanor was far more pleasant than usual, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because he was grateful for being saved, or just relieved, or maybe the fact that there was still an unpleasant explanation lingering over her head was coloring her perception with uneasy anticipation.

"Anyway," he said, his voice taking on a darker tone, "I woke up to Cara screeching."

"Do you know why they took her ears and frills?" Lily asked. That, more than anything else, bothered her in retrospect.

"Sort of," he hedged. "They kept them and spoke of 'proof' and points of some sort. They were happy, but more about me. Cara was an afterthought, even when they let her go, like they were so sure she couldn't do anything that she wasn't a threat at all."

"You understand them," Lily rumbled, flicking her tail in the surf. It dragged along something jagged, and she yanked it back up before she hurt herself. This part of the shore was going to be dangerous for the foreseeable future. She would have to make sure nobody came down here to gawk without supervision of some sort. "What else did they say?"

"Not enough," Beryl huffed. "Never enough. They hinted at stuff, like 'points' and how I was going to net them a huge prize, but no specifics. They all knew what they were talking about, and nobody saw fit to fill me in." He ended with a snort of amusement.

Lily puzzled over that for a while, stopping in front of a chunk of smoldering wood. "What worries you?" she eventually asked.

"The atmosphere," Beryl answered. "I have no better word for it than that. It all felt _different_ , and not in a good way. Different priorities, different goals, different methods. They weren't hunters, but at the same time they were very practiced at taking dragons down and subduing them. Add talk about a game of some sort, like this wasn't even serious, and I have to wonder what we just destroyed."

"Wait…" Something occurred to Lily, something ominous. "When you say game, did you get the impression it was one they would play among themselves?"

"No." Beryl growled. "I see your point. If they were playing with someone else, that means there is someone else out there who would be waiting for them. It's a good thing you all were so thorough in destroying them, but we should try and hide the remains."

"Good plan." Again, she was struck by how easily they were working together. It was easy to ignore what he was and how he bothered her when they were wandering the remains of a much more important issue. It helped that he was being useful and not aggravating.

She hated that such easy cooperation was doomed to disappear as soon as someone brought up her hesitation from earlier. If only she had been given time to come up with a plan, instead of being pressured into revealing her hesitation! This was more than tolerable, and she had ruined it before it even began.

"Hold up!" Beryl hissed, holding out a wing to stop her. "Movement."

Lily leaned to the side and looked past him. She could only see more debris on either side of the tide line, some smaller than her paw and some so big she probably wouldn't be able to move it by herself, all in strange shapes-

One of the moderately large lumps stirred.

"Stay here," Beryl ordered, stalking forward with his claws out. Lily felt a twinge of anger at being ordered around, quickly followed by flashes of bad memories, but she growled and banished those thoughts. She had let that unease influence her thoughts once tonight already, and doing it again would just be stupid.

Beryl approached the moving lump, stared down at it for a long moment, then thumped his paw on one end. "This one's alive," he reported. "I knocked him out again, but he isn't bleeding or anything."

"Is it dangerous?" Lily asked.

"I can take the false claws away so he won't be," Beryl offered. "Do you have anywhere safe to keep him? I might be able to get some answers if I can listen to him complaining once he wakes up."

"Can you talk to it and ask questions?" She assumed so, but it was always best to ask anyway.

"No," Beryl admitted, surprising her. "But I can understand, so if he starts talking to himself, he might say useful things. It's a long shot, but we don't lose anything by taking it, so long as you have someone guard him at all times."

"We might have a place," Lily decided. She turned and looked over the shore. "Aven, Holly," she roared, naming the two she would feel least guilty about inconveniencing. Cara would have been another option if she wasn't injured.

"Right here!" Aven cried out, leaping into the air and flying the short distance between them. "What do you need?"

"Go check the cave Claw used for challenges," Lily ordered. "Make sure it's empty. Then, come back here and direct Beryl to it. He'll teach you how to guard our new prisoner."

"Prisoner?" Aven looked at Beryl, and then at the lump under his paw. "We got one! Great! Can I-"

"Not right now," Beryl blurted out, interrupting her. "This isn't that kind of No-scaled-not-prey."

"But why not?" Aven whined.

"He helped mutilate your sister, for one thing," Beryl rumbled seriously. "Right now, we just want information from him. Nothing else."

"What else is there?" Lily interrupted suspiciously.

Beryl winced and raised a paw as if to stop her, but Aven didn't notice. "Beryl was telling me and Cara more about how some No-scaled-not-prey are not bad, and how he befriended one once, and I really liked that, so I wanted to do the same here," she said quickly. "Maybe I can teach it better."

"This isn't that sort of situation," Beryl said again. "Maybe someone else should guard him for now."

"I can do it," Aven said hopefully. "I can guard and nothing else. You already picked me!" She crouched, eagerly fluttered her wings, and took off.

Beryl groaned and shook his head. "I think she took what I said more to heart than she should have," he said.

"Don't tell stories that confuse my people about whether or not the deadly enemy is dangerous," Lily growled.

"I gave plenty of warnings about this very mistake," Beryl growled back.

"And she clearly didn't listen, which is why it was not a good idea in the first place," Lily shot back.

"That's… fair." Beryl repositioned his paw on the No-scaled-not-prey. "Want to come take a look?"

Lily nodded. That was clearly a small peace offering, as well as a way to stop arguing about _his_ mistake. Besides, she did want to see.

Even up close, it looked like nothing in particular. She could discern limbs and what might be a head, but only because Beryl had told the pack that No-scaled-not-prey had as such. It was covered in a bewildering array of different things, or so she assumed. If those were its hide, like scales, then it had the stupidest, most ramshackle excuse for a hide she could conceive of. She had a much easier time believing the few patches of tan, scaleless skin, visible on the head were closer to its real appearance.

"It's ugly," she decided. "And small." It had no wings, no tail, nothing to make it look much bigger. Beryl had been spot-on in describing their kind as dense.

"I'm not sure what to say to that," Beryl snorted.

"It's just an observation." She prodded the side of the lump, and discovered that the outer covering was stiff, but not rigidly attached. She could wiggle it around. That seemed like an exploitable weakness, if she could dig a claw or two into the space between false scales and real hide…

Though if she was that close to one of them, she was in way too much danger. Her back would cripple her the first time she hit something.

"Your pack did very well in breaking me out," Beryl remarked. "Overwhelming them with fire was a good choice of strategies."

"You're welcome." She didn't want to bring it up, but this was the best opportunity she was going to get, so she braced herself and took it. "But there is something you should know."

"Nobody was hurt, were they?" Beryl asked worriedly. "I mean, besides the ones Honey and Copper tended to. I know about those injuries."

"No, but there is something you will undoubtedly hear at some point," Lily continued neutrally. "When appraised of the situation, I spent some time deliberating."

"Over how to strike back?" Beryl asked. "That is just good planning. I'd rather wait a few more moments than have my rescuers coming in with no idea what they're doing."

"Over whether we _could_ strike back," Lily said carefully. "Same thing, really."

Beryl's calm gaze narrowed a bit. "Except for you considering leaving me to die," he rumbled.

"My first responsibility is to my people, and none of them were in danger, whereas I'd be putting them in danger to rescue you," Lily elaborated. "I couldn't commit until I could come up with a plan, and doing so took me long enough that others took it the wrong way. I did not want you hearing some rumor before knowing the whole story."

"I see." He looked down at the No-scaled-not-prey held under his paw. "Knowing that I have done nothing but help, knowing that I tried to save one of your own, knowing that you needed me, it was still a question."

"No, not a question," she stressed, "a desired outcome with conditions I had to meet first."

"A question in all but name," he growled, then backed away from the No-scaled-not-prey, leaving it unpinned. It was still unconscious, but she got the message. "That _bothers_ me. Especially since you expect me to remain and maybe get into trouble again."

"I had to think things through," she argued. "If I had no plan, I would have just been sending my people against experienced killers, sending them to their doom, for nothing! I was _going_ to come up with a plan and then announce it, but everyone wanted an immediate answer, and I had to tell them that what we did would depend on whether there was a safe way to do it or not!"

"And now you've jumped out ahead of me being told," Beryl growled angrily. "This sounds a lot like you just covering yourself. It sounds like you let that unfair dislike get the better of you, and seriously considered just leaving me to die!" It was a cold anger, and she doubted he would strike at her, but he was _not_ happy. She backed up a few steps too, putting the No-scaled-not-prey between them, but out of reach should it wake up and decide to attack.

"I am responsible for the safety of my people first," Lily stressed. "I could only commit to saving you if there was a viable way to do it, but if not then I was not going to doom my people!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" he asked incredulously. "Even if I _did_ , which I don't really, then it still looks bad for you. You'd let an innocent dragon suffer because it would be a risk to save them? Don't you see that by that same reasoning, I would not be here to help in the first place, because doing so places me in danger?"

"You are responsible for nobody but yourself, so it is not comparable. You can risk your own safety, I cannot risk it for those under me, not without a very good plan to mitigate that risk, which I _did_ come up with!"

"But I bet you had higher standards as to what plans were safe enough to save _me_ , specifically, since I am not worth as much to you as any of your people," Beryl growled. "Or am I wrong about that too? I've seen how you treat your people. Would you abandon one to keep the rest safe?"

"Anyone smart enough to ask that question should be smart enough to know there is not one answer, it depends on circumstance," Lily retorted. She hadn't really expected this to devolve into a debate over her priorities and morals, but at least she was well-equipped to hold such an argument.

"And you avoid saying that I'm wrong in thinking that," he said accusingly. "I'm not going to stay here like this. I'll throw myself into danger to help people who deserve it, but not when their leader will happily let me die in return."

"I protect my people," Lily repeated, lacking any better argument. She couldn't honestly say that she _hadn't_ let her judgement be skewed by that dislike, and she didn't think he would accept a denial on that front regardless.

"Then consider me one of them for the duration, or I'm flying away tonight," Beryl demanded. "When I said I'd stay, I assumed I would be helping a leader with a conscience, however much you didn't like me. I'm not just going to give you everything you want and let you throw me away when you feel like it."

"You're not one of mine." Her people relied on her, they trusted her. She had fought to liberate them. In no way could she see Beryl as one of hers, he was other, a stranger who had arrived out of nowhere and might eventually leave again, whereas leaving was borderline unthinkable for her people.

But the concept was sound, and she wasn't about to push him into leaving. This didn't feel like a bargaining tactic, it felt like an ultimatum, and she had already resolved to do better. She lost nothing by giving him what he demanded. "In cases like this, however," she continued, "I can promise to treat you as I would one of my own. Your life will have equal weight." All things considered, he was still an outsider who had made his choices, while her fledglings were her responsibility and hers alone, but she owed him this much; they all did. Even if he _was_ taking this entirely the wrong way, exactly what she had been trying to prevent.

"I would thank you, but I feel like I shouldn't have had to ask," he huffed. "How good is your word?"

"As good as yours, at the very least," Lily spat back. "So long as you stick to yours I will stick to mine."

"That will have to do." He glanced past her, his eyes breaking away to consider something over her shoulder. "We aren't alone, you know."

"I know," she said bitterly. Their raised voices would have made a scene, and there were other light wings around. She had expected as much, and it was fine. "Many perceived me as hesitating, and correcting it is just as public. The rumors will hopefully fly together come tomorrow." That hadn't been her explicit plan, but it worked for her. She wanted to put this past her as soon as possible.

"That's a good thing?"

"If you want to put this behind us and move on, yes." She looked up at the sky hopefully, but Aven was not back yet. Once Beryl left with the No-scaled-not-prey she could order everyone to go home and sleep, and then begin the long, long walk back to the valley.

"I would _like_ to just forget that my freedom and probably my life hung on such thin threads tonight," Beryl said vehemently. "I was feeling good, happy to be saved and glad my teachings had made a difference. A little worried about the details, but good."

"I'm not happy with it either," Lily retorted. It felt like they were about to slip right back into the argument she had tentatively ended, but she didn't see how to stop it without just fleeing the scene and looking weak, or a timely arrival from Aven, neither of which was happening.

"Would you do it differently now?"

"Yes, but only because I now already _have_ a plan. If it were a new situation, I would still follow the same path of thought, on which I have already promised you will get equal value."

"Okay," Beryl rumbled, his glare softening. "Fine. I get that you're trying to be better. Maybe toward everyone you don't know, not specifically me?"

"You and your brother are the only people I don't know in this world," Lily said, not sure what had caused him to suddenly include hypothetical people who weren't even present.

"There are infinitely many people you don't know in the world," Beryl corrected. "Some good, some bad, some stuck in between. If you treat them all like you treat me, they'll think you're one of the bad ones, and you'll never have a moment's peace."

There was nothing Lily could say to that, not without exposing her lack of knowledge to someone who could and would call her out on any weak arguments, so she stayed silent. He seemed to be winding down, letting his anger morph into something less volatile, and she wasn't going to undo that.

"That's why I told Aven and Cara about some peaceful No-scaled-not-prey I knew once," he continued. His tail slid across the sand behind him, moving as if it had a mind of its own. "Right now, it's safe to think of them as all enemies, in fact it's safe to think that most of the time, but they seemed like bright people, and I wanted Cara especially to temper her hatred before it grew too much. That doesn't help anyone."

"You might have to do some more tempering," Lily offered, seizing upon the proffered change in topic. "After tonight, I think she's firmly against No-scaled-not-prey."

"And her sister very much is not," Beryl growled. "I'm sure _that's_ not going to cause problems. All we need now is for Holly to come in and have her own, somehow diametrically opposed opinion to add to the mix."

"You only told Cara and Aven," Lily said.

"Holly wasn't around. She is often missing, even though those two stick together, and I got the impression they were usually a trio."

"They might only be half-sisters, but they're inseparable," Lily said casually. She wondered where Holly had been, and what she was doing. Her lack of appreciation for Beryl, unlike her sisters, might be the cause of the split Beryl had observed, but what was she doing in the meantime?

"Half sisters by Claw?" Beryl asked. "I'm having a hard time deciphering some of the relationships in this pack."

Lily almost said that she knew, thinking back to Beryl's earlier confusion on the subject, but remembered in the nick of time that she had been spying at the time and thus wouldn't know. "Yes, with Claw in common," she confirmed.

"But they are not the only three, there are others, right? What makes their bond stronger than the one they share with any of their other sisters?"

"I don't know. You would do better to ask them that." She herself had no special bond with the trio because they were much younger than her, and hadn't gone through what she had. They weren't like Granite or Crystal, they weren't close, they were just a few of her fledglings who happened to be related to her, like many others.

"I think I would do better to go find Aven," Beryl grumbled, looking at the sky once more. "How long does it take to get to this cave?"

"Not long, and certainly not this long," Lily said. "It's in the valley, and nobody uses it as far as I know." The pack avoided the small cave off to the side of the main entrance to the caverns. It had bad memories, a smell that wouldn't burn out, and nobody wanted to spend any time in it. Not even the fledglings, who had no personal experience with it, dared to go inside. Much like the burial grounds, it wasn't forbidden, just sad and avoided whenever possible. That did more to keep the young ones out than any amount of warnings could.

"Can you guide me there?" Beryl asked, walking over to put a paw under the No-scaled-not-prey. "I bet she wandered off and forgot."

"I can't fly," Lily said coldly.

Beryl paused for a moment. "Sorry," he said quietly, "I had totally forgotten." There was still a trace of frustration with her, but it was mostly gone by now, for him to be offering a cold but somewhat sincere apology.

"It's fine." It wasn't, she didn't like being reminded and having her inability rubbed in her face, but she was too tired to get mad, and it was a small thing, what seemed like an innocent mistake. If it were planned, he would have followed up by now with something else.

"Do you plan on going back to the valley on paw?" he asked, sounding almost concerned. "It has to be a long walk."

"Yes." She grit her teeth. "Now stop asking about it. Please."

"I meant no offense. I'm going to go find-" He stopped mid-sentence, his wings partially spread. "Or is that her?"

Lily looked up, following his line of sight, and saw Aven, finally on her way back. "Yes, that's her." She hoped there were no complications. Beryl had made her painfully aware of how long it would be before she got to sleep tonight, even assuming all went as planned. If she could sleep at all.

O-O-O-O-O

It was late morning before Lily woke, but she could tell she hadn't missed much of anything, because the rest of the pack had also taken the opportunity to sleep in. For them, it was a luxury, and for her a necessity, but the end result was the same, aside from the promise of fussy hatchlings and fledglings who had just had their sleep cycle upended.

Lily woke with a foggy head, sore paws, and a sinking feeling in her chest, though she couldn't identify the reason for the latter. She wandered the valley far more slowly than usual, following her usual pattern as best she could, and assessing the mood of the pack.

"Last night was crazy," someone said to the light wing next to them, neatly summing up her own thoughts on the subject. Looking at the night as a whole, crazy was an apt description.

In saying that, the light wing who had spoken was also hinting at the current mood of the pack. It wasn't trepidation or worry, though those words could very well have been spoken in that tone. No, it was relief, a casual reference passed on with an air of finality to it. The night before _had been_ crazy, it was gone and over with now…

Lily shook her head and pressed onward. That might be how the pack as a whole felt, but it certainly didn't reflect her feelings on the subject. She would have said those words with worry and determination. Last night had been a perfect proof of how big the difference between prepared and unprepared would be for them, should something less easily dealt with come along in the future. They needed to focus on closing the gap between unprepared and prepared, even though the enemy was gone.

Mostly. She knew where she was going, though she had set out with no destination in mind. They had taken one of the enemy captive, and she planned to be there for every moment of getting it to spill its secrets. This didn't _feel_ over, and wouldn't until every last lingering question Beryl had raised the night before was answered.

Maybe in the process of doing that, she could work on her issues with Beryl. Last night was proof that she had a long way to go, and she intended to force herself along the right path until she had no more of a problem talking to and working with Beryl than she had before he was angry with her again. Back when he was thankful, and relieved, and just sharing the information he had gathered with her like she was an equal. He was much easier to deal with, that way.

_**Author's Note:** _ **This chapter was brought to you by some of the more ominous soundtracks in** _**Hyper Light Drifter** _ **, which almost certainly influenced the way I approached how Lily saw the battle and the aftermath, as I was writing those bits while listening. It's not a perfect match, the music I listen to rarely is, but it's close.**


	43. Intimidating

_**Author's Note:** _ **Remember back in** _**When Nothing Remains** _ **, when I said Beryl and co. could very well have actually died, and that I could have taken the story either way? As of Wednesday, the 'other way' is now posting weekly over in** _**No Story Stands Alone** _ **, having finally been completed and deemed ready for publication. The first chapter is already up!**

**Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled chapter.**

Lily found both Beryl and Aven outside the cave entrance, Beryl speaking to Aven, who stood with her back to him, staring into the dark, twisting passage. They got some confused looks from other light wings passing by, mostly because the majority of the pack didn't know a prisoner had been taken.

There was no point in announcing it as of now; those who had seen would be spreading the word like wildfire. Lily didn't expect any trouble to come from it, though. The pack was flying high from their unmitigated victory the night before, and if anything wasn't worried _enough_ about No-scaled-not-prey. Hearing that they had one captive would just stoke their egos a little more.

"Alpha," Beryl said curtly as she approached, his casual posture straightening. "Just in time. We were talking about keeping the prisoner alive, and what that entails."

"Perfect," Lily said warmly, remembering her renewed resolution. She would treat Beryl better, like it or not, and that meant treating him like any other person in this valley. She wouldn't greet a random light wing with anything other than politeness, especially when they were being practical and jumping ahead to discuss things before they become problems.

She might not be entirely comforted by him taking initiative, but that was an unfair issue and she would stamp it out until he gave her a legitimate reason to feel wary. She was going to give him a clean start and let him make of it what he would.

"It woke up early this morning and made some noise, then saw me and quieted down," Aven reported. She yawned widely and blinked a few times afterward.

"You can leave," Lily offered, seeing her obvious exhaustion. "Pick someone at random and tell them to come here, I'll have them guard."

"I want to stay and hear this," Aven argued. "I can go sleep after."

"Your choice," Lily capitulated, seeing no reason to argue. Aven was unusually interested in the prisoner, and it just seemed easier to let her sit in and bore herself than order her away. "So, Beryl, what do we need to consider, long-term?"

"It needs water and food, just like us," Beryl explained, pacing back and forth as he spoke. "I don't know how long we'll be keeping it, but let's assume indefinitely, and plan for that. How are we handling those things?"

"We can't bring it water," Lily mused. "Food is easier so long as fish counts for it." She wouldn't be surprised to hear No-scaled-not-prey only ate dragon flesh, at this rate, but if Beryl thought they would be supplying that… No, he wasn't stupid, he would have considered it in advance of proposing they keep a prisoner. An obvious impossibility like that would have occurred to him.

"Burned fish," Beryl corrected. "They can get sick from raw fish."

"Weird," Aven remarked. "But that is easy. Do they make messes, like fledglings?"

Lily laughed under her breath at that, though it was a little worrying that Aven was treating this as if they were discussing caring for a fledgling. A No-scaled-not-prey was far more dangerous. Maybe the lack of proper wariness could be attributed to sleep deprivation.

"Yes. You'll need to take it to the waste pit at least twice a day." Beryl looked at Lily. "Or clean up after it, but that will be horrible."

"Water, the waste pit, and food," Lily summarized, humming thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose whoever is guarding it can walk it to the pond and waste pit. Beryl, you took its claws, so it's mostly harmless?"

"Don't underestimate them," Beryl said, "but yes. He's not going to be doing any real damage so long as you don't let your guard down. As for the false claws, I piled all the ones I could find on a ledge halfway up the mountain. They're well hidden from both him and curious fledglings."

"Good. Good work." She felt awkward praising him, even like that, but she _would_ were he one of her own, so she did it anyway. He gave her an odd look but didn't say anything about it.

"So it _should_ be safe to take it out to the pond," Aven warbled eagerly.

"Not yet," Beryl growled grimly. "We don't know what he might try at first. I'll make sure he knows not to mess with you or any of the other light wings."

"How do you plan to do that?" Lily asked. What did he think he could do? Unless he was lying about not being able to speak their language as well as understand it, there would be a barrier between them.

"Wait and see," Beryl remarked with a wry snort. "Fair is fair."

Was this some petty retribution for her making him wait and see with disciplining Cloud and his cohorts? She had said the same thing then. She could demand he tell her… but he had not done so for her, so to do so now would be to admit that she had been out of line before, which she had not.

"I will watch with interest," she replied neutrally, taking the middle ground between annoyance and just letting him walk all over her.

"Aven, go in there and stare at him for a little bit, then make a big deal out of leaving again," Beryl requested. "Stay out of sight of the entrance."

While Aven was doing that, Beryl turned in a slow circle. "Good, nobody else is in sight. He will only see me at first. If you can camouflage, that would be helpful, but just not being directly in his line of sight will work."

"When we take it to the pond, there will be no stopping it seeing light wings," she warned.

"This is just for the moment, I want his attention on me. Having extra guards whenever we take him out of the cave would be helpful, though."

"I'll set up a rotation for guarding the prisoner later," Lily rumbled. Along with making sure the pack as a whole knew to be wary of such trips, but also to not let it near any of the younger dragons or Root, who might not be able to protect themselves. Really, it shouldn't be wandering around at all, but she wasn't going to rely on that.

Aven slipped out of the cavern and stood against the side of a boulder, out of the way. "Done."

"Now we wait," Beryl announced. "It won't be too long. Aven, where you're standing is perfect. Don't move."

"Okay, but Cara will be along soon if I do not meet her and Holly," Aven replied, glancing at Lily before copying her and finding an out-of-the-way spot to lurk in. "She does not like this prisoner."

"He was one of those who maimed her, so I'm not surprised," Beryl remarked, ignoring the fact that Aven had wanted to stay only moments ago, and neglected to mention her sisters then. "But she trusts you to be safe in doing this?"

"Well… not really, but she also does not know what I am doing," Aven warbled sheepishly. "I will tell her, but I wanted to get an idea of how it would be handled first."

Further conversation was interrupted by a low groan echoing from the cavern. It was quiet and short, but definitely from the prisoner.

"Now we wait for it to start exploring," Beryl remarked quietly. "There is only one way out of there?"

"It's a single chamber with one twisting tunnel out, so yes." There was nowhere else for it to go.

Time passed, each heartbeat of inactivity bringing up the tension a little more. Lily felt some twisted form of anticipation as they waited. This was one of the creatures who had hurt Cara. Her anticipation turned into something just a little darker, and she held in a deep growl.

"There he is," Beryl muttered, looking into the cavern. "There's not enough fear in his eyes. He's confident, though he has no reason to be."

A few more moments passed. Beryl didn't move, staring ceaselessly at the No-scaled-not-prey Lily was not in a position to observe yet.

Then, for no apparent reason, Beryl got up and casually wandered away from the cavern opening, stopping just out of sight of the exit. "Now he will wait, assume I am gone, and come out here. Don't engage him, but if he runs in your direction pin him without hurting him."

The No-scaled-not-prey proceeded to do exactly that. Lily saw it emerge from the exit. Then it turned in her direction. Her eyes met its small and blue counterparts.

She had a moment of stillness to read it, or to try. It was still, but that could mean confident as easily as afraid. Wide eyes. Wonder, fear, curiosity? It was a ragged mess, moved awkwardly, and-

The No-scaled-not-prey bolted, directly away from her, entirely silent. It was trying not to attract attention, and in another situation might even have gotten away from her.

But it had run right towards Aven, who promptly tackled and pinned it, staring down at it.

"Sorry, you do not get to leave," Aven rumbled neutrally.

"Let it back up, but keep it here," Beryl instructed, moving to block the most obvious exit. There were several sheer rocks around, and between Beryl, Aven, and Lily, they could form a small circle, keeping the No-scaled-not-prey contained. The only way away from them would be back into the dead end that was the cave.

Aven hopped back and nudged it with one of her paws, prodding it as one might a strange rock. "Did I break it?"

"I hope not," Beryl muttered.

The ragged creature shifted, scrambling away from Aven, ending up with its back against the rocky base of the mountain. It was breathing hard, still utterly silent.

"He's not panicking, at least," Beryl noted. "And I don't think he's stupid enough to try and take on all three of us."

"At that, didn't you want it to deal solely with you at first?" Lily asked skeptically. She and Aven had leaped forward, Aven to pin the prisoner, and her to look more closely, but Beryl had wanted them out of the way. The two orders seemed contradictory.

"Yes, but he tried to run," Beryl responded, looking at the No-scaled-not-prey. "Now I want you to back off."

Lily did as requested. Beryl took a step forward, clearly drawing the prisoner's attention. He growled threateningly.

The No-scaled-not-prey made a noise Lily honestly wouldn't have expected from anything that small, yowling with a strangely deep voice.

"He is screaming at me," Beryl said, sounding distinctly amused. "No words, just sound."

"Is it bad-tempered?" Aven asked worriedly.

"Would you be, in this scenario?" Beryl asked sarcastically, still fully focused on the No-scaled-not-prey. "I'm going to wait until it stops."

That took a surprisingly long time, but eventually the odd scream faltered and faded… probably because other light wings were showing up, brought by the commotion. Most of them knew there was a prisoner by now, but they were staring.

"Don't interfere," Lily barked loudly. "We are dealing with it."

"He's petrified now," Beryl reported smugly. "I don't think he expected to attract a couple dozen spectators."

"Can you do what you need to with them watching?" She'd send everyone away if she had to.

"Yes." Beryl sat on his hind legs and loomed over the No-scaled-not-prey, idly flipping his tail around to lie between it and him, carefully placed just out of reach.

The No-scaled-not-prey glared at him and waved its limbs about aimlessly. It barked something short and piercing.

"No, I'm not sick in the head," Beryl snorted. His tail lashed out to smack the prisoner's legs out from under it, and in a flash he was on top of it, snarling. After holding that position, he retreated and returned to his sitting position, making no move to interfere as the prisoner scrambled back up.

The prisoner made a loud noise and kicked at the ground, then flinched, though Beryl hadn't moved a muscle. Lily wished she could understand its expressions the way she could with dragons. What was going through its mind?

It kicked out at Beryl again, this time stepping forward to actually connect, and he deftly slapped it with his tail, knocking it down. It barked something at him from the ground.

"Seems he doesn't like that," Beryl calmly remarked. "Now, how stubborn is he going to be? I have all day…"

The No-scaled-not-prey got to its feet, swaying a little. It didn't attack again, now just staring.

"Aven, for future reference, that is the face of confusion." Beryl tilted his head. "So, done being stupid?" he asked the prisoner.

The No-scaled-not-prey crossed its front limbs and barked something.

"Ah, on to insults." Beryl stood, shrugging his wings. "Well, it looks like he's going to bide his time. We can take him to the waste pit and pond now. I'll correct him as needed while we walk."

What followed was a strange game of herding one very confused and obstinate No-scaled-not-prey. Aven walked on one side, Lily the other, and Beryl behind, leaving the way in front clear but impassible because either of the light wings in question would pounce if the No-scaled-not-prey tried to flee.

It seemed to understand that… and it _definitely_ didn't like walking with Beryl behind it, but it didn't really have a choice. Lily didn't particularly like him being behind her either, something was putting her on edge today.

The dozens of staring, inquisitive light wings lining the path to the pond might have helped in ensuring good behavior. The prisoner's eyes were still relatively large, and Lily was beginning to think that was how it showed fear. That, and a pungent odor that, again, might just be normal for it.

"This will be easier than I thought if everyone still finds this entertaining a week from now," Beryl remarked. "No way he'll try anything with this many watchers. He's a bit smarter than the average hunter. I was expecting to have to stop a couple more escape attempts right away."

"Is that how you make friends with one of them?" Aven asked dubiously. "Confusing them and making them obey?"

"No, that is how you make sure they will not try and kill their guards," Beryl responded soberly. "I'm making him afraid. That isn't going to help to make him friendly, it will just increase the chances nobody we care about gets hurt in the attempt."

"But you have done it before," Lily remarked, remembering him saying as much. "Was that like this?"

"No," Beryl replied bluntly. "Then, we were both afraid." He sounded almost nostalgic, despite admitting to being afraid of a single No-scaled-not-prey, a stark contrast to the familiarity with which he handled this one.

Their little procession reached the pond with no real issues. Beryl walked around to stand between the No-scaled-not-prey and the water, and very deliberately shifted to the side to allow the prisoner passage to the water's edge.

It took the prisoner a few moments to figure it out, but it went along quietly once it understood, kneeling by the water. She assumed it was drinking… Until it moved forward and began wading in the shallows of the pond, headed out into the water.

"Odd..." Beryl barked at the No-scaled-not-prey and walked into the shallows, but that just made it move faster in the opposite direction.

Lily growled in annoyance; that was their drinking water, and while it always seemed to be full, replenished by the rain and who knew what else, it was not the ocean, infinite and unsullied. "Get it out."

"I will," a familiar and stern voice responded. Cara emerged from the small crowd and shot her sister a stern look. "Aven, you did not tell us you would be here."

With that, Cara waded out into the shallow pond opposite Beryl, her shortened ears clearly visible to the No-scaled-not-prey. The reaction _that_ sight elicited was almost funny, the No-scaled-not-prey splashing its way directly away from Cara… and towards Aven, who had moved over to the far side of the pond in an attempt to be helpful.

Beryl snorted derisively as the prisoner was recaptured, voluntarily running to Aven in its attempt to escape Cara. "That's going to be helpful. He fears retribution." There was a cold edge to his voice. "As he should."

Cara continued to approach after Aven had pinned the prisoner, looming over it and snarling. Then she stopped.

"Why does it smell of new rot?" she asked suspiciously.

"I noticed that too, but it has ever since I picked it up," Aven replied. "It has so many different smells that I cannot tell them apart."

"And what do you think is rotting?" Cara snarled. "Take a guess." She flicked her ears significantly.

"There's no way we randomly grabbed the one that kept her ears," Beryl murmured in disbelief. "You are probably just smelling his normal stench."

Cara began pawing at the prisoner, cutting the already ragged hides it sported. "I bet you it has them."

"Hey, stop that," Beryl objected, running over to get between Cara and the still-pinned prisoner. "You'll kill him."

"So?" Cara shot another significant glance at Aven over Beryl's shoulder. "Maybe then my sister will get over this strange ambition."

"Stop," Beryl repeated, before shouldering Cara aside and pawing at the No-scaled-not-prey himself, albeit far more carefully and precisely. "I'll look. Also, Aven's goals are admirable, if a little far-fetched right now."

That shut Cara down quite effectively, probably because she didn't want to be on Beryl's bad side. Lily moved over to watch as Beryl shifted through the false hides.

"I don't believe it," Beryl growled, his now-unsheathed claws hooking onto something. He pulled two white masses out from some hidden recess in the No-scaled-not-prey's false hides and slung them to the ground, a strand between them getting caught on his claws for a moment.

Everyone, even the prisoner, stared at the nubs that had been the majority of Cara's ears. Low growls began to echo from all sides, watching light wings catching on.

"Let's just get it back to the cave," Lily growled, glaring at the No-scaled-not-prey. "It can be taken to the waste pit later."

"I want to make it pay," Cara growled. "Does it have ears I can bite off?"

"Not really," Beryl hedged. "And no, we want it alive. Hurting it doesn't make that any easier."

" _I_ do not want it alive," Cara objected.

"But I do, so you'll do nothing to it," Lily interjected. "Come on, let's get it back to the cave." She would have to make sure Cara was under control later. Along with the rest of the pack. Somehow, she didn't think that would be easy.

As they walked back, Beryl snorted. "He is muttering things now," he explained. "Hear that?"

Lily had taken the noise for heavy breathing, or maybe growling. "Those are words too?"

"Angry ones, yes," Beryl confirmed. "He's whining about being wet and cold, and about his ship being trashed, and losing his trophy. I don't feel inclined to pity him, especially given if he had his way, I'd be back in that cage, on my way to who knows what."

"You said they would kill you," Aven offered. "They would not have to move you to do that, so maybe they were taking you somewhere for something else?"

Beryl barked a sarcastic laugh. "Death might be the kindest of their possible intentions," he said grimly, glaring forward. "My kind are hated and prized above all, and I've seen what they can do. I might have been given to another and kept in a tiny space until I died of old age, or forced to fight for my life until I died, or forced to try and Sire eggs for the rest of my life. Or just tortured until I died. Simply killing me would be the kindest of those."

Aven looked shocked and on the verge of whining, by the end of Beryl's explanation. Lily didn't feel _much_ better, her hardened disposition offset by the knowledge that she had almost considered consigning someone to that litany of horrors. Those were things Claw might enjoy, and she had wanted to leave him to it, _knowing_ that such things were possible.

"So, don't assume the best of him," Beryl advised, looking directly at Aven. "I'm not saying it's impossible to make friends with him, or whatever you're hoping to do, but it's not at all likely."

"It worked for you," Aven said hopefully.

"That is not like this. He did not…" Beryl trailed off. "Well, no. Never mind. The point is, this No-scaled-not-prey has his own unique past, and may very well never see us as anything but animals holding him captive."

"But he might," Aven said. Lily felt the urge to slap her. She was only hearing what she wanted to hear, and disregarding the rest.

Beryl stopped in front of the cave entrance, and Aven stopped with him. Lily, bringing up the rear, kept moving, forcing the No-scaled-not-prey into the entrance. It looked back at her, and she took the opportunity to snarl at it.

"That was mean," Aven complained.

"I couldn't care less," Lily said honestly. "You can be nice to it, Beryl can do… whatever he needs in order to get answers. _I_ do not have to like it."

"Really, Lily being the 'bad' dragon might help you, Aven," Beryl said. "But right now, you should go sleep. We'll handle getting your replacements."

"I can come back tomorrow and guard him in the morning?" Aven asked, looking at Beryl.

Lily snorted, drawing her attention to where it _should_ be. "You will be in the rotation," she offered. "For now. If you don't take it seriously, I will kick you out and replace you with someone who will. This is a prisoner and possible danger first, and a rehabilitation project second."

"Yes, alpha," Aven said far too meekly. Her brightly perked ears and happily swaying tail betrayed her enthusiasm even as she sought to hide it. "See you tomorrow!"

Beryl watched closely as Aven flew away. "She is so tired her tail is sagging," he said. "What do you think of her ambitions?"

"They're dangerous, and I would stop her in her tracks if you had not told her it was possible," Lily said bluntly. "I still might."

"I'm not happy with it either," Beryl rumbled, looking at the empty cavern entrance. The No-scaled-not-prey wasn't visible from outside, but he looked anyway. "My situation was nothing like this, but it's hard to explain why."

"Just say that the No-scaled-not-prey didn't introduce itself by maiming those close to you," Lily suggested. "That's a difference."

"That wouldn't be true," Beryl laughed. "I'll think of something. WIll you be setting up the guard schedule? I plan to sit here and listen for a while, but I can't do it indefinitely."

"I've got that handled." She considered staying with him, to hear what it said as it was said, but that was an impractical use of her precious time. It was not going to just give out its life story on a whim.

"Thank you," Beryl huffed, laying down in front of the entrance. He stared inward, his back to her. His voice was just a little too cold, his manners too stilted, for the casual way he spoke to be real. The way he moved, and now even the way he sat, was too deliberate and proper, and only served to emphasise how strong and experienced he was.

He still had lingering issues with what had transpired the night before. She couldn't really complain; she did too. At least they had gone through one conversation without blowing up at each other.

O-O-O-O-O

The shore looked no less strange and macabre in the bright light of day. If anything, seeing it clearly only made the previous night's impressions harder to shake.

It didn't help that Lily felt she was the only one on the beach with a proper respect for the danger the many pieces of detritus represented.

"Be _careful_!" she roared as two light wings struggled to carry a large chunk of wood with jagged edges. "Flare, would you-?"

"On it," Flare barked, running to assist. Under his direction and with his added strength, the wood moved much easier, and they were soon dropping it off in the pit excavated for the express purpose of hiding the many pieces of debris.

Lily _almost_ wished Beryl were here, providing his expertise on the many strange things they were moving, but she was glad to have no challenges to her authority, no matter how unintentional or small they might be. Her people could handle moving things without guidance. Hiding the evidence of what had happened here was a good idea, and they were doing so. That was all there was to it.

"Hey, why are you lazing around?"

Lily turned slowly at the sound of Diora's indignant voice, and sighed to herself. Of course, Diora had arrived at a busy site of labor and decided to become upset about the small cluster of light wings not pitching in, instead of setting a good example by pitching in herself. This way, she got to be indignant _and_ lazy, not to mention hypocritical.

"I am dying," the injured female from the night before proclaimed dramatically, thumping her tail on the ground for emphasis. "Or just not able to do anything useful. Who can tell?"

"She is still loopy on plants," Honey explained from her place beside the injured light wing. "I am watching her to ensure she does not do anything stupid."

"Not you, them," Diora growled, gesturing toward the other two light wings lazing instead of helping.

"I am guarding," Clay said simply, not bothering to move from the small hollow he had dug himself in the sand.

"I am watching," his mate offered from her spot beside him.

"Alpha, they are not helping," Diora called out, seeing that Lily was watching. "Surely all should help?"

"Surely," Lily agreed, thinking quickly. "Which is why Clay is watching for dangers, and his mate is keeping an eye on the younger volunteers." That wasn't strictly true, she hadn't assigned any task to Clay's mate, but it would serve as an excuse. "You can have a special assignment too. Go replace the next light wing to run out of fire, and help burn the remains of the wood."

"I can be just as good a watcher as they are," Diora pouted, approaching Lily. "Let me replace them, and let them do that."

"They have already used their fire," Lily retorted pleasantly. She would _like_ to slap Diora upside the head and tell her to quit whining and get to work, but neither of them were getting what they wanted right now. "You came down here to help out, right?"

"I came here to find out what you have gotten from the dark wing," Diora hissed. She was close enough to speak privately, now, and was taking advantage of that.

"We just pulled him from captivity last night," Lily said incredulously. "He got here less than three days ago. Did you not agree to give me time?" When did Diora think she had pulled Beryl aside to question him?

"I want to know!" Diora complained sullenly, sounding a lot like a petulant child.

"And I am working on it," Lily said calmly. She actually had forgotten about her deal with Diora, thanks to everything else going on, but that wasn't a problem. Unlike most of her current problems, she knew what would happen if she failed to keep Diora happy, and it was manageable. A pain in the rear, possibly, but something she could handle. That made it a lower priority.

"Work faster," Diora huffed.

"Tell you what," Lily growled, dropping the act somewhat to reveal the aggravation within, "you go do what I said and help, and I'll do what I promised. You don't get to order me around."

"I was just… eager…" Diora backtracked.

"I'm sure," Lily snorted. "Now go." She would question Beryl when the moment was right, and not a heartbeat before, no matter how pushy Diora got. It just wasn't a priority.

O-O-O-O-O

That evening, Lily ended up eating with Pina and Dew, despite intending to go sleep in her cave again now that the imminent threat was gone. She wasn't sure how it had happened, other than Pina showing up and offering fish, and her not wanting to say no when that would be immediately followed by leaving them alone. She got the impression that both Pina and Dew liked having her around.

Luckily, Rain had also been corralled into sharing the last meal of the day with his Dams. Lily fully intended to take advantage of the moment to ask about something she had noticed the night before.

"Rain," she began after she had eaten her fill, "I was wondering something."

"Were you?" Rain asked lazily.

"What were you doing up and about so late last night?" she asked.

"I felt like being up late," Rain rumbled casually, staring off into the distance. "Benefit of being an adult, nobody tells me when I should be sleeping."

"Is another benefit not having to look at people you are talking to?" Dew asked just as casually. It could have sounded like a reprimand, but she made it a gentle reminder.

"Sorry, Dam," Rain said agreeably, turning to look at Lily. "I was planning on keeping Mist company when she replaced my Dam at midnight."

"You were?" Lily asked. She didn't particularly like that; her guards were supposed to be undistracted, and Rain showing up was the opposite of that. "Have you done this in the past?"

"A couple times," Rain admitted. "Is it a problem?"

"It's irrelevant," Lily decided on a whim. She _could_ just forbid him from bothering Mist, but a better solution had come to mind. "Since you're up all night anyway, I want you to be one of those who guard the prisoner at night."

"And so I am punished for my love of females," Rain groaned dramatically. "Can we move the prisoner to sleep with you, so Mist and I can stand guard together?"

"Have you seen it?" Lily asked, playing along. "Or have you _smelled_ it? I would never be able to get that stench out."

"A small sacrifice for my benefit," Rain laughed.

"Is there something between you and Mist?" Pina asked.

"Not currently," Rain responded. "But she gets bored, so I help her out sometimes."

Lily didn't think Pina or Dew heard the possible other meaning to that, but she definitely did. She wondered whether there was any truth to it, or whether it was a joke. Rain and Mist weren't even close to being mates, and she had yet to deal with an egg being had by an unmated female, though she anticipated exactly that happening at some point.

Really, Rain represented a whole host of possible new problems, and it was only his restraint and good nature that prevented such things from arising. If he were more like Claw-

She shuddered and tried to forget that comparison. If he, or any male in the pack, was more like Claw, she would have to face her nightmares anew, and that was a horrible proposition.

"Besides, she is interesting and has things to say," Rain added. "Not like someone like Honey. She is nice, but boring, and she refuses to tell me stories about embarrassing injuries she has treated."

"Good," Pina growled. "I would not want stuff like that being shared."

"Gone to her with any interesting injuries yourself?" Rain warbled. "Or is this interest in privacy purely altruistic?"

"Speaking of privacy and spreading rumors," Lily interrupted, seeing a chance to pick at something else she hadn't yet looked into, "I got the impression you stumbled into something when you went to get Copper and Honey last night."

"Last night was a night of revealing things left hidden," Rain said dramatically. "Not to me, though, I already knew. They take walks through the forest in the moonlight, talking about plants. They were not happy that I knew exactly where to go to find them."

"Rain, stalker of the night," Lily quipped. She had expected to hear that Copper and Honey were sleeping together, either innocently or in the less than innocent way the phrase was usually used to imply. Moonlit walks were tame by comparison. It was almost disappointing; she knew Copper was interested, but he was moving so slowly that she wondered if he would kick himself for it later, seeing all the time he wasted.

"Sounds like something you would call Beryl, given he is dark and ominous," Rain chuckled. "Which is apparently attractive to the vast majority of the pack. I have already gathered a half-dozen tales of lovesick idiots throwing themselves at him, if you want to hear."

"I'd rather not, given that's something I have to fix, not something I can just laugh at," she said, aware it was a poor excuse but not really caring. She didn't want to think about Beryl.

"Non-alpha topics only," Rain agreed, taking it in stride. "Got it. Did you know, I learned something fun about Mist today?"

"Define fun," Dew said.

"Not that embarrassing, but weird and interesting," he explained. "It is about her parents."

"What about them?" Lily asked.

"They have a thing for mud," he said cryptically.

"Rain," Pina growled. "We are eating here. Stick to clean humor."

"Not like that," Rain laughed, having clearly intended to cause the misunderstanding. "Apparently, she trailed them one time when they snuck off to do something alone, back when she was a fledgling. Turns out, they were not mating, like you would expect. They were rolling in mud and then chasing each other around the forest."

Bemused silence followed that announcement. Lily didn't know what to _do_ with that information, or how to respond. It almost felt like she was forgetting something similar, something she had been told a while back, but that was probably just a feeling. _She_ certainly had not seen anything like that.

"Good for them?" Pina offered, breaking the silence.

"Weird of them," Rain corrected. "Mist really did not want to tell, but that was the forfeit of the game we were playing."

Lily sat back and considered taking another fish as Rain launched into his next story, elaborating on a game between the young adults of the pack. She enjoyed this, relaxing with friends and family, but something felt _off_ , like it wasn't quite right. She knew what, of course, but tried not to think about it. If she did, the moment would be gone, ruined by her grief.

But even thinking about _not_ thinking about it was enough to taint her enjoyment a little. She knew what she was ignoring. There just wasn't a way around that. She had to live with it, like she lived with the pain in her back.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily made sure to be present for the next morning's trip down to the pond with the prisoner. Her intent was to ward off any possible aggression, but that soon proved unnecessary. Not only were the spectators generally just intrigued, the No-scaled-not-prey itself was more passive this time around, less confident… or at least, that was how she interpreted its slowness and hesitation to move. For all she knew, could be dying, or just trying to annoy them by walking as slowly as possible.

But she wasn't really focusing on it this time. The argument between the three sisters that was going on around her was very hard to ignore.

"Someone else can watch it," Holly asserted. "You may want to learn from it, but that does not mean you have to be the only one in charge of tending to it."

"I want to be around it as much as possible," Aven objected. "I want to get it used to me, too. Others cannot do that for me."

"I do not want it to get used to you," Cara objected sourly, snarling at the No-scaled-not-prey in question. It barely reacted, stumbling a little further from her and almost running into Holly, who was walking on the other side of it.

"She wants to do it, so we should support her, but there needs to be a balance," Holly remarked. "Spending all day, every day with it is a bad idea."

"I never said I would do that," Aven complained. "You two are putting words in my mouth. Cara, how much time per day did you spend challenging males to wrestling matches before Beryl came along?"

"That was useful," Cara retorted. "I was learning to fight, how to create and counter strategies. This cannot compare-"

"Would your strategy be helped by knowing what the enemy plans?" Beryl interrupted, speaking neutrally. "Think about it."

Lily noted that he didn't seem to intend interfering further. It was a family dispute, and she had expected him to be paws-off about it, if not on Cara's side of the argument. She herself intended to stay out of it and see whether Aven's sisters could lower her expectations where Beryl could not; Aven needed to accept that the No-scaled-not-prey was not likely to become anything but an enemy, no matter how hard she tried.

"Maybe it could be helpful," Cara admitted.

"How long did you spend wrestling and finding opponents on any given day?" Aven asked, emboldened by her sister's reluctant admission. "A third of the day? Half?"

"A third, usually," Cara replied. "That is enough. You will spend no more than that with this miserable creature?"

"Deal," Aven happily agreed. "I will spend that time with the No-scaled-not-prey, and you can help Beryl, and Holly can help Lily."

"As you all must, given it's your ongoing punishment," Lily reminded them. It would do no good to let them make plans without taking that into account, as she fully intended to enforce it. They might find tasks they were particularly good at, but they would still be laboring to make up for their nosiness.

"I am helping Beryl, Aven is guarding the prisoner, and Holly is…" Cara trailed off as they reached the cavern entrance.

"Flying messages around for Lily," Holly volunteered.

"Yes, and I have some tasks for you," Lily growled. Holly had not been shirking her duty, not exactly, but she hadn't been _around_ either, and she needed to be present to help out.

"Speaking of tasks, I also have some things to arrange for our next lesson, and I could use your assistance, Cara," Beryl offered.

"And _I_ get to stay here," Aven chirped enthusiastically. "Have fun, everyone!"

Beryl and Cara left, and Lily found herself leading Holly away. She set her path in the general direction of the pond.

"I want you around more often," she said bluntly. "From morning to noon, I want you with me unless I say otherwise, and you'll check in again at dusk." If she was going to have Holly's assistance, she was going to have it on a schedule that fit her needs.

"I can do that," Holly said hesitantly, "but what would I be doing all that time?"

"Most of the time, just following me around, like Pina and Cedar are right now." She glanced up at Cedar, who was lazily circling far above, keeping his eye on the entire scene. Pina would be somewhere nearby on the ground, but she made a habit of seeking out friends in the area and chatting with them, to hide herself from any watchful eyes, much like Clay. She would be around somewhere, on a rock within earshot and likely within eyesight.

"And the rest of the time?" Holly pressed.

"Taking messages to people, and bringing responses back. I obviously cannot say when you will do that, and when you will just be sitting around. This will go on for a moon-cycle." It was a harsh punishment, to last that long, but she was hoping to get a reaction from Holly.

Holly remained silent, not betraying her feelings on the subject.

"Will you be missing out on anything to do this for me?" Lily asked. She would rather get any recurring complaints out of the way now, if there were to be any.

"No… Nothing." Holly shook her head. "Nothing I cannot do later. Will Cara be holding the same schedule with Beryl?"

"That's between them," Lily said. Something had piqued her interest, a combination of little things Holly had given away. The way she had asked after Cara's schedule but not Aven's, how she had hesitated before saying she was doing nothing in the mornings that could not be done later, combined with her attitude…

It all seemed to point to _something,_ and Lily felt she could figure out what, if she thought about it a little more. "Would you rather I pulled one of your sisters to come assist you?" she offered, probing at the way Holly had leaped to asking about Cara.

"I would _like_ Aven, but mostly to keep her away from that No-scaled-not-prey until I can be sure she is being realistic about it," Holly muttered. "But no, that is just me being selfish."

"What about Cara?"

"Leave here where she is," Holly said casually. Too casually, when combined with the rest of what she had said. She wanted Cara with Beryl in the mornings…

The answer that had just popped into Lily's head was incomplete, lacking a motive, but all the evidence she had seemed to fit, so she decided to take a shot in the dark and see how Holly reacted. "I might have another assignment for you."

"What is it?" Holly asked.

"Beryl has spoken of being watched by a camouflaged light wing," Lily elaborated as they walked. "I want you to have Cara watch for such a person, because they're not spying on my orders."

Holly flinched. Subtly, she tried to pass it off as a misstep, but she was not clumsy, and not smooth enough to be convincing to someone with Lily's eye for details.

"Unless," Lily added, pushing harder now that she had a confirmation of her somewhat wild guess, "it turns out that said spy goes away when you're with me. I think that would be proof enough by itself."

"Having Cara with him all the time might scare them away," Holly agreed. "But hypothetically, would a watchful eye on Beryl be useful anyway, even if you did not set them there? I am sure they would come to you if they spotted anything suspicious."

Lily held no illusions as to what Holly was really saying, but she was impressed by the younger female's ability to sound so casual about it, almost perfect, so she played along. "I'm certain Beryl is not here for subtle, nefarious purposes, having so many eyes on him already. Such a spy would not see anything unique, and it bothers him to constantly feel watched. Even if he _was_ up to something, I would rather he grow lax in the belief that he is not watched, and this spy is not sneaky enough to avoid detection."

"Maybe they just do not trust him, like you do not," Holly offered.

"I trust him to a degree, and I would rather said spy trust _me_ ," Lily growled warningly. "Hypothetically. Will you seek them out and convey this message?"

"As soon as I can," Holly agreed, her eyes downcast.

"Good." Lily was glad to have solved that little issue. She didn't know how long it would have taken her to catch Holly in the act, if she hadn't made a wild guess and had it confirmed, but this way had to be more efficient than that.

"How did you know?" Holly asked, dropping the pretense.

"I've spent season-cycles playing this game," Lily said quietly. "Lived by it, survived because of it. I'm _very_ good at putting things together."

"Did you start that good?" Holly asked.

"I was taught, so yes, I started out pretty skilled," she admitted. Pyre had taught her not to be stupid, how to connect the dots, how to infer from what people said and what they _didn't_ say, and a million other little things, all before she had really needed it. She had been naturally sneaky and manipulative to start, but she owed the majority of her skill to him fostering and directing those innate talents.

"Could you teach me?"

"You know, you're not the first to ask," Lily mused. "If there is anything I can teach you, you can learn it by watching and thinking carefully about why I do what I do." She _could_ hypothetically offer more active advice, but she wasn't sure whether she wanted to teach Holly, and answering this way left both paths open for later, when she had thought it over and knew more. She was leaning toward not wanting to help Holly grow more skilled in deception and manipulation, but she wasn't sure why, aside from a gut feeling.

"I will do that," Holly agreed. "Cara likes fighting and Aven likes to dream about things that might not be possible, but I think I like to help them and lead them, like you do with the pack." There was just a hint of yearning in her voice.

"That's good," Lily said, nodding in approval. "Like I said, watch and learn. You will have ample opportunity." Maybe she and Holly had more in common than she had assumed. That might be useful, if cultivated. Who knew what future struggles the pack would face. She still felt as if they had started something by destroying the No-scaled-not-prey ship.


	44. Assertive

Lily stood at the back of the crowd of light wings, wishing she could savor her momentary anonymity. In another time and place, she would enjoy not having to be the center of attention, shifting the burden of teaching and guiding to another. She wanted the relieved confidence and lack of responsibility the light wings all around her possessed.

But too much was wrong for her to be comfortable, or even relaxed. The one teaching was not someone she was comfortable allowing to have any sort of authority without careful oversight, and the very attitude she envied in her fledglings was _wrong_ , far too casual when the threat was not guaranteed to be gone-

Though they didn't know that. Beryl had not told anyone of the hints that implied there might be more of those they had killed, and she had not spread the news either. It was not enough to base anything off of, a simple implication that those they had killed were participants in a larger game of some sort, and it guaranteed nothing at all. For all they knew, this was the last time No-scaled-not-prey would ever be sighted by those who lived in the valley.

By that same reasoning, for all they knew, a thousand times more No-scaled-not-prey might arrive any day now, vicious and fully aware of the demise of their fellows despite all Lily had done to hide that. She was still unsure of the full capability or extent of the enemy, and Beryl was not entirely sure either.

Thinking about it, she didn't envy her fledglings' attitude so much as their lack of knowledge. It was easy to be confident and relieved when one didn't consider that the battle they had won might not be the end of it.

The alpha didn't get that comforting innocence. Lily knew more than anyone in the valley, and she didn't know everything, and that was disconcerting, a churning, unsettled feeling in her gut and an intermittent headache. She hadn't slept well the night before, and she was feeling it now.

More so when the light wings around her crouched, and she forced herself to mimic them as well as she could. She hadn't been listening to Beryl's explanation, so she had no idea what they were meaning to accomplish. Still, she bent her front legs, held her head parallel to the ground, and braced her hind legs.

It was futile in her case; whatever he was teaching, she couldn't really do it. Whether it was flying or fighting, she was hobbled by her body. But she would go through the exercises anyway, as far as she was able. She needed to know what her people were learning, and she needed to understand first-paw how it felt.

It helped that she could also use that as an excuse to keep an eye on Beryl without making herself obvious. He had hopefully forgotten her presence. He certainly didn't seem to notice her, busy observing her pack as a whole.

"Hold it," Beryl barked. "If you cannot, you need to know, because that means you need some extra work on your front legs."

Lily was feeling her own weight now, unused to holding herself so low for so long. She lifted her head a little, just enough to get a look around, and noticed that some of the other light wings were trembling.

Her own limbs were starting to shake, at that, and her headache throbbed miserably with the shaking, but she kept herself up, growling quietly. She didn't feel any contempt for those who fell and couldn't manage what Beryl was asking, but there was no point in giving up before her body forced her to.

"Okay, straighten up," Beryl called out. "Or fall down, that works too."

Lily forced her legs straight, rolled her wing shoulders, and inhaled harshly. She _felt_ weak, even though she had managed it. Crystal and Mist, who were on either side of her, had not trembled in the slightest.

"Oh, I am out of shape," Mist said under her breath. "Do you think he is almost done testing us?"

"Definitely not," Lily said, watching as Beryl herded a few light wings out of the overall crowd and into a smaller group off to one side, still part of the larger grouping but clustered with others who had failed the same exercise.

There was a gentleness behind how he did that, one Lily was impressed by. He didn't put them out in front of everyone, or scold them for failing, or anything else she could imagine a less considerate dragon in his position doing. They had failed, they were lesser in terms of physical fitness, but there was no shame involved.

Except, of course, for the shame she would feel were she to be singled out as such. It was well and good for others to be grouped according to their failings, but if she was moved everyone would notice and it would damage her image. Had she known Beryl would be focusing on identifying weaknesses, she might have thought better of taking the place of a common light wing. But there might have been an image of weakness to sitting out, too. Even Root was participating, taking advantage of Beryl's lengthy explanations to position himself as best he could without seeing an example.

"Okay," Beryl called out, stepping back in front of the crowd, "we're moving on to our wings, and you're going to have to partner up for these next ones."

"Lily," Crystal rumbled, sticking a wing out to tap her.

"I get her next one," Mist growled.

"Sure," Lily agreed, seeing no harm in it. She trusted both of them to work with her. It was far better than working with, say, Cloud. Better than working with Beryl, too, though that for a different reason. He would be polite, she was sure of that, but it just didn't feel like a good idea.

"Place your wings on your friend's back, push down, and lift the paws on that side off the ground," Beryl instructed. "You'll be holding this one for a while, so get comfortable. It doesn't matter which wing you use, if your wings had different strengths you wouldn't be able to fly right."

Lily sighed and shook her head, confirming what Crystal had already guessed, judging by her sad look. "That doesn't sound like a good idea for me," she admitted. "Or for you to do with me. Maybe find another partner?"

"I can sit this one out," Crystal offered. "I know my wings are strong, I do more flying than most." She avoided mentioning why Lily couldn't participate. Lily was grateful for that; it hurt enough to acknowledge that she could neither support another's wing on her back, nor extend hers enough to do the exercise for herself, not correctly. Beryl was straightening any wings he saw bent near the front of the crowd, and hers would _have_ to be bent because she couldn't straighten them all the way.

"That's fine," Lily allowed, paying more attention to Beryl, who was working his way through the crowd in their general direction. She couldn't avoid him, and she couldn't draw attention to her disability, but she also couldn't just fake it, not without hurting herself badly. If Honey and Copper saw her hurt, or were told about it by others, they would make another big scene about it.

There was no getting away from some sort of strike against her image, not without damaging it in some other way. She held in a frustrated growl and resolved to deal with his inevitable question as clandestinely as possible, though he was sure to make that difficult.

"Crystal," Beryl rumbled, approaching them, weaving between pairs of light wings. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine, I am just sitting this one out," Crystal explained.

Beryl turned to Lily. She braced herself for the inevitably tactless question, the call-out-

"Good on you for letting your friend rest, alpha," he said. "I guess you can just tell me whether you think you need extra help strengthening your wings."

Lily could hardly believe he had put it like that, and she was torn between annoyance and relief, but she knew he was giving her a chance to save face, and there was nothing she could do but take it. "I think I will be fine improving my wings as best I can on my own," she replied, not saying she was strong but also purposefully implying she didn't want to be put in a group to work on wings, where her disabilities would be made painfully obvious over and over again.

"Maybe I can give you a few exercises to do on your own. We'll talk about that later. Good work on everything else so far." His voice was not warm, far from it, but the neutral coldness he had been holding against her since their latest fight was not so bad now; either because he knew it would make him look bad in this instance, or because he did not feel like being rude.

But he _had_ offered his help in the most condescending possible way, so she said nothing, not even a thank you, and let him move on without further comment. That would harm her image too, in its own small way. Her fledglings still liked Beryl far too much for their own good, especially the females.

"Next, we'll be testing your tails," he called out. "But for now, keep those legs up! Don't hurt yourselves, but don't give up too quickly, either."

Lily couldn't help but feel that both parts of that message were aimed at her, but she noticed herself interpreting his words unfairly, this time _before_ she took offense, and squashed the bias. He was irritating enough on _purpose_ , she did not need to twist his words to be mad.

O-O-O-O-O

A long time later, with a sore body and a still-throbbing headache, Lily approached Beryl. She was not the only one to do so, far from it, but given most of those he actually spoke to had nothing important to say, and far too many invitations to spend time together, she suspected he would make his way to her sooner rather than later.

"I'm sorry," Beryl announced loudly, catching her eye for a moment, "I think the alpha needs to speak to me. I'll see you all at our next session, and some of you sooner than that for extra help." He loped over to her at a pace that was far too quick to be as nonchalant as he intended it to be.

"Let's walk and talk, your lesson has got me in the mood to exercise," she hummed, faking enthusiasm for his teachings. It was frustrating, to need to both keep her position safe _and_ prop up the importance of what he was doing, but she could manage.

"Me too, I did far too much correcting and not enough testing myself," he agreed, heading for the woods. She was forced to walk faster still to catch up and not be trailing behind, but at least they were out of the clearing and into the forest quickly at the blistering pace he was setting.

"I needed that rescue," Beryl said as they moved. He didn't seem at all bothered by the speed, moving easily and fluidly. "Now imagine how much worse it would be if they all knew I had no mate."

"I do not need to imagine, I have seen my people at their worst in that regard," Lily panted, refusing to shorten her statements or otherwise let on that she was having trouble keeping up. This day had been full of her being forced to prove herself physically, and it hadn't stopped with the end of his lesson. "But it's… the right thing to do."

"In your opinion." He looked over at her. "Do you need me to slow down?"

"Yes," she growled, stumbling to a stop, losing her resolve to push forward the moment he offered. Her head was hammering so hard she was having trouble seeing straight, and her body was strained in every possible way besides that.

"Next time, you can just ask," he rumbled, stopping and doubling back to her. "It is not like you need to impress me." The renewed coldness to his voice added, without words she could call him out on, that he would never be impressed by anything she did, having seen her flaws already.

"I don't give up easily," she retorted. "You saw. How many of your groups for substandard performance did you have to put me in?"

"None, but only because I was not looking for a fight," he shot back. He looked away from her. "You would go into several of them, but those groups are for rebuilding weak areas, not healing, so maybe even if I was not trying to keep you off my back, I would not put you in any of them."

"I am glad you understand that calling me out on my issues in front of everyone is a bad idea," Lily conceded coldly. "It serves no purpose but to undermine me and make them worry."

"Which is why I didn't do it, we have been over this," Beryl snorted. "I think your pack could do with a little worry, though. I can already tell that using the looming danger of more No-scaled-not-prey won't work on its own."

"No, it won't," Lily agreed, glad to get into something useful, not frustrated squabbling hidden behind polite words. She chose to ignore his possible motivations for changing the subject. "Unless another shows up soon, which is not something we can rely on. A different sort of motivation is needed."

"Fear, pride, competition, desire to please, or level-headed thinking about how it would be a good idea to learn self-defense no matter the situation," he listed. "The last one does not seem to be happening, fear is pretty much gone, and only the females care about impressing me. Competition could work, though."

"How much of what you are teaching could be turned into a game without making it less effective?" Lily asked, glad he was on top of this. It was refreshing to not have to do all of the mental legwork to get from a problem to its potential solutions.

She also noticed, once again, that it was so much easier to work with Beryl when it was just them solving a mutual problem. He had dropped his anger with her over past arguments, she had managed to put aside her dislike… It worked so long as neither of them thought about it or provoked the other.

"Most of it, but not these first few lessons, not really," he said. "It's going to be a lot on how to run and fly right, and all sorts of other things people either already know or have been doing wrong their whole lives. I can't make that a game without shaming the people who don't know any better."

"So there needs to be a short-term push before the long-term motivator of competing," Lily reasoned. "That can be fear or at least shaken confidence. The pack is too confident, we took down the No-scaled-not-prey too easily to reinforce what you've been saying. Could you demonstrate just how unprepared the average light wing is if someone skilled attacks?" That seemed like it would work.

Beryl flicked his wings out and resettled them, then nodded. "Yes, but it has to be a demonstration with warnings ahead of time. I don't want to do something aggressive and be mobbed by your supporters before anyone can tell them it's not real." His voice was carefully neutral, and she got the impression he was trying to avoid an argument.

"I don't think you would be mobbed for that," Lily said, some of her annoyance with him resurfacing. If anything, a large part of her pack might back him out of renewed fear. She thought they were learning to be better, but Beryl was perfectly posed to tap into the mindsets Claw had created, and while she could stop him in the long run, in the short run he could shock them into inaction if he knew how to hit the right tones and say the right things…

"But yes," she concluded, ignoring the unsettling image that had just come to mind, "it will be announced beforepaw. How many untrained light wings do you think you could subdue without dealing anything worse than bruises and shallow cuts?" She wanted to tread a fine line between too violent and not violent enough.

"Given what I saw today, a dozen," Beryl snorted. "Eight, if I am being careful. Six, if I'm being careful _and_ they have time to come up with a strategy together."

"You'll get eight, but I'll pick those who have no experience working together," Lily offered. She already had a few candidates in mind.

"Deal." Beryl nodded at her. "Now, about those wing exercises."

"What?"

"All consideration for image and your authority aside," he said, rolling his eyes as he spoke, "if you want to improve yourself, you need advice. I can't just tell you to exercise your weak points since I don't know how weak they are, or in what way."

"I don't want to talk about it," she retorted. Then her brain caught up to her mouth, and she sighed, turning away from yet another potential argument with an addendum. "But yes. If you have something for me to improve with, I want to know what it is."

"Right," Beryl rumbled. "Can you flap them? I know you cannot fly, but I don't know why."

Despite the logic of it, Lily found herself hating the position he was putting her in. She wanted nothing more than to walk away and avoid this conversation… No, in an ideal world she would fly away, because there would be nothing to talk about.

Still, if she could not avoid some of this conversation, she could walk. She began moving through the forest once more, forcing him to tag along or be left behind. "I can't spread my wings right," she said, powering through the information just as she was powering through her lingering exhaustion and headache. "Jolts of any kind cause pain. Nothing can touch my back. Do I need to exercise my wings if they are no use?"

"They could be of use in a fight," Beryl said, swerving around a tree to walk beside her. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere, and can I fight if I am not able to take a single impact without collapsing?" she continued, taking the quickest path to the end of the conversation.

"No-"

"Do you have anything to say on somehow ignoring pain?" she called out.

"No."

"Are we done here?" Her voice was level, and she was doing her best to seem calm, if not unaffected, but she still felt the need to flee, to avoid all of this. Honey and Copper fussing over her was bad enough, that was their duty, she didn't want anyone else knowing the extent of her weaknesses, even if Beryl was only trying to help.

"We-" Beryl broke off to avoid a thicket of brambles. "Yes," he continued once he was back by her side. "We're done here. Do you need me for anything else right now?"

"No," Lily said shortly.

"Okay, so I'll leave now," he offered, turning on his hind legs and setting off in the opposite direction. He was gone in moments.

Lily stopped and watched his fleeing tail from over her shoulder, still feeling far too panicked, far more than the situation called for. Her heart was racing, her head was throbbing miserably, and her entire body was awash in discomfort.

She shuddered, flexed her wings out to their shortened limit, and then pulled them in again, feeling claustrophobic and pained. It was good that he had stopped following her, she would have snapped at him to get him to just _go away_ if he had persisted.

She couldn't help but notice that his actions seemed to point to him understanding that very possibility all too well. He was smarter than the average light wing, and it showed.

"At least it was him," she muttered, disgusted by her own panic. He kept seeing her unguarded and off-kilter, poking at her issues and refusing to let her just do what she needed to do, for better or worse. The only saving grace was that he wasn't a fledgling of hers and thus didn't need to see her as wise and always in control. She didn't need to project the usual image of alpha around him.

That didn't mean she wanted to bare her weaknesses, though! She began casting about the forest floor, seeking one of the several varieties of pain-numbing plants.

As she searched, she snarled to herself in a voice too low and guttural to be understood, if anyone could even hear her. "Grounded, can't fly, can't take a hit, can't be touched on the back, can't have eggs _ever_ , can't get over myself and be impartial to males I don't know… That's the list."

That was the list she wasn't going to give him, the truth of how thoroughly she was damaged. Most of it was physical and unfixable, but one of those things was her own fault. She was in control of her own mind, and she had repeatedly failed to look at Beryl and his brother with an open mind. This unwarranted panic was just another failure, and she was so tired of letting it happen.

All she could do was keep going and try harder next time… And in the meantime, she could forget about Beryl and think about something else.

Such as looking for the suddenly elusive herbs she needed to make it back to the valley. Honey and Copper must have scavenged around here recently, she wasn't finding anything.

"Can I help?" a familiar voice called out from seemingly nowhere.

Lily didn't turn and jump, but only because her headache was addling her reactions enough to slow her down. "No, Clay, you're fine," she called out. "Here early?" It was only barely noon.

"Figured I should take over early, since you were going into the forest and might not be back out for a while," he offered, approaching from her left, his body a shimmering blur. "Do you need anything?"

Lily barely noticed his unusual helpfulness; he had probably overheard her and Beryl talk about the pack not being motivated, and taken it to heart. "No, I just need you to do what you usually do," she sighed. Teaching him what to look for would take too long, she just needed to give up looking and head back into the valley…

And maybe stop by her cave. She needed to lie down, though she felt like she was falling to the same overconfidence that plagued her fledglings in doing so.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily walked down into the valley feeling refreshed and anxious. She hadn't _intended_ to sleep from the moment she reached her cave to the next morning, it had just happened. It was probably for the best, she felt worlds better this morning, but it had been unexpected and obviously not planned.

It would be obvious to her guards, anyway. She didn't think Clay or Crystal would spread that around, Crystal because she knew better, and Clay both because he knew better and because he wasn't one to gossip. "Don't pass on what I was doing yesterday afternoon," she requested, looking at Pina. "I don't want to set a bad example."

"You needed your rest," Pina purred. "I was worn down by noon too. Beryl really put us all to the test. It was a little embarrassing how quickly Dew and I grew tired with the endurance tests. I thought we would be good at those, having to endure fledglings most days."

Lily snorted at her cavern-Dam's weak but entertaining joke. She felt much more like laughing today, too, like her emotions had been rejuvenated with her body. "Unless you are also running while enduring them, it does not count."

"You have never had to direct a game of 'chase the prey' with ten of them," Pina retorted.

"Where are we going?" Cedar asked, chiming in from one the rocks to the side of the mountain path. He was making a game of taking the most precarious route possible while still staying close enough to do his duty, or so she assumed from his erratic movements.

"Right now?" Lily shrugged her wing shoulders. "That depends, did anyone spontaneously combust yesterday evening?"

"You mean burst into flames?" Cedar asked. "No, why would they do that?"

"It's a figure of speech," Lily snorted. "No big arguments, no dangers, no problems with the prisoner?" Thankfully, she had arranged a short-term guard rotation for that before Beryl's lesson the day before; she didn't want to think about how Aven would have handled being the only one with any commitment to guarding it.

"There was an argument between females over something," Pina reported, "but Holly stepped in and stopped it before it got out of hand. I only noticed because I was nearby at the time."

"Good," Lily said solemnly. Holly should be coming to find her at some point soon, and she could ask about that when she arrived. "Beryl?"

"Working with some of the groups he pulled out yesterday," Crystal said. "Wings and tails today, legs and stamina tomorrow, I think. He said something about a demonstration, too?"

"Right, that." She would send Holly to gather those she had picked for Beryl to beat up, and hopefully none would object. Of course, she would frame it as a friendly fight that they could possibly win, not an all but inevitable beatdown to smack the pack's collective ego back into place, but it _was_ going to be a fair fight. She just was not picking people she intended to win.

All of that could wait for Holly to catch up with her; taking messages was her job. Lily hummed to herself as they walked out into the valley proper. All of that was handled. Was there anything she needed to deal with personally?

Put like that, she didn't have much she had to attend to right that moment. The No-scaled-not-prey and Beryl were her two big problems, and both were currently absent or well handled. The peripheral issues, such as the prisoner…

Lily scowled at nothing as she remembered Diora, and her promise. She couldn't track Beryl down right now, so there was nothing she could do on that front, but it was an unpleasant task she would have to approach at some point.

What _else_ could she do now? Something that needed an alpha's touch… Shalla came to mind, and checking in on the rest of Root's tormentors. She could also stand to look in on Honey and Copper, they needed regular oversight just to ensure she noticed if something came between them and affected their performance.

Thinking of Copper and Honey led her to thinking about injuries, and for once her mind didn't immediately go to her back. "Has anyone checked in on the female who was wounded in the fight?" She had not forgotten her, not entirely, but other things had taken precedence.

"No," Pina admitted.

"That's where we're going, then," Lily asserted. Diora and any other looming annoyances could wait, and Shalla was not going anywhere.

O-O-O-O-O

"Oh, I am popular today," the female said woozily. She was lying on her side on a rock, basking in the intermittent sunlight. Her wound was on full display, slowly closing but still a very large gash coated in spit.

"Alpha," Clay's mate said diffidently, bowing her head. She sat next to the injured female, seemingly enjoying the sun with her. "She is on some sort of plant, so if she says something stupid, do not mind it."

"I am happy and melting," the female supplied, helpfully giving an example of her current state of mind. "So warm…"

"At least she's happy," Lily remarked. "It is good to see others are visiting, too."

"We keep each other company well enough," Clay's mate said. "Though-"

"I lost my mate, she lost her son, we are miserable together," the woozy female supplied, waving her paw in shaky circles to aid whatever point she thought she was making.

Lily knew this female was one of the many Claw had left behind, but she hadn't thought her one of those most bothered by his death. Certainly not five season-cycles later.

Clay's mate huffed in annoyance. "I made the mistake of telling her that," she admitted. "It is not that, not really."

"I wanted an egg, could not have one," the female argued. "You had one, lost him. Same thing."

"Yes, yes it is," Lily hummed. She cast Clay's mate an understanding look; this could be awkward, but only if she tried to read into it. Best to just ignore it and treat it as what it was, the partially unhinged thoughts of an injured light wing hopped up on plants.

"I feel like I am flying," the female grumbled. Her eyes drifted closed.

"It is better when we do not talk," Clay's mate suggested.

"I can see that," Lily snorted. "Is she ever not on the plants?" She had wanted to actually talk to the female, not listen to nonsense and possibly embarrassing secrets spilled without thought.

"Ask Honey and Copper," was the reply. "But I think they were talking about weaning her off of them once her wound has closed."

"Sounds like a plan." Lily paused for a moment, then decided to give the advice that had come to mind. "It is not my place to pry, but have you and Clay considered trying again?"

"I was thinking about it, seeing her," Clay's mate answered, looking down at the female. She was snoring lightly, and drool was leaking from the side of her mouth. "We are in no danger now, and any moment might be the last chance… Maybe soon."

"If you want to, you should go for it," Lily advised. She wasn't entirely sure that life was stable enough to make having an egg a good idea _right now_ , but that wasn't her decision to make. Nobody knew what the future held, and for all she knew, right now was the perfect time.

Of course, it also wasn't the greatest advice from the standpoint of the person responsible for figuring out the pack's overpopulation problem, but Clay and his mate were not a part of that problem. They didn't have a single child to show for themselves, and she was not so heinous as to suggest they should not have any more just to make her life easier. Now, if there was a couple who made a habit of always having hatchlings and eggs in the works, that would be a different thing entirely.

"You are not speaking on my mate's behalf, are you?"

"Oh, no," Lily said, shaking her head. "Clay never even brought it up, and I have not asked. I don't even know if he would want to. That's between you two."

"Yes, it is…" Clay's mate looked to the sky behind Lily. "Another visitor, or is she here for you?"

Lily looked over her shoulder and saw Holly flying toward her. "Me, probably," she admitted. She had hoped to speak more with the injured female dozing between them, not Clay's mate, but at least she had caught up with _someone_.

O-O-O-O-O

By noon of the following day, the entire pack was assembled on a shore. Not the same shore where they had fought the No-scaled-not-prey; that would have set the wrong mood.

Lily had picked another spot, one far from there. It was like any other section of shoreline, hilly and boasting a lot of sand, but not much else.

Her people crowded the spaces between the trees, looking out at the sandy expanse. Crystal, Clay, and Cedar stalked along the line between sand and scrubby grass, ensuring nobody crossed it. She knew very well that if there were not light wings carefully ensuring everyone stayed behind a certain line, someone would step out to get a better look, and their friends would follow, and others around them, and soon the entire shore would be overrun.

That wouldn't do, so her guards patrolled. She had, of course, not selected any of them to fight Beryl. She needed them in top shape to do their jobs, not nursing a bunch of bruises and a punctured pride.

The six light wings she _had_ selected, three males and three females, huddled in a circle out near the tideline. From the looks of things, Copper and Whirl, the two she knew best out of the six she had selected, were arguing over something. The other four watched intently.

Lily knew she had hampered their side by picking people who did not know each other well, but she wasn't bothered by that. If anything, this particular group represented the pack quite well. Two mated males, Copper, Whirl, a mated female, and one female who had been mated to Claw. They were from all positions in the pack, and not very good at communicating _or_ fighting, though she had been sure to select light wings who had not made it into one of Beryl's subgroups. This would _look_ fair, or physically stacked on the side of the light wings. Her sabotage was purely on the level of personality and experience.

Beryl, alone on the shore a short distance away, a black blotch against the nearly white sand, sat nonchalantly, waiting for them to decide on a plan. He did not look worried in the slightest, which fit the confident way he had requested so many opponents.

Lily knew he was right to be confident; in fact, if anything, he was not confident enough. He had specified six only if they were coordinating, and she had said she would provide eight. She had ended up only going with six, but she hadn't picked them with teamwork in mind, quite the opposite. So he was likely overestimating them.

In a way, this was a fight between her and him. He was going to demonstrate his prowess in combat, but also his ability to judge his own strengths and weaknesses, and she was going to be tested on how she used this opportunity. Nobody would be judging her aside from him, but he knew what he had requested, and he would know what she had provided. How the fight played out would send a message about how she judged him, and whether she believed he was a fair judge of himself.

Assuming he was thinking along those lines and thus able to see the message. She didn't know if he was aware of that side of things, though she suspected he might be.

The long huddle broke up with a grunt from Whirl, and their group spread out, putting a few winglengths between each person. Beryl stood, stretched his wings out and resettled them, and grinned toothily in her direction.

"On my fire," Lily called out. "You all understand the rules. No flying higher than a few winglengths, no running out of sight, no deep cuts or killing blows. Fight to defeat, not kill."

Beryl snorted impatiently, and the light wings all nodded or otherwise signalled their agreement.

"Good luck to all of you," Lily roared. She inhaled deeply, paused for a few heartbeats to build suspense, then fired into the sky-

Beryl was moving before her shot had even detonated, streaking across the sand with long bounds that seemed to utilise the raw strength of his entire body. He closed the distance between himself and the nearest light wing in a heartbeat, and then they were tangling together.

The black and white ball rolled over twice, ending with Beryl on the bottom, and then the white portion was forcibly ejected, Beryl shoving all four paws out and flinging the mated male away from him. The male floundered in the air, unable to get his wings out properly in time, and hit the ground hard, landing on his back and staying down.

The other light wings, stunned by their ally's immediate defeat, began moving far too late. Beryl was already back on his paws by the time the next nearest dragon, Whirl, was anywhere near him. She leaped forward, clearly trying to engage and tie him up long enough to let everyone else close in-

But Beryl has absolutely no intention of letting that happen. He fired at her well before she got close, impacting her chest with enough force to stop her in her tracks and spread a patch of blurry camouflage across her front, and leaped into the air, this time spreading his wings and flying low to the ground. He bypassed Whirl entirely, dodged a slow, half-hearted lunge from Copper, and dropped down to slam into another light wing. The female crumpled with a low cry, smashed down onto the sand, and Beryl paused for only a moment.

Lily noticed the moment where he was vulnerable; he hesitated to check and be sure he had not done more damage than intended. If her fledglings had all fired on him then, he would have lost, but fire was still not the first thing her people thought of in any situation, not even after seeing it used against them.

Instead, they were all slowly, at least in comparison to Beryl's speed, turning and trying to approach him. Copper flew, Whirl ran, and the other two trailed behind, grouping up together.

Having ensured the female had only had the breath knocked out of her, or so Lily thought based on how the female was gasping and growling to herself, Beryl turned his attention back to his four enemies.

His tail went up, and he hopped to the side as Copper tried to drop on him as he had done moments earlier. Copper hit the ground lightly, spun, and received a paw to the face for his trouble. Whirl leaped in, but Beryl just dodged back again, and-

Lily winced as Whirl slammed into Copper's head. They both went down, and only Whirl got back up. Beryl was on her the moment she rose, and he grappled her onto her hind legs, then slid his tail around behind to pull those out from under her, smacking her back onto a sand dune. A kick to the lower stomach made her wheeze, and she was out of the fight just like that, doubling over even as Beryl left her there.

There was a momentary pause as Beryl saw the last two light wings huddled together, side by side a short distance away.

"We can be done," he called out. His eyes were still narrow, and it was a cold, serious offer, not a taunt. Lily didn't think he _did_ taunts in the middle of a fight, even one like this. "In a real fight, looking like that, you would flee right about now."

"We flee," the smaller of the two announced.

Lily heard a few groans of disappointment from the crowd around her, but not many. She _hoped_ they were too busy trying to understand how one dragon had won so thoroughly against six, so much so that the last two surrendered despite having a two-on-one advantage.

"Okay, demonstration over," Beryl rumbled, his body relaxing. His tail did not relax like most light wings would, not entirely, but it fell back to the careful position Lily recognized as normal for him. He walked over to Copper and helped him up, then to the female he had knocked the breath out of.

It took a surprisingly long time for Beryl to gather up the light wings he had defeated, but eventually they were all standing in various states of injury or breathlessness.

"That was about what I expected," Beryl called out. "There's a big difference between obliterating one enemy ship and actually fighting someone with numbers that don't make it an automatic victory."

From the uneasy muttering behind her, the message had gotten through. Lily purred grimly. It wasn't fun, putting her pack's confidence back where it should be, but it was necessary and it had been done. She doubted anyone would be slacking off or growing complacent in the near future, not after that.

O-O-O-O-O

"No news on the prisoner saying anything useful?" Lily asked Aven as they walked. The younger female was exhausted, her tail dragging along the ground, but she was awake enough to answer a question.

"Nobody understands him except Beryl," Aven murmured. "But it does not matter, the guard for today said he slept most of the time and spent the rest knocking stones together. He has not said much of anything yet."

"Annoying," Lily huffed. "You get some sleep, you're on guard duty tomorrow morning." The guards had been finalized, a rotation that ensured Aven spent no more than a third of every day with the prisoner, and no nights, but Aven was tired from something else entirely.

"My wings ache," Aven said dully, peeling away from Lily to trudge toward her rock. She hadn't meant for Aven to go _now,_ it was only late afternoon, but she let her leave. If she was so tired as to not even catch that, she needed the rest.

"My wings are fine," Cara said proudly. "I was not in the wings group, I was in the tail group, and Beryl says I was just not applying myself before. He let me leave the group _already_."

"That just means you did not need to be there in the first place," Holly said. "Aven _did_ , that is why she is tired."

"Exactly," Lily huffed. "Cara, go find two light wings with no hatchlings to care for, and bring them to me. I want to send out a patrol tonight." She already had short-range patrols over their immediate surroundings, but according to Beryl ships were much more obvious at night because they had lights, and she wanted to send some long-range scouts to check the waters further out. In the wake of Beryl's demonstration, she felt far more secure demanding such measures, since her people felt _less_ secure in general. They were more likely to obey and care about doing their best on such tasks now.

"Yes, alpha," Cara grunted, departing with a heavy flap of her wings. Lily could not help but notice her tail flagging as she flew, dropping erratically and throwing her balance off.

"And me?" Holly asked. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere, I am just surveying the valley," Lily explained. "You stick with me for now. Something might come to mind." She had to admit that it was convenient, having Holly and her sisters around to send messages without burdening her guards. She wished she had thought of having such assistance sooner.

"Does surveying mean talking to people, or trying not to be noticed and seeing what can be heard?" Holly asked.

"No sneaking around," Lily admonished, recalling that Holly had been the one responsible for trailing Beryl. Holly was lucky; she could use her camouflage when the need arose. She _could_ camouflage, instead of turning into a giant floating patch of scar tissue and eye-catching distortion.

"Okay." Holly leaped up onto a tall boulder and turned in a quick circle. "I see Diora and Beryl arguing, but nothing else," she reported.

Lily swallowed the annoyed admonishment on the tip of her tongue for startling her. "Where?" she asked instead. That was a confrontation she hadn't expected to happen-

Though she had put off getting Diora answers _again_ , so it was probably her fault.

"This way!" Holly called, waving a wing.

Lily grumbled to herself and clambered up onto the rock to follow Holly in leaping across. Every jump was painful, but she didn't feel comfortable telling Holly to slow down or go on the ground, not when they _did_ need to hurry. She didn't like showing weakness to Holly.

Besides, they were closing in on the confrontation quickly. It was easy to see, both were standing on the plateau in plain sight. Diora was saying something politely enough, and Beryl was sitting back in a way that Lily could tell was stiff and guarded even from here.

She wondered why Holly had called it an argument; it was one, or would be one very soon, but that wasn't obvious from sight alone. Lily might have called it one simply because she knew the deal she had made and then stalled on, but it would take some quick interpretation of body language and the personalities involved to label it a conflict of any sort without that extra knowledge.

Maybe Holly knew enough of Beryl and Diora to just label it a conflict because she assumed they would grate on each other, or maybe she had managed the somewhat impressive feat of interpreting the subtle details in a brief moment. Lily had more pressing things to attend to at the moment, but she would be sure to look into Holly's perception later.

They drew attention, leaping from rock to rock, but neither Beryl nor Diora was positioned to see them, and both were otherwise occupied.

"Surely you see that a Dam has a right to visit her daughter," Diora wheedled. "You yourself said you were with Crystal's children, so surely you know where she is."

"I do know," Beryl said. "That doesn't mean I'm going to tell you."

"But why not?" Diora demanded. Lily suspected that they had arrived just as Diora's small store of patience ran out.

Lily stopped following Holly, instead jumping to a rock within Beryl's peripheral vision.

Beryl twitched, his head shifting to the side enough that he could look in her direction, and she caught his distracted gaze.

"Why _not_?" Diora demanded again. "It is my right, you cannot just hold that knowledge hostage for no reason!"

Beryl shook his head at Lily, and turned back to focus on Diora. His gaze was hard and cold, much like it had looked when he was offering to let his last two opponents surrender. "Pearl asked me to promise not to reveal our location _specifically_ to thwart you. You will never show up at our home, unannounced or expected."

"But that is not a reason, that is just Pearl wanting to avoid me," Diora growled. "I have a right to see Silva, at the very least, if not take her back-"

Beryl smacked his tail on the rock, making a loud, sudden sound that startled Diora. "No," he snarled at her. "I know who you are, what you do, how you treat your children. You will get nothing from me but disgust, and if you push it far enough, pain." His claws slid out threateningly.

Lily made two more painful jumps, the second one landing her on the far end of the plateau, and barked loudly. It was high time she intervened, if only to protect Diora, as little as she wanted to. For once, she was totally on Beryl's side of the argument, but Diora would become insufferable if Beryl harmed her for any reason, and with enough loud whining might even become a real problem. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Alpha!" Diora exclaimed, showing not a hint of shame for totally disregarding their deal regarding Beryl. "Tell him he has to tell me where Silva is."

"Nice work, backing her into a corner," Beryl muttered. "I am not able to tell Diora what she wants to know."

Lily appreciated that he understood enough to not say 'I will not' or make any sort of ultimatum. He wasn't participating in forcing her to pick a side, since he understood she couldn't do that outright. Even using the phrase 'not able to' gave her some wiggle room to exploit by implying that it wasn't a choice he could make at all, and thus not something she could use her authority to override.

"Let me be clear," Lily growled. "Diora, you want to make what is by all accounts a three moon-cycle trip to wherever Beryl lives, in the hopes of seeing Silva? You do know that will have you traveling through a world you don't know, and in the depths of the cold-season?" She could strike both at Diora's plans, and the practical considerations. If she was lucky, Diora would defend the feasibility of going now, not the need for the knowledge or the principle of the thing, and thus expose a far easier position to be dismantled.

"I want to know _where_ to go when the time is right!" Diora retorted, not falling for the bait, though she didn't seem to notice that it was an intentional trap set for her. She was just stuck on her line of attack and unwilling to be bogged down by details. "He is keeping it from me out of spite!"

"I promised and I do not break my word," Beryl offered, playing right into the angle Lily had intended to use. "Regardless of how I feel about you, I won't be telling anyone where we live."

"She can make you tell," Diora snarled, flicking her tail in Lily's direction. "Or she will throw you out!"

"Don't make threats on my behalf," Lily said tersely. "That was a bad one, anyway. Throwing him out is not a punishment for _him_." It would be a punishment for the pack, removing their ability to learn and improve. Beryl was already indispensable, and Diora should know that. But of course, her own ambitions meant that even if she did know, she didn't care.

"So come up with a better one!" Diora demanded.

"Here's a threat. No, actually, it's a promise." Beryl bared his teeth at her. "Set one paw near Pearl or Silva, try to mess with their lives and wellbeing any more than you already have, and I will make you regret it if they do not beat me to it."

Lily growled loudly, frustrated. So much for Beryl cooperating; he hadn't backed her into a corner, but he wasn't even trying to calm things down. "Both of you, quit it!" she barked.

"Yes, alpha," Diora said immediately, bowing her head and looking up hopefully.

Lily wasn't surprised in the slightest by Diora's obedience; it made her look like the innocent one if she cooperated. Beryl sheathing his claws was small and inadequate by comparison, at least to those watching.

"This isn't negotiable," Beryl said quietly. "I know too much about you and have seen too much of your work to ever trust you with anything that could hurt them. Knowing where they live is _definitely_ one such thing. If either of them wants to reconnect, they will make the first move, but I would not hold my breath. You are welcome to, though." He glared at Diora.

"You just want them all to yourself," Diora accused. "I bet you took Silva as your mate against her will, and are keeping her hostage there, and Pearl does not care-"

"What?" Beryl barked. "Where did you get that twisted idea from? Silva has no mate, I have no mate, and Pearl would leap into action the moment she thought Silva was being taken advantage of! If anything, you are projecting, because _you_ let exactly that happen to Pearl!"

Lily snorted quietly, amused by what Beryl had just barked within earshot of at least a dozen bystanders. So much for him keeping his status as a single male secret. He didn't even seem to notice what he had revealed.

Still, it was past time she ended this. "I have no ability to force Beryl to speak, especially when Beryl has made a promise. I will not make him break his word when it is only his word that keeps him here in the first place. Beryl, would you be amiable to carrying a request to Pearl and Silva _for_ Diora, whenever you go back?"

"Sure," Beryl said, even as Diora made a wordless noise of complaint. "I'll even promise to deliver it fairly, instead of just announcing it when they are sound asleep and never speaking of it again."

"But I want to get her back!" Diora complained.

"Compromise does not mean we get what we want," Lily admonished. "It means we get something close. Beryl, do you _want_ to carry a message?"

"No, but I don't get what I want either," he said with a growl. The light amusement in his eyes and his swaying tail implied he was acting, not actually bitter, but it was all about how things _looked_. Diora played the victim, and when the victim was appeased she couldn't really pursue the matter any further without dropping the act. At least, that was Lily's assessment of the situation.

"That is… I want…" Diora looked from Beryl to Lily, and back again. "Yes, alpha. If you think this is best." She bowed her head and slipped away, heading directly to a small cluster of older females.

Lily had no doubt that Diora would exploit this for all it was worth; she had 'lost' if one assumed she deserved what she wanted in the first place.

Then again, Beryl had lost too, both officially and unofficially. He still didn't seem to realize what he had revealed in the heat of the moment.

"I really hate her," he growled to Lily, pitching his voice to be unintelligible to anyone further away. "You will not make me teach her to fight, or anything but how to flee more effectively."

It was not phrased as a question, but Lily made herself ignore that and treat it as one. "I agree with you on not making her dangerous in a physical sense," she confirmed. If anything, she thought that Diora would slack and not learn even if she was taught; it suited her to not be threatening, to always be the helpless one in any confrontation. Still, it was prudent to not allow her that opportunity. She would have to think of some way to keep her out of the lessons… Maybe a patrol route with a more trustworthy partner.

"Good," Beryl huffed, loosening up. He rolled his stout neck, audibly cracking it. "I suppose that was going to happen eventually."

"More than one thing was going to happen sooner or later," Lily agreed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see light wings gossiping and Holly looking at Beryl suspiciously. Already, the effects of his admission were rippling outward faster than any paw could stop.

"You mean Diora, but also…" Beryl's ears twitched, and his face fell. "Tell me I did not just roar it in front of so many people," he groaned, finally remembering his words.

"If it makes you feel any better, we will have no more arguments on whether it is morally right to hide your eligibility while looking for a mate," Lily said.

"Less arguments is better, but not worth this," Beryl groaned.

Lily looked around at the whispering clusters of light wings, a few of which were already flying off to spread the news, and shrugged her wing shoulders despite the discomfort that came from doing so. She wouldn't know. It wasn't like she had hordes of light wings chasing after her. Considering _why_ that was, she had a hard time pitying Beryl. At least he had options. People like her and Root didn't have that luxury.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily didn't know whether to be embarrassed by her pack's inability to find a single black dragon in a valley of white, or thankful for that same failing.

Looking up, she could see three different females obviously searching the area. There were more walking between the rocks, also failing to hide their intentions. It was a slower, less energetic search than before, and were she to confront any one female, they would strenuously deny what they were doing.

But they _were_ searching; news of Beryl's availability had spread like all news did, quickly and with no regard for whether the subject wanted it known. Tomorrow, he would have to face down many, many admirers at his lessons, and Lily planned to back him up there. Lessons were not the time for any thought of romance, on either side.

Outside of lessons, though, she would only intervene if her people took things a step too far in an undeniable way. This was deniable, and she didn't intend to make a fool or tyrant of herself by cracking down on it.

Besides, her people were absolutely terrible at finding Beryl. _She_ had found him within moments of deciding to look, in the first place she had thought to check.

"As I said, they loved to camouflage for a while," Beryl was explaining, speaking softly to Crystal, who was huddled close, a wing over his head in a way that would have looked far too intimate if Lily didn't see the practical reason for it. "Spark was their favorite target, he always jumped and barked in surprise when they roared in his ear."

Crystal nodded, her ears low, and said nothing. Not only did she likely have nothing to say, she seemed content to let Beryl talk without direction.

Mist, on the other paw, was not so content. "I bet that got on Spark's nerves, and he put a stop to it," she offered. She had her back to them, and a wing extended over Beryl's hindquarters. From above, it would look like she and Crystal were just sprawling out on an abandoned rock, taking up far more space than they needed. There wouldn't be a hint of black beneath the two white wings, and anyone walking by on the ground would be too low to see him.

Lily, perched on another rock nearby, was at the only elevation that would allow her a view of Beryl. Neither he nor the light wings obscuring him had noticed her, simply because they were too occupied watching for obvious searchers. She lay still, her eyes on the orange sky and slowly setting sun, and listened intently.

"No, Spark is not like that," Beryl said. "I think he played up his surprise even when he suspected they were there. He didn't _enjoy_ being startled, but he would have let it go for as long as they wanted. I might have too, though it was annoying. _Storm_ put a stop to it."

"Why?" Crystal asked quietly.

"They made the mistake of biting the paw that feeds them, or in this case the tail that wasn't coming down on them for annoying us," Beryl rumbled. "They started sneaking up on and startling _her_. I don't know how long it took them to get to the end of her short supply of patience, but once they did she told them outright that camouflaging to scare people was lazy and easy."

"Did it really take nothing but stern words?" Mist asked.

"It was the way she said them," Beryl explained. "They're competitive and she had just informed them that camouflaging was low-effort. Back then, they fell for things like that all the time, and it helped that she really did believe they were making it too easy by camouflaging. After that, Spark and I had a much easier time catching them in the act."

"What about Silva?" Mist asked. "Did she join in on this, or what?"

"She doesn't care about scaring people, so no, not really. Neither does Thaw. Nine times out of ten, if there was trouble being caused, it was Thunder or Lightning at fault. The other one time was Silva."

"And Pearl's fledgling never made trouble?" Mist pressed.

"I think Pearl would have liked it if he was more rowdy and difficult," Beryl said seriously. "No, he never made trouble. I can think of _maybe_ three times he caused a big stir in the four season-cycles he's been around."

"Tell us about those?" Crystal requested.

As Beryl began a similar tale of trouble with low stakes, Lily contemplated Crystal. She was sad, obviously, but also intrigued, and not just about her children. She had asked Beryl to talk about other fledglings.

It was a small thing, but Lily suspected Crystal was trying to become friends with Beryl, like Mist already had. If the way Beryl behaved around her was any clue, he already considered her a friend.

He made friends so easily among the females who expressed no desire in chasing him, even fleeing to them when necessary. Lily couldn't see that as a bad thing, whether or not she wanted to. Anything that kept him invested in teaching her pack as best he could was a good thing. So long as he made no moves on Crystal, she was content to let them be.


	45. Amicable

Lily lingered behind a tree, not hiding but not making herself obvious either, and watched as Beryl praised a group of overly bulky light wings, all of who were panting. Any one of them would not be noticeably different in a normal crowd, but all together, in front of Beryl, their extra weight was obvious.

"Good!" Beryl barked, walking down the line and purring at each and every one one of them. "It isn't fun, it doesn't feel as good as lying around in the sun, but you did it anyway. Are you going to come back and do it again tomorrow?"

There was a halfhearted chorus of barks and affirmations, both because they didn't really want to, and because they were too out of breath to be louder.

"Right!" Beryl nodded. "It will get better, I promise you that. A few days, and you'll have a little more energy. A few moon-cycles, and you'll feel faster, slimmer, more energetic and maybe even happier! And most importantly, if things get bad, you'll be able to keep up with the rest of the pack!"

Lily nodded in approval, though he had yet to see her there. He led with the real but less important benefits of getting into shape, and closed with the _real_ reason this was such a big deal, and thus why this flight followed by a run through the forest wasn't exactly optional.

"I'm proud of all of you!" Beryl concluded. "Now go get something to drink, or a fish to eat, and relax! So long as you watch your portion sizes and come back tomorrow, you can do whatever you want!"

For all their exhaustion, nobody lingered once they had been dismissed. Beryl was alone in the forest faster than even he had expected, judging by his wide eyes and sly grin.

Lily revealed herself as soon as it was clear they were alone, not wanting to give him any reason to think that she was spying on him. It wasn't really spying in this case, but if she let him get the idea into his head, he might be more alert and suspicious the next time she _was_ spying on him.

"Portion control?" she asked loudly.

"Flying and running is a good start, but going home to eat two dozen fish will make it worthless, and make them feel miserable," he explained, taking her sudden appearance without any visible signs of surprise… aside from his tail twitching.

"They looked pretty miserable when they got here," Lily observed. "Anything bad happen on the flight?"

"No, nothing, just a lot of whining and requests to go slower," Beryl snorted. "Those stopped when someone tried to go slower and realized that flying very slowly without gliding is _more_ difficult than flying fast."

"I suppose it would be," Lily said, ignoring her inability to test that surprising statement. She wouldn't have thought so, but she had never tried to fly as slow as she could glide without actually gliding.

"Yes…" Beryl trailed off. His eyes slid toward her back, then snapped back to her face. "That was the last one."

"The last what?" She ignored his glance at her injury, it wasn't important. "They are just getting started, surely."

"The last group to start with," he explained. "We can start doing real learning with the whole pack now. Those who need to improve are beginning to, and won't feel so bad about being behind the rest. By the time we get to actually competing, they'll be able to without shame."

"I see." It had been more than half a moon-cycle since he started taking out the individual groups in addition to basic lessons on posture and mindset that he gave the whole pack every few days. It made sense that he had finally gotten through and set up all of those groups with the basics they needed to close the gap between themselves and the rest of the pack.

"Speaking of improving," Beryl added, "what about you?"

Lily shook her head. "I've been busy," she said truthfully. She had no time to stretch her wings and flap pointlessly, no time to run… no time to exercise at all. Her body was not capable of fighting or flying or even painlessly running, and there was no way taking time out of her day to rub that in was going to help her.

"Not even the flapping exercises I showed the wing group?" he asked. "You were watching, you saw those."

"Not even those." She would be offended by his persistence, but that was just how he was approaching all of this. She couldn't expect him to turn off the attitude when helping her specifically, most people could not moderate themselves that thoroughly.

"It's good for you," he huffed. "How about you do them right after waking up? Surely you can spare a few moments in the mornings?"

"Maybe, no promises," she growled.

"Okay. In other news," he said, turning and heading in the general direction of the path up the mountain, "how are you handling Diora? I will begin teaching how to attack soon."

"I'm going to stick her on a patrol duty every day you teach," Lily explained, walking on a path parallel to him. Not close, they were not walking together, but close enough that she could speak without projecting her voice. "You teach every other day, so that will be easy. If she complains, I will explain that you elected not to teach her combat, and put my paw down if she whines about it." There were only so many clever ploys to keep Diora away from something literally everyone else would be learning, so she didn't expect to keep the real reason secret for long.

"When she whines about it, you mean," Beryl growled.

" _If_ she whines," Lily repeated. "I think it's likely she will obey, then complain behind my back Maybe not even that, if I mention that she cannot be expected to fight enemies since she is not being taught to do so."

"Maybe," Beryl grumbled. "You are not worried about her gaining enough support to make her dangerous?"

"Diora perpetually plays the victim," Lily replied. "She flounders at playing any other role. I've seen it first paw, she can't lead even when she tries. At worst, she will make herself a martyr and force me to appease her through sheer pity."

"That sounds bad enough, if her being appeased gives her access to Pearl and Silva," Beryl huffed.

"Tell me," Lily asked, "did Pearl really make you swear not to give directions? She and Silva are happy never seeing Diora again?"

"She was very clear that she did not want Diora in our home," Beryl asserted. "And yes, they're both happy."

"Then I'll make sure that appeasing her does not change that," Lily promised. "Worst-case scenario, I'll make you give in, and you'll lie. You keep your promise, I appear to have tried my best, and Diora disappears on a very, very long journey out into the middle of nowhere, if she goes at all. You can be gone by the time she returns."

"That would teach her," Beryl chuckled. "Anyway, enough about her. You _did_ go and check on those light wings you scared, right?"

"They are all acting more or less normal," Lily hedged. She had not gone for a one-on-one talk or anything, but she had kept an eye out for them. None seemed overly bothered by her lesson. If they didn't go back to tormenting Root she would leave it there, but she had the feeling she hadn't been harsh _enough_ , if they so easily shook it off. "Why?"

"Root and Shalla arrived together, and left together," Beryl revealed. "Either they are friends, or she has succumbed to guilt and is following him around in an effort to appease her conscience." His tone was jovial, but there was a hint of warning, possibly even reproach, buried within. If it was the former then he approved, but the latter would prove him right about her being too harsh.

"I wasn't aware they were spending time together," Lily admitted. Hopefully, it was just an apology turned into a friendship. She didn't want him to be right.

O-O-O-O-O

Later that same day, Lily happened across an interesting scene as she was walking to the pond. It began when she turned a corner and saw a larger female glaring angrily at Root, whose empty eye sockets made him distinct, even from a distance. Shalla stood between them, her tail on Root's front paw.

"You brats are sticking your noses where they do not belong," the angry female snarled. "He is dead, it is over, stop bringing it up!"

"We want to hear you talk, not talk ourselves," Shalla said loudly. "Your story. That is all."

"You will just say I am wrong," the female snarled.

"We are not here to say anything about any of it," Root rumbled. "We are collecting every story and putting them all together at the end. Without yours, we might get something wrong, something only you knew."

"You will get everything wrong," was the snarled retort.

"But we will get it more wrong if you do not talk to us," Root bargained. "Only a short time. Tell us what you think we should know, what you think was important about that time or about him. That is all. Convince us to tell the story how you want it."

"Or we could leave and get the story from people you do not like," Shalla threatened.

"No!" Root growled. "We will get the story from everyone and tell it without bias!" Clearly, Shalla had said the wrong thing-

And it looked like she had lost them a potential story. The female snarled and spread her wings. "Make up your own lies, you will not strong-wing me into telling my side." She flapped hard, harder than she needed to, and the edge of her wing graved Shalla, who barked and jumped back right onto Root. The two younger light wings fell in a tangle, Root barking in shock as Shalla knocked him down.

"That was a mess," Crystal whispered from behind her. "Are you going to intervene?"

"Not yet," Lily said. She wanted to see how this went. How Root and Shalla responded to the failure and Shalla's part in it would be interesting, to say the least. She hadn't seen much of Root's story-gathering prior to this.

"Threatening people does not make them want to talk to us," Root said gently, his voice soft.

"I thought it might," Shalla admitted, her head hanging low. "Sorry."

"It is okay, we can ask her again later. Maybe just me." Root shrugged his wings. "I could maybe tell her that you were speaking out of turn, and have her mad at you, not me?"

"If that fixes it," Shalla agreed. "Can we do another? I promise not to say anything like that."

"We should not do another…" Root said slowly.

At that moment, a light wing glided by, flying so low a single unexpected gust of wind would knock them to the ground. "Shalla, come fly!" the male called out.

"We could do another," Root immediately offered, backtracking on his own words.

"We should," Shalla agreed. "Not right now, Blur!" she roared forcefully.

Lily watched with veiled interest as Blur continued flying for all of a few heartbeats before apparently realizing that he had heard her correctly. He wheeled around and doubled back on them, dropping down onto the nearest unoccupied boulder, then hopped down to Shalla's level with his wings held half out in a transparent attempt to make himself bigger.

"Why not?" he asked with the air of one far too used to getting what he wanted.

"I am busy," Shalla said, tossing her head and turning to the side. "Come on, Root, we should go find the next person."

"Busy with what?" Blur exclaimed. "You are just walking around with some random male. Why not ditch him and go flying with your future mate?"

"Why not fly away yourself?" Shalla growled. "You really are not getting any better at making me want to be around you. And I am not your future mate, not if you act like this!" She glanced at Root, who was standing entirely still, probably wishing he could see what was going on.

"Is that how it is?" Blur asked angrily, lashing his tail. "What does he have that I do not?"

"He does not drop in on me and demand I stop everything to go flying with him, for one," Shalla barked. "Stop it! Go away! I will fly with you tomorrow if you have a better attitude then."

"I could go flying with one of the many, many other females around," Blur threatened.

"You could," Shalla snorted. "And you would annoy them too, once they got over having the attention of a male."

"Or maybe not!" Blur growled aimlessly. "Fine! I will see you tomorrow."

"Maybe!" Shalla said. "If you are not acting so obnoxious."

"Fine!" Blur all but threw himself into the sky.

"I do what I want, when I want, and you are not allowed to drop in and demand I do things with you," Shalla roared to the empty sky, venting her anger despite Blur's absence. "You do not see me flying by and demanding your attention every day!"

An awkward silence fell over them as she growled and let off roaring at nothing. The light wings all around who had been alerted by the strong words all went back to whatever they were doing, and pretended they had not been eavesdropping.

"She has a point," Root said loudly, breaking the silence. "Come back later."

"He left," Shalla supplied. "But I am sure he would have had some immature retort for that, too."

"Oh." Root reached out with one of his paws, bumping her side. "When did he leave?"

"Back when he roared 'fine'," Shalla admitted. "I was roaring at nothing and nobody after that. Forget about him, he is just an idiot who likes me but likes himself more."

"He did sound entitled," Root agreed. "Is there anything between you, or… something?" he finished weakly, trying and failing to sound only casually interested.

Shalla was clearly oblivious to his true interest, and responded in the same manner. "Maybe if he gets his act together, but for now, nothing except a repeated annoyance," she groaned. "Can we stop talking about him? I want to go find another person to get the story from."

"I would like that too," Root agreed.

Shalla purred wordlessly, brushed her tail against his face to let him know where they were going, and led the way out of Lily's view.

"That was annoying," Crystal huffed once they were gone. "Blur needs a talking-to from his Sire, he is being obnoxious."

"Shalla might need one too," Lily said, weighing in on the far more pressing issue. "About how to know when males like her but are not obnoxiously loud about it. Root was not that subtle, and she led him on." She didn't think Shalla saw Root that way, the sad fact of the matter was that nobody in the valley did, but Shalla hadn't done anything to let Root know.

"Does he?" Crystal asked.

"Shalla recently apologized to him about playing along with his tormentors," Lily said, laying out the facts as she knew them. "Now she is helping him with his project, and actually paying attention to him. Keeping in mind that she is the only female who does so on a regular basis besides his Dam…" she trailed off.

"I give him attention sometimes," Crystal objected. "But… maybe not enough. So, maybe he does like her. Does she like him back? That would be great for him."

"No, and that's the sad part," Lily murmured. "I don't think she does, and once someone lets her know how he feels, at _best_ she will let him know as gently as possible." She very much doubted that anyone could go from mocking to attraction that quickly in a healthy way, and Shalla showed no signs of caring for Root as more than a friend, or if she was being uncharitable toward Shalla, a pity project to make herself feel better.

In any case, Lily knew she had to have a talk with Shalla, and soon… and Root would need some people to keep his mind off of her. "Maybe reach out to Root more," she suggested. "He could use some friends right now."

"I will," Crystal said seriously. "But for his sake, I hope Shalla _does_ like him. It is terrible, seeing so many available females not give him even a second look, where they swarm over Beryl."

"It is," Lily agreed, avoiding the unpleasant thing she would have had to add, were she to say anything else. She understood why females avoided Root, possibly better than anyone. Males would avoid her for the same sorts of reasons, were there any around. It took someone with ulterior motives to look past their disfigurements, and Root had no Cloud who wanted something from him enough to do so. Not that Cloud was a positive thing…

Lily shook her head, dismissing thoughts of the intermittent, love-struck thorn in her side. She could at least ensure Shalla did not become Root's Cloud, and in doing so she could also ensure Beryl's worry about her was baseless, as she had originally intended.

O-O-O-O-O

Early the next day, Lily sought out Shalla's rock. The young, unmated female had claimed her own boulder near the pond, taking one that changed paws extremely often, so small it barely fit a single light wing, and thus unsuitable for anyone but a young adult without a mate. The upside was that it had a great position in the valley, was always in the sun, and was perfectly flat except for a crack down the middle that served to drain rainwater.

It was the kind of rock that Lily would have _liked_ to have claimed, back when she was young and not yet aware of Claw's vile intentions. She might have, had she lived out in the valley, and thus been encouraged to seek her own place after being declared an adult.

Those thoughts brought a wave of melancholy with them, something she only rarely felt, and she shoved them away as firmly as she did some of her worst memories. There was no point in pondering how life could have gone differently; the only path that mattered was the one she had followed.

"Anyone home?" she called out, though she could see that Shalla was there; the rock wasn't a tall one, and her tail was dangling over the end, twitching in the breeze.

"Yes?" Shalla said, turning around. "Alpha?"

"This is just a social call," Lily said reassuringly, seeing apprehension in the way Shalla reacted to her presence. "I wanted to check up on you."

"About… the thing?" Shalla asked.

"Just in general. That, and also the loud argument I heard you got into with a certain male." Lily stretched upward and rested her front paws on Shalla's rock, bringing her head up to the other female's height.

"Yes, but you will have to be more specific about _which_ argument you mean," Shalla admitted. "There have been a couple."

"Mind talking about that?" Lily asked, wondering whether Shalla meant to keep her standing on her hind legs for the entire conversation. The rock was small, but that was no obstacle to Shalla leaping off, or inviting her to go to the pond, or any of the number of methods for relieving the other person's obvious disadvantages.

"Blur is just an idiot, that is all," Shalla said. "I wish he would grow up."

"You don't have any obligation to wait for that," Lily said seriously.

"It is either wait for him to change, or wait for another male who wants me in particular," Shalla groaned. "At least with him I already have the upper paw on everyone else, because he likes _me_ over them all."

"What are you waiting for, exactly?" Lily asked. "What is wrong with him, besides the obvious, that you think time alone will fix."

"He is selfish and thick-headed," Shalla huffed. "Surely he has to grow out of that? Other males are not nearly as bad."

"And if he does not change?" Lily asked, hoping to bring things around to what she was doing with Root. "You should at least look at other options, if you are so frustrated with the one currently courting you. Nothing says you two have to end up together."

"Beryl," Shalla said with a dreamy sigh. "He would be ideal. Smart, considerate, _very_ good-looking…"

"Besides him," Lily snorted.

"But why besides him?" Shalla asked. "If not Blur, then definitely him. Do not tell me you cannot see how perfect he is. It is only how much competition I would have that stops me from even trying for him."

"He has his flaws, like everyone else," Lily argued.

"He also has a broad chest, and strong legs, and big wings," Shalla hummed. "And he can fight, and he is strong, and-"

"And you are not bothering to chase him, so clearly you do not consider all of those things worth much effort," Lily cut in.

"I would never win him over!" Shalla whined, clearly stung by the less than kind assessment Lily had delivered. "Everyone else is trying, and plenty of them are more attractive than me. He even has female friends already. You, and Mist, and Crystal… I would never win. I just wish he and Blur would swap places in my life."

Lily ignored both the growing pain in her hind legs from standing propped up for so long, and the discomfort from being named as one of those with a strong chance to take Beryl's heart. The former was unimportant, and the latter untrue. "But that cannot happen. Have you looked at _other_ alternatives to both Blur and Beryl?"

"Copper is taken, even if it is not official," Shalla said glumly. "Rain makes a game of playing everyone off, and I would never be able to _keep_ him. Root is blind, and far too interested in stories for my tastes. Blur is the only one I can _actually_ have, if only he would just change a little."

Lily had the confirmation she had come for, and a certainty that if Shalla was leading Root on, it wasn't a conscious effort. Still, she felt the need to dig deeper. "It seemed to me that you liked stories too."

"Oh, that?" Shalla asked innocently, flicking her ears. "I care more about helping him than what we hear, although some of it is amazingly weird once they believe Root will keep the sensitive parts quiet."

"You care about helping him?" Lily pressed.

"Yes," Shalla said, happy to elaborate. "He needs it, and he is so happy to have company. It is like watching a fledgling, except with less playing and more guiding around."

Lily winced on Root's behalf; the _last_ thing he probably wanted was an overbearing female caring for him. Though he didn't really notice with Shalla, and her help was probably good for his project…

"Do not treat him like a child," Lily warned. "He really doesn't like that."

"I said it was _like_ helping a fledgling," Shalla snorted. "Not that I call him one. It is just that he is as helpless as one."

"I see." What she _really_ saw was that to push deeper, or to try and change Shalla's opinion of Root, would probably upset the current situation, and all else aside, she didn't want to cause him any more disappointment. Shalla would almost certainly see any tentative advances Root made as something innocent, and in the process Root would realize he held no attraction for her… And in the meantime, Crystal would be there to offer a sympathetic shoulder to fall back on.

"But, alpha," Shalla said cautiously, "since we are talking about this… who do you think Beryl will pick?"

"I don't particularly care," Lily said, rearing back and dropping down to all four paws. She was done here, and that question indicated that if she stayed to make small talk, she would regret it. "I have things to do. It was nice talking to you, Shalla."

"Oh. Goodbye, alpha!" Shalla said happily.

Lily sighed in annoyance once she was out of earshot. Shalla might complain about Blur treating her badly, but she was not exactly the most considerate person herself, even when she thought she was being nice.

At least Lily had gotten the reassurance she needed. As it turned out, she was right and Beryl was wrong. There was nothing _particularly_ troubling about Shalla's view of Root, nothing that implied the punishment had backfired.

Not that she felt any desire to hold that over Beryl, or even tell him except in passing. So soon after seeing so many subtle flaws in how someone related to the people around her, she could tell that doing so would just make him feel like they were fighting again. She hadn't gotten into a fight with him recently, and that streak would not end over something so minor.

Besides, she was too busy to chase after him in order to gloat, or do anything other than lead her pack.

O-O-O-O-O

The days passed in a flurry unlike any Lily had ever known. She barely even noticed them blurring together. Between Beryl's lessons, keeping up with her normal duties, and always straining to come up with new ways to ensure everyone remained safe, time slipped away like sand through her claws. There was nothing like an ominous danger always just over the horizon to keep her on her paws. Most of the time, she didn't even notice until she blinked and the day was over, with a pawful of things dealt with and a dozen new problems and projects taking their place.

"Yes, exactly," she enthused one afternoon, glad to be understood. "One day out, rest on the shore, then one day back."

"That seems like it would eat up a lot of people's time," Crystal said, her reluctance as plain as day. "We are running out of volunteers for things, too. People will not want to do that."

"It's essential that we keep an eye on our surroundings, and the further out that eye goes, the safer we will all feel and _be_ ," Lily countered. "Besides, this sort of patrol is not _supposed_ to be all-encompassing. I am thinking four light wings out at a time, no more than one day in three. Maybe two, I will have to get speeds from Beryl to compare." She already had a guaranteed lead time with the shorter patrols around the valley, but she wanted a chance of catching the enemy on the approach from further away.

"I know, but who will you send?" Crystal asked.

"The young and subtle," Lily responded. "Liona comes to mind. It is a task that will require a smart, cautious individual who might also have a little curiosity, and she fits that perfectly. The curiosity will give her a reason to enjoy the flights, and she won't have to fight, just fly camouflaged and spend the night wherever she deems fit."

"Liona would _never_ want to do that alone, and Cedar is a guard, remember?" Crystal said. "But i get what you mean. Let me find out if anyone _wants_ to go."

"They should. Propose it as a helpful adventure." She could see the appeal herself. Going out, checking for trouble, getting to know the land around… Exploring, basically, but also keeping an eye out. It gave what she would otherwise see as a pointless waste of time an actual purpose.

To her own surprise, Lily felt a twinge of regret, a strong one. She wished she had taken the time to fly all around, to go on such trips back when she had a little freedom and no disabilities. It would be so helpful to know the land for a few days flight in every direction, to know whether there were islands out in the ocean beyond where the pack usually flew, and she liked the idea of knowing even if it _wouldn't_ be helpful.

She could have explored back then, alone… or with Pyre, come to think of it. He had wanted to leave with her, and she could imagine journeying with him, flying to explore, walking with him, listening as he spoke…

A deep sadness passed over her, smothering her newly-kindled desire to explore, probably killing it completely. She didn't like hypotheticals, and this one only served to make her hurt, a tricky way to get past her barriers and remind her of the things that made her want to curl up into a ball and whine.

"Lily?" Crystal hummed. "What else? Just tell them it is an adventure? I do not even want to go on a scouting trip like that, I cannot convince them if I do not believe for myself."

"Tell them…" Lily breathed in, mustered her willpower, and forced the pain and sadness away, somehow managing it enough to respond. "Tell them it is a chance to go be independent for a few days _and_ help the pack. A way to be important, a way to see new places. A way to protect their loved ones. I am sure you can see why others would want that."

"Yes, I do see… Maybe I am just too busy to like the idea," Crystal huffed. "I will start with Liona, but do not be surprised if she says no. She does not like to be away from Cedar for too long."

"Thank you," Lily said. "Maybe try Blur, Shalla, some of the unmated females… Anyone who has ever struck you as wanting any of the things I mentioned." She didn't need extremely reliable people to go out; at first, she would send them in pairs, and only split them up to go alone once they proved they knew what they were doing.

"Got it. Clay, you have this?" Crystal turned in a tight circle, surveying the ledge by Lily's cave. "He is around here somewhere, I am sure, but he has gotten so good at hiding…"

"Right here," Clay announced from above, dropping onto the ledge. He wasn't even camouflaged, much to Lily's amusement.

"Where were you hiding?" Crystal demanded.

"Somewhere that will remain secret," Clay rumbled. "I will keep her company while you recruit. There is something I need to ask her about anyway."

"I know, that is why I called you," Crystal huffed. "Good luck." She dropped off the ledge and flew away.

"My mate went to see Honey a few days ago," Clay said without preamble.

"Is she okay?" Lily asked. That was her first thought when it came to someone going to see Honey and Copper.

"Very much so," Clay purred. "Can Honey really smell eggs coming?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, she can. I take it you decided to try again?"

"We did, and now it seems we have a young one coming." Clay looked her in the eye, looking uncomfortable but determined. "I want to be a good Sire. I do not feel I can do that and spend every afternoon away."

"Do you want a different part of the day or night, or would you rather stop entirely?" Lily asked. She would be immensely sorry to see him go, but she wasn't about to get in his way. To stop a Sire from being there for his mate and child was antithetical to who she was.

"I think I should stop entirely, at least until the egg hatches, and probably until the young one is a fledgling," Clay said apologetically, his ears drooping. "I do not _want_ to stop entirely, I like this duty, so if I could come back on a night shift once that happens, I would appreciate it. I feel _useful_ here in a way I feel nowhere else, but some things are more important."

"There will always be a place for you guarding me," Lily said graciously. "Come back whenever you feel ready, and not a moment before."

"Thank you, Lily," Clay rumbled. "I do not have to stop yet, we do not even know if there is an egg for sure. But in the coming days…"

"Just let Crystal know, and me too, so I can congratulate you and your mate," Lily said firmly. "Don't feel guilty. I was all for your mate asking you about it, and I cannot begrudge either of you this."

"I understand." Clay looked around, then padded to the far end of the ledge and sat down, outwardly relaxed. Lily could see the alertness in his eyes, the way his body twitched with the distant sounds from the valley, and knew he was still doing his duty, though his general appearance suggested anything but.

She was going to have a hard time selecting a suitable replacement for him, especially as so many of her first thoughts, such as Rain, already had other duties now. Maybe she wouldn't replace him; one guard seemed to be enough in the daytime, when she was least vulnerable. People were needed elsewhere.

But it felt _sudden_ in a way she couldn't quite understand. Thinking about it, the timing was right. Time had passed since that discussion, it was just that it had passed so _quickly_. Long enough to start an egg, but so short in her mind that it felt like a pawful of suns, not several score.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily followed Crystal down the outside of the mountain, wondering what she was walking into. It was a cloudy night, and the moon was barely visible through the haze.

In season-cycles past, she might have called it a nice night, and been comfortable with the idea of roaming the forest after dark. But now, knowing that enemies _existed_ , she couldn't help but worry, even though Grass and Flare were tagging along, close enough to intervene at a moment's notice and both camouflaged at her request.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"It is a surprise," Crystal insisted.

"If it were anyone else refusing to tell me, I would not be going anywhere," Lily remarked, both to convey her unease, and to make clear how much she trusted her friend. She wasn't refusing to go, she just didn't like being kept in the dark.

They walked off the last rocky slope and onto the grass at the base of the mountain, and Crystal made a sharp turn, leading Lily toward the far shore.

"The other shore is closer," Crystal said conversationally, "but it does not feel quite right since the No-scaled-not-prey attacked. We got rid of all the wreckage, but it still feels wrong."

"We know something happened there," Lily agreed. She knew the feeling. For her, it extended to everything outside the valley, not just that one section of shore. That clearly wasn't the case for Crystal, given how nonchalantly she led the way.

"Yes… This section of shoreline has good memories, though," Crystal continued, leading Lily out onto the sand. "We are here!"

A low cry came up from a group of light wings sprawled out across a patch of glowing shoreline. As Lily watched, one flamed a swirl of sand, pouring on the heat while another watched. An especially dark shape lurked behind them, also watching.

She recognized Beryl, of course, he was the most obvious one. The reflected light of the intermittent flame made it hard to positively identify any of the others. She could count, though, and there were four dragons waiting if she included Beryl. It was a small gathering.

"You are late!" Mist called out, giving away her identity by speaking up.

"We had a long walk," Crystal retorted.

"What am I walking into?" Lily asked quietly.

"You are all work and no relaxing," Crystal said firmly. "Mist was planning a little gathering, and she invited me, and I am bringing you along. Root and Rain are here too, as well as Beryl."

"What is this for?" Lily pressed, unsure how she felt about any of it.

"I just said, it is for relaxing," Crystal snorted. "You used to know how to do that. Just let your wings down and have fun, or just lie around if that is what you want to do. They are making glass things, like Cedar did for Liona, but you do not _have_ to join in."

Lily nodded, now understanding what the flames were for. She looked around, and quickly spotted the weathered glass slab sticking out of the dunes a short distance from the gathering. Thankfully, they had chosen to give it some space; she felt obligated to protect it, given neither of the light wings who cared about it were present.

At that, why hadn't they invited Cedar and Liona? The pattern of ages Lily could see was broken by their absence; it made no sense if age was the only qualifier, and Beryl would be an outlier anyway, though she wasn't quite sure of his age…

That question was put aside as they reached the gathering. Crystal purred warmly at the others, and Lily followed suit, feeling extremely out of place.

"It needs to go that way," Beryl said, looking up at them only briefly. "To the left. Mist?"

"My turn," Mist agreed. "Crystal, Lily, if you could move, we need the sand where you are standing."

"As opposed to the other sand all around you?" Crystal laughed, jumping aside. Lily stepped in the other direction, putting some distance between herself and Crystal-

"Do not step on my head," Root warned from out of nowhere. Lily looked down and found him, partially buried in the sand, his face sticking up. His wings were resting atop the sand behind him, and his tail stuck up a little further down, but the rest of him was buried.

"Are you stuck?" she asked.

"No, but I do not want to move," he said calmly. "This feels surprisingly good, and they know where I am, so they do not have to worry about me walking into the molten sand by accident."

"Did they put you here?" she asked, more than a little offended on his behalf.

"I got here early and dug myself in," he replied, squashing her disgruntlement before it could take to the air. "You should try it."

"Maybe," she warbled. That _did_ seem like an easy way to get out of the awkward gathering she had been brought to… though sitting in the sand in the middle of the night sounded somewhat boring, and more importantly she had no desire to get sand on her back. Cleaning it off would either be painful or necessitate rolling around in the surf, which wasn't exactly painless either.

"Oh, by the way," Root said abruptly. "You know how I have been going around, getting everyones' story of what happened back when Claw was around?"

"Yes, and I still think that is a great idea," Lily said, wondering whether he was going to ask her about Shalla, or just inform her that Shalla was helping him.

"I still need _your_ story too," he continued. "Could you come by my rock some time and tell it?"

Mist and Rain chose that moment to begin flaming another spot on the beach, but Lily felt cold despite the wafting heat brought over by the breeze. She didn't like the idea of even _thinking_ about those days, let alone telling all that had happened to Root. If it were up to her, she would just forget them, or at least keep them well-hidden in the corner of her mind devoted to all the things she couldn't think about.

But Root needed the _whole_ story if his project was to be complete, and she couldn't think of a single good reason to deny him her perspective, especially as it was so vitally important. How would it sound, to refuse on the grounds of not wanting to talk about it? _Especially_ when she was giving that excuse to Root, who had also suffered under Claw and still bore the effects.

"I am busy," Lily said, "but maybe you could wait until you have everyone else's stories down? Mine could be last." She couldn't say no outright, but she could at least push the extremely unpleasant 'yes' out to a distant date. From what she had seen, he and Shalla were nowhere near done getting all the perspectives.

"I would rather hear yours and fit theirs into it," Root sighed, "but if you are going to be too busy anyway, sure. We will do you once everyone else has gone."

That was an opportunity to talk to him about Shalla, but Lily saw no real need now that she had Shalla's assurance… and she wanted to think about something else entirely. As awkward as she still felt with this group, the cold dread she felt right now was worse. She looked over to the cluster of dragons staring down at yet more molten sand, arguing amongst themselves.

Crystal stared back at her, having been caught in the act of watching them. She motioned with her paw, as if stepping over, and then flicked her tail toward the crowd.

Lily felt slightly bad about coordinating without Root's knowledge, but it was better than leaving him alone, so she nodded silently and walked away. Crystal met her halfway-

"Try to relax and have a good time?" Crystal asked hopefully as they switched places.

Lily snorted and took Crystal's spot staring down at the burning hot puddle of liquid sand.

"I am telling you, it needs to stop before that spot," Beryl argued, speaking to Rain and Mist. "It will be too tall if it goes to there."

"I do not know what yours is like," Rain snorted, "but mine is plenty tall."

"I do not care how tall it is, just decide on a height and get to work," Mist grumbled. "This is the last bit."

"Mind filling me in?" Lily asked, not understanding what she was looking at. The puddle of glass was just that, a puddle, and talking of height made no sense.

Mist snorted rudely. "Bad choice of words," she snickered. "We are making an outline of a light wing, and they have decided to use their last shots to make it a male."

"We would make it female if there were anything to add for that," Rain said nonchalantly. "But this is a silhouette, like a shadow cast from the side. There would be no way to show that."

"And we have some fire left over, so we might as well add _something_ ," Beryl agreed. "Fine, we'll make it tall. Ready?"

"Ready," Rain agreed. They both called up their fire, and began flaming a double-wide line of sand jutting out from the main puddle.

Lily felt a mix of exasperation and amusement as she comprehended what they were doing. The project as a whole was clever, even impressive, but they had decided to add something that would make it nothing more than a juvenile display. She took a few steps back and tried to see the whole silhouette, not just the part Beryl and Rain were making.

It was hard; some parts of the sand had cooled already, and others glowed softly, creating an outline that faded at one end and didn't quite make sense. She could see the torso, and possibly folded wings, and the limbs were easy, but any potential detail was washed out by the light and darkness mixing over it.

"There," Rain grunted, coughing out the last of his flame. "You know, I cannot remember the last time I used all of my flame."

"Neither can I," Mist agreed.

"I might have to work with everyone on that, if it's really so rare to use regularly," Beryl mused. "You don't feel any discomfort from using it all at once, do you?"

"A sore throat, but why are we talking about your work?" Rain asked. "This is supposed to be fun. No talking about teaching everyone how to fight, no talking about being alpha." He looked over at Lily.

"I'm fine with that," Lily agreed, though she wondered how much she would actually have to say without mentioning what she spent all day, every day doing.

"Oh, Lily, have anything you want to add? You still have your fire." Beryl pawed at the sand near the 'back' of the silhouette. "Spines, maybe?"

"I think it looks good as it is," Lily declined. "Are you just going to leave it here?"

"When it cools, we will try to stand it up," Mist explained. "We might have to destroy it after tonight, though."

"Oh yeah, I knew we were going to have to get rid of it the moment we added this," Rain laughed, pawing at the edge of their last addition. "We cannot have Cedar coming after us because we left this mockery right next to his romantic gift to Liona. Or worse, some female will think Beryl or I made this for them, and refuse to believe otherwise."

"You?" Beryl asked. "I hope they think it is from you. I have enough trouble avoiding them as it is."

"You get used to it," Rain snorted, sprawling out on his side in the sand. "My advice is enjoy the attention but do not get serious with any of them. Unless they are related to you. Then you avoid them at all costs and act like a childish brat when you cannot, so they stop seeing you as an adult male and lose interest."

"It sounds like you have experience with that?" Beryl asked with a disapproving growl.

"Not by choice, I assure you," Rain retorted. "Sometimes it stinks to be one of Claw's sons. There are plenty of females not related to me by blood, but still far too close and interested for comfort."

"You do not get to act like the victim," Mist interjected. "You lead on everyone who is not related to you."

"I do not shove them away, there is a difference," Rain rumbled. "I like the attention, and if I shoved away every female, I would never have a chance of finding one I actually want for myself."

"I find myself in the same situation," Beryl admitted.

Lily wondered whether they had forgotten her. She would be happier if they had; she had nothing to contribute, and none of the familiarity needed to feel comfortable enough even if she did. She sat down on the other side of the cooling sand, and settled into listening to their banter. The murmuring of Crystal and Root behind her was also audible, though not understandable unless she strained to hear.

"Looking, but not looking that hard, and trying not to be pressured into anything?" Rain asked. "Do not tell anyone that, all they will hear is confirmation that you are looking."

"I wish I had not let slip that I had no mate," Beryl groaned. "I liked it better when half the pack assumed I was taken, and the other half was not trying for me anyway. You know, I have to say no to at least half a dozen offers a day?"

"Offers of what?" Mist asked.

"Do I want to go flying sometime, do I want to eat fish sometime, can I correct this tiny error in a one-on-one session sometime…" Beryl put his paws over his face in exasperation. "Not only are they relentless, they all have the same excuses!"

"Ah, the boredom of repetition," Rain said sagely. "Just start a rumor about how you like weird and unusual approaches, and that will solve itself. Last moon-cycle, someone asked me whether I wanted to sleep with them."

Mist choked on a barking laugh. "They _what_? Straight out?"

"I kid you not, she approached me in the middle of the day, in front of at least three other people, and asked if I wanted to sleep with her." Rain purred smugly. "Not mating, she was very clear about that, just whether I would like to sleep pressed up against a warm female."

"That _is_ unique," Beryl said thoughtfully. "What did you say?"

"I said I could sleep next to two warm females whenever I wanted, so if she could find two others like her to up it to three, I might try it," Rain laughed. "I neglected to mention that the two are my Dams, and of course she had more than sleeping on her mind whatever she claimed she wanted, so she was weirded out and gave up."

"That is your fault for implying you still sleep with your Dams," Mist said. "I have seen you, you sleep on the other side of the rock."

"Well, yes," Rain admitted. "I am a grown adult. I would get my own rock, but then I would have such propositions in the dead of night, too. As it is, nobody tries anything when my Dams are right there. They provide a refuge."

"Who provides a refuge from what?" Crystal asked, walking up behind Lily. Root was following her, and stopped when she set her tail on his nose. They settled down to either side of Lily, flanking her in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable, like she had been put toward the center of the group instead of on the outskirts.

"Rain's Dams from courting females straining to be original," Mist summarized. "We must all pity him. He leads such a hard life." She spoke the last two sentences in a dull monotone, and everyone laughed.

"I envy that…" Root said, trailing off. It sounded to Lily like he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"Do not," Rain said seriously. "The ones chasing me do not _really_ want me. I am just available and desirable in the moment, where there are few alternatives. I embrace it, but you do not have to. If someone takes interest in you, it _has_ to be something worth pursuing, whereas with me, I have to sift through dozens of females who are more driven by the need to have _someone_."

"You can say that," Beryl rumbled, "but it is just as bad to have nobody even looking at you. My Sire's sister, Storm, has spent decades searching the world, and never found a single male who was not related to her. She is bitter about it, and I think she would have preferred a dozen insincere suitors rather than none at all."

"Where is she now, then?" Rain asked. "She could be here, joining the rush."

"She is raising my children, remember?" Crystal offered.

"And raising them well," Beryl added. "Not to say that she could not take a mate and still do that, but she does not know for sure that this pack is worth looking at, not yet. Spark will be bringing her the news…" He paused, then looked at the sky. "I don't know… A moon-cycle from now? Two?"

"You arrived at the start of the hot season, and you said it would take two for him to return, and three for a group to come here," Crystal volunteered. "It has been about two, the hot season is winding down."

"So any day now," Beryl mused. "Yes, that sounds right. Storm will probably be coming back, she has three separate reasons to come along. Teaching Root, looking for a mate, and being there for Thunder and Lightning."

"That will be weird," Mist said.

"I will not let it be weird," Crystal said firmly. "I will welcome all three of them, if that is what it takes. I owe her a lot."

"How much?" Rain asked suggestively, waggling his ears. "Because it sounds to me like Storm is desperate, there are too many females here already, and you are grateful, and one could say she is already acting the part of your mate by raising your children…"

"Oh, shut up," Mist snorted, stomping over to Rain and whacking him with a wing. "You are terrible. Beryl _just_ told us Storm has searched for a male for decades, and Crystal _just_ told us about wishing there were more males around a few days ago."

"I am allowed to propose solutions to our pack's obvious imbalance," Rain said calmly, acting as if he hadn't been hit at all. "Unless Lily has a better plan?"

All eyes turned to Lily, and she knew she had to speak. The more casually, the better; if she was awkward or stilted, it would draw attention to her lack of participation. "It _would_ solve everything if many of our pack's females suddenly decided to court each other," she said. "Both problems, the imbalance and our looming overpopulation."

"Which is why it will not happen, it is too convenient," Rain snorted. "Alternatively, if we get into another fight, you could throw all of the unmated females at the enemy first."

"It is not funny to joke about that," Root said.

At the same time, Beryl growled. "That's not funny.". Then he looked at Root, realizing they had both spoken at the same time.

"Okay, touchy subject," Rain said, bowing his head to low it hit the sand. "Sorry."

"We should get this thing out of the sand and see if we can stand it up," Mist proposed, pawing at the warm, semi-clear stone the molten sand had solidified into.

Everyone quickly agreed with that, even Root, though he did not move to help. They all wanted to skip past Rain's last joke and keep the good mood up. Even Lily did, and she was not even enjoying the mood all that much, still feeling like an outsider everyone expected to fit right in.

"No-scaled-not-prey have a word for this stuff," Beryl offered as they dug out the sand around the now cool stone. "My Sire, Ember, came up for a word for it a while back, one we can use. Glass."

"So he mashed 'clear' and 'stone' together and growled like he meant to say sand?" Mist summarized. "Glass. Weird. Why did he need to say it, anyway?"

"It's useful," Beryl said shortly. "This is not my first time making it, he showed me how the first time."

"What did you make?" Root asked curiously.

"Spikes," Beryl said simply. "Okay, everyone lift on three."

"One," Mist chanted, sticking her wing under the glass structure's far side.

"Two," Rain added, his entire head dug under another side, and his voice muffled.

"Three," Crystal barked, heaving her paws up. Lily, for her part, also shoved upward with her paws, though she didn't feel like she was doing much.

The glass object, irregular and heavier in some places than others, did not go up easily. Lily almost threw her back under it to get a better position, only stopping herself at the last moment. Everyone scrabbled in the sand, panting and shoving with all their might, and Root barked wordless encouragement.

Lily distinctly felt the moment the force applied was no longer needed; her aching, strained front legs fell limp, and she dropped to the sand. The glass teetered, stood entirely upright for a long moment, then began to tip the other way-

But Beryl was there, holding it up. "Quick," he barked, "someone find a way to prop this up without me! It will shatter if it falls now!"

Lily leaped forward, caught up in the moment, and began shoving sand at the base of the glass, shoring it up. The others all followed suit, and they quickly had a circular mound around it.

Beryl stepped back, and it stayed in place. "Success!" he exclaimed.

"Yes!" Rain stepped back. "You know, it looks pretty good. Accurate."

"Sure, accurate," Mist snorted. "Are you so big you usually drag along the ground when you are excited? This light wing has five legs."

"That would be a compliment," Beryl said. "But other than that, we did pretty well."

Lily wasn't so sure about that; it only looked like a light wing silhouette if one squinted, and the swirling, multicolored, partially clear texture of the glass made it much more interesting as just a random, oddly-shaped chunk of something.

Still, they had made it, and she understood that the point wasn't to make something perfect. The point was to provide an activity for everyone to enjoy, as opposed to just sitting around talking. In that respect, it was a total success.

They lingered around the glass creation, admiring it and talking amongst themselves about the process of making it, but eventually, they got around to discussing what would need to be done with it.

"So… Who is going to destroy it, and how?" Beryl asked. "I have a shot or two, but I don't really want to shatter it. Glass can make sharp shards when broken, and littering a nice beach with sharp things is a terrible idea."

"Melting it down would take way too long," Mist objected. "I know I will have to be up for all of tonight _anyway_ , but the rest of you do not have any responsibilities like that."

"I have to watch the prisoner from midnight to dawn, actually," Rain volunteered. "But I do not think any of us will still be here by then."

Lily glanced up at the sky; the moon was not far off from its highest point, but they had some time.

"Do we have to destroy it?" Root asked. "I want to keep it around until I can see it with sound."

"We could hide it somewhere, if we can move it," Beryl offered. "Or we could bury it. We just do not want it obviously within sight of the thing Cedar made for Liona."

"Bury it," Crystal agreed. "We can dig a hole easier than we can drag it all the way to the trees and wedge it somewhere."

That decided, Crystal, Mist, Beryl and Rain set to work. Root hung back for obvious reasons, though Lily wondered whether he _could_ be helpful if directed to dig in the right spot. She didn't feel like digging, either.

Then she thought to wonder how Root was going to get back to his family rock. "Root, are you going to be walking home?" she asked.

"Mist promised to take me," he admitted with a scowl. "She wanted to help me fly back, but I would rather walk."

"We will be going the same way if you walk, so we could leave now," Lily offered. "I am going back, and I would prefer to have company." Not counting her early night guards, of course. They were camouflaged, watching from somewhere nearby. One of them might fly down and keep her company if she struck out alone, but she would rather help Root.

"You go, I can catch up when you are at the top of the mountain pass," Mist called out from the hole. Plumes of sand flew up from between her back legs as she dug. "Walk him up, I will walk him down."

"And then come back for the late night watch," Lily reminded her.

"Of course," Mist agreed. "Have fun!"

Lily chose not to respond to that, instead leading Root away from the group. Now more than ever, she could _feel_ just how much he wished he had his sight. Being chaperoned everywhere, even by friends, had to take its toll on his confidence, and it didn't help that he knew he really did need the assistance. They were not babying him, because he _was_ that helpless.

"Thanks," he muttered, not sounding very thankful. Lily noticed that he had spoken the moment they stepped onto the grassy ground between trees, and guessed that feeling the change in terrain had clued him in to how far away from the others they had to be.

Sure enough, he continued to speak as if sure the others were out of hearing range. "I do not like being walked around with your tail to my nose. Could you just point me in the right direction?"

"There are trees," Lily warned. Any straight path would end in the painful meeting of nose and bark.

"I will hit them," he growled.

"Okay," Lily agreed, unfazed by his temper. She angled him onto the longest clear path she could see, then removed her guiding appendage. He continued forward on his own, and she walked beside him.

"I cannot _wait_ until I can see with sound," Root rumbled. "So that none of this is necessary."

"It might not live up to your expectations," Lily warned. She couldn't help but see how big a disappointment Root might be building himself up to.

"I _expect_ something better than what I have now," Root said bitterly. "It cannot fail to live up to that, because I have _nothing_ when it comes to sight."

"Never mind, then," she said, intentionally backing down. She could have pressed the issue, but there was no point.

"Sorry…" Root sighed. "It is harder to be content with what I have when I know it will be improving soon. Stuff like tonight would be so much better if I did not have to be led around, kept safe, always accounted for, or any of that."

"I understand," Lily agreed. "I feel the same way about being grounded at times." Rarely, only when her lack of flight severely hampered her ability to lead, but still.

"That too," Root said. "But I do not want to be a whiner, either. Tonight _was_ fun. I just wish I was not such a burden to include."

"You will get your wish someday, by new skills or by nothing but determination," Lily said. "Also, step to your left, or you will have a headache tomorrow." He was a good twenty paces from the tree in his way, but she had given the warning the moment the area to his left was clear, so he would have plenty of time to react.

"Got it," he purred, easily sidestepping the still-distant obstacle. "I hope we do something like tonight again soon. It was nice, being part of the group."

"Yes, nice," Lily lied. She hadn't felt like part of the group at all, and she hoped she could duck out of the next such gathering. Everyone acted like she belonged, but she didn't. She couldn't, though she had no solid reason as to why she felt that way.

Maybe it was because there was already a friendship between most of those who had been present, whereas she had a wide variety of relationships with each person, ranging from acquaintances with Rain, a history of butting heads with Beryl, a working relationship with Mist, pity and appreciation for Root, and a friendship with Crystal. She didn't _fit_ in a group with all of them together, it was impossible to act correctly with all of them at once. Some required she keep up her image, others didn't, and some were in between, allowed to know her as a person but still expected to see an alpha first.

That made sense. She didn't like it, but if that was how things had to be, then she would deal with it. Her position as alpha, and her effectiveness in that position, had to come first.

Even if it meant she would never really have what even Root had enjoyed tonight, not with the whole group. With Crystal, maybe, possibly even with Beryl in time, if only because she had already burned her official image down in front of him with her past actions, but not the rest of them. They had to see her as the alpha.

"Left again," Lily called out, directing one of her many fledglings, and in the process helping rebuild a tiny fraction of his self-confidence. This was what she was supposed to be.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily approached the entrance to the small cavern. "Alpha," a light wing she barely knew said seriously. "Here to check on the prisoner?"

"It is being good?" she asked. The guard was correct, she was here to check on it. To do more than that, actually, but getting a status update from the current guard was a good start.

"It is being good," the guard admitted. "Still banging rocks together. Aven told me to watch out for sharp ones, so I went ahead and took all the ones with edges. It only has a couple of smooth pebbles now."

"Good work," Lily said seriously. She didn't like the idea of the prisoner fashioning itself a false claw out of the toys Aven insisted it have to pass the time. The worst it could do with a few smooth stones was throw them, or trick someone into eating them.

"Don't let it get at your food," she warned. "Also, I'm taking over. You can have the rest of your shift off."

"Yes, alpha!" the light wing exclaimed, slightly confused by her warning but nonetheless happy to get some extra free time. They were gone in the time it took to duck out of the cavern mouth.

"Come with me," Lily requested, speaking to Crystal. "I want to get in and look at it, not just sit here."

"Okay…" Crystal pushed past her. "But I am in front. For once, I feel like you actually need someone to guard you."

"Yes," Lily agreed. They weren't going to take any chances. She wanted to observe, not be attacked.

The small, winding passage was just how Lily remembered it, though it now stank of foreign odors, not old light wing blood. She emerged into the small cave with a snort, and immediately locked eyes with the No-scaled-not-prey.

Lily was no expert on them, far from it, and she did not understand its expression in the slightest. She did see two smooth stones in its hands, but that was about as far as she knew aside from the odor.

But that was why she was here, instead of asking Beryl for yet another update. His updates were never any use, not on this subject. The No-scaled-not-prey said nothing of any importance, which made a depressing sort of sense if she thought about it. Why talk about one's secrets and plans when there was nobody to hear? Even if it did talk, the odds that it would say something useful were low, and according to Beryl, the odds that it would insult her were high.

The prisoner chittered something, stuck a tiny, pink tongue out at her like a rude fledgling, and began striking rocks together.

"Ugh, guarding this thing stinks," Crystal groaned, her ears going flat against her head. "That sound is terrible, and the smell is bad enough on its own."

Lily, for her part, felt a headache approaching, but she wasn't going to let that deter her. Already, she was making progress. The No-scaled-not-prey had noticed Crystal's frustration, and continued to bang the rocks, implying either that the noise bothering them _was_ the end goal, or that it didn't mind bothering them in the service of some other project.

Either way, it was antagonistic and far too confident, even after moon-cycles of being trapped here. That wasn't exactly comforting, even if said confidence was laughably misplaced.

Lily sat down, and the prisoner continued to bang its rocks, tirelessly making loud, echoing clacks. It was _very_ confident to assume it wouldn't get its toys taken away for being so annoying.

It was confident to think it wouldn't be ripped limb from limb for making a new light wing angry. She wasn't seriously considering killing it…

Though she didn't know what the endgame was here, and death was certainly one potential solution. Even assuming the No-scaled-not-prey spilled its guts tomorrow, they weren't about to let it go. There was no major downside to keeping it prisoner, thankfully, but she didn't intend to hold it here forever, after it was of no use. She also didn't intend to ever let it leave with the knowledge of her valley and who lived there.

Put like that, the only options were killing it, or letting it die of old age in captivity. Killing it outright might be more merciful, if it came to that. They would be justified in doing so, too; this was one of those who had mutilated Cara, and was obviously involved in something bad for dragons.

"What are you thinking?" Crystal asked, clearly hoping to pass the time with something other than torturously intermittent silence. Her low rumble caught the prisoner's attention, but only briefly.

"I am wondering what we are going to do with this nuisance once it has given us what we need to know," Lily admitted. "We can't let it go."

"We _could_ ," Crystal said thoughtfully, tilting her head and humming as she spoke. "Take it up into the sky in the middle of the night, spin it around until it throws up, then drop it off in the middle of nowhere, far from here."

"That assumes it does not know where it was before we took it," Lily sighed. "The mountains are obvious."

"Oh, right…" Crystal huffed. "Well, I doubt Aven is going to befriend it at this rate, so that is out. Maybe we could just keep it forever? But it would always be trying to escape, and we would never really be able to trust it around fledglings or anyone unaware, so we would have to keep it trapped…"

"Forever," Lily said, finishing the same line of thought that had led her to pondering whether they would just execute it once it gave up the information they needed. "Or risk another possible future danger being led right to us."

"We could use it to teach everyone its language," Crystal murmured. "We could make it as happy as possible. Maybe we _could_ let it roam free after a while. It is not an animal, it can talk, and we could maybe get it to understand that it will have an okay life with some freedom so long as it does not hurt anyone or try to escape."

"And always risk that it will slip away once it has a little trust," Lily huffed.

"Well yes, but that is going to be a problem unless we kill it, and I do not like that idea," Crystal argued back. "There is something cruel about killing a captive after a long time, as soon as it gives us what we want. Too much like what Beryl says some of them do to us."

"It would be the best option for our safety…" Lily murmured.

"But not the best option for our consciences," Crystal finished. "Besides, you can come up with clever ways to keep it here and make it not want to leave. I trust your ability to beat a random No-scaled-not-prey in a game of thinking. It would be a small risk in exchange for not feeling bad about killing it."

"Maybe." She glared at the No-scaled-not-prey, who was being a nuisance and adding a moral dilemma to her list of things to deal with on an ongoing basis.

They did not go back to simply listening to the prisoner assault their ears after that; a steady flow of mostly unimportant thoughts were bandied back and forth to pass the time, and Lily soon decided she would be adding another guard to every shift for moral support alone. Time did not fly when they were talking, but it was bearable, and she found herself enjoying a conversation that had no time limit, no goal to be reached.

Eventually, a light wing barked at the entrance to the cave, and Lily stood, her legs unsteady after so long lying still.

Aven was waiting within the mouth of the cave, a bundle of twigs in her mouth, which she promptly dropped upon seeing Lily. "Alpha," she blurted out. "Is something wrong?"

"I was just here to observe it," Lily rumbled. "Carry on. You'll be relieving me, I sent the other guard away."

"He," Aven muttered. In a louder voice, she continued, "yes, of course. Was he good?"

"No, he was utterly horrible and I have a headache," Crystal said from behind Lily.

"Oh, that is just what he does," Aven said, unfazed by the complaint. "You get used to it. I bring him other toys so he puts the rocks away when I am around."

"I am remembering that if we do this again," Crystal muttered.

"Careful, he might try to use those to harm you or escape," Lily warned.

"These are twigs," Aven snorted. "They are useless. Beryl gave me that warning a while ago."

"Still," Lily rumbled, passing Aven in the narrow passage. "Be careful. It is a prisoner, not a hatchling in need of coddling."

"I am _trying_ to make friends with it, and I will not be mean or standoffish," Aven recited, sounding as if she had said those exact words many times before. "Have a nice night, alpha and Crystal."

Lily blinked upon walking out into the open; it _was_ night, just past sunset if the orange glow fading from the sky meant anything. She had entirely lost track of time…

A cold gust of wind blew through, making her shiver. It was chilly, and getting colder every day. She had lost track of the seasons, too, in all of the many small occupations taking up her days. The hot season was well and truly over, and the cold season was approaching. Time had a way of flying by when she wasn't looking.


	46. Subtle

The heat of the hot season was fading, driven away by the cool winds of the cold season approaching. The sky was clear, if windy in the upper reaches, clouds scuttling across the vast expanse at high speed.

There was still no sign of No-scaled-not-prey; if not for their first attack, Beryl's lessons and Cara's permanently shortened ears, Lily was half sure the majority of her fledglings would have forgotten about them by now. Thankfully, she had help in keeping everyone aware and ready.

Lily walked through the valley, nodding to light wings as she passed, and subtly watching for issues. In most cases, small problems would fester before anyone thought to bring them to her. Best to nip them in the bud now, if she could, while she had some time free from other responsibilities.

She strode between two rocks, moving quietly. Growls, warbles, and grunts echoed from all sides, her fledglings going about their lives. This was good, and she would protect it.

"... so we wanted to ask you what you thought of all of that?" A feminine warble sounded from nearby.

Lily turned her head, seeing exactly what she expected. Root and Shalla were questioning yet another light wing about the past, this one with more success than the last attempt she had seen. The female was talking freely, albeit in a low voice pitched not to carry to anyone.

Lily walked on, content to leave them to it. Root's project was good, one facet of their long-term defense well underway. The stories he collected and retold would defend against future tyrants like Claw, and he understood that. Thankfully, Root and Shalla needed no direction from her. They could be trusted to pursue their own goal without intervention. There were precious few light wings she could say that about. Beryl, Crystal as leader of her guards, Aven though said goal could be a fool's errand...

But in Root's case, all was well, aside from the looming need to give her own side of the story at some point. She still didn't want to think about that.

Lily continued walking, having never stopped, and passed another group of dragons, one far less productively occupied. Cloud and a few of the others she had disciplined were watching Root.

She stopped nearby, hoping to hear what they had to say about that, but they had obviously seen her and were not talking at all. That was an issue. They would bear further watching, if the spiteful behavior she had corrected might make a comeback. She would set someone she trusted on the case. Maybe Holly, she had not been of as much use lately, and could use a task of some sort.

Lily continued on in a far less satisfied mood. Her mood worsened even more as Cloud abandoned his group of friends and followed her.

She groaned inwardly and turned to face him. Running from him, however tempting, would do nothing but postpone the inevitable. Really, she should have expected him to renew his attempts long since; he had stayed away from her for an impressively long time.

"I am not used to being followed, Cloud," she said without stopping or even turning around to face him. "It bothers me."

"You let Holly follow you," he objected. "And that dark wing seems to like to go wherever you are."

"Holly is my assistant, I want her around me," Lily explained. "She does not follow behind me, anyway. And Beryl? He does not follow me. Only you do that."

"So where is Holly now?" Cloud moved up beside her, walking just a little too close. She could not complain about it after telling him not to follow her, but it was quite aggravating.

"With her sisters."

"And the dark wing is off teaching, so we will not be interrupted," Cloud purred. "I have not seen you much recently."

Lily snorted, fondly remembering him cowering in front of her and then later avoiding her at all costs. She wished she could go back to those days, if only to more thoroughly appreciate his absence. "Actually, I was going to go check in on Beryl right now, so you may feel free to follow me there." If he disliked Beryl as much as it seemed…

"Ugh," Cloud groaned childishly. "Him again. You do not like him, do you?"

"What in the world gave you that idea?" She let her frustration and disgust with him show through, and let him interpret that as he would.

"Good, he is stupid," Cloud asserted. "Always staring at you with that look in his eye, putting me with the beginners, hanging around you…"

Staring? She held in a snort. How self-absorbed was Cloud, to interpret what was in all likelihood a few innocent glances as staring? Very, it seemed.

But she did not _entirely_ dismiss the idea of Beryl staring. That would be dangerously narrow-minded of her. Even the stupidest, most self-centered dragon in the world could be right or see something she did not. It was just very unlikely.

"You are _really_ going to his lesson?" Cloud asked.

"Yes, and I intend to stand right by Beryl, so as to hear his assessment of what is going on." She did not, not at all, but it would drive Cloud away.

"I will stand right next to you," Cloud suggested.

Lily suppressed a groan. She had little patience for Cloud anyway, just the practical consideration that told her not to make enemies of her fledglings without good reason, and the cynical part of her that knew he was attracted to power. The latter was more important, so long as he was lusting after her she knew he saw no other attractive sources of power in the pack, but even that failed to be a compelling reason after too long spent around him.

"I don't need a distraction," Lily growled. "Besides, I distinctly remember Crystal telling me you wanted to be on patrol duty." She remembered it because it had sounded ludicrous, and she had said no. Cloud was not the type of person she wanted to rely on for _anyone's_ safety.

"Can I?" Cloud asked eagerly.

"Go practice by flying laps around the valley without setting down or gliding," she suggested. "Report the number you do, _without hurting yourself_ , to Crystal. If it is high enough, I will have her add you to the rotation." She specifically did not give him a number.

"I will impress you!" Cloud exclaimed, bounding into the air from right beside her. She growled and lurched away from his thoughtlessly flapping wings.

At least he was gone. Maybe she _should_ have Crystal let him go on long patrols. It would get him out of the valley.

The immediate annoyance gone, Lily pondered the insinuations he had made about Beryl.

It didn't seem likely, and she had alternate explanations for what Cloud had seen. Working together out of necessity would seem like hanging around, at least to a jealous male. The lack of actual arguments or bad blood between them might look like closeness, but was in reality just them settling into an amicable relationship, where they avoided treading on each others' paws and worked toward a common goal.

But there was no real harm in her watching for it, as stupid as it was. Maybe Cloud was right. She would hate for that to be so, but she could deal with it once she knew for sure. Thankfully, it was almost certainly not true.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily made it to the site of Beryl's lesson, the small clear space by the pond, without further interruption. Beryl was moving between two small groups of light wings, each consisting of five dragons, and giving instructions on something. She moved closer, joining one of the groups as he spoke.

He nodded to her, acknowledging that she was there, and then continued speaking. "Think carefully. Don't overthink it, but take into account what the other team may plan when designing your own strategy."

"How do we do that?" one female asked tentatively.

"Try to put yourself in their paws," Beryl advised. "You know them, which is an advantage you will not have with real enemies, but you can use it here. How do they think? What might they do?"

With that, he left the group. Lily took a step away from that group, watching Beryl as he gave exactly the same advice to the other group, before retreating to stand by her.

"Two teams, as equally split by intelligence as I could manage," he explained. "Mock combat, with the smallest possible blast signifying a killing blow no matter where it hits, to emulate fighting No-scaled-not-prey."

"Interesting," Lily said. Such a small blast might bruise, but no more. Usually, it would be a waste of a shot, but here it worked perfectly. "Who do you think will win?"

"I don't know," he answered, sounding proud of the light wings. "As I said, they are equally split by intelligence. They should be fairly matched."

They stood in silence for a while, watching the plotting dragons. Lily did not look at Beryl, but at one point during the wait she was sure he was eyeing her out of the corner of his eye. She turned her head under the pretext of possibly hearing something behind them, flicking her ears up to make it look like she had been alerted, and got a good look.

He _had_ been looking in her general direction, and continued to look, staring at the mountain past her for a few moments before returning his gaze to the plotting light wings. She wanted to slap Cloud for making her paranoid.

"I guess that's enough time," Beryl remarked loudly. "On my bark, fight. Remember the rules, everyone."

The two groups of five spread out and got into various positions. The group on Lily's left seemed to be going for an equally spread out strategy, spacing their dragons along the water's edge. The group to the right was bunching up, which was a terrible strategy, four dragons in a wedge around one in the center, oddly positioned.

Lily narrowed her eyes at the latter group. Surely there was more to their plan than that?

Beryl did not object to the team on the right's placement, instead holding up a paw. "Three… two… one… fight!" His paw hit the ground, and he barked loudly.

Both teams began firing, and both took hits. Two on the right were down immediately, small patches of blurry, incomplete camouflage marking them as 'dead'. They collapsed, quickly followed by two more of their own team members, leaving only the one in the center…

Lily felt her eyes widen as the last dragon on the right side continued to fire, unhit, taking out two of the opposition with well aimed blasts, shooting between the 'dead' bodies of his teammates.

The dragons on the left began to run, circling around, probably not flying because it was against the rules, but the sheltered light wing picked them off with ease. He had the luxury of striking their bodies, while they were hesitant to fire at his face, the only part of him exposed to them.

"You win," Beryl announced, nodding to the single remaining dragon.

Lily felt like something was wrong with that-

But before she could object, Beryl continued, his voice calm and calculating. "And you sacrificed your allies to do so. _You_ won, not your team. Whose idea was it to use your own bodies as shields?"

Surprisingly, one of the dragons who had gotten hit spoke up. "Mine. He is the fastest shot, and three of the light wings on the other team are really fast shooters. We needed to give him time."

"With your own lives?" Beryl asked skeptically.

"But nothing is really risked here," the female explained. "We would never do this in real combat."

"As long as you understand that," Beryl rumbled. "I supposed we need a new rule. No suicidal strategies that take advantage of the lack of consequences."

"Can we do it again?" someone from the losing team asked.

"Yes… tomorrow, same place, same time," Beryl replied. "Same rules, but now you get a whole day to plan. How much effort you put into it is up to you. For now, everyone is dismissed."

Absolutely nobody left, the two teams quickly huddling back up.

"Well, they'll be there for a while," Beryl predicted. "The rules don't ban bringing in objects from outside the area, or from modifying the environment. I will be interested in seeing if anyone thinks to use that."

"Won't they be wary of circumventing the rules and having their win invalidated, like just now?" Lily asked skeptically.

"No, they won't. They all know the team on the right won this time. Only future uses of that loophole won't count. I want to encourage creativity." He looked around, as if ensuring nobody was listening. "Ember and I once used the environment to devastating effect against an enemy. I hope to see the same here."

Ah, so he didn't want to give his pupils ideas. She lowered her voice. "As I am not participating, you can tell me what it was?"

He shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. "In part. Ember and I were being pursued by a dragon who could not be seen, not a light wing but something else. She was crafty and wanted me dead."

Lily noticed the way he had worded that. The enemy specifically wanted him dead. She didn't ask, motioning for him to go on.

"Ember came up with the idea, he's the innovator between us," Beryl freely admitted. "We went to a beach, and in the time it took her to catch up, we had shaped dozens of sand mounds, and then melted them into sharp spikes of glass."

"So _that_ is what you meant by saying you had made glass spikes," she said, ignoring the mention of a dragon Pyre had told her about, and by association the painful memories that would bring up. She could see why he hadn't elaborated at the lighthearted gathering. Saying that he had used his past experience to make lethal traps would have sunk the mood.

Now, though, it only made her more curious. "To what end?"

"Vithvarandi- that was her name- came upon us while invisible, but I caught her pawprints in the sand as they approached," Beryl recounted. "As we fought her, we used the spikes, impaling her or cutting her by shattering them with blasts. It was extremely effective."

"But… she was alone?" This sounded positively brutal, not to mention overkill.

"She was more than dangerous enough on her own," Beryl clarified. "She was a very hardy creature, capable of taking many, many killing blows and walking them off like they were nothing. She looked like a normal dragon, but she was the farthest thing from one."

 _That_ sounded like a nightmare, and Lily didn't believe it for a moment. "Surely you are not serious."

"There are things in this world that I do not understand, and she was one of them," Beryl answered gravely. "She is gone now, but killing her was an undertaking unlike any other, and I have not told you of the extent of her abilities."

Lily heard no deception in his voice, and decided that he _might_ not be lying. If so...

"Are there other such creatures?" she asked nervously. A dragon who could not be killed without such effort, ignoring other unknown powers, would be a horrific threat.

Beryl nodded. "One. He is no threat."

"How so?"

"He chooses not to use the abilities she forced upon him, or at least not the bad parts," Beryl replied, clearly choosing his words carefully. "He is more honorable than that. It all worked out for the best."

Lily's first thought was to ask who he was talking about. Her second thought was that he didn't want her to know.

Her third thought was to bluff and check the most important possibility. "Is he telling me about himself right now?" she asked, sounding for all the world like she was sure she was right. In reality, she was almost entirely certain she was wrong-

Beryl laughed, genuinely amused. "No, I am not talking about myself. And if he wants you to know, some day in the future, he'll tell you himself. You've not met him yet anyway, and probably never will."

Lily nodded agreeably, processing that new hint. It ruled out Spark, though she knew the one they were speaking of was a male. One she might never meet.

She was fine with never following up on this particularly troubling riddle. She had checked to be sure it wasn't Beryl, and he was the only outsider around. It wasn't in her valley or coming to her valley, and that was all she cared about for now. All she _could_ care about, when just keeping the valley safe took so much of her time.

"Besides, given what those other abilities were, I'd have used them by now if I had them," he continued conversationally. "They would certainly make a lot of this easier."

Lily sighed. She didn't like hypotheticals, even when other people indulged in them. Beryl being able to take many killing blows and keep going certainly counted as one. "But you cannot, so we go about it the hard way."

"More or less. Aven is getting annoyed. The prisoner still fears her." Beryl shook his head. "I try to tell her, and she picks out the encouragement without even noticing the rest."

"I fail to see why fear is a bad reaction," Lily asserted.

"She harbors aspirations of befriending it, not intimidating it, even if intimidation is useful on its own." Beryl looked over in the direction of the caves. "At that, I have not seen her yet today."

"Or Cara," Lily agreed. "Or Holly. I know Holly asked about having the whole day off, so I did not expect to see her. I don't know about the other two."

"Any idea where they are?" Beryl asked. "I'm curious as to what they're doing."

"Either with the prisoner or off somewhere together," she deduced. They had not been in the valley itself, she would have noticed them on her walk through.

Beryl stood, beginning the walk over to the caves. "I guess I'll check the prisoner first."

"I'll follow along," Lily asserted, following him. "You've got me curious as to what they're up to." She had planned on checking the prisoner today anyway, another facet of her pack's defenses. Learning its language, and hoping it would eventually give away valuable information.

"I had hoped so," Beryl admitted, sounding innocent enough.

Was that another clue as to his true feelings? She wasn't sure. That he wanted her along might just be convenience. Or it might not.

She hoped he did not like her. If he did, it could not be for reasons she would support, and she did not want another Cloud dogging her steps.

Though he was keeping it subtle, if so. She could tolerate this level of pursuit if needed. If only she just knew for sure one way or the other.

No more hints were forthcoming on their trip to the cave where the No-scaled-not-prey was held. Not that she expected any. With their kind, there were few outward signs of attraction unless something physical was about to happen-

She shuddered, forcing aside the memory of how she knew that, back into the dark corner of her mind all memories of Claw were shut up in. She hadn't expected to be sideswiped by that, Beryl was a neutral topic now, his own person not connected to Claw at all.

Her own issues aside, the lack of obvious unintentional signs meant she was reduced to wondering about small hints, or asking him outright, which was not happening.

Then she entered the cave itself, and all thoughts of Beryl's intentions were put on hold.

"What is going on here?" She could not keep the confusion out of her voice.

"Quiet," Holly said without even looking back. "We are trying something with it. Do not interfere."

She would interfere if she wanted. Holly did not get to order her around. But first, she wanted to understand what she would be breaking up.

It _looked_ like Cara and Aven had lost their minds, and their tempers. Both were snarling at each other, wordlessly raging. The lack of an actual argument was very strange. Usually, dragons argued with words and sounds together, even if it was just to insult each other.

The No-scaled-not-prey was behind Aven, who had her wings spread defensively. Cara kept trying to get past her, only for Aven to snap at her and drive her back.

"This… might work," Beryl admitted, frustratingly leaving out what this _was._ "It's an act?"

"Of course," Holly confirmed. "The prisoner was being ungrateful and scared of Aven, so Cara and I came up with this. Maybe it will be more agreeable if it thinks Aven is protecting it."

Now it all made sense. "This was your idea?" Lily asked, impressed.

"I came up with the plan, but Cara and Aven supplied the specifics," Holly admitted. "We work best together."

"How long has it been going on?" Beryl asked curiously, looking over Holly's shoulder to get a better view.

"All day." Holly winced at a particularly powerful snarl from Cara. "We went at it in stages, to make it look as real as possible. That took time."

"I came in, acting all angry," Cara shouted, talking to them while keeping up the act.

"And I got in her way," Aven growled.

"We 'argued' by growling for a while," Cara continued, swiping at the No-scaled-not-prey, her attack deflected by Aven's wing. Neither of them was using claws, a small consideration for safety.

"Then Cara attacked," Aven finished. "We have been fighting for… how long?" she asked with questioning warble interjected into the middle of the mock battle.

"Half the morning," Holly supplied. "With breaks in which Cara pretended to be tired and giving up for the moment."

That was ridiculously thorough. "So you'd say you're about done?" Lily asked.

"We would be, if we could think of a way to end it," Aven admitted. "We want the No-scaled-not-prey aware that Cara has not given up, though I do not want to do this again. If she backs down, it will assume she will not try again."

"So you need someone to intervene, clearly unhappy with the both of you. They can end the fight and send Cara away, making it clear neither won or lost." Beryl clearly had a plan in mind, and it was a good one.

"Yes," Holly agreed. "And it cannot be me, because I have been watching this whole time. It would make no sense for me to wait so long before intervening."

"So…" Beryl cast Lily a significant look. "Any time now?"

Lily realized that they wanted her to play that part. It made sense, she was the alpha so it would be realistic for her to do it if this was real. That was overkill, of course, the No-scaled-not-prey didn't know it, but she could play around.

She motioned for Holly to move aside. "I'm on it." The first step was to establish, without words, that she was in charge, in a way the No-scaled-not-prey would understand.

She snarled at both Aven and Cara, favoring the No-scaled-not-prey with a particularly angry look. "I may have to lightly hit both of you. Is that okay?" She wasn't going to attack them without permission.

"Fine by me," Aven answered. Cara nodded. Both were faking as if they were intimidated by her, their body language screaming trepidation, but they sounded sure.

She proceeded to swat each around the head in turn, carefully avoiding their closed eyes, and snarling all the while. It felt ridiculous, lightly bopping their faces with her paws, but she knew it would _look_ intimidating, and the cringing reactions made it seem real and painful. After a few moments of growling just to prove her point, she motioned to Cara. "You can leave. Make it seem like a reluctant move."

"Of course," Cara gritted, stalking out of the cavern, shoving past Holly to sell the act.

"Now you, Aven," Lily commanded in a moment of inspiration. "Leave it with me, and sneak back in after I leave. Make it think you're only defending it because you want to, not because I tell you to." She wasn't sure if the prisoner thought Aven was there because she had to be, but either way it couldn't hurt to make it clear.

"Do not hurt him," Aven requested as she left, sounding as unhappy with the idea as she portrayed. "Else this is all for nothing."

Lily snorted. She knew that.

And then she was alone with it. Beryl and Holly had moved out of sight down the stone passage between this chamber and the outside world, so the No-scaled-not-prey would think it and Lily were alone.

She glared at it, speaking her mind. "You are a lot of trouble, and I cannot say whether you are worth it. Put one paw wrong, and you will not live to regret it." It would not understand her words, but the tone was clear enough.

With that, she left, at the last moment slapping it with her tail, feeling as if she had just hit a fleshy rock for the lack of reaction. That should convey the right tone. It had no friends… except for Aven. She was the only reason it lived.

Which was true enough. Aven had fought to keep it instead of just disposing of it, but Lily could decide to have it killed at any time, and while Aven would whine incessantly, it would be done.

Lily rejoined the other dragons outside the cavern itself. "Wait a while before going back to it," she suggested. "And take careful note of how it responds."

"I plan to," Aven agreed. "We figured this might make it desperate, so Holly and Cara will be here, out of sight but guarding, for the rest of today. Unless you want to send replacements to cover us?" she warbled hopefully.

Lily shook her head. "You three did this of your own accord, so you should have been prepared to see it through. Your _one_ replacement will come at sundown, no sooner, and they will take their normal post." She wouldn't tolerate them guarding from outside the cave if there weren't three of them. It was less secure that way, even if it did play into the act they had put on.

"Okay, okay," Aven grumbled.

"Don't act so childish," Lily growled. "I could very well have roared at all three of you for doing something like this without running it past me or Beryl first." She still felt she _should_ roar at them a little, but it would come across as hypocritical now, since she and Beryl had helped them with their plan.

"Yes, alpha," Aven said. "I hope this will make it much easier to befriend him. Thank you for helping and not roaring at us."

"Speaking of the prisoner, Aven has been making progress with the language," Beryl supplied. "How much do you understand now, Aven?"

"Some?" She said hesitantly. "It is hard."

"She knows a little bit of the basics," Beryl supplied confidently. "Just not well enough to interpret more than general feeling. I assume that little bit of skill is how she knew enough to know that it was ungrateful."

Aven pawed at the dirt, clearly flattered. "It was not so much that I knew as I kind of just figured it out. It only has so many different sounds. It is not _so_ hard."

"I cannot make heads or tails out of anything it does," Holly said. "It is very hard. You understand something, at least."

"Exactly," Beryl praised. "True understanding starts like that. Keep listening and guessing at what it says. I will, as always, help whenever I am around."

Lily sidled away as the conversation turned to the specifics of learning. She had more of the valley to check up on, and absolutely no interest in learning for herself right now. Maybe if that was all she had to do, but it was not. She had so much else that learning was not an option. There was no time. The pack always needed its alpha.

O-O-O-O-O

The smell of fish made Lily's stomach rumble, and she once again regretted Clay's absence. Having him always in the background had made sending Crystal for fish an easy decision, but now she wasn't sure she wanted to be without a guard for the time it took to procure food. The safe alternative was more than a little awkward, even if it was entirely acceptable in theory.

"Alpha, nice to see you!" an upbeat male said. "As you can see, we have just finished bringing the noon fish!"

Lily nodded, ignoring her gnawing hunger, and purred at him. "Good. Any trouble?"

"No, though I do think a few of those who come for the fish are just too lazy to get their own," he said in a low voice. "It is just supposed to be for those who cannot take time away to fish on their own, or cannot fish at all, right?"

"That's the idea," she confirmed. The single Dams Claw had left behind, Root if his parents were busy, even Sires and Dams who just wanted to give their partner a break… It wasn't for lazy dragons not wanting to bother with a flight.

Thus her reluctance to partake, even though she had come for that very reason. She knew, intellectually, that she was in the first category, just like Root. Emotionally, she felt that she _should_ be able to provide for herself, or at the very least have a willing friend help out. She was crippled, but she didn't _feel_ like she should get the help meant for those like her.

Besides, Claw had eaten, if not from this sort of pile, then from the labor of his subservient males. She didn't like _any_ similarity between them…

And, she reminded herself, ignoring the male's eager gaze and selecting a fat fish for herself, that was _all_ pointless whining in her own mind. She _was_ crippled, this _was_ allowed by her own rules, and she needed to eat without needlessly exposing herself to danger every day by having no guard for a substantial period of time. It didn't matter if it made her feel slightly ill that nobody ever objected to her partaking. Her feelings on the matter were scrambled and wrong, and she knew it.

For her own peace of mind, she didn't linger. She took another large fish, hooking her claws through its gills, and left before the single Dams arrived.

"Those are both for you?" Crystal asked.

"Yup," Lily mumbled through the fish in her mouth. "You?"

"Ate before I switched out with the morning guards," Crystal said. "Also, when are we going to have Holly officially take Clay's place?"

Lily stopped, tossed her head back, and swallowed the fish whole. "When I think she is reliable. Yesterday set that back." The plan Holly and her sisters had concocted was a good one, but not checking with anyone first was a bad move, and Lily didn't like it.

"I thought her punishment for yesterday was going out to learn how the waste pit cleaning process works."

"No, that's just an unpleasant task I had no problem assigning her," Lily clarified. "It is happening today, she has recently annoyed me, and I wanted an assessment, just in case they're doing something stupid, but I also didn't want to be anywhere near the waste pit."

"So it was convenient to send her," Crystal summarized. "You know, she wants to be alpha."

Lily missed a step, stubbing her unoccupied front paw on something, stuck out the paw that still had a fish on it, and slipped on _that_ , smacking her chest into the ground with a yelp.

"Lily!" Crystal barked, crouching by her side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lily said, flicking the squashed fish off of her claws and standing awkwardly. She _wasn't_ entirely fine, her chest hurt and her paws both ached from going out at awkward angles with the weight of her body on them, but she wasn't seriously injured. "What was that about Holly wanting to be alpha?"

"Your fish is ruined," Crystal huffed. "Unless you want to lick it off the ground."

"Holly," Lily repeated. She didn't care about some stupid fish. She had already eaten one, and while it wasn't enough, she could get another later.

"It is not a big deal," Crystal said. "She told me she wishes you would teach her more things, instead of sending her on errands, and when I asked why she said she wants to replace you someday, like you said someone could back when you took over."

Lily _did_ remember that, though she hadn't thought about it in season-cycles, and for a good reason. "She is less than five season-cycles younger than me," she snorted dismissively. "She would take over for all of a pawful of season-cycles, then have to pass it on to someone younger. I'm going to wait at least twenty season-cycles before I even _start_ looking for someone to take under my wing."

"Tell her that," Crystal responded. "But you _could_ step down before either of you gets very old. You know, to relax? It cannot hurt to have that option."

"Did she put you up to this?" Lily asked.

"No, she did not even ask me to talk to you about it…" Crystal trailed off. "Now that I think about it, maybe she was complaining to me in the hopes that I _would_ pass it on to you. But she did not ever ask me to do so directly."

"That's what I would have done," Lily admitted. Personally leaping on whatever task the alpha gave, and leaving the request to someone the alpha was in good standing with, in a way that couldn't backfire so long as nobody noticed the manipulation.

"Is that a point in her favor, or a point against her?" Crystal asked.

"Both." She didn't like the idea of teaching Holly too much about leading the pack, but at the same time, it _did_ make sense to have someone besides Crystal ready to leap into the gap any sudden illness or injury might provide.

"I'll think about it," she decided. There was still no rush. "Also, could you go back to the fish pile for me?"

O-O-O-O-O

By dusk, Lily was exhausted. Spending all day wandering around, mediating disputes, and generally keeping tabs on everyone was tiring. The trek back to her cave was simultaneously the worst and best part of her day. She was at her most tired, but she knew she was going somewhere quiet and restful, and walking along the mountain path as the stars came out was a nice experience on clear evenings like this one had turned out to be.

Lily angled her path to pass by Crystal's rock, mildly curious. Her friend had left a little earlier than normal, bringing in the night guard slightly ahead of schedule, and given no reason. She didn't _have_ to give a reason, but the lack of one made Lily wonder.

As she got close, she heard muffled laughter. Her well-honed spying instincts prodded her to approach in a way that wouldn't immediately announce her presence, and she circled around to see Crystal's rock without being directly in anyone's line of sight. Soon, she was pressed up against another rock, only her head sticking out, and observing the small group present at Crystal's rock.

Her parents weren't there, and instead two males occupied the rock with her, Root and Beryl. All three were laughing quietly, so as to not disturb their neighbors.

"Surely not," Root wheezed, clearly amused.

"From noon to sunset," Beryl confirmed, chuckling himself. "That was how long it took for her to give up. Someone had riled her up, and to prove she could handle being alone, she hid on top of the spire, where nobody could see her."

"Were they worried?" Crystal asked.

"Oh, we all knew where she was, Spark saw her climbing and mentioned it as soon as he found out she was missing," Beryl revealed, slapping his tail on the rock. "But Thorn wanted to teach her a lesson about trying to hurt others to spite them, so she and Herb made a huge deal of looking for her, sticking to the ground the entire time, of course. All the adults pitched in. Silva was more than sorry for trying to make Herb and Thorn worry for nothing, in the end. That part was not so funny."

By the end of that, Lily had picked up the context. It was just a story about Silva. Not that important to her, but interesting nonetheless. She found herself listening wistfully. The idea of an entire community, albeit a small one, helping raise a fledgling was a nice one. It spoke of everyone having morals from the start, and looking out for each other without needing to be taught.

"Did you ever find out who put her up to it?" Crystal asked.

"It wasn't Lightning or Thunder," Beryl said. "We think it was probably Thaw, but he didn't admit to taunting her, and he's not the kind of person to intentionally antagonize anyone. Silva probably took something innocent the wrong way."

"Why not ask Silva?" Root said.

"She didn't want to talk about it afterward." Beryl shrugged. "Lesson learned, in the end, so nobody pressed her. This stuff was going to happen with four fledglings growing up in close quarters."

"Do they ever intentionally get on each other's nerves?" Root asked.

Beryl looked over at Crystal. "To tell that, I would have to talk about Lightning and Thunder." He said it as if it explained enough on its own.

Crystal nodded in agreement. "Nothing more about them. I want to hear from them first."

"Are you sure? If it were me, I would definitely want some preparation before meeting my children," Beryl asserted. "Especially when they're so old."

"I do, but I do not at the same time, and once you talk about them I cannot just forget it, so I will wait… impatiently. One more day gone."

"One more day," Root agreed. "Waiting is not fun, but at least passing the time is easy."

Lily sighed, continuing to watch as they devolved into making jokes and generally enjoying each others' company. She had no desire to join them, but at the same time she wanted to. She _wanted_ to be able to be casual and make jokes, and she didn't know exactly why she couldn't manage it.

Even as she thought that, she shook her head and growled at herself. She _did_ know why she was not able to relax and join in, it was simple. They were acting like young adult dragons, like a kind version of Cloud and his friends. They were all too old to be acting so immature and silly, but that did not seem to be stopping them. It _did_ stop her.

Lily knew she could never just throw away her responsibility to join them. Even now, when she had nothing else to do but sleep, she could not act like that in front of her fledglings. They would remember it in the back of their minds whenever they saw her in the future, a little nagging undercurrent telling them she was immature, that she had made jokes and laughed and stayed up late with other young adults. Everyone, with the sole exception of Beryl, needed to see her as reliable, mature, and in charge. Nothing could jeopardize that, not even relaxing with friends.

It was another disability, just like she could not fly or have eggs or even roll onto her back. Another thing sacrificed to be alpha, to keep her fledglings safe. She turned away, intent on going up to her cave. Sleep was necessary, and she was not about to spend all night eavesdropping-

A tiny pebble fell on her back, followed by a quiet and young voice. "Alpha?" a small voice asked, followed by an equally small yawn,

Lily shuddered compulsively from the flaring prick of pain the pebble elicited, and looked up to see a fledgling hanging off the rock she was pressed against. "Go back to sleep, little one," she said quietly.

"But… you are not asleep," he complained.

"I am going to my cave to sleep right now," she chided, "and so should you."

"Fine," he grumbled. "Dam always says the same." He pulled out of sight, presumably going back to sleep by said Dam's side.

The immediate threat to her secrecy averted, Lily cast a glance back, hoping she had not been noticed-

No such luck, though only one dragon had actually taken note, the only one already looking in her general direction. She locked eyes with Beryl.

He flicked his ears in their direction, a subtle invitation she could ignore if she wanted, and said nothing to give away her presence to the others.

She shook her head and turned away, turning down the offer. Him making it was another little piece of evidence. He might not be acting solely out of friendship, politeness, or even pity. The way he let her turn the offer down spoke of careful consideration, nothing like how he joked with Crystal and even Root. If he saw her the way he saw them, he would have called out and invited her openly, thus implying that he didn't see her the same way he saw them… Though he had seen her worst moments, so that might be why...

She growled to herself as she walked away. She couldn't allow this to get in the way of anything, just like she hadn't meant let her irrational dislike affect how she dealt with him. In a way, this was far easier to deal with, because the problem either didn't exist, or existed on his side of things.

She hoped it didn't exist. There was nothing attractive about her except her power. It would be disappointing to find out that he coveted power and thought to get it from her. She had actually thought better of him. He wasn't supposed to be like Cloud.

But he wasn't like Cloud, not yet. So long as things remained as they were, she could ignore her suspicion and think the best of him. She would have to if she meant to keep him around, and he was far too important to send away.

Besides, he annoyed Cloud, and if she _had_ to have a male attracted to her power, she would rather it be the subtle one who didn't act on the temptation and was genuinely useful and pleasant to be around.


	47. Sympathetic

Lily knew she had been ambushed. She knew that she was at a disadvantage, though the one cornering her couldn't fly either. She had no unseen backup; Crystal was off handling something, and so was Holly, so whatever she did, she would have to do it herself. But beyond that, she had no clever plan to get away, not even the start of one. Her ambusher's accomplice would hound her relentlessly if she did take advantage of her superior vision to outwit him, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Was this really necessary?" she asked lightly, hiding her unease with a wry purr. There was no need for them to trail her and leap out into the open the moment she wandered into a dead-end pathway, and it bothered her that she hadn't noticed a blind dragon trailing her until too late. She still didn't understand how he had managed that.

"No, but it was fun to plan, and what comes next will not be," Root said just as casually. "I am not done, not with all the stories, but I _have_ hit a dead end. None of those who remain will talk to me."

"Or me," Shalla said from her perch on the boulder behind Lily.

"So I figured it was time," Root concluded. "So, alpha? When can you carve some time out of your busy schedule for me?"

"It is still busy," Lily defended, wondering where Root had gotten the courage to address her so casually. She was nothing but nice to him, of course, but she wasn't used to him speaking like this. She suspected Crystal, Mist, and Beryl were to blame.

"What do I have to do to help you clear it?" Root asked more seriously.

"Nothing," Lily said, feeling guilty. It was inevitable, she supported his project and thus would have to participate, and the time was apparently nigh. "Does tonight work for you?"

"After sunset?" Root asked.

"Yes. It should not take _too_ long."

"I have been meeting the more reluctant light wings out in the dark side of the valley," Root said. "It is private and secluded, while still being somewhere I can get to easily. Are you okay with meeting me there?"

"Yes," Lily agreed. She was _already_ going to be uncomfortable and thinking about the sort of thing the burial grounds brought to mind, so she didn't see how having the discussion there could make it any _worse_.

"Great!" Shalla barked.

Lily winced at her volume. "Do not get too excited," she warned. "This is serious stuff, and it will not be a fun time. I don't like talking about that time, and I will only say things once."

"But you will elaborate, right?" Root asked. "I _do_ need to understand, and I do not think you want me to come back later with more questions."

"I'll do whatever you need, but only tonight," Lily clarified. "It is not easy for me. You do what you need in order to make tonight as effective as possible."

"I might take you up on that…" Root murmured vaguely. "Thank you. I will hear you then."

"I still say that just confuses people," Shalla objected. "It is a joke, but it is not funny."

"It will make more sense once I can see with sound," Root sighed.

"I hope so," Lily agreed. Maybe it was her current state of looming dread, or her worry that Root would be disappointed with what Beryl had promised, but she couldn't find any humor in any of this.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily watched the sun sink below the mountains with a growl, then proceeded to mentally berate herself. She _needed_ to do this, she only had to do it once, and it was for the greater good of the pack. She was going to go in there, speak calmly and concisely, answer Root's questions, give him a complete understanding of her actions, her observations, and her motivations, and leave just as calmly, to go up to her cave and sleep soundly.

Of course, she had plenty of evidence to the contrary, plenty of proof that she couldn't control herself so well when the memories she avoided were brought up, but she chose to ignore that. Sheer force of will would see her through, and that was that. Thinking anything else was sabotaging herself before she even began.

"You _will_ keep it together," she growled under her breath. "It is just the past, nothing more, and-"

"Sorry?" Crystal said, turning her head. "Did you say something?"

"No, not to you," Lily huffed. "It's sundown. See you tomorrow."

"Good luck," Crystal warbled. "Are you sure you do not want me to come along?"

"I think it will be easier if I just concentrate on the story, and nothing else," Lily said. "Having you there will remind me of how it _felt_ , and that is the one part I do not want to talk about."

"Got it," Crystal purred. "Go do your thing. What about tonight's guards, though?"

Lily had forgotten about that. She fully intended to expect the best of herself, but if something went wrong in a predictable way, she knew what she would want to have arranged. "They all get the night off," she said. "If any of them object, set them to flying over the valley itself, not watching me. If they ask why, I want privacy and it is none of their business."

"They will think you have a male visitor," Crystal warned. "That is _exactly_ the sort of thing Grass will guess."

"They'll be wrong, and that's all that matters," Lily snorted. Who would her male visitor even be? Rain was probably the most likely option, if only because he had a reputation for liking attention from any female not related to him. Or maybe Beryl, because so many females lusted after him, and would project those feelings onto her.

She would normally have shook her head and done her best to drive those thoughts out, but tonight, they were a welcome distraction, so she laughed and set off for the burial grounds without dismissing the idea at all.

Rain and Beryl were the likely options, of course, but if she was putting herself in Grass's paws, she would guess Root, depending on when the guess was made. Root would have an alibi in Shalla, of course, but the fact would remain that they _had_ met up, and maybe, Grass might think, Shalla was covering for them.

It was an amusing hypothetical, if only because Lily knew the basic premise was absurd. She was alpha, and if she was sneaking someone into her cave at night, it would be because she was mating with them, and thus they would be her mate, meaning she had no reason to hide her activities.

Or maybe it would be assumed that she had found a male who would casually mate with her without thinking anything more of it. That was equally absurd; even Rain did not do that, though rumor said otherwise. In his case, she supposed he was just too intelligent and cautious to want to chance the consequences of such a thing, given he did not seem like he would be that opposed to the concept.

She held a secret capable of negating those consequences, one she had yet to reveal to anyone besides Crystal, but nobody knew that, and thus it would not factor into their theorizing. As far as the average light wing knew, mating carried a chance of eggs unless one was barren, and nobody knew she was barren.

She still had to think of a way to introduce that plant to the pack without causing more problems than she solved. That problem had been firmly shoved to the side with Beryl's arrival and all that happened after it, and she didn't anticipate having time to return to it for a while yet.

It was dark out, and as a result Lily didn't know where the burial grounds began, not by light. Instead, she judged by the density of occupied rocks; the closer she got, the more rocks remained unoccupied despite size or other characteristics.

She leaped up onto one such rock once she was far enough in, opting to take the high route despite the pain. She knew all too well what lurked in the corners and dead ends of the burial grounds, and travelling above was a way to avoid chance encounters. Her mental state was going to take enough of a beating without something like that getting in the first blow-

She felt like biting herself, and settled for whipping her tail around and awkwardly slapping her side. She was going to handle this perfectly, without any trouble at all, like literally everyone else must have before her. Her experiences were worse, possibly, more raw, but they were also season-cycles old, and thus should be less painful. At the very least, she should be able to talk about them.

She leaped over an open space, intentionally not looking down.

"Lily, over here," Root called out. "If that is you?"

"It's me," she confirmed, backtracking and leaping down into the narrow corridor Root had chosen. It was just wide enough for her push out her wings halfway, and no more, not even allowing her entire truncated wingspan. Of course, Root wouldn't consider that much of an issue, having walked there, and undoubtedly planning to walk back with Shalla.

"Is it just us?" she asked, noticing Shalla's absence. Root was at the other end of the corridor, but aside from a few dark, branching paths, there was nothing else to see.

"Not quite, if you are okay with my presence," Beryl said, sticking his head out into the corridor from the furthest side path.

"Why are you here?" Lily demanded. Of all the dragons to show up now, why was it _him_?

"I asked him to be," Root explained. "I wanted someone impartial, someone who was not here and not involved in the things you will be speaking of. Beryl provides that. If you want me to get everything you say the first time, he will be a huge help."

"I don't want him here," Lily said.

"You did promise to accept whatever helped me make the most out of this discussion," Root said, "but if you really do not want him here, fine. He was going to swear not to speak of any of this, and I did not think you would be telling me anything too deeply personal." He sounded apologetic, but Lily mostly heard him pushing for her to listen, or at least explain her reasoning. He didn't know it was such a touchy subject for her.

She tried to arrange her objections in her mind. The obvious one was that his presence would make her uncomfortable, but she was already uncomfortable and upon second thought, he probably wouldn't make a difference. He would promise to not speak of any of this, so that was not an issue; she knew that he kept his word.

He would hear about her suffering in full, even if she skipped the most painful details, but he had already seen behind the facade she kept up for everyone else. He had already seen her breaking down and freaking out over random things, such as discussing her injuries, and hearing _why_ she was damaged might even help him avoid touching on those things in the future…

Root wanted him here for a reason, he was going to be helpful and provide an outside point of view. Lily couldn't come up with any actual reasons to make him leave. In fact, he might even provide a welcome distraction, being totally unrelated to all that she would be talking about. Root, with his empty eye sockets, couldn't provide that, and even Shalla had been the target of Claw's ire back then.

"Never mind, Beryl can stay," she said.

"Really?" Beryl asked.

"Yes, really, so long as you will not speak of _any_ of this," she growled.

"I swear, it will not be heard from me," Beryl promised in a low voice, bowing his head. "Not even if I am speaking to someone who already knows."

"That is a small list, only Crystal and after tonight, Root," Lily murmured.

"I cannot promise not to speak of this like Beryl has," Root said. "You know I am collecting these stories to share them, not to hold them in my mind and keep them secret."

"But you can tell the stories in a way that does not harm me," Lily replied. "You will not repeat everything." She wouldn't do this if it would result in Root repeating her words to the entire valley.

"I am going to merge what you tell me with what I already know from many others, and get an idea of the truth of what happened, who was involved, and what the motivations were," Root explained. "The only parts that will resemble what you tell me in specifics are the ones involving only you, if there are any."

"I'll keep that in mind." So long as he only repeated her actions and _why_ , she could be okay with him speaking. She would have to be, there was no point in backing out now over worry that he would make her look bad. Once she started speaking, that would be out of her paws.

"Sounds like we are ready to begin," Root concluded. "So, where does this start for you? I assume not that long ago, we are close in age."

"Actually, it started a long time ago," Lily admitted, deciding to begin with Pyre's story. Root needed it to understand who Pyre was and how the pack got to where it was later on… and ironically, the memories that had hurt Pyre were not painful for her to discuss, not really. Not in comparison to the ones she was going to have to dig up later.

"How long?" Root asked.

"Decades before we existed?" Lily offered. Pyre hadn't given her a timeframe. "This pack left a larger group, striking out on its own, and wandered. There was an alpha, he had a mate, and there were plenty of people. As far as I know, the alpha only had one mate."

"With you so far, though I do wonder how you know this," Root said.

"That'll make sense soon," Lily sighed. "There was a mated pair, Pyre and Risa." She remembered Pyre telling her the story, season-cycles ago. It had been a gift for her, because she was becoming an adult and Pyre thought he should do something for her...

Beryl flinched. "Pyre?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Not his real name…" Lily choked back a sad whine. "He told me to call him that, later. I don't know what his first name was. Anyway," she huffed, forcing herself back into the explanation, "they were mates, they had an egg, but Pyre was captured one day by humans. He broke free a few moon-cycles later, weakened by the captivity, came home to the pack, and told the alpha, as well as his mate, about them. The alpha decided to attack and wipe them out."

"Is this all you know, or is it a summary?" Root asked gently. "I would like the whole story, if you have more about the specifics."

"It is all that is relevant," Lily said, thinking of how she had spent most of the day listening to Pyre talking about himself and Risa. She wasn't going to talk about how Pyre and Risa had fallen in love, or any of the more personal stuff. Only what he _needed_ to know to follow the thread of cause and effect back to the present day.

"Pyre was weak, and Risa convinced him to let her fly in his place, though back then it was the males who would fly to fight, and the females who would stay back to tend the eggs and young," Lily said tonelessly. "The alpha's mate took inspiration and also went, and the alpha blamed him for putting his mate in danger.

"Almost everyone who went died, nearly all of the males and both females who had joined in," Lily huffed, hiding the horror of what she was saying in a bland tone. "The alpha came back and punished Pyre by grounding him and taking his daughter away. The pack moved, and Pyre followed, not willing to give up, for a long time. Some of those who had survived the fight died of illness along the way, and eventually the pack stopped… here."

She looked up at the mountains all around them, and beyond them the stars, blinking rapidly, feeling a whine rising in her chest, one which she stomped out with some difficulty. "They settled here, and Pyre also settled here, taking a cave up in the mountains. He was exiled, and his own daughter had been raised to hate him, but he could not bear to leave."

"What then?" Root prompted.

"Nothing," Lily said. "Time passed. His daughter knew he was there and took a day to berate him every season-cycle, and he bore it, and the season-cycles flew by. His daughter became a mate of the alpha, but he didn't even know that, not privy to anything going on in the valley. He didn't know about Claw, or about how the alpha was taking many mates, or any of that.

"Until one day his daughter brought along a fledgling and unintentionally introduced them while doing her best to tear him apart with words." Lily felt a heavy, choking weight in her throat, and fell silent.

Root hummed thoughtfully, filling the silence. After a few long moments, he huffed quietly. "Take as long as you need."

"I don't need any more time," she said gruffly, forcing herself to take up the story once more. It was only going to get worse, the weight and pain in her chest was only going to get heavier, and she needed to get it all out before it became too much to bear. "That fledgling was me, and I went back without Cressa, and I met Pyre, who took a liking to me. I met with him in secret throughout my childhood, playing with him, and being taught, and generally having an actual _Sire_ where Claw could not be less interested. Pyre saw me as the daughter he had never gotten to raise, and acted accordingly." A series of good memories flew through her mind, each and every one darkened by what she knew was coming next. They hurt just as much as the bad memories, in a different way she wasn't nearly as hardened to.

Beryl whined sympathetically, and Lily felt another lump rise in her throat. "Don't," she demanded desperately. "Don't do that."

"Sorry," Beryl rumbled, his wide green eyes full of pity.

Lily looked away from him, instead focusing on Root's utter lack of a gaze. She was actually less bothered by that; Root, at least, understood.

"I had only a few people I really cared for," Lily related, somehow summarizing the entirety of her world back then in just a few words, trying to forestall more memories intruding. "My half-brother Granite, my best friend Crystal, and Pyre. Pina was okay, Grass was obnoxious, and Cressa was… we never saw eye to eye once I met Pyre."

She paused there, an idea occurring to make the torturous explanation shorter. "Then came the ceremony for our season-cycle. Crystal knows more about that than I do." It was true, Crystal was at the center of that debacle, being the one who actually knew what was going on. "She asked me for advice and lied about what it was for, I gave it, and then Granite challenged."

"I have already talked to Crystal," Root revealed. "But-"

"Good," Lily barked, relieved. That would allow her to skip so many painful memories.

"But I need to know why you did what you did, and how you saw the events she might have also been present for," Root continued. "So please do not brush past any of them assuming I already know all that needs to be known."

"In this case, you _do_ already know, I was the one who did not know what was going on with Crystal or Pearl," she said bitterly. "I gave advice without knowing the context, Crystal followed it, Granite challenged for Pearl's sake even though he was in love with Crystal, he died, and Pearl suffered anyway.

"I told Pyre about Granite's death," she continued, speaking quickly, "and he had me investigate Claw. I kept what I found secret, lied to him, so that he wouldn't worry. Meanwhile, Crystal and I worked together to keep Gold available for either of us, just in case I needed an out more than she did."

"Gold?" Beryl mumbled. It sounded like he recognized the name… and he might, if he had spent time with Pearl. Lily dismissed that thought; it wasn't important whether he understood every little detail.

"Then Claw... made it clear." She shuddered, even now utterly repulsed by that memory. "He didn't know I was awake, he obviously wanted me but didn't act. I prepared to claim Gold, Crystal was going to help me… And then Gold and Pearl both disappeared."

It was getting harder for her to continue now, and she knew she was coming up to the worst parts. She felt a strong urge to flee, to stop talking and shove the memories back where they needed to be, but she kept going anyway.

"There was a search, then Claw claimed both of us," she said dully, her voice imperfectly hiding her rising distress. "Everyone was there. Crystal was there for what followed. Later, I fled to Pyre and told him everything, because I just could not handle it anymore."

A choking sob forced its way out of her, and she barked angrily to cover it. "I told him everything, I sought shelter in his cave like a mindless idiot, and we both wasted so much precious time. By the time he had gotten me back to a coherent state of mind, it was already the next day, and we were out of time. Claw and Cressa came to his cave in search of me, and I slipped out while camouflaged…"

"And?" Root prompted.

"What do you _think_?" she hissed, her resolve cracking in two and then shattering entirely in an instant, the pieces trampled by the lingering recollection of her own rising horror, the hope squashed so violently as Pyre was murdered-

She flung her wings out on pure instinct, smacked them on the stones to either side of her before she even reached her constrained wingspan, and whined in pain, agonized as much by her inability to flee as by the pain itself. Her paws carried her back, away from Root, and she let them, wanting nothing more than to flee before the building flood of pain and grief poured out of her in front of him.

She turned down a dark passage, then leaped up onto a rock and got her bearings, choking on her own sobs. The path up the mountain was close, and she began running for it, bounding across rocks and whining at every impact.

There was little planning to be had, little rational thought. She just wanted to get somewhere safe, and she only knew one such place, somewhere she could mourn. The memories were like claws in her mind, or rotting wounds, held back for so long and no duller for the time spent ignored. She ran, heedlessly following the path she had followed so many times before, and only realized she was at her cave when she reached the ledge and was assaulted by a particularly vivid memory of Claw snapping Pyre's back-

She turned toward the cave, whining like a hatchling in the throes of a nightmare, and saw only another memory, Pyre tending to her, but he was not there now and she could not bear it. This was _worse_ than her annual night of mourning, far worse, and she had nowhere to go, not even her cave. The absence of Pyre hurt more than ever.

Instead, she turned her back on both the cave and the ledge, limped just out of sight down the path, and curled up into a tight circle on the shallow slope, despite her back's sharp protests. There were no memories there, it wasn't a _place_ so much as a path to other places, she could hide there.

But there was no hiding from her own mind, not now that all she had pushed away was well and truly free, and provoked by her intentional recollection of so much of it.

Telling the story had been such a bad idea, and now she was suffering for it, despite her baseless bravado and confidence earlier. She had avoided talking to Root for moon-cycles, and it was only now becoming clear to her how smart an unconscious plan that had been.

She lay there, alternating between whining and keening loudly, for some amount of time. She did not know or care how long it was. Now that she had begun to relive and pull up bad memories, she could not stop, as if a blockage had been removed, one she needed to function. She sunk deeper and deeper into her own personal pit of horrors, unable to fight its suffocating grasp.

Then something pulled her out, back to reality, something just as integral to her as the pain she was enduring, the grief dragging her down. Self-preservation. Something had landed behind her, on the ledge. She was not even close to calm, the horrors in her mind only receding for a moment before falling back onto her with a vengeance, but she noticed the presence and managed to silence herself.

"Lily?" Crystal called out. "I thought you said she ran this way!"

"I did, and she did," Beryl said, betraying his presence. "But she might not have come here. Does she have anywhere else she might go?"

Neither of them saw her, she had hidden just out of sight of the ledge. They didn't know she was there. A single whine or spoken word would draw her best friend to her, it was a surprise they had not heard her upon approaching, before she knew to be silent…

But she couldn't do it. She didn't believe Crystal _could_ help her, and she didn't want her best friend to see, even though she _knew_ that was a foolish, irrational decision, even though Crystal had seen and comforted her through her mourning in times past. In the moment, she couldn't do it. She would not have objected to Crystal finding her, but she would not make it happen, either.

"Maybe the forest, or maybe she doubled back to the dark side of the valley," Crystal said urgently. "You check the dark side of the valley, I will check the forest!"

A flurry of wings signalled their departure, and Lily waited a few long moments before choking out another sob. She didn't know _why_ she had hidden her presence, only that she wanted to suffer alone if she couldn't have Pyre…

A presence walked down the path, she could hear the paws scuffing rock, feel the warmth coming off the body right behind her, smell the scent drifting down to her nose. It was male, but not the male she wanted to see, not the comforting presence she wanted so badly.

She tried to choke out something along the lines of 'go away', and utterly failed to produce anything but a mewling whine. Indignation at his presence was nothing in the face of the storm of guilt and grief raging inside her, and she was powerless against it.

"Breathe," he advised, putting a paw on her side.

She jerked away from him, flailing a wing in his direction, and changed nothing about her frantic, fast-paced gasps.

He huffed and stepped around her, standing a winglength further down the path. He tried to look her in the eye, and she responded by closing hers entirely. Crystal could not help, and he _certainly_ could not.

"I am going to sit here until Crystal comes back," he said in an impossibly kind, calm voice, neatly tucking his paws under his body and settling down. "I am not a threat."

If he wanted to do more than offer platitudes, she was as vulnerable as it was possible to be. She was weak, and he was strong. She couldn't even make him go away, or muster the will to _want_ him to go away. All she could do was wallow in her misery, relive her worst memories over and over again as they led into each other, repeating endlessly in a loop she had no way out of.

But his presence _was_ helping, if only because she could not sink any further. She did not feel entirely alone.

Even more so when she felt a heat once more, this time on her front. Her eyes flicked open, and she noticed, in some corner of her mind that was still halfway coherent, that he had shuffled forward, getting closer. He stopped when he saw her looking at him, and a fresh round of sobs took her mind off his presence entirely.

It felt like she was trapped in her own mind, stuck in mud and unable to claw free despite wanting to. Memories of Claw and Pyre plagued her, the one striking and the other offering hope only to be dashed in turn. A vanquished horror and a defeated savior, one painful because he was gone, and the other because she had not ended him sooner. Granite was there too, but his pain was a less visceral one, as nonsensical as that was. It certainly had not felt lesser at the time, but then, she had yet to face her worst nightmares back then, it was only _beginning_ …

Lily keened loudly, her throat sore and her chest aching, absolutely miserable but quickly losing the energy to voice her pain. Her body was slowly shutting down, dampening her pain with pure exhaustion, physical and emotional.

"Over here!" Beryl barked, the sudden, loud noise near her head not even startling her, she felt so dull and out of it. An answering back sounded from the ledge.

"You found her!" Crystal exclaimed. "Lily, I am here."

A warm body plopped down right behind Lily, and Crystal pulled her close, avoiding her back but otherwise offering all of the contact she could manage. "It is okay, just let it out," Crystal crooned. "Like last time."

Lily wanted to say that this did not feel like her normal mourning, it was more painful and more sudden, but she had no energy, and her wailing was growing strained and feeble, her body giving out.

"You could have done this," Crystal said, not speaking to Lily. "She needs help."

"I didn't think it would be appreciated, coming from me," Beryl objected.

"Maybe not, but she does not care right now, and if she scolded you later I would set her straight," Crystal retorted, still holding Lily tightly. "But at least you stayed. Leaving her alone would have been worse."

"I was right about that, at least," Beryl murmured. "Is there anything else I could do?"

"Wait," Crystal hummed. "That is all."

Lily whined feebly, a darkness growing in her mind, a lethargy seeping through her body. She was still miserable, but there was a limit, and she was growing tired.

So tired...

O-O-O-O-O

Lily blinked groggily. Her head was pounding fiercely, and there was a weight on the back of her neck that was uncomfortable, to say the least.

She saw nothing but comforting darkness when she opened her eyes, but at the same time felt warm sunlight on her tail. The contrast confused her, and she roused fully, annoyed about something she could not put her paw on.

The darkness lifted the moment she shifted her head, ripped away in an instant, and the weight disappeared too. She felt a warmth against her side disappear, only then realizing that it had been there, and groaned as the sudden, bright sunlight assaulted her eyes.

She pawed at her head, wishing the throbbing pain would go away, and blinked rapidly. Her eyes adjusted to the harsh light, and she focused on the overly dark blur in front of her, the only thing not reflecting yet more light at her.

Beryl sat on the path below her, his eyes wide and his paws fidgeting with a chunk of irregular stone, kicking it back and forth. It scraped along the rock, hurting her ears.

"Stop that noise," she requested, her throat rasping. She wasn't surprised; she had bawled for a long time the night before, and that sort of thing always left her raw and tired, though _apparently_ she had fallen asleep rather quickly…

She pawed at her head again, trying to think back. Her emotions were peculiarly stable, not leaping about at all, which she was thankful for. She _knew_ what had happened, she could remember it, but not much beyond Beryl saying he was going to stay and wait for Crystal. Crystal had arrived, but by then she had been winding down, like a tantruming hatchling.

"What happened?" she asked neutrally. She wasn't mad at him yet, she didn't have it in her to be mad at anyone or anything. She was just tired and in pain and dealing with an obnoxious headache.

"I found you, I waited with you until Crystal came back, and she helped you?" Beryl offered. "She got you to sleep, anyway."

"Where is she?"

"She left to go make sure nobody found you like this. She said something about morning guards?"

Lily nodded, then instantly regretted it as her headache pounded abominably. It was so bad she felt she might throw up if she moved too much. That aside, she was glad Crystal had the foresight to keep all of this quiet. "Good."

"I stayed here to watch over you since there was nobody else and I had already seen, and you didn't like the sunlight on your face, so that was my wing," Beryl admitted. "That is all."

"Thank you." She knew she _should_ be annoyed at something, she often was with him, but after all of that, she didn't feel like it. "Talking to Root was a mistake, and I am glad you tried to help afterward."

"If talking about something hits you _that_ hard, it might not just be a bad idea, there might be something wrong," Beryl said hesitantly.

"Nothing I do not already deal with," she assured him, seeing no reason to keep what little shreds of her secret remained. "Usually, in a set time and place, with Crystal by my side to support me. I was not expecting it to strike so suddenly."

"But you are fine now?" he warbled. "You seem very calm…"

"I'm closer to _normal_ ," she said. "Not freaking out, or taking offense, or stressing over everything." She didn't feel perfect, the abominable headache distracting her was still an issue, but she felt far more calm, if only because the worst had come and gone. She _could_ get into an argument with him, the potential was there, but that was just too much effort, and she would probably be bested by her headache and end up spewing all over his paws in the middle of making a point.

"Normal is not calm?" he asked.

"My position as alpha is stressful, and I guess it is worse when there is danger always just beyond the horizon." She shrugged her wing shoulders and winced again. "Plus dealing with my issues towards new, confident males. Shoving that down took effort, and then preparing to fight an unknown enemy took effort, and then things just kept stacking up." She was going to have to rely more on Beryl, Crystal, and possibly Holly, to handle the day to day workings of the pack and their defenses. She couldn't afford to break down too often, and in the harsh morning light, it was obvious that she was heading in exactly that direction if she let things keep stacking up on top of her.

"I see." He was eyeing her strangely, and she was reminded of the suspicion Cloud had cast over her. That seemed, if not laughable, then at least far-fetched. She knew Beryl better than that, he did not lust after power and thus felt nothing toward her. It was just a normal odd look given to someone who was not quite making sense to him.

"Thank you," she said again. "For keeping this quiet, especially. Nobody knows, and nobody is going to know."

"Root knows, and Crystal does," Beryl objected.

"And you. But Crystal already knew and is my best friend, I screwed up with you right from the start, and Root…" She sighed. "Well, at least Root will keep it quiet."

"You screwed up with me?"

"Right from the start I was unfair and put you on the defensive, and then you saw me at some of my worst moments," she said, putting to words something she could not remember ever explaining to him before. "My people have to see me as a wise authority figure who knows what she is doing, but you never saw that and never will, so I do not have to bother making myself look better than I am."

"I… Honestly, I don't know what to say about that," Beryl admitted, flicking the rock he had been toying with out onto a nearby bluff. "So we are good? You are not going to snap at me for touching you, or for following you, or anything?"

"I'm not mad. It was my mistake, and you helped Crystal handle it with minimal exposure. I'm _thankful_ ," she said earnestly. She really was. Her past problems with Beryl were exactly that, past, and the mere fact that she could easily think about them meant they weren't worth holding a grudge over…

"Okay, but I feel like I have turned too hard in the air and strained something," he said. "Last night you were bawling your eyes out, and this morning you are happy."

"I'm not happy, I have a terrible headache and I feel like I got no sleep at all," she snorted. "But I've gotten good at crying my heart out and then pulling it together the next morning."

Despite it being said in good humor, and her really meaning it, Beryl's face fell. "That is a terrible thing to hear someone say," he said.

"Well, it's reality," she said. "I deal with it just like I deal with all of the other side effects of freeing my pack." She shifted her wings to draw his attention to what she meant.

"I guess you would know best," he agreed. "So… what now?"

"Now, you…" She paused to think about it. "Actually, good question. Do you have an alibi for tonight?"

"What?"

"Do you have a story ready if anyone asks you where you were last night?" she clarified.

"No, I know what an alibi is," he explained. "I just do not see why I need one. Nobody is going to ask. Crystal is in the know, and I spend nights with her family nowadays. Root already knows I went to find you, so there is no point lying to him, and nobody else knows anything happened."

"Well, yes," Lily agreed, surprised by how reasonable a point that was. "But just in case."

"I spent the night on a ledge, just for a change of pace," Beryl offered.

"No good, that's where mates go to make eggs," Lily said bluntly. "You spent the night on the shore, watching for enemies."

"Nobody will believe I spent all night watching the ocean out of paranoia," he said.

"You totally would," she chuckled. "You're proactive and thorough, if you had the slightest reason to think you and only you could spot enemies approaching, you would stand watch. Nobody will question it, and if they do you can make up a decent reason for it."

"Okay, I'll say that," Beryl purred. "I have to say, I like you much better when you are not stressed."

"I like me better this way too. But now it's time to go back to being alpha." She stood and gestured at the path behind him. "I need to go that way, and you need to go down the other side of the mountain, go into the forest, and then fly up from the forest's edge to sell your cover."

"Yes, alpha," Beryl said sarcastically, brushing past her.

"Don't call me that, please," she asked. "Lily. Just Lily." He wasn't one of hers, and she didn't like that title coming from him. She didn't like it coming from anyone, really, except for those who needed reminding that it _was_ her position in the pack, whether or not they approved.

"Got it," he called back, before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

She put her back to him and began the long walk down to the valley, a spring in her step that, upon reflection, really _shouldn't_ be there. She had no real explanation for her tolerable mood, especially as her headache wasn't gone yet. Though it _was_ fading.

She wondered whether, having expended so much guilt and pain last night, she had nothing left but happiness. That didn't quite work, she didn't think there were set limits to any of it, but it would explain her current state of mind.

Or maybe grieving over all of her painful past had somehow rendered it acceptable? She stopped walking long enough to cautiously think of Pyre, to remember how he had comforted her-

A familiar feeling spread in her chest, a painful grief, dull and slow but still very much there and gaining strength as she lingered on the memory.

She growled, the reverberations exacerbating her headache, and shoved the memory away. Pyre was good, but remembering those worst moments was _not_ , and remained terrible, even if it was not so sharp and painful right now. She didn't have the strength to deal with that again so soon after the night before, and those memories could go right back to where they belonged, the corner of her mind that contained all of the things she couldn't think about. If last night's mistake had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't handle her past. Best to keep it locked away so that she could deal with the present.

O-O-O-O-O

"Root knows to keep silent about it," Crystal assured her a while later. Lily was thankful she was keeping her words vague; they were walking around, and while it was unlikely anyone would overhear, it wasn't impossible.

"Perfect," Lily said. "You have already given him the details of what we did back then, right?"

"I did, but he wanted to hear it from you."

"He's going to have to make do with what you can remember," Lily said firmly, not allowing herself to even contemplate another round of digging up those memories.

"I guess so," Crystal sighed. "So… do you feel better?"

"More than I expected to," Lily admitted. "But I do not want to do it again. Ever. Once a season-cycle is more than enough."

"I understand that," Crystal agreed. "While we are on the subject, though, what do you think of Beryl?"

"How is that on the subject?"

"He was there, and he asked me whether you are _usually_ happy and calm after such an event," Crystal said. "He said you thanked him."

"Why is that so strange?" Lily asked, more than a little annoyed. "He and I have not argued in more than a moon-cycle, we get along well, and he did the right thing last night. Just because I had issues with him when we first met does not mean I cannot get over them."

"It was more than just a little issue when you first met, and as far as anyone else knew, you were just letting him do his thing and cooperating with him where necessary," Crystal said bluntly. "It is not like we can see any progress."

"Well, there is progress," Lily said, surprised that she had been so easily put on the defensive. "He is helpful and easy to work with, I have no problems with him now." She didn't even suspect him of liking her anymore, so she really didn't have any issues.

"Would you consider him a friend?" Crystal pressed.

"Sure, yes," Lily agreed. That was a loose term she could apply to anyone from Crystal, to Pina, to Mist, or even to Liona, who she barely ever saw. She had known him for several moon-cycles, he was easy to be around, and they had gotten over their differences. He counted as a friend.

"Maybe tell him that sometime," Crystal snorted. "It is not obvious."

"I'll tell him right now, if that is where we are going," Lily said seriously, having seen a flash of black scale up ahead.

"It is not, all the guards are meeting to discuss a few things, and I figured you would want to sit in," Crystal revealed.

"Beryl's not a guard," Lily objected. "Also, I said you could decide things without me, you have authority."

"Well, he is not here, either-" Crystal cut off as she turned a corner. "Oh, never mind. Beryl, how are you?"

"Fine," Beryl warbled from out of sight. "Mist invited me, though I don't know what is going on."

Lily turned the same corner and beheld all of her guards gathered together on four different rocks. Cedar and Pina were together on one, Grass and Flare shared another, and Mist, Beryl, and Crystal's Sire occupied a third. Holly stood between the latter two rocks, looking nervous.

"And now the alpha is here, so we can get started," Mist chirped far too eagerly. "Crystal, I brought another candidate."

"I thought I was the only one," Holly objected.

"You are," Crystal assured her. "Mist, you know Beryl is not going to be a guard."

"Why not?" Mist asked petulantly, looking to Lily.

Lily looked to Crystal, enforcing her friend's delegated authority. She had just that morning decided to more firmly pass on duties to those she trusted, she wasn't about to undermine Crystal on this.

"Because he has way too many things to do already?" Crystal said. "Seriously, why did you think this was a good idea?"

"And why did you not ask me first?" Beryl demanded, sounding more confused than upset.

"I am just saying, we have options," Mist huffed. "We do not _have_ to pick Holly."

All of the pieces fell into place, and Lily saw what Mist was _really_ doing. It wasn't all that subtle, but she had been confused by Beryl being dragged into it. Mist didn't want Holly to join their ranks, but didn't have a good alternative to propose, so she was digging up anything she thought might stick.

"I do not want to be a guard for a lot of reasons, so find another option," Beryl huffed. "No offense, Lily."

"None taken," she said amiably. She didn't want him as a guard, either. He was more effective teaching and guiding the pack in the ways of combat, not spending half of every day following her around. "Now, what was supposed to happen here, Crystal?"

"We need a replacement for Clay, and you have been dragging your wings on it," Crystal said, leaping up to a fourth rock, and in the process highlighting how she was alone whereas everyone else had their partners with them. "I want someone up here with me in the afternoons, and Holly is _basically_ already doing that. Her moon-cycle of punishment errands ended a while ago."

"I was not guarding so much as helping and learning, but I _can_ guard," Holly said confidently. "I do not want to stop helping."

"So basically, this is a way to force me to approve of her being appointed," Lily summarized. It bore an eerie resemblance to how Root and Shalla had cornered her on another decision she had hesitated to make-

She distracted herself by leaping up to sit by Crystal, not wanting to sink her mood by remembering where that had led. "My bad," she said instead. "Is there a process to this?"

"I want a majority of the guards to approve of her first, before you appoint her," Crystal explained. "So we will do that, then you will make it official, then we will take the chance to shuffle shifts if anyone wants to change around."

" _If_ we approve of her," Mist said. "I vote no."

"Hold on," Lily said, holding up a partially folded wing. "For your vote to count, you have to give a reason, good or bad, and it cannot be a repeat." She wanted to hear the rationale behind everyone's opinions, not just the end results. Holly had not fully gained her own trust, so she wasn't necessarily supporting either side just yet.

"She has divided attention," Mist immediately supplied. "Her sisters distract her, Beryl distracts her, everything catches her attention. Guards are supposed to be reliable and focused. I say no, we can find someone else. Anyone else."

"Sure, that is your reason," Holly rumbled.

"It is the reason I am giving," Mist growled down at her.

"Grass," Crystal called out.

"She is too young, and knows nothing at all of fighting." Grass said coldly. "Neither do some of us, but at least we all were _there_ when Claw killed and maimed and tortured. We have seen violence before. She was just a fledgling then."

"That is a fair point," Crystal said diplomatically. "Flare."

"I do not know her," Flare admitted. "Not well. I do not have an opinion."

"Pina?"

"She is still here," Pina said simply, flicking her ears. "If she wants it badly enough to wait this long, then she will do well. I vote yes."

"Cedar?" Crystal prompted.

"She says she wants to learn, and we are all more or less the same at fighting if it comes down to that, so why not?" Cedar asked. "I say yes, and my reason is that she wants to be a guard. Not everyone in this pack would."

"Sire?" Crystal asked.

"I have to say no," he responded. "It looks like there is bad blood between her and Mist, and that might sabotage both of them."

Both Mist and Holly growled at that.

"It would not," Holly objected.

"Because you are not joining us, but even if you did, it would not," Mist said.

"Still, my vote is no," Crystal's Sire confirmed.

"Well, I would say yes, because I would probably be working with her, and I like her," Crystal revealed. "We both want the afternoon shift, so it is important that we get along. But… That makes it three against three, with Flare not voting."

"A tie," Cedar rumbled. "Now what?"

"If I could say something?" Holly asked.

"No, you do not get to be the tiebreaker," Mist snorted. "If it is a tie, nothing changes. She stays out."

"What did you have to say, Holly?" Lily asked, ignoring Mist.

"Just that I visited Clay, and talked with him for a while, and he says that if his opinion still matters, he thinks I would be fine," Holly revealed, failing to hide her smugness, standing straighter and speaking with a low purr. "Can he be the tiebreaker?"

"Yes, he can," Lily said, bypassing any possible complaint about Crystal choosing whether that counted, and thus possibly rigging the vote in favor of what she wanted. "Sounds like you are in, Holly, and I have heard nothing to dissuade me. Prove those who voted against you wrong, and prove the others' faith in you _right_." She still wasn't entirely sure about Holly, but the small complaints brought up by Mist and Grass had helped put it into perspective. Holly would do fine as a guard.

"Good, that is settled," Crystal said firmly. "Now, did anyone want to change shifts?"

"I want to take the early night instead of the late night," Mist requested. "Can anyone change with me?"

"I have been wanting something different," Grass volunteered. "I will do it."

"Good. I am out of here." Mist leaped off her rock and left. Beryl quickly followed, piquing Lily's interest. She looked around at the rest of her guards, saw that none were focusing on her, and took the opportunity to follow Beryl before she lost track of him.

Not that she would have had trouble finding them; they stopped just out of earshot of the group, when Mist turned around.

"Well, that was a bust," she said bitterly. "You could have helped."

"You could have told me what you were volunteering me for," Beryl shot back.

"I was _going_ to!" Mist exclaimed. "Last night! You and Crystal never showed up at her family rock."

Lily heard the suspicion in Mist's voice, and she knew Beryl was about to be tested. She hoped he was up to the challenge.

"Crystal was missing?" Beryl asked. "Where was she?"

"Where were _you_?" Mist retorted.

"Wandering the shore, trying to figure out what the No-scaled-not-prey were thinking, back when they caught me and Aven," Beryl said without missing a beat. "I didn't know you were going to approach me in the middle of the night, sorry. But really, where _was_ Crystal? Did you ask?"

"No," Mist said, seemingly mollified. "I did not ask. But still, you could have played along."

"You could have told me before it all kicked off," Beryl retorted. "I don't think I was the one in the wrong there, not to mention that I have no problem with Holly being a guard, and don't know why you _do_."

"We do not like each other, and that is all you need to know," Mist said primly, lifting her chin and turning away. "Some people do not get along."

"So long as you don't turn it into some bitter, hateful rivalry," Beryl rumbled. "You remind me of Storm, sometimes, and she had a problem with holding grudges too. It sabotaged her more often than not."

"When you say I remind you of Storm, does that mean I am like family to you?" Mist asked. "Because that is not where I meant to go with getting close to you."

"I know where you _meant_ to go," Beryl revealed, "but honestly, I am not interested in you that way."

"Are you interested in Holly or one of her sisters?" Mist asked bluntly. If she was bothered to be turned down, it didn't show. "Because I would advise against that."

"No, they're all too young," Beryl said. "Or they _feel_ too young. They remind me of my little brother, just bigger and more independent. It does not help that I spend a lot of my time teaching Cara or _trying_ to teach Aven."

"Good." Mist purred fiercely. "I can settle for that. Now, Crystal, on the other paw…"

"Thunder and Lightning," Beryl objected, falling into a more casual tone of voice. He began walking, and Mist followed along. Lily was forced to trail them from the shadows if she wanted to hear, which she definitely did.

"You are not so huge a coward that you would let two fledglings scare you off?" Mist asked with a growl.

"I would feel weird, but that is not what I meant," Beryl clarified. " _She_ does not seem ready to think about a mate, and I would feel like I was cheating her and her children out of the reunion they deserve. Maybe afterward, whenever that is, but again, it is still weird and I do _not_ want any authority over those two. Especially when it would probably end up pitting me against Storm."

"Maybe it would work for you to give me a list of names you are considering," Mist suggested.

"Hoping you're on there?" Beryl asked cautiously, phrasing it as a joke, though Lily heard the serious undertone that betrayed how he really felt.

"No, but if I cannot have you, I want a say in who does get you," Mist said brightly. "Did you know, Lily had me play matchmaker a while back? I got two pairs together."

"Who?" Beryl asked.

"Cedar and Liona, so that is one point for me," Mist recounted. "Danda and Ash, too, and last I saw they were happy together. They left the pack before Claw was defeated, and we have not heard from them since."

"I'm surprised to hear anyone left the pack," Beryl admitted. "As far as I can tell, nobody knows anything about the outside world, and I assumed that was why Claw had a pack to rule at all once he got bad."

"Danda is daring, and Ash is happy to follow along, so they took the leap where nobody else wanted to," Mist huffed. "I wonder how they are getting on. The only other person to leave returned later, half dead and maybe out of her mind. Cressa does not set a good precedent."

"Oh, Lily," Beryl murmured sadly. "You really cannot catch any breaks."

"She is fine now, but she had a bad time back then," Mist agreed.

"I suppose so," Beryl said without any confidence at all.

Lily found herself falling back, out of earshot. She had heard everything she wanted to, and she suspected that the conversation would trend toward things that prompted more bad memories for her. She wanted to avoid those memories and look to the future.


	48. Resolute

The first sign of trouble was the roaring.

Lily looked up, confused. The sound was faint, but steadily approaching, as if from afar. Someone was roaring at the top of their lungs without stopping except to take in air, producing a distinctive rise and fall of sound.

She looked around, searching the sky and the valley around her for the source of the noise. It was a crisp, cool afternoon, and the sky was bright and clear. Light wings were in the air, and many were doing the same thing she was, looking for the source of the noise.

"What is that?" Holly asked, tilting her head as she noticed the steadily increasing sound.

"I do not know, but it sounds- There, up over the mountains!" Crystal blurted out.

Lily spun and quickly spotted the light wing just passing over the mountaintop. They were flying raggedly, pumping their wings with far more urgency than skill, and roaring ceaselessly.

Another shape rose into view right behind him or her, gaining height, and the roaring cut off with a shriek as it struck the light wing down, slamming them into the mountainside with brutal force. It was a creature of angles and dark colors, red and black and completely foreign in outline, sharp points poking out everywhere.

"Enemy in the valley!" Lily roared at the top of her lungs.

"What _is_ that?" Holly gasped.

"I do not know, but I hope a dozen blasts to the head will kill it," Crystal growled pragmatically. "Lily, we need to get you-"

"To the caves, I know," Lily interrupted. It was common sense; that was where the young and defenceless would be gathering. It irked her to be in that category, but right now she didn't have the time to feel offended. Light wings were flying up to the same height as the intruder, who had slid down the mountainside atop the mangled light wing, dark limbs jabbing _into_ the poor light wing's body to keep on top of it, flaring angular wings in preparation for a leap back into the air.

"So?" Holly barked. "Move!"

"I _am_ moving," Lily growled, breaking into a run. She kept one eye on the conflict as she fled, hating how helpless she felt.

A dozen light wings were closing in from slightly above the enemy, and Beryl approached at high speed from a different angle with two more. The enemy launched itself into the air, and one of Beryl's companions immediately split off, angling for the broken body that had been abandoned.

Beryl and the light wing with him fired, two bolts lancing out. Both struck the enemy in the torso, but Lily couldn't see any signs of it feeling the strike, aside from the force knocking it back in the air. It roared, a sonorous, vicious call with far more _bite_ to it than any roar she could have produced, and flew straight for them.

Then the light wings above it fired, letting loose with a volley six times stronger than the one it had just weathered, blasting its back and wings. Lily could see the sky through spreading tears in its wings as it fell.

Beryl hung back, but the light wing with him did not, diving to fire at the enemy as it spiraled down. A long talon struck out from the falling mass, and the light wing was almost snagged, pulling away with a streaming gash.

Another volley of blasts drove the enemy dragon into the mountain, a long distance down from where it had crushed its victim, and its body left a bloody smear.

"That was bad," Crystal breathed.

"And it's not over," Lily replied, changing course. "Holly, stay with me, Crystal, gather a group and check everywhere. If there are more, blast them out of the sky. Aim for wings." They had seen that such tactics worked, and she wanted to be sure there weren't more of the strange dragon that had attacked out of nowhere.

Crystal departed, and Lily only had one guard. She would have been worried, if there was any indication that she was in more danger than everyone else.

"Where are we going first?" Holly panted as they ran. "The wounded one, right?"

"We are going to where Beryl's companion is landing," Lily said tersely, saving her breath for running. "I can't get up there, I need to talk to Honey or Copper." She didn't have high hopes for the light wing who had been stabbed and then thrown down to the rocks below, but she had to know the details.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily found Honey exactly where she had predicted, tending to the mildly wounded light wing by the pond. She had not, on the other paw, expected the identity of said wounded light wing.

"I want a reward," Mist said the moment she laid eyes on Lily, looking up from her awkward position on her side. "That was awesome, and I want to be- stop that!" She shook her wing at Honey.

"Stop moving," Honey retorted, sticking a collection of leaves to a gash in Mist's flank. "They need to go on the wound."

Mist growled and made a disgusted face, and Lily felt much the same, though she herself had passed on that lesson to Honey. Deep puncture wounds were not exactly common in the normal life of the pack, but Pyre had covered them as one of the first things he really taught her about healing.

"Where did you get your knowledge?" Mist asked queasily.

"I taught her," Lily supplied helpfully. She didn't actually know if that was common knowledge or not; throwing her support behind Honey and Copper had given them all the legitimacy they needed, and while she hadn't said it, she didn't know if they had spread the word themselves.

"Well, that just figures," Mist snarled, flinching every time Honey pressed down on her wound, or even moved a paw in her general direction. "I still want a reward."

"When all else is dealt with, maybe," Lily offered vaguely, not really caring about Mist's actions. She hadn't brought the enemy down, the dozen light wings who blasted its wings had. Diving in to fire at the already doomed dragon was not exactly helpful.

"Lily, about everything else," Honey said solemnly, raising her eyes from Mist's wound. "Copper is with the other injured. He did not send anyone back to get me, even though he said he would."

Lily heard the unspoken conclusion Honey had come to, and bowed her head. "I can't get up there, but I can at least get word," she said. "Holly, go up there and find out what's going on. Come back immediately."

"That will leave you alone," Holly objected.

"With the female who fought one of them off already," Mist growled. "Get moving!"

"You do not give me orders," Holly said before taking off.

"Still do not like her," Mist groaned. "Are those stupid plants on enough that you can let me be done with having them put on my wound?"

"Yes, but I have to check your head after that garbled mess of a question," Honey said seriously.

"Not my fault you are not quick enough to understand," Mist mumbled. She stared at nothing in particular, her gaze going past Lily's head and out to the empty sky beyond. Lily entirely supported Honey's decision to check for a head injury.

"I did not see the fight," Honey said, retreating from Mist's side long enough to rummage through a pile of plants nearby, sticking her claws into a broad leaf. "Will Beryl need treating?"

"No, he did not get close," Lily said.

"Good, I would want Copper to handle him," Honey said absently.

"Why is that?" Lily asked.

"Beryl is very attractive and single, and Copper will be worried if I spend too long on him," Honey said happily. "Same reason I tend to all the single females."

"That might lower the quality of your efforts," Lily warned, hiding a warm purr.

"We are only doing it for now, it will stop soon," Honey purred.

That was all Lily needed to hear; she was happy for the two of them, as strange as it was to feel happy in the immediate aftermath of a violent attack on her pack.

As if summoned by her inappropriately blithe attitude, Holly dropped down, her face grave. "He is already gone," she reported.

Lily's heart dropped out of the clouds of bliss, down into cold neutrality, and past that, to pure sorrow, where it belonged, where it should have been from the moment she saw one of her fledglings stabbed and smashed to the ground. She should have known.

O-O-O-O-O

Critically injured light wings were not to be moved. It was one of the very few things Lily had corrected Beryl on when it came to his teachings. She knew from Pyre that doing so might further their injuries internally, and Beryl had not known the same thing.

Knowing that made watching the complicated process of bringing the light wing's body down to the burial grounds far more morbid than it would otherwise be. From a distance, she could convince herself that he was still alive, just unconscious. There was a dark stain to ignore, but she could think that it was just an injury that he would recover from.

She _could_. That didn't mean she would.

"Holly," she said.

"Yes?" Holly asked. She had taken up a spot on one of the rocks, surveying the sky. Lily was waiting on the ground.

"Who was it?" She had postponed asking that vital question, but she had to know before they got here. Apparently, someone had already been sent to alert the light wing's parents, which told her it was a young adult, but she didn't know who yet.

"Blur," Holly said quietly.

Lily took a long moment to process that. It didn't feel real, but that was something she was familiar with, and knew it would hit her soon enough. It would feel all too real the moment she recognised his body.

"Who is alerting his parents?" she asked.

"Shalla," Holly said. "I think she will be here too."

"She definitely will," Lily murmured. She would have preferred to break the news herself, if only because she knew she could make it gentler than however Shalla had found out before Blur's own parents. It must have come as a painful shock.

She would need consoling, but Lily didn't feel ready to give any comfort, not now. She was too fragile, her latest breakdown too recent. She couldn't let grief take hold enough to empathise and then speak from the heart, and faking empathy, while probably sufficient to produce the same effect for anyone watching, would be wrong.

Instead, she would be cold, like the chilly wind driving clouds toward their valley from the North. Cold, and angry, and saddened in an impersonal way. That would be real, something she was feeling and could embrace.

A familiar dark form flitted into her line of sight, flying in front of the group of light wings carrying Blur's body down, and made for the burial grounds. Beryl flared his wings at the last moment, slowing to a near stop directly above her and Holly, and neatly leaped down to a neighboring rock.

"Crystal told me that there are no signs of more enemies, but I am not sure now is the best time to do this," Beryl said calmly. "We might be attacked at the worst possible moment."

"I've given out orders," Lily said, neglecting to add that she had conveyed those orders mostly through Holly as that wasn't important, "and I can't be up there anyway. In the event of another attack, I will be just as useless here as anywhere else."

"Fair," Beryl allowed. "I will just keep one eye on the sky, I guess."

"You will be staying?" Lily asked.

"I thought it would be appreciated," he said. "Would it not? You are here, so I assumed authority figures were supposed to attend, if there was any precedent at all."

Lily was surprised by how closely that line of thought reflected how she might have assessed the situation in his place. Surprised, and more than a little pleased. "By that logic, yes," she agreed. "It cannot hurt. Sending-away ceremonies are usually for close family and friends, but they will not mind."

Her reasoning for being present, and for letting Beryl stay, was twofold. The first part was obvious; she felt the need to take responsibility. She had claimed all of them as her fledglings, and now one was dead. To not at the very least have a part in sending him off would be to make a mockery of that claim. Beryl had no such reason to attend, but he had taught Blur, and was kind-hearted enough to feel the need.

The other reason, the more pragmatic one, was that she did not expect anyone other than Blur's parents and Shalla to attend, and Granite's insufficient sending-away ceremony prodded at the back of her mind like a sharp claw. She would not allow Blur's parents to suffer that same deeply personal humiliation on top of the grief they would already be feeling, and she would not send in light wings afterward to see it properly done. Blur would have enough people around him to be _properly_ burned, as he deserved. Almost everyone deserved at least that much.

Almost everyone.

"Beryl, how hard is it to fly a corpse back up a mountain?" she asked.

Both Beryl and Holly gave her concerned looks.

"Not for Blur," she clarified. "The one who killed him. I want to see the body, but I also want to leave it to rot where it died."

"Given what I saw of it, I don't think we should risk bringing it down at all," Beryl said with a low growl. "It looked heavy. Maybe a group of strong light wings could carry _you_ up?"

Lily considered that. It would be uncomfortable and humiliating, but she could have it done in the dark, when it would be less noticeable, and they could even start from her ledge, so they wouldn't have to go very far vertically, which she assumed would make it easier. A side benefit of trying it would be finding out whether it would work for future use.

"We'll try it tonight," she decided. "In the meantime, can you tell me what you know about it?"

"I know nothing," Beryl said seriously. "What I suspect, I can tell you later. It looks like his parents are here."

Lily's mood sunk like a stone, and she felt like biting herself for letting it lift in the first place. This was not the time for levity. The two light wings approaching from her right certainly weren't happy, and she was here to sympathize.

Lily didn't know Blur's parents. Even now, she struggled to remember their names, despite having been introduced at some point in the last five season-cycles. Names were often an issue for her, she was noticing, if she didn't see someone as important in some way it was hard to remember them. She knew faces, knew the connections, but names sometimes slipped out of her mind.

Of course, that didn't mean she was going to ask and rectify her lack of knowledge. The last thing she wanted to do was make them feel insignificant, unknown even by their own alpha.

"We will be joining you for the ceremony," she said solemnly as the pair claimed a rock to her right. "I as his alpha, and Beryl as the one who taught him to fight."

"Not well enough," Blur's father said sadly. There wasn't even a hint of accusation in the words; the apologetic glance he sent Beryl's way was overkill in conveying the _lack_ of accusation.

That, Lily reflected, was one thing she had yet to see change. She and Beryl could arguably be blamed for Blur's death, if anyone could, and she would have expected grief-stricken parents to seize upon that. But they weren't, just like other parents hadn't when Claw killed their sons. She didn't like the comparison, and she didn't fully understand the reason behind it, what flaw or possibly advantage of thinking passed over that blame, but it was there nonetheless.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Beryl rumbled. He got no response, and didn't seem to expect one.

Lily tried to come up with something comforting to say, but nothing came to her. What _could_ be said, when their son was dead in what felt like a senseless murder? There was nobody to blame, and no solace could be found in knowing that his killer was also dead, not when it had been accomplished only moments after Blur's death. If he had flown just a little faster, if the enemy had been shot down a little sooner, if everyone had reacted to the noise a little quicker, Blur might not have died.

Lacking anything to say, she turned her attention on the sad, labored procession flying her way. They were holding Blur in an ungainly position, tail-first, and flying erratically. There seemed to be a lot of strain on the two holding his outstretched wings, and she suspected that knocking together would throw them all off. It wasn't a dignified means of transportation… but neither was dragging the body, which was what they usually did.

"Gently," the one holding the tail called out, flapping frantically as he lowered toward the ground. There were a few moments where it looked like they would drop the body, but they managed to set it down without major issues.

"Carrying someone who can cooperate is much less risky," Beryl murmured to her. Lily had assumed as much. She didn't think Beryl would ever advise this sort of thing for such a nonessential purpose as hers was if it was as difficult as she had just seen.

The four light wings left, departing on shaky wings. Lily wondered how strenuous it was to support the weight of a body, and how much of the strain came from flying against everyone else and trying to hold on with every little discrepancy.

Someone let out a muffled sob, and Lily noticed that Shalla was standing next to Blur's parents, having arrived at some point while she was distracted by the airlift. Everyone was present, including Blur.

"Are you expecting anyone else?" Lily asked kindly.

"No, just us," Blur's Dam sighed, sounding a great deal like she was holding back a whine. "And you?"

"We're staying," Lily assured her. She had said as much before, but if repeating it helped, she would say it as many times as necessary. She was here to pay her respects to Blur, and to make this easy on his loved ones.

"Then there is nothing to do but get on with it," Blur's Sire huffed.

Lily tried to pay attention as he began speaking of his son, but she couldn't. It took everything she had to not sink into a deep sadness, reminded so heavily of Granite's death as she was. She barely even _heard_ the male's words, and when he stopped speaking, she only noticed the silence when everyone gathered around the body.

Lily took her place between Beryl and Shalla, looked down at the sad body of one who should not have died, and found that she _could_ look, unlike when the same had been done for Granite. This was no less brutal a sight, no less painful, but the meaning of the pain had changed. Not a pointless death carried out by one who should have loved, but a pointless death carried out by a dead enemy. There was not a flood of fond memories flashing through her mind when she looked at his face, just a few.

It was still a failure, but less of one, and less _personal_. She looked at the gash across Blur's throat, the brown stain nobody had the stomach to remove, and felt her heart simultaneously crack and harden.

Her failure, someone else's doing. If there was another to blame beyond the dragon who had done the deed, she would see them dead.

With that resolution, she inhaled and added her flame to the fire, letting loose all she had in a long, steady stream of white-hot fire.

When it was over, she turned away, unwilling to linger on the sight any longer. "One more," she whispered to herself.

"One more what?" Beryl asked softly. He hadn't been meant to hear…

But she found herself answering anyway. "One more person I should have been able to save," she said quietly. "One more death on my head. It probably won't even be the last one."

"This isn't your fault," he replied.

"It's my responsibility, whether or not it's my fault. I am supposed to protect them, and yet here we are…" her voice cracked, and she looked away.

"Here we are," he agreed. "What now?"

Lily saw Blur's parents going one way, and Shalla another, the latter lingering in the burial grounds, her eyes downcast. "Now, I help the people who need it." She strode forward, abandoning her own grief and sadness as best she could, and caught up to Shalla.

"I know how this feels," she said, resting a wing on Shalla's back as she stood beside her. "Or close to it."

"He was only up there because I refused him," Shalla said hoarsely. "I told him I would go later, that he was being annoying… That was the last thing I said to him."

Lily hadn't expected to hear that, but it wasn't a surprise, either. Just bad luck, that Shalla had clashed with Blur so recently. "That is no fault of yours."

"But it definitely is," Shalla objected.

"It is the fault of the dead dragon up there," Lily said, nodding at the mountainside. "Maybe, just maybe, if you had gone flying with Blur today, it would not have happened. But it _definitely_ wouldn't have happened if that dragon had not decided to kill without provocation. They are at fault."

"No…" Shalla leaned into her embrace. "But thank you for trying to make me feel better."

Lily, unable to muster anything else that would change the other female's mind, simply held her close and said nothing. There was nothing more worth saying, no way for her to make this better with words alone. If she could fix guilt and grief, she would long since have done so for herself.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily looked to the rapidly darkening sky, and then turned to the light wing who had landed on the ledge in front of her. "So?" she said apprehensively. The way this day had gone, she had low hopes for the results of Crystal's search, despite all evidence to the contrary.

"Nothing," Crystal said. "Nothing in the air, nothing obviously lurking on the shores, nothing floating in the water… It is a whole lot of nothing. In fact, the world feels _too_ empty."

"I get what you mean," Lily said. "What are the chances of a lone dragon attacking us?"

"No, not that," Crystal objected, surprising her. She flicked her tail out at the valley. "We are in here. Out there…" She shook her head. "Nothing. No signs of life, none at all. If it was not for the fish and the occasional bug, I might think we are the only living things within a quarter-moon-cycle of flying. That does not feel _normal_ , now that I have heard Beryl's stories about the outside world. I felt this before the attack today, it is just harder to ignore now."

"This is an empty part of the world, that is not so strange," Lily said. Pyre had never mentioned it being unusually desolate around the valley, so she didn't think it _was_ unusual. She was a little surprised Crystal thought differently, having even less of a reference point.

"But why?" Crystal asked. "I see no reason for that."

"We might be getting off-topic," Lily remarked, gently pushing her friend back to the matter at paw. "Maybe ask Beryl about that, he could probably give you a real answer. What, exactly, did your light wings check?"

"The air, the shores, the fringes of the forest, and the outside of the mountains, as best we could," Crystal explained. "So long as our enemies cannot camouflage, and are not hiding deep in the forest, they are not here."

"That doesn't mean we're in the clear," Lily murmured. The best proof that the enemy had been a lone dragon was the lack of any companions at all; if two had attacked from the outset, she would never believe that there were not more. One was a fluke, two was a pattern. Even so, anyone with a bit of cleverness and an inclination to do damage could just hide the rest of their forces deep in the forest, and send a full strike once her people had forgotten to be wary…

But in thinking that, she knew it was suboptimal. The _best_ way to hurt her pack would have been to throw everything one had at them in the first strike, to overwhelm and surprise them into a costly massacre. Sending a single dragon was the worst way to harm her people, it used up the advantage of surprise for the least possible gain.

"What do I do now?" Crystal asked. "It is sunset, Flare and Mist should be here soon."

"Flare and Cara, she volunteered to fill in for Mist," Lily corrected. "I want you to go down to the plateau and make an announcement."

"To the whole pack?" Crystal asked, her jaw dropping. "Without you? I have never done that before!"

Lily found it amusing that Crystal was so surprised, but she didn't let it show as more than a wry purr. "Well, I'm not walking down there, and I don't think the experiment Beryl and I have planned will work well enough to fly me down, so it has to be you. Let everyone know exactly what you told me. Your people didn't find anything, but you couldn't check everywhere." She wanted her people reassured but still wary.

"I can…" Crystal tilted her head. "Experiment? What is that?"

"If you are quick about going down there and making the announcement, you might get back in time to see the end of it." She wasn't going to wait for Crystal to return; the announcement would double as a distraction, to ensure absolutely nobody noticed the awkward procession through the sky she was expecting. "Beryl is going to try and have me lifted over to the enemy's corpse so I can examine it."

"Through the air?" Crystal purred loudly. "If they get you up, spread your wings and take as much enjoyment from it as you can. You deserve to enjoy it."

Lily wasn't sure she agreed, especially after today's events, but she purred back at Crystal. "If," she warned. "I don't expect it to work all that well, but I have to try it to see how it is going to fail."

"So pessimistic," Crystal snorted. "Have fun, if you can. I see Beryl is already on his way, so I had better hurry." She dropped off the ledge, as was her habit when departing, and was quickly replaced by a group of light wings led by one dark wing.

Pina and Grass were there as her usual early night guards, along with Flare and Dew, of all people. Lily wouldn't have expected to see Dew as part of this particular group, but she trusted Beryl had a reason for picking her.

The light wings all landed on the ledge, and Lily found herself surrounded, though not in a bad way. Beryl landed on the path, dropping in a somewhat risky maneuver given the rocks jutting up to either side of him, and walked the last few steps. "Ready?" he asked.

"No," Lily said, looking around. "You all know that this will not be spoken of, success or failure?" she asked. She met each light wing's eyes in turn. "I trust the reasons for that are obvious."

"Why not, if it is a success?" Dew asked.

"Because I will want to announce it in a controlled fashion, and will probably save it for when the pack could use some encouraging news," Lily admitted. She didn't often give the whole reason for things like this, but people kept secrets best if they agreed with the reason behind them, and in this case the reason itself was not any more of a secret to be protected.

"Sounds reasonable," Beryl said loudly. "My lips are sealed."

"They are not," Flare objected.

"It is a saying," Lily snorted. "So, everyone?"

A rumbled round of assent sounded from all around her.

"Good." She looked to Beryl. "So, how is this supposed to work?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Well, that fills me with confidence. What's the problem?"

"We need four light wings to grip you," Beryl said as he walked up to her. "Obviously, the head is out. The tail can be one, but I'm not sure where else, given your scars."

Lily flexed her wing shoulders, wincing at the ever-present bolts of pain originating from the same four spots in her back. "I can't spread my wings," she said bluntly, aware of how discussing her injuries had set her off in the past. She was _not_ going to elaborate.

"Maybe we can lift her by her paws," Grass suggested. "Four of those, four of us…"

"She would have to be upside down," Pina rumbled. "I do not know if that would work."

"Well, does anyone have any better ideas?" Lily asked. She certainly didn't; there were only so many places on a light wing that could be gripped, and a lot of those places just didn't work for her.

Nobody answered. Pina glanced at her back worriedly, but said nothing more.

"Okay, looks like we're trying this idea." Lily crouched, visualizing what would need to happen. She would have to have all four paws available for them, and that meant being on her back for a brief time. Also, being dropped on her back at their destination, but with careful maneuvering that could be avoided.

She rolled onto her side, then onto her wings, keeping them between her scarred back and the ground as much as possible. Small rocks dug into her wings, but that was nothing compared to the blinding ache she was already feeling, or the growing sense of unease.

She was surrounded by friends, people she trusted with her life, but she couldn't shake the dread looming over her. The last time she had been on her back, fully upside-down, had been when Claw-

She rolled back onto her paws, breathing heavily, and shuddered. Only a pawful of heartbeats had passed.

"That won't work," Beryl said, breaking the silence. "The paws are too close together, anyway. I don't think we can do this."

"We have not even begun to try, though," Flare objected. "Why not-"

"No," Lily barked. "This was a bad idea. It's not worth the risk. Beryl, can you go up there, take a good, long look, and come back to _tell_ me what it looks like? Everyone else, sorry to waste your time, you can go back to what you were doing."

Dew left immediately, stopping only to nuzzle Pina on the way. Flare followed her, taking to the air right behind her. Pina and Grass flamed themselves, and one of them set off.

"I'll be back shortly," Beryl promised, leaving in turn. Lily was alone on the ledge, aside from one of the two camouflaged light wings. She shivered, her wings twitching erratically, and forced down the irrational, unwarranted dread that had come from such a simple, innocent activity.

"You were not all right," Pina's voice said softly. "Did it hurt?"

"No, but something else did," Lily admitted. "Best not to bother, it would have been too dangerous anyway."

"Every time I see your back, I wish I had done something different," Pina admitted.

"Everyone wishes they could have done something differently in their past," Lily sighed. Pina wasn't even the first person _today_ to express that sort of sentiment to her, and she was powerless to prevent it, even if it was pointless. "But it never helps anyone in the present."

"The guilt ensures we do better next time." Pina drew close, her tail going to Lily's side. "You are okay?"

"I'm fine," she huffed.

"Do you want company, or should I go watch from afar?"

"You can go," Lily decided. "I'm going to listen to Beryl's description, then go to sleep." Or, more likely, she would ponder his words and _then_ eventually drift off, but in practice that meant the same thing, from Pina's perspective.

"Sleep well, Lily," Pina said solemnly. "Sleep well."

"I'll try." She leaned forward and stretched her back, though it hurt like fire under her scales, and sighed loudly. Pina leaped off the ledge and took to the sky, and she was as alone as she ever got, nowadays.

Lily lingered outside her cave, waiting as the sun went down. She wandered over to the edge and looked out at the center of the valley. There was a large gathering around the plateau, and a single light wing there commanding everyone's attention, and for a moment she almost thought she was looking at herself.

Then the light wing spread her wings and flew away, Crystal leaving now that she had finished speaking to the pack, and the illusion was broken. Lily felt an itch in her wings and a throbbing in her back, two opposing pains. One could not be soothed without aggravating the other, and neither could _really_ ever be fixed, not without risking her life for the scant chance of regaining flight, which she wasn't willing to do.

Beryl's return was a welcome distraction from her own body's troubles, and she perked her ears the moment he landed, to show she was ready to hear him.

"I went to the body, rolled it over, and got all the details I could," Beryl said, sounding troubled. His tail, her go-to sign to interpret his mood, was held high and close, even more so than usual. "Lily, I did not see it until I rolled the body over, but there was a false hide on its back and neck. The kind No-scaled-not-prey make and use."

Lily snarled loudly, slamming her paw down as she saw the obvious connection. "It may have come looking for the ship we destroyed," she said.

"That's a leap," Beryl cautioned. "A big one. But it does seem _possible_."

"Both hostile, both confusing, both connected in that confusion," Lily reasoned. "This valley does not get visitors, therefore two separate, unconnected visitors are less likely than two connected ones."

"Yes, and there is one way we could check," Beryl proposed.

"Fly the prisoner up and see if it reacts," Lily growled. "Yes. We'll do that first thing tomorrow." If they were lucky, the prisoner would finally be useful. If not, they lost nothing of value except time, and not much of that. "But for now, what else did you observe about it?"

"As best I can tell by scent and appearance, it was female," Beryl revealed. "She had thick scales, oily black that might have been tinted green in the sunlight, and a red underbelly and wing membrane."

He reared back on his hind legs, baring his stomach, and waved one of his front paws. "Instead of paws, these limbs are jagged, multi-jointed, and end in talons as long as my legs. The hind legs are more normal, but thicker and with claws much larger than ours."

"Understood," she murmured, imagining the dragon in question as best she could. "What of the tail?"

"Long, thin, no membranes, but with curved scales running along it from the back," Beryl reported. "The back, as a whole, is heavily armored and plated with scales, and even her wings have massive claws at the midsection."

"And the head?" Lily asked.

"Thick, angular, armored," Beryl replied. Two massive tusks jutting out from the underside of the jaw, razor-sharp teeth behind those, and tiny eyes tucked away about where you would expect."

"I see… How big is it?"

"Big enough to carry one of us without trouble, but more bulky than huge," Beryl explained. "Maybe half again as big in most respects."

"I think I have a good idea of how it looks," she said. More importantly, she had an idea of how dangerous it was. Spikes and sharp edges everywhere, teeth jutting out of its mouth, beady eyes and front legs made for killing, it _sounded_ like this sort of dragon was built to brawl, to deal out heavy injuries without taking many in return. "What are the weaknesses?"

"Flight, underbelly, range," Beryl said, dropping back down onto all fours. "The wings are still just membrane, and falling from the sky is just as deadly as it is for us. Our fire is exceptionally good at targeted damage from a distance, and massed fire will down such a dragon with ease. I don't advise getting close, but its underbelly can be clawed up easily enough. I'm not sure about its fire, but I would bet it's the heavy, inferno kind of flame, and thus not so dangerous in the air."

"And if this dragon is connected to the No-scaled-not-prey, how likely is it that there are more?"

"I can't say," Beryl admitted. "But we lose nothing by assuming there could be more."

"Right." She shook her head, turning away from him to look out at the valley once more. "Anything else?"

"It depends on whether the prisoner says anything useful," Beryl admitted. "I don't know anything else for sure. I've never seen this kind of dragon before today, and I don't know what kind of No-scaled-not-prey would lay claim to one and then send it out on its own. I don't know any more than you do in this case."

"That's comforting," she grumbled. "I will see you tomorrow, bright and early."

"Could it maybe be around noon, not in the morning?" Beryl asked. "That would be more convenient for me, since I have a class to teach."

"Yes, that's fine." She would rather he go about his schedule as normal, especially now when people were on edge. "Be sure to pass on what you told me about weaknesses."

"Of course," Beryl chuckled, then padded over to the edge and looked out at the valley. "Need anything else from me?"

"No. You've done more than enough today." She shook her head and turned away. "Go get some rest, if you can."

"You too," he murmured, slipping off the ledge on silent wings.

Lily walked into her cave and curled up in a corner, out of sight of the entrance. She didn't feel like she should be tired, but her body ached all over, and her eyes were closing of their own accord.

It had been a terrible day. Hopefully tomorrow would be better.

O-O-O-O-O

The sun was not shining as Lily walked into the valley. Its light was filtered and dulled by the monotone sheet of clouds above, and the world was grey. The mood all around her was grey too, uncertain and stifled by the events of the day before.

As it should be; she did not _enjoy_ her fledglings feeling worried, nobody would, but it was better than carefree obliviousness. Alert and just a little bit afraid at least meant that nobody would be caught unaware.

There were few light wings around. A group was off learning from Beryl outside the valley, and another large chunk of the pack was flying patrols. Lily walked alone, aside from the ever-present guards shadowing her path while camouflaged.

She whiled away the morning thinking about war and wandering the valley. The former was far more important than the latter, and she was thankful few light wings interrupted her as the morning wore on. She had a lot to think about.

Up until the previous day, she had assumed a lot about the nature of the enemy they might face in the near future. Not only had she assumed they would be No-scaled-not-prey, she had assumed that they would come by sea or land, grounded as they were. She had assumed they would come in groups, slowly and obviously.

Adjusting to account for possible dragon allies of said No-scaled-not-prey forced her to discard a lot of those comforting assumptions. Now, the enemy could come from any direction, any height, and they could come at any time. The mountains around the valley were at once a help and a hindrance; none would be able to just walk into the middle of her valley, but at the same time those same mountains provided endless places to lurk and hide, places any dragon could access in moments.

She _hoped_ the dragon was not related to the humans her pack had eliminated, but she _assumed_ , lacking proof either way, that it was, and that it was not the only one. Accommodations were already being made in the patrols, but there had to be other ways to account for the new approaches the enemy might take.

But she didn't know _enough_ to devise useful countermeasures, and by the time noon arrived, the sun only barely visible as a pale circle against the sheet of clouds darkening the sky, she was fed up with not knowing.

She met Beryl near the prisoner's cave, catching up to him after seeing him land there. "I will want a full explanation of anything it says," she reminded him. "I can't go up there myself, so that is the next best thing."

"I hope he says something worth repeating," Beryl rumbled, stepping into the cave. "He has been tight-lipped so far."

Lily waited outside the cave. She heard a muffled exclamation from the guard further in, and then a yelp, presumably from the No-scaled-not-prey-

"Don't hurt him!" Aven pleaded, preceding Beryl out of the cave. "He is fragile."

It did not escape Lily's notice that the younger female was speaking with the slur, though not consistently. She took that as a sign that Aven's attempts to learn the No-scaled-not-prey's language were beginning to show results.

Beryl followed Aven out, the No-scaled-not-prey dangling from his maw. "I _know_ ," he growled, dropping it long enough to seize it in his claws and bound into the air, pulling a shriek from his captive.

"This is so unnecessary," Aven complained to Lily. "Why do we think he has anything to do with this?"

"Because-" Lily began. She was cut off by Aven leaping into the air and pursuing Beryl.

"Because we have reasons you would hear if you stood still and shut up long enough to hear them," Lily growled at Aven's retreating form. Of the three sisters, Aven was the most difficult to deal with nowadays, though it was easy to see why; Cara was shaping up to be useful when it came to combat, Holly was, if anything, _too_ helpful and eager to learn, and Aven was persistently pushy and opinionated when it came to a potentially dangerous prisoner.

Lily lingered there, watching the two departing dragons as they flew up to the mountainside and landed there. They didn't spend much time up there, and were soon on the way back.

Aven, bereft of a wiggling burden to carry, reached her first. "All is well," she crowed. "He was happy that it was dead, and that was pretty much it."

Lily squinted at her. "How much do you understand?" she asked, skeptical. That didn't sound quite right.

"Maybe half the easy words, and a third of the hard ones?" Aven offered.

Beryl landed behind them, and trotted into the cave. He returned a moment later, growling to himself. "At least he was clear," he said.

"Yes, all is well!" Aven repeated.

"You need more practice," Beryl said bluntly. "He was laughing by the time we landed."

"Yes, because he was glad to see a dead enemy of ours," Aven said. Lily wondered whether she was aware of how naive she sounded.

"Then he said 'Took them long enough to come looking for us,'" Beryl growled.

"He did?" Aven asked, her ears falling. "Well, maybe that does not mean what it sounds like it means."

"He was not surprised to see the dragon and immediately assumed she had been sent to check on his ship." Beryl shook his head. "That is _not_ something a normal No-scaled-not-prey would assume without very good reason. They are definitely linked."

"The No-scaled-not-prey ship, the single scout dragon…" Lily snarled as an idea occurred to her. "Dragons are faster than their floating trees. This one was sent ahead to look for them, and it will have disappeared in the same place. What are the odds they will take that as a warning and leave well enough alone?"

"Slim to none," Beryl admitted. "Whoever is behind the dragon and the No-scaled-not-prey, they know exactly where to come looking."

The world chose that moment to get just a little bit darker, and Lily looked up to see that a thicker cloudfront was moving in from the North. A coincidence, nothing more, but it fit the mood.

"Maybe I can get my friend to call them off, once they get here?" Aven offered.

"You work on that," Lily said, waving her tail at the cave. This wasn't the time for such silly, whimsical ideas.

Aven departed, and Lily reconsidered what she had just assumed. "What are the odds Aven can pull that off?" she asked Beryl.

"Slim to none," Beryl huffed. "Maybe if he was bothered by the idea that his friends were coming, but he definitely wasn't. If she was not learning the language and keeping an eye on him, I would say she was wasting her time. Defiant captives who mutilate dragons do not make for good friends, not even with a couple of moon-cycles to work on it."

"That's what I thought," Lily huffed. "Is there any way to get more information out of it?"

"Not that I can use," he said. "We're just going to have to be vigilant."

"That was never in question." She looked to the sky once again. There were a few light wing silhouettes flying below them, and there would be a few more above the clouds, but that didn't feel like enough.

None of what they were doing felt like enough. The enemy had killed one of her own, and she had nothing to show for it except a dead body and confirmation that there were more dangers approaching. This promised to be a miserable cold-season.

_**Author's Note:** _ **The species of the lone dragon attacker is not meant to be too much of a mystery; I tried my best to describe it, and it's a canon species, so it should be guessable. More so, if you go the meta route and infer from the circumstances, but it** _**should** _ **be doable from the description alone.**


	49. Circumspect

_**Author's Note:** _ **To my recent guest reviewer who is having trouble understanding how this story relates to the movies: It doesn't. This is the third book in a series of its own, and the first two books go very off the rails from the canon, starting just after HTTYD1 and focusing on Beryl, Hiccup, and the people they meet along the way (some more than others).**

**Now, normally I would put this at the bottom of the chapter (actually, normally I would respond to the review with a PM, but this is a guest and therefore I can't do that), but given the contents of this chapter, it's kind of important that said guest knows this before reading the following chapter. If you want to know who the heck certain people are, what's up with Beryl's tail, where Hiccup is in all of this, what's up with Berk, what parts of canon still apply, etc, you'll want to check out the previous two books. It's not mandatory to do so, Lily will be learning the important things in due time, but she certainly isn't going to get the complete picture the way the books give it, and some of the things readers who have read the first two take for granted might come as a shock to you...**

**Anyway, for the rest of you: Enjoy a long-awaited event!**

Snow was falling, thick and fast, much to the enjoyment of most of the pack. Light wings caught flakes in their mouths, tossed piles of wet slush at each other, and generally messed around. The first big snowfall was a time when almost anyone could act silly, and nobody would care. Even the lingering specter of danger was not enough to dampen the fun...

Except, of course, for those on patrol, who Lily had just finished making sure knew there would be no slacking off today. It would be cold, snowy, and dark for the next pawful of moon-cycles, so they weren't going to miss anything, even if the novelty would wear off in a few days, as it did every season-cycle.

That done, she lingered on the plateau, watching the fun from afar. She couldn't let herself participate, the same reasoning behind why she could not act immature or silly at other times also applied here, but watching was enjoyable in its own way.

Hyperactive fledglings were racing between the rocks, amazed that their Dams and Sires were acting as crazy as they were. Said Dams and Sires were as often as not chasing them, sometimes with a tailful of snow carefully held at the ready for when a fledgling was caught. It had only been snowing for half a morning, but there was already quite a bit on the ground.

Fire caught her eye, bright against the dull greys and whites of the valley, and she could see Crystal in the distance, playing some sort of game with Root, Rain, and Mist. The four were flaming aimlessly at the sky, using the kind of fire breath usually reserved for heating stone to sleep on. Small clouds of mist were rising from above each of them, snow instantly melted and then evaporated. It was an extremely odd-looking activity, and Lily didn't see the point of it, but they were having fun.

All was well. There were no problems here. Watching her pack have fun was one of the things that made all of this worth it. All of the frustration, difficulty, and pain she had endured and would continue to endure was for this. Even if enjoying their happiness vicariously wasn't quite the same as actually doing something fun.

A roar of challenge broke her fleeting satisfaction, shattering it in an instant. She looked up, knowing that it had come from above, and already dreading another attack. The two light wings patrolling closest to the valley had both roared at a small flock of swiftly approaching figures, partially obscured by distance and the falling snow.

Lily didn't need to roar orders to her people; other light wings, those Beryl had chosen, were already flying up from the valley, on course to intercept with violence, if need be. The pack was no longer unprepared, and a second strike from a lone killer had been anticipated. It had only been half a moon-cycle since that terrible day, and the lingering regret sharpened her pack's reactions. Another lone dragon wouldn't stand a chance.

But there were a lot of dragons in that flock. Around a dozen, from what Lily could see, all growing more distinct as they closed in-

And all familiarly-shaped, not angular and foreign like the last visitor had been. She knew the silhouettes of light wings. She also knew that there weren't enough patrolling light wings in that direction to possibly group up, so some of them had to be foreigners, and from there it all fell into place. She didn't even need the extra hint of Beryl flying out to meet them halfway to know who some of them had to be.

The defensive force also flew out to meet the approaching dragons, and no violence ensued, further proving what Lily was beginning to make out through the driving snow.

"Lily, are those the dragons I think they are?" Crystal asked, jumping up to stand on the plateau and looking up with wide, hopeful eyes.

"I think so," Lily said reassuringly, surprised by how fast her friend had made it to her. "Are you ready?"

"No, and I do not think that would change if I had a hundred season-cycles to prepare," Crystal asserted nervously, kneading the rock. "What do I say?"

"Maybe wait to see what they have to say to you?" Lily suggested. "Find out what's on their minds. This is big for them too, right?"

"Yes, you are right," Crystal sighed. "Here they come..."

The visitors were flying in, now getting close enough to be distinguishable. Lily did her best to examine all of them before they got too close, attempting to match appearances to names and wondering why so many had come.

The orange one with scars so plentiful as to be noticable from a distance had to be Ember. She wanted to talk to him, as he had known her pack long before she was even hatched. Root would probably want to talk to him too.

Next to him was a familiar light wing with red eyes. Pearl. Another dragon Lily wanted to speak to. Really, she would talk to everyone who came, in time. She needed to know who she was hosting.

On Pearl's other side was a smaller dragon, one that was…

Lily could not help but stare for a particularly long time at the one she thought had to be Pearl's son, a dragon distinct from dark wings and light wings alike. Parts of him were white, and parts a deep blue-green, but those were in the minority. Most of his body was somewhere between the two extremes, a gradient like snow melting to reveal grass and water, the cold-season fading away. The parts of him that were pure white had the slightest green glint, but most of him had no glint and looked more like a dark wing than not. Nobody could mistake him for anything other than what he was, something new and unique. He was also a little undersized, implying he was not yet fully grown.

"Wow," Crystal breathed, also obviously entranced. "Thaw is amazing. Beryl told me what he looked like, but seeing it in person blows his description out of the water."

Lily nodded, glad to have a name to put to such a distinct dragon, and tore her gaze away to examine the rest of them.

Storm was easy to identify, a blue and grey shape in the distance, flying confidently. Flanking her on either side were two normal light wings, Thunder and Lightning. They were still too far away to see properly.

Somewhat under Storm flew Spark, his gold scales clearly visible. To his right, two other dark wings were gliding in, one light green and the other grey. Those had to be Thorn and Herb, if Lily was correctly remembering the names Beryl had only mentioned in passing over the last few moon-cycles. By extension, the fully-grown light wing beside _them_ had to be Silva.

Lily held in a groan, seeing that her life had just gotten a lot more complicated for no apparent reason. She had no idea why they had brought Silva, or indeed why the majority of them had come at all. The only ones who had reason to come were Lightning, Thunder, and Storm. Maybe Spark if they needed a guide, but even that was a slim excuse, given Storm had been to the valley before.

The group dove once they passed the mountains, angling toward the plateau. Lily belatedly realized that they were coming right for her, and that she only had a few more moments to compose herself.

"There they are," Crystal whispered.

Lily put a wing over her friend, ignoring the throbbing ache in her back, and steeled herself. This would get chaotic if nobody took charge, and Crystal deserved better. She was going to make this as smooth as possible, for her sake.

Beryl's pack, for that was the only name she could put to their motley group of dark wings and light wings alike, set down on the plateau, landing all across the far end. All together they took up more than half the plateau, with the orange one, Ember, standing closest to her. She knew better than to assume that was a coincidence.

That didn't mean she was going to play along with how he thought this should go. She had her own priorities, and spoke before he could even open his mouth. "Before anything else, I think Crystal has waited long enough."

"Agreed," Ember rumbled, seemingly taking no offense.

Two adult light wings threaded their way out from behind the dark wings and approached, eyeing Crystal curiously. Thunder, the male, had a dark blue glint to match his cobalt eyes, while Lightning was yellow in both glint and eye color. Lily wondered whether there _might_ have been a little more to their naming scheme than just a self-absorbed surrogate Dam, as she had assumed.

Thunder shrugged his wings and broke the silence. "We do not know you," he announced with a mournful rumble.

"But we would like to," Lightning continued, picking up where her brother had left off. "So… hello?" She walked closer, and nudged Crystal hesitantly. "We understand."

"Storm made sure we knew why you had her take us," Thunder agreed, mirroring his sister with another nudge. "It was a good decision."

Crystal closed her eyes, whining softly. "I wish I had not."

"But we can make up for lost time here, now," Thunder countered solemnly, leaning in.

"Maybe… not here?" Crystal asked hesitantly, looking around. "Somewhere more private?"

Lily sighed, knowing what Crystal was looking at without even having to check. Of course, the rest of the pack had noticed the obvious event going on in the middle of the valley. Of course, they were all watching and turning a heartfelt reunion into something awkward.

"I could scare them off," Lightning offered conversationally, glaring at the audience focused on their reunion. "Storm, a little help?"

"You can go to Crystal's rock," Lily announced loudly, stopping that line of thought before it could get going, "and I will punish anyone who eavesdrops." She would come down harshly on anyone messing with the event Crystal had been waiting five season-cycles for.

Storm nodded. "Good to hear." She looked over at Crystal, meeting her eyes. "We should also talk, I think, but I will not intrude."

"No… No, you should come with us," Crystal offered, surprising Lily, and by the looks of it Storm as well. "I cannot just take over, you are their Dam too. I do not want to just pretend you do not exist."

"I will catch up to you in a little bit," Storm offered, before casting her adoptive children a significant glance. "Do nothing I would not do," she said seriously.

"And nothing you would do but regret later," Lightning chirped innocently. "So, where are we going?"

Crystal shook her head, purring softly, and hopped off of the plateau. "This way. Storm?"

Storm waved her tail dismissively. "Like I said, I will be along." She looked around the plateau, glaring at some of the light wings seemingly at random. "And I will be making sure none follow."

Lily was less than happy to hear that; she would have to keep an eye on Storm, lest she cause trouble by defending the reunion a little too harshly. But that would have to wait; there were greetings, introductions, and a few warnings to give first.

She approached the orange dark wing, noting that Beryl was talking quietly to Spark in the back, having at some point joined his family on the plateau.

"I am told you are alpha," the dragon who she knew must be Ember said neutrally. His voice was not as deep as she had expected, masculine but not gravelly or particularly threatening. He did not sound so dangerous, even if his body told a different story.

"I am," Lily agreed. "This is my pack. I am willing to offer your family shelter here as long as needed, but you and your people are under my authority for as long as you stay here. I will tolerate nothing you would not allow done to your own, and depending on what morals you might hold, nothing _I_ would not allow done to my own." She knew it was more than a little hypocritical to talk as if _his_ group might have shady practices, when she had weeded out so many of the same from her own pack, but she didn't care.

Ember nodded, either understanding her reasoning or pretending that he did. "Reasonable enough, and well worded." He took a look around, searching for something or someone. "Where is Beryl?"

"Back here," Beryl replied, winding his way back up to the front of the group. "I was trying to find out why you brought everyone into a warzone."

Ember chuckled wryly, walking up to stare down his son. "What, you think it's a bad idea?" he asked, slurring his words. Lily wasn't all that surprised to find out he too had the accent.

"Yes, it would have been, if you had come a few days ago," Beryl shot back. "What if the valley was on fire and hunters were everywhere?"

"I'd find you, help Storm and her children find Crystal, and get us all out of here," Ember shot back. "But I have more faith in you than that! I expected to find at least a score of burned out hunter ships sunk in the water nearby! You're slacking."

At that, the tension Lily didn't think had ever really been there dissolved, and Beryl embraced his Sire, purring loudly. "Good to see you."

"And you." Ember pulled back, rose on his hind legs, and placed a paw on Beryl's forehead, awkwardly rubbing it. "Son."

"What is this?" Beryl asked, looking up in confusion. "You look ridiculous."

"That's the point," Ember huffed, backing down. "Never mind, I'll explain later. So… no trouble here?"

"Some, but I think trouble hasn't come looking for its fallen friends yet," Beryl explained solemnly. "It's coming, though." He turned to Pearl and Thaw, who were watching with similar expressions of amusement. "Good to see you, too."

Pearl nuzzled Beryl affectionately. "And you. So, you stayed out of trouble?" She spoke very much like Beryl was her own, with only a hint of distance between them. Lily found that mildly amusing, given Beryl was older than Pearl was, but also sweet in a way.

"More or less. Did Thaw behave?" Beryl asked, looking at his younger brother.

"It would be strange if he did not," Pearl remarked.

"Of course," Thaw added, his voice surprisingly deep and resonating for a fledgling, then nudged his older brother affectionately.

"And it is also good to see you, Lily," Pearl added with a purr, startling Lily, who had been content to watch. "I did not get a chance last time I was here."

Lily had not expected Pearl to be so happy to see her, or so happy in general. The mental image she had of Pearl in her head was not a happy one, and hearing of Pearl's new attitude from others was not the same as seeing it. "I think we should catch up at some point," she suggested, wanting to see more of Pearl's changes.

"You will be one of those I wish to speak to," Pearl agreed, looking around warily. She put a wing over Thaw, pulling him a little closer. "And I look forward to that conversation, unlike another I'm sure I'll be having soon…"

It wasn't hard to guess what Pearl meant by that. "Diora," Lily huffed. She hadn't thought about what Pearl – and _Silva –_ being here would mean for that particular bush of thorns.

"And Ivy, if he decided to grow a spine," Pearl added casually.

"He's dead," Lily revealed. "Has been for a while."

She didn't know what she was expecting Pearl's reaction to be, but a neutral huff and a shrug of her wings certainly wasn't it. "I will not lie and say that bothers me all that much," Pearl said coldly. "I suppose it would be too convenient for the same to be said of Diora."

Lily did not show her surprise, but she _did_ mentally adjust her assessment of Pearl in light of that response. Happy she might be, but she wasn't entirely over her past here, no matter the unaffected airs she put on. If she truly didn't care, she wouldn't be holding Thaw close and wishing Diora had died too.

Then again, maybe she _was_ over it, and just dreading the energy-draining argument Diora was sure to pull her into any moment now. Lily decided to not make any assumptions until she had time to prod Pearl into speaking in a more private setting. Assuming she understood Pearl's lot in life had led to dire consequences in the past, and she was eager not to repeat that mistake.

"Diora is still alive and still pushy," Lily said, answering Pearl's question. "I'm surprised she has not decided to interrupt yet."

"I was _waiting_ for an introduction. Or to be called for." Diora leaped up onto the plateau, looking distinctly displeased, though she could have introduced herself at any time. "You have some nerve, coming back after stealing my daughter away."

Ember put a wing over Pearl, mirroring what she was still doing to Thaw. "Tread carefully," he warned. "I do not stop my mate from fighting her own battles, but I also do not take kindly to abuse of any kind."

Lily shivered, thoroughly disturbed. Beryl had been vehement in his hatred of Diora, but Ember was somehow worse while being far less aggressive. She didn't know why, but there was no arguing it, not even as he verbally stepped back from the coming confrontation. The promise that he _would_ intervene if Diora got out of paw was worrying in its own way.

"Your mate?" Diora asked with an uncharitably amused rumble. "What could you possibly-"

"Save the insults and cruelty for someone who will tolerate them," Pearl snarled.

"You stole my daughter, and I think you should be punished for that," Diora asserted, dragging them right to the problem Lily had hoped she would have somehow forgotten about when faced with Pearl herself. "Alpha?"

Lily huffed in annoyance, glad she had put Crystal first and gotten her out of the area before this stupid problem could rear its ugly, frustratingly restrictive head. She didn't know how to handle it just yet.

But, assuming she had guessed the identity of one of the light wings in this new group correctly, she might be able to resolve it simply enough. "If I am not mistaken, Silva is here," she said neutrally. "What does she say about all of this?"

"Pearl explained what she wanted to do, and I agreed," a female called out. "I was not stolen." Silva pushed her way between Spark and one of the older dark wings, and faced her Dam with an unimpressed look. "I was not happy here. I was far happier with Pearl and the others."

"A fledgling of only a few moon-cycles would not know that," Diora replied, staring at her younger daughter. "Now I do not know you. You were taken from me." Her unhappy whine _sounded_ sincere, but Lily wasn't convinced.

"Then follow in Crystal's pawprints and make up for lost time," Silva suggested. "I am my own person, and I can judge for myself whether you are worth knowing."

Pearl sighed, and Lily saw a little of what had to be going on there. Pearl would not want her younger sister hurt by Diora, but Silva must be headstrong enough to want to find out who Diora was for herself. It was not a bad decision on Silva's part, but Pearl didn't want her hurt.

"Of course," Diora exclaimed, putting a wing over Silva, "we can do that. I am just mad it had to be lost at all. And I do not like the one who raised you."

"Pearl?" Silva glanced over at her sister. "She did not raise me, she knew that would be complicated. Thorn and Herb did." She gestured behind her, to the two dark wings who were watching quietly. "They are great."

"I do not like you, either," Diora growled, addressing the both of them. "You took my duty as your own without permission."

"Like us or not, we do not care," Thorn replied breezily. "Maybe Silva can find something worthwhile in you, or maybe not. We will let her try." She nodded politely to Diora, clearly dismissing her. "Go on. We will be around if you need us."

Lily was more surprised by _that_ reaction than by anything else so far. The confidence there, to trust Diora would not succeed in prying Silva from them, or in doing some other sort of insidious harm… if they knew she was capable of it, but they had to know, Pearl would have told them.

"All I wanted," Diora asserted happily, clearly faking it, at least to Lily's eyes. The angry twitching of her ears and tail gave her away.

"We can fly and talk," Silva offered, leaping into the air without waiting for an answer. Diora stifled a growl and followed her.

Pearl looked after them. "I could almost think she only hates me," she said quietly.

"She kind of does," Lily agreed, lowering her voice. "I don't know what she wants, but you should be wary." If she knew anything about Diora, this wasn't the end of it. If she couldn't play the victim by referencing her lost daughter, she would do it some other way, and Pearl or the people she cared about were the easiest villains for Diora to use.

"I worry more for Silva than myself," Pearl huffed. "I can handle myself."

"Silva is stubborn and intelligent enough to see through anything Diora tries," Ember hummed reassuringly. "She will grow tired of your so-called Dam long before any permanent harm can be done. She is an adult who can leave at any time, now."

"It is her choice," Pearl sighed, leaning into Ember. "I just don't like watching a potential disaster unfold without trying to stop it."

"A small disaster," Ember said soothingly, "and one that will help her learn to trust you a little more."

"And Thorn and I will supply shoulders to cry on or neutral perspectives as needed," Herb added, speaking for the first time since they had landed. "All young adults think they know everything, and this is just Silva's version of that."

"Far less dangerous than, say, going out on a moon-cycle long flight without one's Dam when one does not know the world very well," Thorn added, looking over at Storm.

"I did that once, and I came home fine," Storm retorted.

"Skinny and near-dead of exhaustion is an odd version of fine," Thorn remarked casually.

"I did not die, and I recovered quickly. Fine is relative." Storm pawed at the plateau. "Someone say something, so I can waste some time before I go after them."

Lily snorted at that, and she wasn't the only one. "I have a few questions for you, as it happens," she offered. "Why Thunder and Lightning?" She wanted to hear how Storm explained it.

"I was raising them, they needed names, and their eye colors fit," Storm listed. "Their glints also turning out to fit was a bonus. Do you disapprove? Because honestly, I do not care about whether _you_ like it."

The implied corollary to that was that Storm did care about how Crystal felt about it. Lily supposed that was probably for the best. That Storm cared at all how Crystal took any of this was good enough.

"I was just wondering," Lily explained. "I have also heard from Beryl that they are very much like you, blunt and tactless." Those exact words might not have been said explicitly, but that was the general idea.

Storm nodded agreeably. "Yes, they are."

"Though we were somewhat successful in teaching them a little tact," Thorn added. "Something Storm refuses to learn."

"I am who I am, and tact is not part of that," Storm said lightly. Then she turned to Lily. "By the way. You are alpha, so you would know. How many unmated males are there right now?"

"Not many," Lily answered. Rain came to mind, along with Root, but neither was likely to be what Storm was looking for, or interested in her at all. "We have not fully recovered from what Claw did to our pack over the season-cycles, and there are still quite a few unmated females waiting."

"As I suspected," Storm said bluntly. "Fate wants me alone. I am surprised you have any unattached."

Lily didn't bother to answer that; if Storm investigated, she would find out easily enough. Rain did not like any of his suitors, and Root didn't have any suitors in the first place.

Thinking of Root reminded Lily of a responsibility she was forgetting, and she growled at herself. "I was told some of you can see with sound, and can teach it."

Storm shrugged her wings, and gestured to Ember and Pearl. "Those two, and me."

"We are to teach someone, right?" Pearl asked. "Someone who needs to learn?"

"Yes," Lily agreed. "He is probably not here. I will take you three to him."

"Yes, but we may as well take it in turns," Ember rumbled. "Only one of us is needed to teach, and it may be easier to learn in a one-on-one session."

"I will take the three of you to him and let you work it out," Lily conceded, seeing no problem with that. Though, if she was going to take them herself, she would be leaving the rest here to be swarmed…

"Everyone," she said loudly, addressing the many onlookers around the plateau, "these dragons are our guests, and will be treated _politely._ They will be following our rules, just like Beryl does, and will not be pestered or mobbed."

Ember purred lightly, nodding respectfully to Lily. "And if anyone has a problem with someone from my family?"

"I will bring you into it," she agreed. "Do you expect many problems?"

"I expect a few complaints about Storm," Ember admitted. "She can be a bit much to get used to."

"So long as she does not do anything terrible, a few complaints are tolerable," Lily replied agreeably. She would reserve the right to determine what crossed the line between obnoxious and problematic, but an abrasive attitude wasn't enough to get someone kicked out of the valley. Not on its own. "Now, if you three will follow me…" She couldn't see anyone where Root and the others had been before, and assumed he had gone back to his family rock, knowing that she could find him there.

"And Thaw," Pearl added, keeping her son close.

Thaw shrugged out from under his Dam's wing and looked over at a group of older fledglings, who were even now beginning to bore of the spectacle and running in aimless circles around a boulder.

"Or Thaw will go make some friends," Pearl corrected herself with a laugh. "Go ahead."

Thaw purred thankfully and jumped out onto another rock, quickly dropping down onto the ground outside of the small blockade formed by the audience.

Lily led Pearl, Storm, and Ember through the rocks in another direction, now even more curious… and a little troubled. She recalled how Diora had wanted her daughters; silent and pliable. Why was Thaw looking to be so similar to that?

She could at least touch on the subject now. "Pearl, I notice Thaw was very quiet, for a fledgling. Is he shy?"

Pearl came up to walk beside Lily, looking her in the eye. "No, he is not shy, he just does not say as much as other dragons. Believe me, I was worried about it until I understood, and he talks far more than he used to." There was regret in her voice at some specific memory related to that. "I did not want him to be how my Dam wanted me, but as it turns out that was not it at all."

"He's the strong and silent type," Ember added from behind them. "Smart, observant, and content to observe most of the time."

"There had to be an exact opposite to me somewhere in the world," Storm mused, "and he just so happens to be related to me, too."

Lily couldn't hold in a snort at that. Storm had just called herself unobservant and stupid, in a way, though that clearly wasn't how she had meant it.

"He's fine, that is just who he is," Pearl summarized, bringing them back around to the original topic.

"I see." She would wait until she could get Pearl more or less alone to ask the myriad of other questions she had saved up. "Root's family rock is over here."

"I was under the impression everyone sleeps in the caves during the cold-season," Ember rumbled. "Will he be there?"

"He might not, but it's the first place to check," Lily replied. "And we do all sleep in the main cavern, but it's not quite cold enough for that yet." Any day now, but not quite yet. She wasn't looking forward to moving everyone in there, truth be told.

"Where should we sleep?" Ember asked. "While we are here, that is."

"You can pick out spots in the first chamber of the main cavern system," Lily offered. That would be the most convenient place for them to rest, given everyone else would be moving in there soon enough.

The conversation was cut short when they reached Root's rock. Lily held up her tail to stop the other dragons, and nodded up at the rock. "I will let him know what is going on."

She jumped up, landing on the edge-

And came face to tail with Root, who was staring in the exact opposite direction, his tailfins less than a pawlength from her nose.

She huffed loudly, knowing he would both hear and feel it. "Root, do you know what is happening?"

"Crystal left, Rain said there was a group of dragons approaching, and Mist offered to bring me to them but I said I would rather come here," Root huffed. "I can guess. Have you brought them?" His voice quivered in anticipation.

"Yes." Lily motioned with her tail, and the other three dragons jumped up, though that made it more than a little crowded. Ember immediately jumped over to an adjacent rock, clearing a little room. "You may want to turn around to face them."

Root turned around, his eyelids pulled up to display exactly what he hoped would soon be compensated for.

Lily took note of each newcomer's expression upon truly comprehending Root's condition, seeing it for themselves.

Pearl winced, cringing in sympathy. That was no surprise, and far more kind than most reactions, because she did not bark or gasp.

Ember sighed lightly, bowing his head. He had clearly seen terrible things before, but this was new. More hints that his past was long and eventful.

Storm, on the other paw... Storm did not react. At all. She looked Root up and down, taking him in calmly, barely even looking at his face. "At least your eyes are your only problem," she snorted.

Lily hesitated, a rebuke on her tongue-

"I suppose," Root agreed, not sounding at all offended. "And you would be?"

"I am Storm," Storm said, sounding surprised in turn that her remark had not been scolded or taken badly. Lily held her tongue, not wanting to make Root wait any longer than necessary.

"I am Ember," Ember chimed in. "And my mate, here…"

"Is called Pearl, and can introduce herself," Pearl remarked slyly.

"But if you introduced yourself, he would not know you are spoken for," Ember laughed. "How else am I to be sure he knows?"

"I would let him know if it came up, of course," Pearl remarked, lightly slapping Ember's side with her tailfin, leaning backward to reach him on the other rock. "But that is not what is important right now. Root, we can all see with sound, and we can all teach it. We plan to rotate until you decide if one of us is better suited to teaching you than the others."

"Please, I would take any teacher," Root exclaimed. "How long will it take?"

"It took me a moon-cycle," Pearl recalled. "And it took Storm almost three to learn, though we had the same lessons and the same teacher."

"I was somewhere between those times myself. It was a long time ago when I learned," Ember recalled. "So probably a moon-cycle, at least."

"Then can we start now?" Root asked eagerly. "If it must take so long, at least let it begin now."

"I can start," Pearl announced. "I remember how the first lesson goes."

"And what of us?" Storm asked.

"Storm tomorrow, and Ember the day after," Pearl decided. "There are three of us, so teaching every day will be easy. And I think Root will be fine with an intense schedule."

"Definitely," Root agreed. "Here?"

"It's going to be a lot of roaring with weird tones in the beginning," Pearl explained, "so why don't we take a walk and find somewhere private?"

Lily understood now why Pearl had chosen to take the first shift. She knew the valley, and could go somewhere with Root without needing another dragon to show the way.

"I am going to see how Thunder and Lightning are doing," Storm announced. "It has been long enough."

Ember looked around aimlessly. "And I think I will go catch up with Beryl." He leaped over long enough to nuzzle Pearl, and nodded to Storm. "I will find you all tonight. We are all sleeping in the same place, at least, so that should not be hard." With that, he leaped up into the air, presumably to search the valley for the one black patch in all of this fresh white snow and scale.

Lily was left in the odd position of not knowing what to do. Ember was gone and she would not be able to follow, as he was flying. Pearl and Root were already off, walking among the rocks in the general direction of what was usually the shaded side of the valley; the sun was shining through the clouds, and the snow had mostly tapered off, so it might actually be shaded once more soon enough.

Storm looked around, obviously unsure of where to go, and Lily saw an opportunity. "I can take you to them," she offered.

"Better than trying to find three light wings in a pack of them," Storm agreed.

Lily dropped off the edge of Root's family rock, idly wondering where his parents were, and began to walk in the direction of Crystal's rock.

"Why not fly there?" Storm asked, coming up beside her.

"Because that would require being able to fly," Lily explained shortly, flaring her wings as much as she was able. "So no, if you follow me, you walk."

"Fine." Storm followed in silence for a pawful of heartbeats. "So… mind telling me the names of all the unattached males around?"

"Sure," Lily huffed. She would not be to blame if Storm found the whole list short and lacking. "Cloud, who is only interested in one dragon who cannot stand him, Rain, who has a score of interested females after him but enjoys the attention, not the commitment they want, and Root. That is it until the hot-season, and then you will be competing with a dozen other females for two or three males." She had almost added Blur at the end, before remembering that he was dead.

Storm groaned. "And with my luck, none of them will be able to stand me."

"Probably," Lily agreed. Though Root _had_ taken Storm's tactless remark in stride, he likely was just too excited to care. Not to mention that nobody wanted to be mated to a blind dragon. It was cruel, but there was nothing she could do to fix it. Storm was probably not even going to consider him.

Though maybe that lack of interest in Root would change once he could see to some extent? "You know the ability that Root will learn," Lily began. "What would it be like for him to use it at all times?"

Storm barked a cynical laugh. "Annoying. Not for the one using it, for everyone around him. Also probably not possible to use all the time. At best, he will have to roar every time he wants to 'see' what is around him."

Lily's heart sank a little. So Root would be even less desirable than before, a loud, sightless dragon that was constantly roaring. But at least he would not be totally blind.

"Still better than nothing," Storm asserted, echoing Lily's conclusion. "And he can learn to not care whether he bothers others. They would be petty to resent it."

"Not everyone can be so uncaring," Lily countered. "Root does not like to be seen as or treated differently. He will hate that he is an annoyance, even if he does treasure the ability." She could almost imagine Root learning and then not using it, simply because he could not stand the idea of aggravating everyone around him with constant roaring.

"Maybe he will surprise you," Storm shot back. "I can teach him to ignore complaints. I have plenty of practice."

"We will wait and see," Lily said, not wanting that to happen. "Maybe it will all work out." She was not so naive as to really believe that was likely, but it was possible.

By the time she turned a corner and saw Crystal's family rock, the sun was back out, shining down on the valley, surprisingly close to setting. It had been hard to keep track of time when the clouds covered the sky, but she had not expected it to already be so late.

Ahead of them, on Crystal's rock, sat three light wings, one facing the other two. Lily stepped to the side and let Storm pass to join them…

And when nobody was looking, slunk around to listen from a dark corner. This might be private, but she felt she needed to know how it all played out first-paw, to get the measure of whether she would need to comfort Crystal later.

At the moment, not much was being said. Crystal, Thunder, and Lightning shifted aside, making a place for Storm, who took it without speaking.

"So…" Crystal began, at a loss for words.

"I have something to say," Storm admitted. "Or really, a question. You have talked to them for a while. I know it is impossible to get to know a person in a short while, let alone two, but… did I do well?"

Lily was once again surprised by how Storm approached things. She had gone straight to what sounded like an immensely important question, without even trying to sound out what the answer would be first. Blunt was a good description for her.

"Yes," Crystal said with a decisive nod. "Of course, it would be very hard for me to say otherwise, with them right here," she noted wryly, "but yes, definitely."

"We told you that," Lightning complained.

"I needed to hear it from the one with an unbiased opinion," Storm retorted. "And now, I have."

"How are we going to do this?" Crystal asked plaintively, switching topics. "I do not know how to work it out."

"We do," Thunder rumbled. There was not a single sign of the little fledgling she had called Burble in the confident male he had become, and Lily couldn't _quite_ connect the two in her mind yet. It was an odd feeling that almost distracted her from what was said next.

"We had three moon-cycles to think about it," Lightning explained. "And we know how we want this to work."

"This is news to me," Storm admitted, her frills flaring in amusement. "Have you two learned to keep secrets?"

"No, you just never asked what we talked about in the air all day, every day on the way here." Thunder shrugged. "We did not see a reason to tell you until now."

"Basically, we want to stay with Storm," Lightning began. "And we want to get to know Crystal. I do not know if Crystal would be willing to come home with us, or if we would all stay here, or if we would travel back and forth."

"Staying here means we have chances at mates right nearby," Thunder said.

"If we want," Lightning clarified. "Neither of us is particularly desperate, unlike Storm."

Storm nodded, not at all objecting to being called desperate.

"But at home, we have the other people we care about," Lightning continued. "We stick together. Leaving them permanently is not an option."

"So… ideally, we would all move here and live here with this pack," Thunder said. "But we cannot count on that happening."

"Even if it makes total sense, and for more than just us," Lightning added. "Thaw will need a mate, as will Silva. Not to mention Beryl and Spark. Chances are some or all of those mates will come from here, given how many dragons are here, and how few of our kind are out in the rest of the world."

"So we do not think anyone would really mind staying, except maybe Pearl, and she has Ember to help work that out," Thunder concluded. "But that is not our choice. If they do not stay, then we will work something else out."

Crystal blinked, clearly shocked by how thorough an answer that was. "I see… I do not want to leave my pack. This is home, and I fought to make it somewhere worth living. To leave would be to give up what I fought for."

"We will figure it out," Storm interjected. "As for you and me…"

"You are their Dam, I am simply a new person they have been told gave them up," Crystal said quietly. "I expect nothing but to be allowed to know them. How far that goes is up to them."

"No further than it does with Storm," was the answer from Thunder. "We will not put you above her."

"Or below her," Lightning clarified. "You are important too."

"Sounds like they are electing you my co-Dam," Storm noted wryly. "Do you have a mate? They could probably use an actual Sire of some sort to look up to."

"No, I do not." Crystal shrugged. "Not a surprise. Quite a few females still do not around here."

"Knowing my luck, you will find one before I do." Storm complained. "So that is that. Now, how much have you been told?"

"Random stories, many of which are embarrassing for someone involved," Crystal recounted. "Not much else."

"So there is more to tell," Storm purred.

Lily turned away, not feeling like there was anything more for her to hear. Storm was… different, to say the least, but she had good intentions. Crystal's children were smart, caring people who echoed Storm's mannerisms but still managed to be their own people, from the brief glimpse Lily had just gotten. That was enough; far more than enough.

Lily wandered away, looking for something to do. She had focused enough on the newcomers for now; her life did not revolve around them.

O-O-O-O-O

Later that day, after a long afternoon of keeping tabs on the patrols and watching from afar to be sure her fledglings weren't mobbing the visitors, Lily checked in on the sparsely populated main cavern. Most of the pack had yet to move in, since she had not officially announced that it was time, but there were always a few anxious Dams who went early, and this season-cycle was no exception.

She only went far enough in to see that the newcomers were settling in nicely. The older mated pair, Herb and Thorn, were settled in an out-of-the-way corner. Storm was there too, talking to a pair of light wing females Lily did not know very well. Thunder and Lightning were probably somewhere with Crystal.

Silva was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Diora, though Lily had not expected to see the latter. Thaw was clearly visible, wrestling with some of the other older fledglings.

Lily watched as Thaw tumbled over, pinned on his back by another male fledgling somewhat bigger than him. His paws waved dramatically in the air, the pads a scuffed grey sporting a few distinctive scars. There was probably some tale of fledgling misbehavior resulting in an accident behind those, and they didn't seem to bother him any.

She purred as Thaw turned the tide on his opponent, and continued looking through the cavern for the other newcomers. Pearl and Ember in another corner, so tangled she would not have been able to determine where one ended and the other began if they were not so wildly different in color. Both were watching Thaw.

Spark was in the center of the main cavern, holding the attention of four different females, talking confidently enough to each in turn. He was so innocent, and it seemed that her fledglings were at least not physically chasing him this time. All four females were definitely eyeing him, but no more than that.

That was everyone, more or less, aside from Silva, Diora, and Beryl. Lily left the cavern, walking out into the cold evening air, her paws crunching the small patches of snow that had not already been trampled. She would walk until she found one of those she sought. Some part of her couldn't rest until she knew where all of the newcomers were, and what they were doing.

O-O-O-O-O

Beryl ended up being the first she found, if only by a few moments. She came upon him in a tight alleyway between rocks, looking out at something. It was a very familiar sight; she was sure she had looked quite similar when she herself was eavesdropping on someone.

She tapped Beryl's tailfins, reveling in the chance to startle him with that. He always guarded them so carefully.

Beryl's tail flicked away out of reflex as he jumped, turning awkwardly to look behind himself without knocking his head against a rock. His posture relaxed once he saw it was her, and he gestured silently out at whatever he was watching.

It was an invitation, and Lily did not hesitate before accepting, sitting up on her hind legs to see past him.

She was not surprised to see _who_ Beryl was spying on. If she had been asked to guess, Diora and Silva would have been the first possibility to come to mind. She could not hear them from here, but their body language was clear, and it told an interesting story. Diora was emanating regret, to the point where it seemed faked, while Silva was skeptical, and a little angry.

After a long moment and a few indistinct words growled between tem, Diora's posture changed. She shrunk in on herself, now sad but not regretful. Lily knew _that_ look well; she was playing the victim.

Then the two moved, walking out of sight.

"That is not going to end well," Beryl rumbled quietly. "I had not wanted them to ever meet."

"Not your choice to make," Lily responded.

"No, but I feel responsible. Our family looks out for each other." Beryl looked back at her. "Very much like you do for your own people."

Lily nodded, surprised by how much that moved her. She had not thought of Beryl as being like her for his own little pack, and in truth she suspected Ember was the one who really held her role there, but it still fit surprisingly well. "Today was a day of our people meeting, then, was it not?"

"Pretty much." Beryl backed up out of the narrow passage, now entirely facing her. "I'm not happy with all of them being here, though. We know danger is coming."

"Now is not the _best_ time for bringing fledglings to visit," Lily agreed. "But it's safe for the time being."

Beryl huffed in uneasy agreement. "For now."

"But… why _did_ they all come?" she asked.

"Funny story," he grumbled. "According to Spark, Storm wanted him to come along because he knew the way whereas she hadn't been here in season-cycles. Then Silva said she wanted to go, and Pearl was not happy with that. She decided _she_ was going to go to look out for Silva, and then Thaw said he would rather come with her, and Ember suggested he go too. By that point, it was looking like Thorn and Herb would be the only ones _not_ going, so they decided they would rather tag along as well."

"So there's no real reason for most of them to be here," Lily huffed. She backed up, allowing Beryl space to leave the narrow passage, and he immediately took it, walking out into the open.

"No… though now that I think about it, Ember might be able to help us out," Beryl said.

"With what?"

"The prisoner," Beryl replied. "I'm going to go ask him about that. He could get answers."

"How?" Lily asked, immensely curious. What could Beryl's Sire do that he himself could not?

"I… Let me talk to him. It might not work out." Beryl shook his head. "I can't say quite yet."

"You know, I don't like secrets being kept from me," Lily warned. "I'll do my best to find them out."

"I don't think you could figure this out on your own," Beryl chuckled. "I _would_ tell you, but this isn't mine to tell. Just let me ask him about it first."

Lily was of half a mind to demand he speak, since she could see no innocent reason to keep it from her, and Ember was not someone she particularly trusted… But doing so would break the hard-earned rapport she had built with Beryl, in not demonstrating even a shred of trust. She wasn't willing to do that. "I'll wait," she conceded.

"Thank you," he murmured. "For this, and for not being too suspicious of my family. You welcomed them much more easily than you did me or Spark."

"That was a problem I have long since mastered," Lily snorted. "Besides, you spoke well of them, and Pearl was there, and Spark delivered what was promised. I don't have any reason not to welcome them." Especially if some of them could be of use. She had not forgotten that there was a danger bearing down on the valley, and she would take any advantage she could get. A group of worldly, battle-ready dark wings that might be convinced to help defend her pack would not be spurned.

_**Author's Note** _ **: And here's another one, this time responding to a guest reviewer who called themself** _**dragonlover7** _ **:**

**I'm glad to hear you enjoy my stories. That being said, I find it odd that amongst all of the various** _**actual** _ **atrocities and morally grey things in this series (including but not limited to a protagonist who is capable of stealing bodies via murder and who is also suicidal for a good portion of the previous book), you picked out Pina and Dew as the point at which the story strayed from a 'moral' depiction of things. And the introduction of the concept of divorce, too; that's a strikingly specific duo of lines to draw, and one I certainly cannot agree with, either in this context or in general.**

**I'll leave it at that; the end of a chapter entirely unrelated to such things is hardly the place for discussion, and even if it were there would be little more to say. I will continue to write as I think best, and that may or may not be 'moral' in your view. You will read or not read, as you choose. (Also, in the event that you want an actual discussion, I'd totally be up for that, but you would have to make an account here. I'm not going to hold such a thing in author's notes.)**


	50. Cooperative

The next morning was a dark, dreary affair, and Lily had to shake herself vigorously to fully wake up, even though doing so was excruciatingly painful.

Her morning guards were even now flying up to meet her, and she assumed her late-night guards were flying away. In a moment, she would head down into the valley.

But right now, bereft of anything else to do, she looked up at the dreary clouds and raised her wings, spreading them as far as they could go without reaching the pain or tightness in her back. The cold wind caressed her body, and she shuddered, longing to take to the air. The urge was stronger now, with the looming move to the caverns promising close quarters and confinement.

Soon, she would give the word to move everyone. But not today, not with the crisp but still entirely bearable chill in the air. The snow from the day before was melting, slowly but surely, and thus it was not the cold season quite yet.

She pulled her wings in with a grunt, and began the walk down to the valley. Cedar and Pina reached her before she was even a third of the way down, landing on the rocks to either side of the path.

"I brought fish," Pina offered, tossing a still-wet fish at her. Lily reared back and caught it, glad her reflexes had been up to the task. She had enough problems without adding 'slow' to the list.

"I bring questions," Cedar added in the same helpful tone, mocking Pina. "What are we doing this morning? Does it involve the dark wings? Are they safe?"

"Are they safe?" Lily mumbled around the fish in her mouth, then hastily swallowed it before answering. "Was Beryl safe?"

"I would say no, because he is making _all_ of us more dangerous," Pina snorted. "But I think Cedar means to ask whether they are dangerous to us."

"That," Cedar agreed, leaping down to a lower rock to keep up with her.

"I'm not worried about them, and Liona should not be either," Lily hummed, guessing the real reason Cedar was asking. "They are Beryl's friends and family, and they have agreed to follow our rules." She was a little wary of Ember, and she fully intended to have one-on-one conversations with every single one of their visitors over the next few days, as circumstances permitted, but there was no reason to be afraid of them as of yet…

And no instinctive dislike or distrust, like she had experienced with Beryl and Spark. She was glad, in a way, that she had faced that issue with them; it would have been much harder to deal with now, with everything else going on and far more visitors.

"She will be glad to hear that," Cedar murmured, "but I was not asking on her behalf. We are your guards, we should know if there is something in particular to guard against."

Lily inclined her head, acknowledging her mistake. "Yes, you should," she agreed. "But I am more worried about an attack coming from outside the valley, not inside. Today, I would like one of you in the air, and one watching from afar on the ground." She knew that wasn't how Pina and Cedar tended to operate, which was why she was asking. She wanted to _feel_ like she was on her own for the moment.

"What will you be doing?" Pina asked skeptically.

"Walking, talking, getting a sense of how the new dragons are affecting the pack," she said. "If Beryl finds me, we might go look at the prisoner. Crystal is busy, so I am expecting Cara will go to either Beryl or myself to take her place for the time being. Things like that." There were so many little things she did that were integral to keeping her people functioning properly, and the most effective way to handle them all was to wander around and solve everything that popped up, like a fledgling swatting flies out of the air with their tail. She would hit the biggest, most obvious problems first, and then let the rest come to her.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily roamed the valley, checking in on anything that came to mind. She passed Crystal's rock without stopping, seeing Thunder and Lightning telling a story of some sort to Crystal and her parents. That was good, and needed no help on her part.

Root's rock was empty. That too was good. He spent a lot of time there, so if he was not there, he was doing something interesting. Maybe having another lesson with somebody. Probably that, given how enthusiastic he was about it.

As she walked, she began to hear an odd sound, a faraway roar that changed pitch every time she heard it. That had to be Root and whoever was teaching him. They must have just started, probably in the shaded side of the valley, because all around her, light wings looked up and around, noticing the faint sound for the first time.

"What was that?" one asked.

"I do not know, but I heard it yesterday, too," another replied. "It is nothing, we have guards."

Lily purred softly, happy to hear her fledglings, or at least that one, liked having protection. Maybe they should have been doing this long before it became needed, if only because it gave everyone an actual reason to consider the valley safe.

Or maybe nobody would have stuck to it, if they had not had examples of what happened when there were no scouts or guards. Blur might have given his life to ensure her fledglings never slacked off on protecting their home. Far too high a price, if that was the case.

"Do you know what it is, Lily?" a female asked, her ears down in irritation. "It is annoying."

"I do, and it is necessary," Lily replied. "I suggest either getting used to it, or finding somewhere else to be, where you cannot hear it." This sort of reaction was not a good sign for how Root would be received once he had the trick mastered. She foresaw the need to intervene on his behalf once that happened.

For the moment, she decided to go take a look at Root's second lesson. She made her way to the burial grounds, wondering as she walked why they were holding their lesson in such a morbid place. Her pack burned their dead and left them here, and there were sad, scorched skeletons tucked away in obscure corners, carefully hidden from prying eyes. She was all the more aware of that now, having helped add another so recently.

Lily pulled her mind from the sad remains before she was drawn into a useless spiral of grief, and instead found what she had come for, hopping on top of a low rock to get a good view. Root and Storm were standing in a small open area amidst the rocks. Neither knew she was there, and she intended it to stay that way. She would not have to spy if she thought they would act the same with her openly watching.

"A little deeper," Storm advised, letting out a short roar at a strange pitch. "The stronger you make it, the further you will see clearly, but you have to get it right before you can mess with range or anything else."

Root nodded, and roared again. He cut off after only a second, coughing painfully.

"Too high, still," Storm said calmly, making no move to go help him, just waiting for him to recover. "Again, when you can."

"Just a moment," Root gasped, still coughing. "Is it supposed to hurt?"

"No. But learning does, because there are a lot of similar-sounding roars that _do_ hurt," Storm explained. "You will inevitably hit some of those while trying to get it."

"Can you not tell me a little more specifically how to do it?" Root asked plaintively. "You are just having me try to copy you. This will take forever."

"Yes, it will, and longer if you question how we teach," Storm growled. "Again."

Lily shook her head. Root deserved far more care than Storm was showing. He was blind, and he was desperate for a solution to that. She could be less direct and painfully honest. Softening things a little would help Root not lose hope. As it was…

"Okay, okay." Root shuffled his paws, leaning forward a little, and roared once more. This one was deeper, almost normal-sounding.

"That was nowhere close," Storm remarked. "You are afraid of hurting yourself again."

"If I do one more like that last one," Root gritted, "I will scratch my throat raw, and be forced to wait half a moon-cycle while it heals."

"If you do not actually try, you can fail forever," Storm countered. "If you want this, you should be more than willing to hurt yourself a little in the process."

In response, Root snarled and then roared again, a powerful and strangled sound that cut off in a bout of choking coughs, truly painful-sounding ones.

Lily winced, willing Storm to do something less callous than waiting and watching. Root was going to hate her at this rate! She was acting like she did not care.

Storm crept closer, lowering her voice just enough that Root probably wouldn't be able to tell she had moved. "Good."

"Good?" Root croaked angrily. "Now I cannot roar at all!"

"But you tried anyway," Storm said evenly. "That is all this is. Actually trying, over and over again, until you hit the right tone. You only need to hit it once by pure chance, then it is just practice."

"I cannot keep doing this," Root argued back.

"Then you are weaker than I thought," Storm growled. "No more roaring today, but tomorrow you will be able to continue. Will you?"

"Yes, and maybe Ember will not have me break my own throat!" Root growled, coughing once more.

"Maybe not!" Storm snarled angrily. "And maybe I am doing exactly what you wanted! Pushing you as hard as I can without permanently hurting you! You wanted to learn as fast as possible."

Root froze, his body stilling as his last cough died away. "You what?"

"You want to learn fast. I will not coddle you, if that is true. Ember and Pearl will. With me, you learn as fast as you can, making as many mistakes as possible before it becomes too painful to bear. More mistakes made per day means less days before you find it." Storm pawed at Root's shoulder, startling him. "So tell me, are you going to keep whining, or are you going to push yourself?"

"You will not coddle me." Despite the rasp, something in Root's voice was noticeably softer now. "Really?"

"I cannot. It is not who I am. Ask Thunder or Lightning. They went to Thorn and Herb to learn certain things, because they know how I teach." Storm shook her head. "It is one of my flaws, I suppose."

"No." Root pushed forward, bumping his head against Storm's chest. "That is… perfect."

"Really," Storm deadpanned, pulling away from him. "You were saying otherwise a moment ago." She sounded surprised and pleased, under the dry disbelief.

"I did not understand, and now I do," Root explained. "You will not coddle me," he repeated, beaming as if it was some great promise. "I will keep trying."

Storm lightly batted Root's forehead with one of her paws. "No. I told you to stop. Nobody can help you learn if you cannot roar tomorrow. We are done for today."

"Fine," Root agreed. "I am sure we are going to start drawing complaints if we keep going, anyway."

"You think so?" Storm purred evilly, and roared loudly, with the same pitch as before. "Then I think you will listen as I demonstrate, over and over again."

Root squirmed uncomfortably. "No, I do not want to annoy-"

"Me, because I am teaching you. You will have to learn to annoy everyone else as much as needed," Storm chastised, roaring to punctuate each statement. "This will be important for you. Let them get used to it now, because you will be using it constantly once you have it." Her roars echoed out over the valley.

Root shrugged unhappily. "That is not who I am."

"You will learn to make it who you are sooner or later, because either you annoy everyone else, or you live blindly, like now, except then it will be by choice. And I will not pity you either way. I do not now, either."

Lily felt her tail drop at that statement. Storm had to be the most callous-

"Good," Root asserted eagerly. "I cannot stand being pitied by everyone. Especially my friends."

Or… Root could totally appreciate that strange, callous sentiment. Lily had no idea why he was not highly offended by Storm by this point; she would be if anyone said half of what Storm had.

But… if it worked, who was she to interfere? Root was somehow okay with Storm's… everything, and Storm seemed pleasantly surprised by that. Those two either would not fight, or would eventually explode as something Storm said finally surpassed Root's strange tolerance.

Lily hopped away, jumping from rock to rock as she left the scene of the roaring lessons. Storm's roars followed her away, almost mockingly. For that was what she was doing, by her own implication. Mocking and intentionally annoying anyone who was bothered by the roaring.

It remained to be seen whether that would be any help to Root in the long run, but Lily was sure it would be a headache for her specifically no matter how it played out.

O-O-O-O-O

By noon – or by what Lily assumed was noon, given the dreary sky had not deigned to let the sun out yet – she found herself by the pond. She was not relaxing by the water, rather threading her way through the rocks nearby, but she was close enough to see who was there. No dark wings, annoyingly enough.

Beryl still had not sought her out; the one time she had seen him, he had been gliding with Herb and Thorn. She assumed that he had not yet gotten around to asking Ember about somehow helping with the prisoner. That didn't bother her; Beryl was not one to procrastinate on potentially important matters, and it gave her more time to pick at the puzzle he had presented, something she fell into doing while she walked.

What _was_ the point of asking Ember to help with the prisoner? She knew it was a secret Beryl didn't feel comfortable revealing, and that it would have to be something Beryl either could not do, or didn't know how to do.

For some dragons, she could have ruled out the former. But Beryl hadn't known how to see with sound, and thus could be said to have not bothered learning a useful skill. It _could_ be something learnable, not necessarily intrinsic.

It revolved around Ember, whether through learning or talent or ability, and it was something useful but not obvious. Something disconcerting, maybe, if he meant to keep it secret.

Her first thought was to rule out something obvious, like him being able to speak as a No-scaled-not-prey, as that wasn't worth keeping secret, but on second thought she wasn't so sure. Maybe such a skill had connotations in the wider world outside this valley, and thus was better kept secret.

Or maybe, she thought with a snort, she was on the wrong path entirely. Beryl might have proclaimed she wouldn't figure it out on her own – something that made her nostalgic and a little sad – and she would happily prove him wrong if possible, but she needed more information to work with. There was a difference between clever insight and outright impossible guesses.

Lily wound around a boulder, and caught sight of the pond once more. In the time between viewings, one of the dark wings had arrived. Ember himself was ducking his head in the pond and then snorting the water out of his nostrils.

She wondered whether it would be better to approach him herself, or let the moment go and wait for Beryl.

Then someone else beat her to it. Cloud, of all light wings, walked up beside Ember and brashly said something. She didn't hear what, exactly, she was too far away, but it sounded like a question, or a request of some sort.

That was enough to have her leaning forward and watching closely from between the boulders. Cloud was the last dragon she would have expected to approach Ember out of the blue; he didn't like Beryl, and Ember would be an even greater threat to his overly-inflated pride.

Ember turned and followed Cloud, his face neutral. Lily stepped back, out of sight, and began a leisurely, innocent walk toward where they would end up if they continued on their current path. There was no way she was letting this go unobserved.

So long as she made it to wherever they were going in time to watch, anyway. She stepped into a narrow path only to see Diora standing there, idly dragging a claw against one of the rocks. The noise was obnoxious, and Lily immediately turned to leave, not caring how that would look. Diora had to know she was hurting the ears of anyone close enough to hear. There weren't even any light wings on top of the rocks around her…

Lily slowed, and ducked into a side passage, glad the labyrinthine nature of the valley allowed her almost unlimited opportunities to double back from another angle without being seen. Something was coming together in her mind, something ominous.

Cloud had no reason to want to take Ember anywhere. Diora was lingering nearby, and was subtly clearing an area around her. One of those two had reason to want to speak to Ember, and one probably had reason to do the other a favor. Cloud's help could have been enlisted any number of ways.

Lily followed her ears and found another vantage point, and saw, to her satisfaction, that she had guessed correctly. Cloud had led Ember to Diora. This promised to be an _interesting_ confrontation.

Ember said something, and Diora's rock-scratching stopped. Lily let her ears droop, relieved. An intelligent dragon bent on not being overheard would have continued, but Diora was not that thorough, and Ember probably wouldn't talk to her if she tried to be. He already looked annoyed and on guard, and she hadn't even said anything yet.

"I wanted to speak to you without distractions," Diora said, responding to the statement Lily hadn't overheard. She bowed her head for a brief moment. "You must think terrible things about me."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Ember said, rolling his eyes as he spoke. "How perceptive of you to notice that."

"I just wanted to be sure you know the truth," Diora hummed, ignoring the sarcastic tone Ember spoke in. That, to Lily, was a big hint that she was trying to convince Ember of something, but Ember wouldn't know her tells well enough to discern the same. "Pearl has always had a tendency to exaggerate. I am sure you have seen it before, a small fish is a big one in her mind, a scolding is a long, drawn out lecture, and so on."

"Oh, I don't know," Ember rumbled, looking straight into her eyes. "Perhaps the problem does not lie with her." His level tone somehow bothered Lily more than a snarl would have, though Diora didn't seem to share that feeling.

"I am just bringing it up," Diora said diffidently. "All I am asking is that you withhold judgment, maybe get to know me first. In person."

"That sounds reasonable," Ember rumbled, much to Lily's dismay. She hoped he wasn't falling for it.

"Yes, and you know, your mate does not get to make all of your decisions for you," Diora said blithely, ignoring how she had lived the opposite of that with Ivy. "You are your own male. Strong, attractive…" She flicked her tail suggestively, and it was all Lily could do to not burst out laughing.

Ember was less than amused. He growled and shook his head. "And you were doing so well," he said quietly, so that Lily had to strain to hear him. "You could not have believed that would actually work."

Diora squinted at him, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked petulantly. "I was not doing anything. If this is something Pearl said, she is not-"

"Not prone to exaggeration," Ember growled, cutting her off. "Not a liar. Not unreliable, as you are trying to make her seem. Not wrong about how _terrible_ you are. Try anything to pry us apart, and I will hurt you."

"I-" Diora stuttered.

Ember stuck one paw out in her direction, claws drawn, and put his other paw on top of it. He said nothing as he stared at her, working the claws of one paw in between the scales of the other, drawing thin streams of blood.

"I care less for your well-being than I do my own," he said coldly as more blood welled up, staining his claws. "And I care less than most would for my own. Tread lightly."

Diora took a deep, shuddering breath, her eyes fixed on the casual injury he was inflicting on himself, and without another word she bolted, taking to the air in a flurry of wings.

Ember huffed in what sounded like annoyance, and bent down to lick his injured paw. All the cold anger he had exhibited was gone, leaving Lily to wonder what kind of person Pearl was happily mated to.

"You can come out now, whoever is watching," Ember snorted, surprising her. "I don't mind. I am glad there was a witness."

Lily couldn't remember the last time she had been _caught_ eavesdropping, and embarrassment washed over her. Maybe she was getting sloppy. At least she understood why he wanted a witness. "I would not put it past Diora to spread a lie about this meeting," she agreed, revealing herself and coming to meet him.

"Alpha," Ember rumbled. "I had expected it to be the male who led me here, honestly. He seemed like the sort to stick around and watch." His mouth spread into a disarming, toothless smile. "I guess I can skip the part where we talk about you backing me up, instead of her."

"Instead, we can talk about you blatantly threatening someone in my pack," Lily retorted.

"We can talk about that," Ember agreed. "But just to be clear, you _did_ hear her trying to make me doubt my mate, and then revealing that she would very much like to break us up and take me for herself?"

"That's a lot to take from what she said," Lily said, "but yes." She was impressed that he had seen so much, though he _did_ have the advantage of any knowledge Pearl would have imparted about her Dam prior to this.

"I wanted to drive her away, and where fear might not totally work, doubts about my sanity would finish the job," he concluded. "Even if it did hurt a little more than I anticipated."

"So long as you would first bring problems to me, instead of avenging yourself or others with claws and teeth," Lily growled.

"That was always the plan if she did something worth being punished for," Ember agreed.

"Good. We understand each other." She could see that she wouldn't have a leg to stand on if she tried chastising him for his apparently baseless threat; if they were going to argue wrongs done by word alone, Diora had done worse in trying to sow dissent between him and Pearl, and they both knew it.

He nodded and shook his injured paw. "I could have been less dramatic," he admitted ruefully. "Pearl told me Diora would probably need a scare to really be convinced of anything, and that was the first thing that came to mind."

"If we are speaking purely of methods, I would say that placing her safety below yours in terms of worth while simultaneously violating yours for no apparent reason was quite clever," Lily offered, hoping to get them on more amiable terms. "It neatly bypasses the question of whether or not you would be willing to do harm."

"I just thought it would be intimidating," Ember snorted. "But yes, that too."

Lily hummed in amusement, though she wasn't quite sure whether he was serious about not meaning it that way.

"Oh, also," Ember added, "Beryl tells me you have a human prisoner?" He tilted his head and looked at her curiously.

"Yes, and he said you might somehow be of help in getting information out of it," Lily confirmed. "I would be grateful." She left unsaid that he did, if one looked at it in terms of influence, owe her a favor. She had all but agreed to contradict Diora if she spread lies about what happened here, and that was not something she _had_ to do.

Lily realized, in that moment, that she had never done this before. She had negotiated with many light wings and a few dark wings in her time, but never as a leader of dragons, _with_ a leader of dragons she _didn't_ mean to usurp. It was an odd feeling, dealing with someone who had their own little pack to lead and protect.

"I could get some information, with the right setup," Ember said carefully. "What has Beryl told you?"

"That it's not his secret to give away, and nothing more," Lily said honestly. "Though I will have to know, if you are to help, so that I can know how much trust to put in the information you procure."

"Will that knowledge be kept to you, and you alone?" Ember asked, watching her carefully. She got the impression that he was looking for some sign of her trustworthiness, much like she would have in his place. He was wary, but not opposed to the idea of letting her in on whatever it was, which put an upper limit on how damaging a secret it could possibly be.

"So long as it does not harm me or my own, yes," she promised. "I am not going to spread it around out of carelessness or spite."

"And Beryl vouches for you," Ember added. "That is enough for me. When do you want me to be there?"

"Sunset," Lily said. "And have Beryl there too." She would have to dismiss the guard, and doing so right at the start of a new guard's shift would give the maximum amount of time before another arrived, thus minimizing how much she would have to do to keep Ember's involvement quiet.

"I'll see if I can find him," Ember said.

"Thank you," she said, getting the last word in the nicest way possible. She didn't know enough about Ember to know whether he would notice that or not, but either way he didn't protest as she left.

O-O-O-O-O

The time between talking to Ember and sunset flew by on wings Lily wished she could take for herself, and before she knew it the dreary day had come to an equally dreary end, the light fading out of the world around her like heat out of a dead body.

She was feeling morbid as she approached the prisoner's cave, and mentally preparing herself for either disappointment, or worrying new information. That was the way of things; she would not need any mental fortitude if the information she got was good and relieving, so she didn't spare any time thinking about that possible eventuality, no matter how it might have steadied her nerves.

This moment, this event, had been built up for moon-cycles. Always hoped for, always postponed. Maybe the prisoner would talk tomorrow, she had heard and said herself over the moon-cycles. Maybe it would talk later, maybe it would talk once it got bored of saying nothing… All of that added importance to when it did finally speak, and now it seemed that was inevitable.

Even knowing why it felt so disproportionately momentous, she was still nervous, because all else aside, this _was_ a big deal. A few high-pitched noises from the No-scaled-not-prey's mouth could soothe her worries, or shed light on some immense danger moving toward them with every waking moment…

Beryl arrived, a black shape against a dark grey sky, and she breathed out a heavy sigh of relief.

He landed lightly and immediately turned to face her. "So, Diora," he prompted.

"Stupid and striking at Pearl," Lily sighed. "Not effectively, but you might want to watch your family and the people around them. If a rumor comes, it did not come about naturally."

"I'm more worried about what she will do with Silva," Beryl said. "But you know that. Did you tell Ember as much?"

"He knows about her intentions, of course," Lily snorted. "He did not drive her away through sheer ignorance."

"Never underestimate how oblivious Ember can be to the attention of females," Beryl said wryly.

"She was striking at Pearl, not trying for him," Lily noted.

"Same thing," Beryl growled, his mirth fading away. "What do you think would be next, if she wanted to hurt Pearl as much as possible? Drive them apart, then take Ember for herself, all while somehow making Pearl the one in the wrong every step of the way."

Lily snarled openly at that idea, though she didn't think he was wrong. "Whatever her plans, she has been put off of Ember quite thoroughly, and I trust you are capable of keeping her off of your less relevant family members."

"That's a fun turn of phrase for them," Beryl said, regaining his jovial tone, though Lily suspected it was at least somewhat forced, lest their conversation stay dark and unpleasant. "Try calling Storm that, and see what it gets you."

"What will it get me?" she asked curiously.

"Spittle in the face as she roars at you for insulting her, and then scathing insults every time she sees you around," Beryl replied. "Until she remembers she does not want to hold grudges anymore, that is. Then she would apologize."

"And that, believe it or not, is progress," Ember added, flying down to join them. "Storm is an interesting person."

"Sounds like it," Lily agreed, remembering how Storm had treated Root. She couldn't think of anyone in her pack quite like that. The closest she could get was Diora, and that only because she held grudges. They were nothing alike other than that, and implying otherwise was probably the sort of thing that would set Storm off.

"So, how are we doing this?" Beryl asked, looking at her.

"I've already given the next guard the night off," Lily explained. "We'll go in, I'll relieve the one currently on duty, and you'll explain to me what we're going to be doing, and why it is a secret. If I give you the go-ahead, you'll have until midnight to get as much information as possible out of him. If it's urgent, you can have until daybreak, but people might notice if I take over an entire night's shift." She had relieved guards before, but never two in a row.

"I don't think we will come close to midnight," Ember rumbled. "No-scaled-not-prey sleep too, you know. This would work better in the morning, really."

"Not an option," Lily huffed. "Unless you want to let Aven in on your secret too." She had no confidence in her ability to pry Aven away from her guard shift without arousing suspicion, given Cara would undoubtedly notice Beryl's absence during the same time period and pass that information on. They would have Aven barging in on them before the morning was over, and that would be a headache for sure.

"No," Beryl answered, shaking his head. "Trust me, Sire, Aven is not someone you want knowing about any of this. She would never let you rest, once she knew what you could do."

"Aven is the one trying to make friends with him?" Ember asked.

"Yes, and probably failing," Lily said. "It's hard to tell."

"I might be able to find out about that, too," Ember said thoughtfully. "Should we go in now?"

Lily nodded and led the way into the cave. She was glad Beryl followed directly behind her; Ember was quickly earning her trust through attitude alone, but until she knew what he was hiding, she would rather have Beryl at her back. She trusted Beryl more than most dragons, nowadays.

"Alpha!" the male on guard said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Lily purred. "You can go now. " She belatedly realized that there were two dragons behind her, and that one of them was Ember, who might raise questions if seen. "Beryl is taking over your replacement's shift, and Ember is here to observe for a little bit."

"It is still active tonight, so you are in luck," the male said, squeezing past her. She flinched away from his touch, though he didn't notice in the brief time it took him to pass her.

She stopped just short of the last turn that would lead into the cave proper, and turned to the side. Turning her back on the place the prisoner was being kept would be utter foolishness, and she kept one eye on the opening at all times.

"Okay, so it's just us," Beryl said.

"Just us," Ember agreed from behind him. "Time to get to work."

"Time to explain what you plan on doing, you mean," Lily corrected. "I have yet to allow this."

"Yes, I'll demonstrate," Ember said amiably. "You are not prone to rash actions, I assume?"

"No," she said, "and I certainly would not be when forewarned." What did he think she was, a jumpy fledgling barking at shadows?

Her indignation disappeared the moment his body began _burning_ with blue flame. It spread from his front paws so quickly she barely saw it spreading at all, covering him in a heartbeat. Another heartbeat, and the flames began shrinking down and inward, compressing into a different shape entirely, one far less crowded by the passage's narrow confines.

She was not afraid, not even when the flames disappeared to reveal a scrawny No-scaled-not-prey. Pure amazement held sway over her emotions, leaving no room for fear. This was not something Pyre had ever hinted possible, not at all like anything she could imagine doing, as far beyond her understanding as the creations of No-scaled-not-prey, but coming from a dragon not unlike herself. A thousand questions came to mind, all urgent and all… irrelevant, at least at the moment.

"You know, you may be the least surprised anyone has ever been to see this," Beryl said admiringly.

The No-scaled-not-prey that was Ember said something in a quiet, nasally voice.

"He agrees," Beryl added.

Ember burst into flames again, and was back to himself in a pawful of heartbeats. "It occurs to me that standing around in that form might give the game away if the prisoner notices," he said.

Lily nodded. "He did not see," she said, "but good call."

"Any questions?" Ember asked.

Lily snorted rudely. "Many, but I'm only going to ask the important ones. Does this ability endanger my people in any way, shape, or form that is not controllable by you?" If it was something like camouflage, then she had no problem with it, but if he couldn't control it, or if the No-scaled-not-prey version of himself had different goals and allegiances, or something like that, she wanted to know.

"No, it is all entirely under control," Ember replied. "It is like my fire, or my teeth. A part of me that is not about to go off and do its own thing."

"Why do you keep it secret?" she asked. She could guess half a dozen answers to that question, but it was important which one he gave.

"Because it makes me a spectacle and does not need to be known," he huffed. "I dislike being asked the same questions, and dealing with the same fear and curiosity, over and over again."

"Can it be taught?"

"No, and be grateful for that," he said with a grimace. "This world would be a much worse place if it could be spread through learning alone."

"You've got that right," Beryl growled.

"Does it give you any weaknesses that could be exploited to endanger you, and by extension your people?" Lily asked. She phrased it kindly, because she wanted him to take the question in the spirit it was asked, one of offering help with the downsides. A more suspicious dragon could easily take it as probing in order to strike at his weak points later, and she didn't want that… though it _would_ be comforting to have a plan if she ever ended up against him, however unlikely that was.

"No, not really," Ember huffed. "I'm glad you're taking this so… logically."

"What else could I do?" she asked. She _could_ freak out, but why? He had the amazingly useful ability to change into a No-scaled-not-prey at will, and as far as she could tell, that was all. It didn't seem at all dangerous, given he changed into a much weaker creature, and it would not help him in a pack of light wings. It seemed to be a tool that could only be used against her enemies. Even his reason for keeping it secret was harmless; he just didn't want the attention it would bring.

"What else, indeed," Ember snorted. "Panic, flee, screech at me for being unnatural… Your reaction is not normal."

"I'm not normal," she said primly. "Now, I assume you are just going to go in there and ask the prisoner about its origins?"

"No-scaled-not-prey aren't idiots," Ember laughed. "I'll need a cover story. Beryl, feel like flinging me into the cave with a growl?"

"A fellow prisoner," Lily immediately grasped.

"Sounds good," Beryl hummed. "When do I take you out?"

"When I mention… let's say fleas," Ember offered. "I can ask about those at any time without being overly suspicious or offensive."

"Be sure to find out about their game, whatever it is, and the dragon that attacked us," Lily said. "You can say you saw a corpse on the cliffs when you were flown in."

"I _did_ see a corpse on the cliffs when we flew in, actually," Ember rumbled. "Beryl explained it. Anything else?"

"Nothing I can think of," Beryl huffed. "You know better than us what to ask about past the obvious things." He flicked his ears in Lily's direction. "We might have to reposition ourselves if I'm going to be putting him in there, though."

"Right," Lily huffed. "Go ahead." She turned and walked the rest of the way into the prisoner's cave.

The smell had gotten no better; if anything, it smelled worse than normal. She huffed and chose to breathe through her nose anyway, glaring steadily at the No-scaled-not-prey, who was hunched over against a wall. It looked up at her and made a small noise.

She suspected that she saw fear in its eyes, though she couldn't be sure. She hoped it feared her. It should.

A few moments later, Beryl walked in long enough to drop Ember's No-scaled-not-prey form on the ground, and then withdrew. Lily followed him out of sight, and squeezed past him, reasoning that he would need to be closer.

"Want it word for word?" Beryl murmured. The noises of two No-scaled-not-prey conversing came from beyond him.

"Yes," Lily confirmed. "And emotions, if you can."

"Okay. Right now, Ember is introducing himself and giving his cover story," Beryl relayed. "He's saying 'I thought I was done for. Why did they keep me alive?"

Lily hummed in appreciation, impressed by Ember's sly deception. Already, he was digging for information without breaking from his cover story.

"No clue," Beryl said in a deeper voice, speaking for the prisoner. Lily wished she could hear his actual voice and understand that, but at least Beryl was putting emotion into his words, presumably the same emotions he was hearing.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough," Ember said despondently. "How long you been here?"

"Moon-cycles," the prisoner replied.

"Really?" Ember asked. There was a loud rustling sound. "Well, I guess I had better get comfortable."

"This stone floor is the last thing from comfortable," the prisoner complained. "And be prepared to freeze your paws off. I don't care how cold you get, I'm not touching you."

"I'd rather freeze too, don't worry," Ember said dryly. "But if the dragons are keeping us alive, surely they'll have that figured out?"

Lily huffed. She _hadn't_ thought about the cold, actually. Something would have to be done. Aven would probably have a reckless solution, and some added caution could turn that into a real solution.

"They're dragons," the prisoner grunted. "Don't give them too much credit. Burnt fish, water twice a day, and a horrific mess of a pit for relieving yourself is all you're getting."

"That's more than I thought any dragon capable of," Ember said. "And you have no idea why? How'd they get you?"

"Why do you care?" the prisoner grunted.

"I'm a curious individual and I want to escape," Ember said bluntly. "The two go hand in hand here. I'm going to find a way out."

"Unless you got a claw stashed somewhere…" There was a long, foreboding pause. "Wait, you _do_ have…"

Though the prisoner kept talking, Beryl trailed off. "Oops," he muttered instead, then looked back at Lily with wide, regretful eyes. "We didn't take those off him first."

"He had false claws?" Lily hissed. She hadn't seen any sign of that.

"A dozen," Beryl hissed back. There were more talking sounds from the cave, and he looked back toward there, leaving her to wonder how she had missed something like that.

"Yeah?" Ember said innocently. "What of it?"

"They took all o' my weapons," the prisoner growled. "You lucky dog. Pass me a few."

"Let's trade," Ember said. "You answer my questions, I'll give you a few claws."

"You wanna get out of here?" the prisoner demanded. "Cause I can make that happen if you just hand them over. Otherwise, you are going to have to wait until I can make something from the rocks they give me, and that's going to take a while." Lily growled under her breath at that, she would need to talk to Aven about that at some point.

"They give you rocks?" Ember asked.

"One of them does," the prisoner replied. "And twigs. Like I can do anything with those. Look, just give me two of your claws, I can see at least six on your chest alone."

"Tell me what you would do with them, and I'll consider it. I'm not eager to anger the lethal pack of dragons that could have killed me at any time."

"I'll…"

"Yes?" Ember prompted.

"Eh, forget it," the prisoner sighed. "I'm not an idiot. We're just going to have to wait for my people to come and get me. It won't be long now, anyway. Maybe a moon-cycle."

"Tell me more about that," Ember requested. "It'd have to be a pretty big force to get us out of this, and how do they know we're even here?"

"Anything is possible when it comes to the Grim Hunters doing what they do best," the prisoner proudly proclaimed. "We clean out dragon nests for a living. My ship disappeared, and the messenger sent to us was killed too. They know where we are, and standard procedure is to come and find out what happened."

"That's standard procedure?" Ember asked. "What kind of group is this?"

"One that doesn't take desertion lightly," the prisoner replied. "If we had tried to defect, they'd hunt us down, but we were attacked, so they'll find us… Me, I mean. I'm the only one that survived."

"Your group of… hunters, is it? They sound interesting."

"We're not _just_ hunters, we are mercenaries who specialize in clearing out dragons," the prisoner explained. "We don't capture dragons to sell, we either use them or kill them. We don't just go in with claws, either. We have poisons, traps, all sorts of tricks. We've even got some trained dragons. If you can do something useful, you're welcome to join once they pick us up."

"Trained dragons? Is that related to the corpse I saw on the way in?" Ember asked.

"Yes," the prisoner grunted. "A big loss, that. We don't have all that many of those. Only a couple score all told, and quite a few are kept back to breed replacements. That'll bring the fleet in for sure, and the moment Grimmel catches sight of a Night Fury, there'll be no turning him away. We're as good as saved, so long as we don't get caught in the crossfire."

"What's a Night Fury?" Lily whispered.

"Dark wing," Beryl growled. She might have found that amusing, if not for the context.

"I thought you people weren't hunters?" Ember asked casually. "Why chase after a Night Fury specifically?"

"Oh, it's not all that special, even if it does have a well-earned reputation," the man readily agreed. "But he's got a thing for them. He isn't going to leave one around. We were _planning_ on taking the black one in to win the scouting competition, but we didn't count on there being a whole nest of the bright ones around. It looked like an isolated pair."

"Yeah, this isn't exactly normal," Ember agreed ruefully. "None of this is normal."

"You're telling me," the prisoner complained. "Dragons don't keep prisoners."

"These do," Ember huffed. "They seem very intelligent."

"Don't let that fool you, they're just clever animals with some weird fixations," the prisoner said scathingly. "I can't make out if I'm here for entertainment, because they're bored, or because one of them wants to play but can't get any of the others to bother with it."

"That's oddly specific," Ember noted.

"You'll see, the one that comes in most mornings is something else. Don't mess with it, I think it's keeping others off our backs. It might be the only reason we're still alive."

"Sounds like a nice dragon," Ember snorted. Or, Beryl snorted, and Lily assumed that was the most accurate way to convey Ember's tone.

"I'd rather not see it slaughtered," the prisoner said quietly. "The rest can burn, but maybe if things go right, we could knock that one out and bring it with us. It'd make a good pet, maybe."

"I'd say that's crazy, but you did just say you have trained dragons," Ember mused. "How does that work?"

"Thor knows, I'm just a sailor who can aim a spine thrower," the prisoner revealed. "You'd want the Tamers for that, and they don't share their secrets. Grimmel was their head, before he took over. As far as I know, it's something with the breeding and rearing, but that might just be misinformation they put out to keep their secrets. We've been doing it for decades, and the only other person to manage it was Drago, so it's obviously not easy to do."

"I'm always up for something crazy, so count me in for knocking out a Light Fury and bringing it with us," Ember volunteered, and despite what he was saying, Lily did snort in amusement at that one; Light Furies had to be light wings, and while Beryl, Ember, and Storm fit their names for themselves, she couldn't say the same for her fledglings. "How long do we have before they get here?"

"They killed the messenger recently, but those are never sent out very far, in case they get ideas into their heads," the prisoner reasoned. "Like I said, it can't be more than a moon-cycle by water."

"Sounds like we'll be here a while yet, then," Ember sighed. "These dragons don't have fleas, do they? I've had bad experiences with those."

"If fleas are your biggest concern in this situation, I think you belong with us," the prisoner laughed.

Beryl strode forward as he relayed those last words, reintroducing himself, and Lily belatedly remembered that mentioning fleas – a term Pyre had once used to refer to a type of bug that lived on prey animals and had a nasty habit of making scales itch – was the cue for Beryl to intervene. She wasn't sure she wanted this troubling interrogation to end yet, but that was her growing dread talking, not logic. If Ember thought he was done, he was done.

There was a nasty growl from Beryl, a brief scuffle, and then he returned with Ember dangling from his mouth like a recalcitrant hatchling. Lily backed up, and then turned around, leading them out into the cold night air.

Ember went back into the cave to change back out of sight of the valley, and when he emerged his expression was as grim as Beryl's. "I'm regretting bringing Thaw," he said with a sigh.

"I'm regretting that you brought anyone except yourself, but we couldn't have known ahead of time," Beryl huffed. "We have to do something."

"But what?" Ember asked. "I'm not going to go crazy fighting an entire fleet, I can't risk that." He stared at Beryl, and Lily got the distinct impression that there was more to his statement than the surface implications, however reasonable those were.

"My pack is under attack, and my pack will defend itself," Lily said. "If your people want to help then they are welcome, but I will neither require them to fight for us, nor deny them protection." In this, she had to act as the alpha, and it was true that Beryl's family were not here to get into their fights. They might be useful, and she fully intended to sound out each and every one of them on what they might contribute, and whether they would be willing to, but she was not going to demand anything.

"I'll do what I feel right doing," Ember said. "The same can be said for everyone else."

"And I feel right helping out as much as I can," Beryl added. "Especially now. Traps, poisons, and enemy dragons. I now have some things to warn everyone about in my next few lessons."

"Please do," Lily asked. "And, by the way…" She didn't want to ask it, but she couldn't think of a more diplomatic way to pose the question, so she did anyway. "How bad is this?"

"Hard to say," Ember rumbled. "I didn't get the sense that he was lying, but he _was_ boasting, and he admitted he wasn't very well-informed. We won't know until we see this oncoming danger for ourselves."

Lily didn't like hearing that they would have to wait, but he was right. There wasn't anything else they could do, unless she somehow convinced the entire pack to leave the valley and go… somewhere. There wasn't even anywhere else _to_ go. That idea wouldn't work for a whole array of reasons.

"Right now, all we can do is keep our defenses up," Beryl said. "We have scouts, we have guards, and every day Cara and the others get a little better at fighting. There's no point in worrying about it."

"There is a point in worrying when the one worrying is the alpha," Lily retorted. "It's my responsibility to do that. Ember, are you going to be sending any of your family away? Because I would like to talk to Pearl, even if you mean to have her leave with Thaw."

"Not quite yet, I think," Ember rumbled after a moment's silence. "We have too many reasons to stay for the time being. But I would appreciate being kept informed if there are any further developments."

"You will be," Lily promised.

"Thank you." Ember looked up at the night sky, and then back at Beryl. "You coming?" he asked.

"No," Beryl rumbled. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a while, after hearing all of that."

Ember nodded and left, his dark orange body blending in rather well with the cloudy, moonless sky.

"Did you plan to watch the prisoner yourself?" Beryl asked.

Lily shook her head. "No, Mist volunteered to do that." She could go with one less guard for half a night. "I was going to go to my cave…"

An idea struck her, seeing as Beryl was as restless as she felt. "Or we could stay here and talk strategy for a while. Surely there is planning to be done, now that we know more about the enemy."

Beryl purred happily. "That sounds better than wandering around aimlessly," he admitted. "I'm in."

Lily could empathize with his enthusiasm. She was worried beyond belief about the mess she had led the pack into, and it would feel better to be doing something about it with someone who felt the same way. They worked together best when there was a common enemy, and tonight that common enemy had been given a name.

Grimmel, Beryl had called him, a name fashioned out of the word 'grim' and an additional snarl, all said with the lilt that separated names from the words they were so often based on or even identical to. It was a surprisingly chaotic name, a dangerous word given a lighter note because it was a name, and she wondered whether that fit the enemy it denoted.

Whatever it was, whatever it was like, she would not let it harm her people any more. It already had Cara's ears and Blur's life to answer for, and if at all possible she would make it pay.

If at all possible. Such resolutions of revenge would make her feel warmer if she was certain they were more than empty promises.

_**Author's Note** _ **: Ironically, hours before I wrote this reveal, someone suggested that Grimmel would come into play in NSSA's currently running AU, and I disabused them of the notion that he** _**had** _ **to exist in this universe because he was a canon character, even though I knew I would be introducing him (admittedly, I'm four chapters ahead in rewrites, so this will go out a whole month later). That being said, he isn't going to be playing any part in said AU, though he** _**is** _ **a factor here.**

**(Though, I'm sure plenty of you guessed at his involvement the moment we got a description of the Deathgripper a few chapters ago. Again, prewritten, I don't know how obvious that is to the average reader yet.)**

**Anyway, anyone even mildly acquainted with his canon capabilities will notice that I've given him quite the overhaul and upgrade on that front, based on the hearsay of this one random guy he apparently employs. I'm looking forward to where that all goes; I had a lot of fun redesigning him to be something new and different.**


	51. Forward

Lily was tired, and it was not a good kind of tired. It was the dragging, debilitating kind that was weak enough to ignore, but not weak enough to push away, the kind that pulled her eyelids down whenever she blinked, that made her stumble if she stopped concentrating on her stride for too long.

But she had traded her energy for time planning with Beryl, late into the night, and she considered it a worthwhile trade, even as she growled at herself and shook her head to clear away the fatigue.

"More guards on rotation?" Crystal asked skeptically. "We do not have the numbers for that."

"Beryl will be pulling in the long-range scouts as they return," Lily revealed. "We're only going to be watching the sky and the water, and we're keeping close to home. The prisoner gave up some information, finally." At no point in the discussion had a land approach been mentioned, and it was Beryl's opinion that large groups had to be coming by sea. They hadn't known enough to trust that leap of intuition before, but now they had enough information to act on it.

"So we know they will not be coming through the forest in numbers, but they could still sneak in on paw," Crystal argued.

"Which is why the patrols over the valley will keep a special eye on the peaks below," Lily explained. "The scouts we're pulling in will reinforce them. Two to each route, not one. One for land, and one for sky." She couldn't stop the enemy from approaching, but she _could_ stop them from getting into the valley on paw. Red and black would be obvious against the grey and soon to be blanketed white terrain of the mountaintops.

"That gives us a good defense around the valley," Crystal huffed. "Okay, I see the point in that. What, exactly, did the prisoner say?"

"Beryl can give you the details," Lily said, happily passing that responsibility on to him. "The important part is that we definitely have enemies coming out way, by air and by sea. They should be here within the moon-cycle."

"That _is_ important," Crystal growled. "And badly timed. Fighting in the cold is going to be unpleasant. Well, more unpleasant."

"For the enemy. _We_ have our caves. Also, effective immediately, everyone who flies above the mountains has to be camouflaged at all times. Fishing, going to the shore, anything." They had been found both times the enemy came near, but the first time had been a mistake, and the second impossible to avoid. She wasn't about to give up on stealth.

"I guess I will be passing that along?" Crystal said with a sigh. "At least you got this to me early. Anything else?"

"Take no complaints," Lily advised. "Give the news, make sure everyone knows it's serious, and then leave." She would have to address the inevitable whining such an obnoxious measure would produce, but that didn't mean Crystal had to. It could wait.

"Sounds great," Crystal grumbled, leaping into the cloudy morning sky.

Lily watched her friend fly away for a long moment before turning to Cedar and Pina, both of whom were behind her. "Next, I want someone to bring me Holly," she ordered. "I have some tasks for her." A collection of less important tasks, truth be told, but tasks nonetheless.

"On it," Cedar barked, leaping off the ledge in a flurry of beating wings.

"You have him riled up," Pina observed.

"But not you," Lily laughed. She was glad Cedar was energetic; she certainly wasn't, and someone had to be if they were going to get anything done. If he was inspired by her saying things were serious and they had a lot to do today, then so be it.

"I am wondering where you were last night," Pina said.

Lily glanced back at her. "How do you even know I was not up here all last night?" she asked casually.

"Your guards _do_ pass on relevant information when they change over," Pina informed her. "That the alpha did not even go back to her cave until well past midnight is relevant."

"Of course it is," Lily huffed. She wasn't sure if she liked that, but at least it sounded like her reason for being up so late hadn't been passed on. "I got some new information, like I told Crystal, and it required that some things be reworked. Beryl and I did that."

"I see." Pina sounded like she intended to say more-

But Lily was distracted by a pair of dragons flying up from the valley. One was a light wing, and one was very obviously Thaw. His coloration made him easily recognizable from any distance. Both were headed toward her cave, and thus toward her.

"Have you caught up with Pearl yet?" Pina asked, seeing them.

"Not yet, but I'm looking forward to it." In fact, if Pearl was coming this way for that reason, she might be able to postpone the rest of her plans for a while. Crystal and Beryl were handling all of the vital changes she and Beryl had planned, Holly and the others she meant to call up were just cleaning up small details and loose ends…

Pearl flew in and landed above the ledge, perching on top of a sharp boulder. Thaw circled above them all, waiting for his Dam. "Lily," she called out. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Not at the moment, no," Lily said warmly. "Do you need something?"

"No, I do not need anything," Pearl replied. "But I was hoping to ask you about a few things?"

Lily saw that for the invitation it was, and purred at her. "Yes, sure, let's catch up," she said. "Pina, wait for Cedar and tell Holly that it can wait until noon. Then go take the rest of the morning off."

"But you need a guard," Pina objected.

"I think Pearl will suffice," Lily rumbled in amusement. Not only was Pearl a dangerous fighter, far more dangerous than Pina or Cedar, she now knew that the enemy was a moon-cycle away. There was no danger at the moment.

"Even if we go into the forest?" Pearl asked. "I promised Thaw he could tag along and play in the snow down there, and it would be a nice walk."

Lily nodded. "Even then. That sounds great." She headed for the path out of the valley, and Pearl followed on paw. Thaw flew above them, his shadow passing directly over every so often.

Pina grumbled in annoyance, but did not follow. Lily was glad to see both the discontent and the obedience; both were useful, in their own ways, and while she didn't want to be rid of the former, it was good to know the latter had precedence. All was as it should be…

And she was looking forward to taking a walk with the light wing she had once known. The one trailing her as she revealed the path down the mountainside.

"I did not know this existed," Pearl said after a few moments. "Has it always been here?"

"For longer than either of us have been alive, at least," Lily rumbled, not wanting to get into the topic of Pyre. This was about Pearl, not herself. "So, how are you? It has been so long that I do not even know where to start, and we were not exactly great friends before you left."

"I would not call us friends back then either," Pearl agreed, calmly picking her way across a patch of slush Lily had already passed over. Lily stopped and waited for her to make it across, using the minor obstacle as an excuse to watch Pearl's face as she replied. "You helped me, and I needed the help. It was a good thing, and I'm grateful, but it was very one-sided. I contributed nothing but depression in need of alleviating."

"Mostly true, but you would not remember the times you made me laugh," Lily admitted. "The plant we gave you for pain relief made you a little crazy and very silly, and that was enjoyable to watch."

Pearl scrunched up her face. "I vaguely remember being happy and not stressed," she agreed. "But I did not get that impression, and I thought those were just weird dreams. I am not sure I like that."

"It was the most I could do for you at the time," Lily said apologetically.

"Oh, I would not have minded back then," Pearl assured her, clearing the slush with a small leap. "But now, I have more of an issue with my mind being affected by things."

"Be sure to let Honey and Copper know that if you go to them with an injury," Lily said. "They can treat you without resorting to such things, but those plants are their go-to for some things."

"I was told about them," Pearl hummed. "It is strange, hearing that Honey is so important and knowledgeable now. I remember her as a very different person."

"It has been a long time," Lily murmured. "Long enough to have a child and raise them all the way to adulthood."

"Thaw is still a fledgling," Pearl informed her. "He's turning four soon. He hatched at the end of the cold-season."

"You would not keep to a hot-season ceremony, of course," Lily guessed.

"No," Pearl huffed. "There are few enough of us that we can do celebrations for every fledgling's hatching time, and every season-cycle. Ember insisted on it for Thaw, and it caught on." She did not say that she had no desire to emulate the pack's traditions, but Lily had guessed as much already.

"Ember is an interesting dragon," Lily said. They were already close to the bottom of the mountain, and Thaw was flying ahead.

"Thaw," Pearl called out. "Stay close!"

In response, Thaw turned back to them and landed further down the path. He ran up to meet them, his eyes wide. "There is a lot of snow down there, and none of it is trampled," he said in his unusually deep voice.

"Yes, and you can enjoy it as long as you want, so long as you stick close enough that I can roar and expect you to hear me," Pearl admonished him. "Remember, these forests are not as safe as the ones at home."

"Yes, Dam," Thaw said, leaping around Lily to walk behind Pearl. "But do you mean not safe because of wild animals, or No-scaled-not-prey, or Diora?"

Lily snorted an entirely undignified laugh, hearing Thaw categorize Diora as such a danger. She was obnoxious and dangerous in a non-violent way, but hearing her compared to animals and No-scaled-not-prey was ridiculous.

"The first two," Pearl said with a purr. "And thank you for the reminder. Lily, how much trouble would I be in if I gave Diora a few bruises?"

"A lot, if it was unwarranted, so do not unless you have a good excuse," Lily huffed. "Do you have a specific reason?"

"She is doing something to Silva," Pearl sighed. "I cannot interfere without angering Silva, but I cannot help but worry, and smacking Diora around would make me feel better."

"Silva is smart," Thaw commented. "Why are you worried?"

"Smart is not all that matters," Lily said, happy to explain. It might be helpful for Pearl's son to understand why Diora was capable of the things she did. "With someone like Diora, what really matters is how perceptive one is, and how suspicious. Silva may not be either, because she has no prior experience."

Thaw did not respond to that, clearly in deep thought.

Lily decided to give an example. "I, for instance, am all three things now, but I was not always. I was fooled for a long time, because I was not wary." She didn't like thinking of Claw, but the fact remained that his true intentions had gone unnoticed by her for far too long.

"Who managed that?" Pearl asked curiously.

Lily flinched and quickly improvised a less painful example, not wanting to bring Claw up. "His name was Pyre. I was just a fledgling, which was why I was not suspicious. He was very, very good at manipulation." She didn't have any specific example in mind, but she could probably dredge one up if needed. Pyre was a manipulator, if a very different kind, with different motives. Far more like her than Ivy or Diora was.

"I do not remember a light wing called Pyre," Pearl remarked.

"He was reclusive," Lily said, hoping to leave it at that. "But the dragon I want to talk about is you. You have changed, and I mean that in the best way possible. You went out and explored the world, while we were all back here dealing with Claw."

"Should I have stayed?" Pearl asked rhetorically. "Maybe, but it wasn't really my fight anymore. I faced my problems. Anything more was…"

"Not your fight," Lily agreed. "And facing your own problems was a huge help to my efforts, by the way. It would have taken season-cycles longer if your attack on Claw had not weakened his image."

"I was going to kill him," Pearl revealed slowly. "I only did not because I thought nobody would listen to me if I did. As it turned out, nobody listened anyway."

"I… cannot say if that would have been better," Lily said. She had never even considered that possibility, having only heard of Pearl's return after Claw had been defeated. "But the entire order needed to be upset, not just him. So it is good you did not." Even if it had led directly to her own injury. But Pearl was in no way to blame for that.

And all of this was not what she wanted to talk about. "But I do not want to discuss that time," she reiterated. "I want to talk about you, after that. How has life changed?"

"That is a large question, and a large answer," Pearl laughed. "You have met one of the biggest changes."

"Me," Thaw supplied helpfully.

"Yes, you," Pearl agreed, tapping her son with her tailfins.

Lily stepped down onto the grass at the base of the mountain, and turned to look at the both of them. Pearl had taken advantage of the widening of the path to turn and lick her son, and he was pawing the spit off of his face, looking extremely disgruntled.

Her heart hurt just a little at seeing that. She had never really thought about or wanted children of her own, but knowing she in no way could ever have them was painful. Especially when seeing how happy having Thaw made Pearl.

She pushed that aside, forcing herself not to dwell on what she had lost. "Yes, I can imagine."

"Another big change was just having people around me who cared," Pearl admitted, still looking at Thaw. "I had Crystal, and you, kind of, but two out of scores is not much. Everyone where I am now cares."

"Even Storm?" Lily had to ask that. It also led quite nicely into her asking what Pearl thought of Storm. She was very interested in the answer to that question.

"Especially Storm," Pearl chuckled, turning back to Lily to follow her deeper into the forest, Thaw trailing behind. "Much of who I am now can be traced back to Storm. I wanted to be more like her almost as soon as I first saw her, in some ways. I guess that was because of what she was doing…"

"What was she doing?" Lily asked.

"Well," Pearl rumbled, "at the time things were… complicated. She was a captive, as was I, but she was intentionally taunting and frustrating one of our captors, though he could easily have punished her for it."

"That sounds like a stupid thing to do," Lily remarked.

"Stupid, and rebellious, and totally confident," Pearl confirmed. "I had just spent three moon-cycles in a cage hating myself for not being those last two."

"That makes more sense," Lily said.

"And once she got a good idea of what I had left behind, she decided to help me learn to be better," Pearl continued. "She's a good friend, flaws and all."

"Different circumstances, I suppose," Lily noted. That Storm had decided to help Pearl was… actually not so surprising. She had just recently done the same with Root. Maybe she only really worked well with those who had something to learn from her.

"So yes, everyone is supportive," Pearl summarized, winding back to where they had started. "Ember especially, in his own way. He does not pity me, he just lets me do whatever I think is best, and advises me if he can."

"He is… interesting," Lily admitted. "Honestly, I am not sure if he is a clever manipulator, or a lucky dragon acting on instinct and achieving the same effects as a trickster." How Ember had handled Diora came to mind.

"A little of both," Pearl laughed. "He's soft-hearted, and sweet, and almost a little silly. Sarcastic, witty. I'm told a lot of that is from his other half, while the dragon in him is serious and solemn, but I only know who he is now, so I don't care."

Lily had lost track of what Pearl meant halfway through that explanation. "I'm sorry, _other half_?" She knew of Ember's ability, and maybe Pearl knew that Ember had told her, but that didn't explain how Pearl had phrased that.

"Sire is two people who were forced to share a mind," Thaw piped up, speaking as if he was explaining the obvious. "One dragon and one No-scaled-not-prey who was already a friend to dragons. Dam means that some of what he is comes from one side, and some from the other."

"And… you're okay with that?" she asked, not even sure if she was addressing Ember's mate, or his son.

"He is one person now, and at peace with himself," Pearl said almost defensively. "I love who he is now. I don't care."

"I am not judging you," Lily backtracked, "it is just so very, very strange to hear of such a thing."

"Yes, but strange is normal out there," Pearl retorted. "This valley is safe, or it was, but it's so… plain, almost. There is so much more out there."

"Now you are judging my preferences," Lily quipped, trying to bring them back to a lighter mood. "I happen to like how things are here. You can have your strange mate and strange world." She would like to explore, but that wasn't a possibility now or or ever, and she was okay with that. She had to be.

"I am fine with you not preferring Ember," Pearl remarked. "If you did, I might have to fight you, and that would feel like bullying."

Lily felt her tail drop. "Fight me?" She might have taken offense to the other half of that statement, but Pearl had taken down Claw. Fighting a cripple who could not even strike at another without feeling it in her back really would be bullying.

"Dam fights everybody," Thaw chirped.

"Play-fighting," Pearl clarified. "Sparring. I learned in order to take down Claw, but I love it for itself. Physical activity, pitting your strength and agility against someone else… losing or winning, it's fun."

There was nothing Lily could say to that. Pearl really had changed. But if she had found something she enjoyed, that was good. Instead, she decided to follow up Thaw's statement. "Does she fight you, Thaw?"

"Sometimes," Thaw growled. "I'm a little too small to win. But I am learning."

He had the accent too, though he may have come by it like she had, through imitation, and seemed far more talkative now than he had before, when she first met him.

"Learning to fight is important," Pearl remarked. "And Thaw, what is the first rule?"

"No killing unless absolutely necessary," Thaw replied solemnly.

"Right," Pearl said sternly. "Second rule?"

"Unless it's a real fight, have fun," Thaw added. "Dam, can I go look around?" He glanced at the snowy trees longingly.

Pearl laughed lightly. "Sure, just be sure to stay within earshot. Lily, _are_ there any larger animals out here to be worried about? I have never seen any, but it has been a while."

"No, not even to hunt," Lily revealed. "But all the same, do not get careless."

"I know that," Thaw said, sounding disgruntled, and bounded off.

"He does know that," Pearl agreed absently. "And he's smart."

"Definitely," Lily agreed, seeing no reason to say otherwise. He seemed perceptive for a fledgling, and well-behaved too.

"Maybe his intelligence comes from Ember's side of the family," Pearl continued. "I do not think it came from mine."

"I would not be so sure," Lily remarked. "I wouldn't call Diora or Ivy stupid. Many other things, but not that. But if Ember's side is also predisposed to intelligence… I wonder, will future children from you two be as smart as Thaw?"

"I will love them regardless," Pearl announced. "But that's a good question. One that won't be answered for a while."

"Why not?" Lily asked.

"We have something to figure out, before we have any more," Pearl admitted.

"What?" This was the first hint of trouble between Ember and Pearl that she had seen. "Does Ember not want any more?"

"No, it is not something between us." Pearl looked around furtively, checking that Thaw was not listening in. "You know that Ember has abilities. His fires come from his front paws, for instance."

"Yes." She had barely noticed that, and then forgotten about it in the shock of, well, everything else. Now that Pearl said it, she did remember seeing that.

"It comes from scars on those paws," Pearl relayed worriedly, her voice soft. "Thaw hatched with scars on his front paws."

Lily could follow that logic easily enough, but it led to a conclusion she wasn't sure about. "Can something like that be inherited?" she asked. She didn't even know how Ember had acquired it, except that it was not something that could be taught.

"We don't know, and the scars are not the same shapes," Pearl continued. "Ember's are three lines, three sides of a square. Thaw only has two opposite sides. It's not the same shape, and we don't know what that means, either."

"Are there any other signs you can look for?" Lily asked, again feeling her utter lack of experience in whatever was going on with Ember and possibly Thaw. She didn't even know what to ask about or look for.

"That's the thing," Pearl sighed. "All of what Ember does has a prerequisite. He had to kill someone to get it all up and working. That's a whole other story. We think that Thaw maybe can't do anything until he does the same."

Lily wondered whether Pearl was _supposed_ to be sharing this sort of detail with her. That seemed like the sort of thing Ember hadn't mentioned for a _reason_. She wasn't going to leap to conclusions, not now, but that they had kept such a thing from her was troubling.

"I did not know any of that," Lily said, checking to see how Pearl would react. "Ember did not see fit to tell me."

"Why would he?" Pearl asked. "I thought he only told you the important parts. How he got to be what he is now isn't all that important to you, is it?"

"No," Lily said, forced to admit that she hadn't asked about his origins. It could be said that he had answered her truthfully, and just left out what she didn't ask.

Regardless, she didn't want to bother Pearl with her reignited embers of suspicion, so she dropped that and focused on the important part, the reason Pearl was telling her all of this. "You don't want to just find him a suitable target and see what happens," she guessed.

"Of course not," Pearl whined. "But unless we know the answer, what exactly will happen, we aren't going to bring any more eggs into the world. For all we know, whatever got passed on is broken, and will somehow kill Thaw once he activates it. I don't want to hurt any future children of ours like that. And that is one of the less horrifying scenarios…"

"I understand your decision," she said reassuringly. It wasn't the one she would have made for a child of her own, though. It was probably unrealistic to expect Thaw to go his entire life without ever getting into a real fight, and fear of what _might_ happen could end up getting him killed for certain in a more mundane way. Testing in a controlled environment, with help and support at paw, seemed like the safer, smarter way to handle it.

But not now. Certainly not until Thaw was an adult. Having a fledgling take a life was wrong, and forcing one to take a possibly life-threatening risk even more so. She understood Pearl's position, and wouldn't push her on it.

They walked on in silence, and Lily cast about for something to lighten the mood. She thought of something almost immediately, and after weighing the risks, decided they were acceptable. She hadn't decided on a way to tell the entire pack yet, but Pearl could be counted on to keep it a secret.

"Speaking of not having eggs," she began, awkwardly segueing into her topic of choice, "you had none with Claw despite his best efforts."

Pearl looked at her strangely. "A stroke of luck, for sure. He tried often enough. I am just glad I am capable of having eggs after all. I was worried for a while, with Ember."

"That was actually my doing," Lily revealed. "Remember the fish I brought you and myself every once in a while?"

Pearl tilted her head, clearly thinking back. "Yes…" Her eyes widened. "Those fish stop eggs?"

"No, but something I put in them did. I figured you would like that, even if I could not tell you for fear you'd let it slip." Lily began looking around, searching for-

There. She led Pearl a few paces further into the forest, stopping in front of the relevant bush. The same kind of bush that had protected Pearl, killed Ivy, and made Lily barren.

Lily shivered, focusing on the first of those three results. "One leaf every moon-cycle and no more will prevent it altogether, for as long as you take them. Each lasts a moon-cycle."

Pearl hummed thoughtfully. "No side effects?"

"None, at that frequency," Lily confirmed. "But do not eat any more than that, doing so is dangerous to your health." Pearl would not need this knowledge, but she would give it anyway. "Oh, and keep it a secret."

Pearl immediately snapped up one of the leaves, purring deeply as she swallowed. "Will do. This is very, very convenient."

Lily stared at her. "But you and Ember are not trying for an egg anyway."

Now it was Pearl's turn to stare, not understanding. Then she seemed to think of something. "You do know it's enjoyable even if there's no other point, right?"

Lily flinched, at once embarrassed and disturbed. No, she had not known that, not really. She did not know anything of mating, not the way it was supposed to be done, between two willing partners. All she could think of when that came to mind was _not_ thinking, of enduring and waiting for Claw to finish with what he was doing to her. When Pearl said it, of course it was obvious, but she was not used to thinking of mating as pleasurable. "Oh," she said awkwardly.

Pearl's ears drooped. "I guess… you would not know. Sorry, I was not thinking."

"No, I was not," Lily countered, not willing to let Pearl be guilty over this. "Do not apologize."

"Well… thank you, both for using this on me then and for showing it to me now," Pearl said solemnly. "I would have Ember thank you too, but I'd rather this particular knowledge be a surprise." She purred happily.

Lily really didn't know what to say to that. She did not need to think about what Pearl would be doing with her newfound protection. "So… in other news…"

"Anything but that," Pearl agreed with a small laugh. "How did you get along with Beryl over these last few moon-cycles?"

"Well enough," Lily reported, not wanting to go into the details. "He is faster on the uptake than most of my pack."

"That does not surprise me," Pearl admitted. "A lot of the dragons in this pack-"

"Are slow, gullible, and content," Lily said, heading her off. "I know. But they are all under my care, so I would rather not hear you insult them."

"Well, I'm going to be insulting one dragon under your care," Pearl grumbled. "Diora. But other than that, okay."

"Diora is also under my care," Lily objected. "But I will not protect her from what she brings upon herself, as long as no lasting harm is done."

"Why do you protect her at all?" Pearl asked plaintively. "I do not understand that. You know she is no good."

"I do, but she is one of mine," Lily explained. "It is the principle of the thing. As long as she is a part of my pack, I must handle her as I would anyone else. She is not the only dragon I do not personally like but I treat all the same regardless. If I started letting some light wings be treated differently because I don't like them, we would be right back where we started. I have to be better than that."

"And you cannot banish or otherwise throw her out," Pearl mused, "because for her, that's pretty much a death sentence."

"But I _can_ throw your family out without that sort of worry," Lily admitted, "so if something happens between you and her that I have to stop, I will do that if it is necessary."

"It would not be the end of the world," Pearl agreed. "And I will not let it come to a point where if you intervene, we would be even slightly in the wrong." Lily noticed how specific that promise was, and decided it was the best she could ask for.

"But you cannot promise it will not come to a point of that seriousness," Lily deduced. "Just that it will be her fault." That was pretty in-line with what Lily had seen of how Ember drove Diora away.

"She is already striking at me from different angles," Pearl growled. "Ember, Silva… I fear what she will try with Thaw, the only other point of attack."

Lily was glad to hear Pearl really wasn't underestimating Diora. "She has little she can do with Thaw, _especially_ given he is forewarned." From the little Lily had seen today, she was confident Thaw was already far more wary of Diora than necessary to rebuff any approach from her.

"Do with? Of course. But do _to_?" Pearl snarled dangerously, lashing her tail at a snow-covered bush. A puff of white powder exploded into being as she hit it. "She will go too far and get herself in trouble, but I care more about what she does to get there. She could hurt him."

"Maybe." Lily would not deny that, though physically hurting someone did not seem to be Diora's prefered method. She manipulated and made herself look good; physically injuring someone, especially a fledgling, did not fit that.

That seemed to be the end to serious conversation. Pearl turned the talk to lighter things, and Lily let her, satisfied with what she had gleaned. They wandered the forest for a long while, Lily listening, mostly, as Pearl spoke of whatever came to mind. Many of the places and things she spoke of were foreign, and strange besides.

Lily was not one for traveling, but the way Pearl spoke of a massive mountain of ice, or friendly nests of No-scaled-not-prey, or just the endless expanse of unknown in all directions… it stirred something inside her, something she did not know. Maybe she just did not think she was one for traveling because her life was here and she couldn't leave. If things were different…

She had always possessed the desire to know. That massive gulf of unknown that was the outside world had always been an exception to that, but now she was beginning to wonder.

But she shoved that wonder away, knowing it was pointless. Her life, and her responsibilities, were here.

O-O-O-O-O

The end of Lily's talk with Pearl was signalled by the return of Thaw, who rejoined them covered in slush and looking very proud of himself. He was, unlike most fledglings, content with that, and did not explain. Pearl did not ask, which had more of a feel of understanding than ignorance to it, as she had clearly noticed.

"I think it's time to go back," Pearl said, looking at her son. "We should do this again soon. I have many more stories, and you barely told any at all."

Lily did not have the heart to say that was because she had so few happy stories, so instead she purred and nodded happily. "Soon," she agreed. "I have to get back, anyway." It was almost noon, judging by the hazy sky she could see between the trees.

"Until then, goodbye," Pearl chirped, looking towards the open area at the base of the mountain that they had been walking to. "And thank you again for telling me about the plant."

"What plant?" Thaw asked curiously.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Pearl immediately hedged.

"Oh, it is one of those things," Thaw sighed. "You know, if I want to know, I can just ask Thunder or Lightning. Storm has told them of all of that already."

"Has she?" Pearl rolled her eyes expressively. "Then I suppose you are overdue for a talk yourself. I will get Ember on that."

"Maybe you instead?" Thaw suggested. "Sire is squeamish about certain things."

"He's missed giving that talk twice now, but he has to give it eventually," Pearl asserted. "Besides, it is fun to watch him stammer and squirm." With that, the two of them reached the open area and took off, still talking.

Lily began the long walk back to the valley, feeling thoughtful. She made her way up the path to her cave and the valley beyond, lost in the details of the conversation she had just had.

That lack of attention was short lived, she snapped back to the present the moment she stepped out onto the ledge by her cave. There was a new smell up here. Worse, it was coming from inside her cave, and she did not recognize it, an earthy scent.

Her hackles rose, and her claws slid out. She was both furious and worried. Furious, because this was her private place, and nobody went in there but her. Worried, because nobody from the valley would intrude, and this was not a scent from the valley in any case. She doubted it was the work of an enemy, but that left her no closer to understanding what it _was_.

She stalked into the cave, her fire ready. If it was an intruder she did not know, she would blast them and ask questions later. If it was someone she did know, her ready fire would set the tone appropriately.

But… there was nobody there. The evidence of some strange intruder was everywhere, but they were not here now.

She inhaled deeply and let her fire fade, staring at the far wall. The smells came to her immediately. Earthy, chalky, and a hint of metal, along with an oily tang she only knew from one type of creature.

The chalky scent was, from what she was seeing, actual chalk of some kind, stone dust with the same smell. It was arrayed in nonsensical swirls and patterns, all over her far wall.

She turned away, still puzzled and angry. She now knew what had happened, and with the identification of the chalk as one smell, could determine the other. It was the scent of a No-scaled-not-prey.

That did narrow down the potential culprits quite dramatically on its own. Either the prisoner, Ember, or an unknown No-scaled-not-prey had done this. As the prisoner was safely kept under guard, and no enemy would just vandalize a random cave and leave, she was leaning towards Ember.

She didn't know why he would do something like this, but she was going to find out right now. She snarled aimlessly, stalking out of her cave-

To see Beryl, standing across from the exit, looking inside. Another piece of this stupid, insulting puzzle fell into place. "Why did your Sire intrude and vandalize my cave?" she gritted, knowing that Beryl had to be involved in some way. His presence was too coincidental to actually be a coincidence, and now that she thought about it, she even suspected Pearl of being complicit.

"What? Vandalize?" Beryl shook his head in denial. "He…"

"What?" Lily barked, her patience already worn through.

"You do not see it. But of course you don't, you wouldn't know what to look for." Beryl grumbled apologetically. "I will explain, but first, can I show you what he did?"

"I _saw_ what he did," Lily gritted. "What is there to show?"

"The meaning. You saw… just lines and pointless patterns, right?" Beryl asked, sounding confident now. "You have never seen a drawing." His last word was another she knew to be made up, and had no meaning to her, besides being reminiscent of the word 'reflection' with an added warble.

"What is a drawing?" Her anger was warring with her need to understand, now. She could get mad at Beryl and his Sire after he explained.

"Remember what we did with the glass, on the shore?" Beryl explained. "How we made an outline? Drawing is making shapes that look like other things, and the better one is at drawing, at putting the right lines, the easier it is for anyone to understand. My Sire, in his No-scaled-not-prey form, is very, very good."

Lily was curious now, in spite of herself. She turned and stalked back into her cave, ignoring Beryl for a moment, and stared at the marks. What did she see?

It did not come for a very long moment, but then she saw a little. Two sets of shapes, complex and yet separate. Part of the leftmost shape was very much a light wing. She had just been staring at a similar dragon, so she recognized the pose this one was in, sitting on its hind legs behind another, smaller one. And with that, she understood that the larger one was right behind the smaller, and that they both were watching the other shape.

Every passing moment brought increased understanding, and Lily felt her jaw drop as her tail stilled, no longer lashing angrily. She shoved the rest of her anger aside, holding it for later. It could wait.

Eventually, she understood all of what was depicted. From the pose of another, smaller light wing, she guessed who two of the dragons depicted were. From there, it was an easy leap.

How, she wondered, had Ember managed to show a scene that had never happened, and never would? He made her see it in her mind, through these outwardly pointless white lines. There was so much detail here.

A presence lurked just outside of her cave. "Is it good?"

"It is impossible," she murmured, far too quietly to be heard. "It is perfect."

She saw herself, a fledgling again, nestled against Pyre's chest as he had so liked. His wings were folded in, and from this position she could not see his injuries, she could only see his content expression, full of healed hurt and happiness. Off to the side, Risa watched, sitting just behind Granite, for who else could that other fledgling be? They all seemed so happy, even her.

She did not want to think about why this had been created, not yet. That would spoil it. She just wanted to stare for a little while longer. This was peace, and this was good.

Then the moment broke. Beryl stuck a paw past the entrance to her cave, leaning in. All of her anger came rushing back, only slightly tempered by what she had seen.

Lily rushed him, her teeth bared, and forced him out of her cave. She followed him back, making him retreat until his back leg slipped on the edge of the ledge.

"You don't like it?!" Beryl asked desperately, balancing over a drop that would be somewhat dangerous, just a little too short to be comfortably avoided by flight, if he fell now. There were sharp ridges of stone far below, partway down the mountain, and that would not be a good thing to land on. She knew that all too well.

"I love it, and that is not the problem," she gritted. He would not distract her. "You had your Sire go into my cave, my private place. You _know_ I do not allow that!" That was only half of why she was angry and frustrated, but it was an important half.

"But I knew you'd like it," Beryl objected. "It's a private drawing. I wanted to put it somewhere only you would see, and that was the only place."

She hated that he had a logical, reasonable explanation for that. Her intended rant about how he could have put it anywhere else disappeared, totally countered by the fact that now, knowing what it was, she would not want it anywhere else.

"And I know why you did it," she growled dangerously, skipping to the other half of her anger.

"Because I thought it was a nice thing to do?" he offered hopefully.

"Because you are attracted to me. Or more accurately, my power." He had lied, way back in the beginning, about not caring for power. He clearly did, if he was attracted to her, because that was all she had to offer. He was just like Cloud, only a little more subtle. "Why did you have to prove Cloud right?"

Beryl flinched, and probably would have reared back if that would not have sent him falling off the ledge entirely. "What?"

"I have nothing but power," she gritted, laying it out. "Nothing. That has to be what you are after, even though you told me you didn't care about power at all. I trusted you." That was why it hurt so much. He had been a friend, one she did not feel the need to be careful around. Now he had ruined that, and proved to be just like the light wings she disliked most. "So I'm mad you decided to act on that."

"I…" Beryl pushed forward a little, squeezing past her to get on safer ground. "Who said I want your power?"

"I did." She glared at him. "Don't lie and say differently."

"I won't lie…" he agreed.

She inhaled, bracing herself to hear him say it. It didn't even feel _right_ for him to want power over her people, but the evidence did not lie.

"And I don't give a rotten fish for your power!" he finished angrily. "The way I see it, it's nothing but trouble and trauma for you, and I certainly don't want to be in charge of your pack! I don't even think it's good for _you_ , so why would I want it?"

He sounded so sure of that, but she couldn't believe it. "You are a good liar," she shot back. "But there is nothing else, so it has to be that!"

"Nothing else?" Beryl's ears drooped. "You really think so badly of yourself?"

"Do not try to turn this around," she growled. "I am grounded, crippled, manipulative, condescending, and always busy with the problems of other dragons. _And_ not at all interested in you. There is no way you can argue any of that." She was also barren, but she did not add that to the list, because it was so obviously true there was no point.

"I could," he said defiantly, "and I really want to, because thinking of yourself that way isn't healthy. Do you really not think you have any worthwhile qualities? Any at all?"

"I think the bad far outweighs the good," she said bitterly. "And you are still deflecting."

"Fine, I'll face it head on then," he growled. "Yes, I did this partially because I am wondering, more and more, whether you might be worth the effort. You intrigue me, and it's not because you're alpha. If you were not alpha, I think you would be a happier, more relaxed person, and I probably would have asked you to go flying ages ago. But you have _issues_ , and I mostly did this because I thought it might make you feel better, right after getting bad news and spending half the night trying to cope with it by making plans. I would have done the same for a friend or a family member, and it stings to see that you jump right back to assuming I have bad motives for this!"

Lily opened her mouth to respond, and then realized that she didn't know what to say.

It didn't matter, though, as Beryl wasn't done. He stalked around her, away from the treacherous drop, without putting any distance between them. "I did something nice," he growled, "and this isn't how you respond to something nice."

A rebuttal came to mind, and she used it without even thinking. "Nice is not sneaking into my private place and changing it without my permission. _Nice_ would have been asking first. This was trying to provoke a reaction." She had not missed that he had just admitted to being at least speculatively interested in her.

Now it was his turn to be taken aback, and he said nothing for a long moment.

She felt that they were at a turning point, one way or another. There was a weight to the moment, a heavy anticipation she could feel, all of her experience manipulating and observing people coming into play to tell her that what she did next, what she said next, would determine how this ended. It was up to her.

She could have this end in a broken friendship and bitter disdain, hurt feelings on both sides. Or she could push for a resolution, and hope they could find one.

She knew, in the back of her mind, that one of those options was much better for the pack. But this was so deeply personal that she couldn't give that factor any importance, not even in her own mind. Not even when she had made so many decisions for the pack in the past.

The real question was which of those two options she wanted for herself. Not his affection; she didn't want that either way. She didn't have time for a mate, and nobody fit her requirements, and it just would not work for so many reasons. But his friendship?

Memories of the night before were recent, and came to mind without prompting. They had worked together so well, and his participation had made her feel vindicated and _safe_ , sure in the knowledge that someone else understood and shared her goals, someone who thought like she did. Crystal had been that person for her when they were facing Claw, but Beryl was that person now, against the No-scaled-not-prey. She didn't want to lose that.

She made her decision and waited. For her anger to fade away, for her heart to settle into something closer to normal. Beryl waited with her, though it took her a while, and never asked why she wasn't saying anything.

When she finally felt she had control, she bowed her head, though her eyes remained focused on him. "I've not taken this well," she admitted in a low voice. "And you did not make the best choices in presenting it."

"No," he said, agreeing with one or perhaps both of her statements.

"I'm tired, and have had my privacy violated in a way that bothers me more than it would anyone else, and thought for a little while that I might be in danger," she continued. "You expected happy surprise from me, and instead got anger. Neither of us is blameless here, but I was the one making accusations."

"Yes," he agreed, more softly.

"I'm not interested in you," she said. "It wouldn't work. But if you can put aside your interest in me and not pester me, I would very much like for this to not harm our friendship. Can you do that?"

"Can you admit that you were wrong in accusing me of wanting your power?" he asked, instead of giving her a firm answer.

"Yes, though I don't know what else you could possibly see in me that is worth the effort." She barked out a hollow laugh and shrugged her wings, ignoring the pain. "Especially given this is the response you get for a minor mistake."

"Not so minor, I should have thought about how you would feel to have your cave entered without permission," he said. "It was stupid. Ember even asked me about that, and I waved him off."

She felt a small rush of indignation at learning that he had been warned, but she forced it away. She had waited until her anger was gone for a _reason_ , and fresh annoyance wasn't going to mess this up.

"I like you for a lot of little reasons," he said quietly. "How you talk, how you think, how you act with me when there is a common enemy or common goal, how you think ten steps ahead sometimes and trust me to follow along and help without needing things explained… I think that if you worked some things out, you would make a very interesting mate. But if you're not interested in me, I can accept that."

"I'm not," she assured him. "But I do see that I was wrong to assume you wanted power." She still did not understand how he could find those things enough to overcome her many, many disabilities and flaws, but she didn't have to. It didn't matter now.

"And I was wrong to do this without asking or even thinking," he conceded. "Are we good?"

"I am, if you are." She didn't _feel_ good, but that was no surprise. This was such a mess, all around, and only handling it carefully had kept it from being a disaster.

"We can forget about this?" he asked hopefully.

"No," she corrected him. "You must remember that you are not going to be pursuing me anymore… And I do not want to forget about your gift." She tried for a purr, though it came out flat and unconvincing.

"Right… I'm going to go take over someone's patrol." He turned around, and then looked back at her. "See you tomorrow?"

"Noon," she proposed. "We'll go over the patrols again, see if we can optimize who partners with who once we have pulled back most of the long-range scouts."

"Sounds good," he agreed. He leaped off the ledge she had recently backed him up to, his wings steady as he flew away. She watched him go, thinking of nothing in particular.

Something occurred to her, and she held in a groan. "Right," she called out confidently, "guards, get over here."

Nobody responded.

"Seriously," she added, wondering if she really was that lucky. She _had_ dismissed Pina, and Cedar might have taken that as his dismissal too…

There was still no response, and she conceded that they might have actually been alone for that stupid spat. Maybe she did have a little luck after all.

A quick glance up confirmed that it was almost noon, and she decided that she would wait at her cave for Holly and Crystal. There was still work to do, and plenty of it.

But until then, she could not be faulted for going into her cave and looking at the abstract representation of something she had never wanted to indulge in until today. A fantasy, something that had never happened.

Maybe some dreams weren't so bad after all.


	52. Absent

A chilly spray of snow woke Lily, cold pricks of ice slapping her face and wings and making her shiver. She roused with a shudder, and noticed that though she was sleeping in the furthest corner of her cave, and yet the driving, whistling wind was still dusting her in snow with the worst gusts. The entire floor of her cave was wet, slippery, and cold.

This had happened before, and was one of the reasons she had pitied Pyre so greatly in the cold seasons. Right now, it meant that she had procrastinated for too long on moving everyone to the caves. The cold season had decided to make itself known with more than pleasant snowfall.

Another shudder wracked her body, and she knew she was up for the day, though it wasn't even light outside. She was doubly glad she had gone to sleep early the night before; handling the mess today promised to bring while sleep deprived for the second day in a row would be torture.

She walked out into the open, leaving her chilly cave behind for a dark and even colder world. The clouds covered the sky so thoroughly there was no sign of the moon, and snow fell in heavy drifts. The world was entirely cloaked in white, and the wind whipped against her face, driving heavy, wet powder into her eyes and nose. All was bleak, and the only sign of prospective warmth that she could see was the mountains on the other side of the valley, and the knowledge that down at their base there was a cave where body heat could be shared. Coated in white though they were, they looked safe and warm by comparison to how she felt now.

"We should have gone to the caves days ago." Grass' voice was rough, and Lily turned in time to watch her rise from a pile with Crystal's Sire, one that might have gotten her in trouble in more temperate weather.

"I'll be making the announcement today," Lily huffed. She would have to talk with Crystal about this particular grouping. Grass had switched with Mist, and as a result ended up spending the latter half of every night on guard duty with Crystal's Sire. That seemed like a way to create suspicion and possibly worse, if they were going to end up in situations like this.

"Do not look at me like that," Grass snorted, catching her eye. Crystal's Sire was stirring behind her. "He was a warm body. It is too cold to think about anything else, and Pina would help Moss rip my guts out if I made a move on him."

Lily considered it reassuring that Grass knew Moss' name at all. "No, you would be punished officially," she countered. Interfering with mated pairs was a serious thing, and she would come down harshly on the first person she caught doing it. She had half expected that person to be Diora, overreaching in her attempts to sow dissent between Ember and Pearl, but it could be Grass.

"Which would lead to you coming up with a punishment, which would be harsh and humiliating," Grass countered. "Same thing. Are we leaving now? Because I want to go down, wake Pina for her shift, and then find the deepest, warmest part of the caves."

"It would be good to move around and do something," Crystal's Sire agreed, shaking himself.

"Yes, we're going down now." She looked up, trying to judge what part of the night it was, and found absolutely nothing to help her guess. "Is it near dawn?"

"Close," Grass offered. "Not close enough, though. Nobody will be awake except for the poor idiots flying around the valley in circles."

The wind changed directions, driving snow into Lily's back as she stood at the ledge. A scent passed her nose, and she snorted out a bit of snow to inhale it. She didn't recognize it, a pungent odor that tickled her nose.

She turned, looking for the source. Grass and Crystal's Sire stared at her, neither having noticed it yet.

They were alone, as far as she could tell, but she no longer felt safe. The smell was gone, driven away by the ever-shifting wind, but not knowing what it was made her nervous. "We're going now," she asserted, heading for the beginning of the path down. The rocks were coated in snow, and all was white in the darkness.

Movement caught her eye, and she looked up. Snow was sliding down the mountainside off to her side, a relatively small avalanche the size of a dragon-

A white form lunged out from the slide, tumbling and flailing in the snow, and bounded toward her. It left tracks of blood from its hind legs, while its long front talons reached out for her.

She barked in alarm and lurched forward, sliding down the path on her chest. She hit the first doubling back of the path, bumping into the boulder, and hastily put her tail to it.

Two roars split the silent air, and she heard distant roaring from across the valley. The entirely white dragon moved in eerie silence, leaping at Grass, ignoring the single bolt of fire Crystal's Sire shot at its side. Grass tangled with it, and then another came down from above, also pure white, and joined the fight.

Lily fired a quick shot the moment one of them turned her way, and scored a painful hit, the dragon rocking back and screeching. Crystal's Sire bit into its underbelly, and Grass was savaging the other one though a talon was stuck in her shoulder-

A spine on Grass' opponent _moved_ , revealing itself to not be a spine at all, and Lily had only half charged a blast when something small and sharp pierced the side of her neck. Her eyes slid closed of their own accord, her building shot detonated in her throat like a painful cough, and the last thing she heard was a pained shriek from Grass.

O-O-O-O-O

Claw was pressing her on her back, grinding her raw, flayed flesh against the stone floor, pressing the many little sharp pebbles that always littered said floor into her body, violating her-

Lily woke with a shriek that did not echo at all, the sound disappearing into the hazy air all around her. She was on her back, and she was in agony. Harsh, coarse fibres rubbed and burned all over her sensitive scar tissue, her wings folded up and out of the way, and she shrieked again as she fought to turn over, to no avail. She could feel blood dripping, could see talons above her tangled with the same false vines that were tormenting her, holding her in the air as the strange dragon flew.

Those talons were white, and in her desperation to ignore the pain, she focused on that. She could see that the brown vines were also white near where the dragon was grabbing. It was rubbing off, like a very thin coat of mud. Color to make them blend in with the snowstorm, color rubbing off like her skin on the vines…

She was in the air, could see nothing but the clouds they were flying through, and was unable to do a single thing about her pain. She shrieked for a third time-

The dragon shook the vines, the pain escalated, and she passed out.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's second waking was just as disorienting as the first, though in very different ways. The pain came first, of course; she could never escape that. Her back throbbed like an open wound, and every whisper of air across her rawness was torture. The world swayed under her, though it felt like she was lying on stone, and alternating light and shadow passed over her closed eyes.

She smelled blood, and wood, and the ocean, and underneath it all the stench of No-scaled-not-prey and foreign dragons.

Then a wet, soft tongue lapped at her shoulders, tentatively licking from unmarred scale onto the edge of her raw, throbbing wound of a back, and she hissed. She almost lashed out, but held her paw at the last moment, recognizing the action as attempting to be tender.

"Lily," a familiar voice murmured. "I'm sorry, but you are bleeding and I think I need to stop it."

"Do that," Lily groaned. Of all the light wings she could have been stuck with, Pearl was not the worst option. In fact, going by experience alone, Pearl was the _best_ option. Nobody else could claim to have been in this exact position before.

Pearl's tongue ventured onto the ravaged, raw part of her back, and Lily held in a shriek, suffering in as close to silence as she could manage. The pressure and the roughness, however gentle in application, were just as bad as the vines that had put her in this position. It was only the cool relief that followed that made Pearl's ministrations bearable.

She opened her eyes, only to see many parallel bars of shiny stone, and beyond those, wood, or what she remembered wood as looking like after one peeled the bark off. As views went, it wasn't great, and definitely wasn't distracting.

"What did they do to you?" Pearl asked, moving around her to get a better angle. Her claws clicked on stone, confirming at least one of Lily's confusing observations. "They did not harm me."

Lily thought back, taking any opportunity to distract herself, and considered her torment. "Moved me," she said bitterly. She didn't even think it was _meant_ to hurt all that much. Those vines had not bothered the parts of her that were not already weak. She could guess that the vines were just meant to ease transport for the dragon carrying her, and maybe stop her from struggling effectively. "On my back."

"Bad luck," Pearl hummed, continuing her work. She was near Lily's hindquarters now, reaching the lower end of her scar, and Lily felt like she could think more clearly. The pain was not gone, but it was dull and hidden under the cool layer of spit Pearl had applied. It was worse than the usual pain she dealt with every day, and for once not concentrated in the usual four spots, but she could power through it.

"There, done," Pearl purred, impossibly calm and even cheery given the situation.

Lily stood, turned, and beheld the rest of the wooden cave they were stuck in. The shiny stone bars circled all the way around, boxing them into a space the size of three light wings side by side. The floor was indeed stone, and the same could be said for every enclosure. There was an open walkway between their row and the one opposite them, which was only wood. Flickering little fires hung at regular intervals, burning brightly but not spreading. It was not a gloomy cavern, far from it. All was brightly lit by the many flickering lights.

They were alone, every other enclosure empty. She eyed Pearl, who was looking at her calmly, and sporting a pair of cuts around her neck. Neither was bleeding, but neither had been treated.

Lily moved forward and licked the cuts, returning the favor. "Are we the only ones who were taken?" she asked. She didn't see any more, but she hadn't seen much of anything prior to now.

"As far as I know," Pearl responded.

"Is _that_ why you are not bothered by this?" Lily asked, pulling away.

"No, I'm not bothered because they only took us a little while away from the valley," Pearl revealed. "I was worried for a while, but this isn't so bad. We'll be out of here in a few days, at most."

Lily subtly checked Pearl's head for bruises, wondering what was wrong with her. "We are captives," she said slowly.

"Yes," Pearl agreed.

"In enemy territory."

"On a ship floating in the ocean," Pearl confirmed. "There are a lot of them, and we're on the biggest one."

"This same enemy has consistently made a mockery of my attempts to get advance warning, and attacked the valley with impunity," Lily persisted.

"I don't know about that," Pearl said. "We drove them off. I think. They got me early on, but I think I remember there being more of them attacking than there were flying back afterward. They only got us two."

Lily thought back to her own ambush. "There were more that didn't attack openly," she reasoned. "Some of them could be returning later. But regardless, we're trapped by a dangerous enemy."

"I've been trapped before," Pearl huffed. "Compared to that, this is fine." There was a crack to her enthusiasm, a drooping of the ears, and Lily understood that her easy bravado was not entirely heartfelt. If it was a way of looking at things to stave off fear, she could understand that.

"And Ember will find us within the day," Pearl concluded. "Like I said, he'll get us out."

"We should not count on that," Lily said diplomatically. "Just in case. He may not be able to do anything safely."

"Safe won't factor into it for him," Pearl said, dropping into a serious rumble. "The biggest worry is how he'll feel afterward about what he had to do to save me. It's not a matter of _if_ he can, it's a matter of _how_ he does it."

The calm, sure certainty in her voice was not faked this time, and neither was the worry for Ember's feelings, of all things. Lily got the distinct feeling that Pearl was speaking from experience, and decided not to pry at it. At worst, it was more self-deception keeping the other female confident, and at best she was right and their rescue was all but a foregone conclusion. Either way, prying would harm something worth keeping, and for no real gain.

For her part, she would assume it was baseless bravado, and treat Pearl carefully. "Then it would be best if we spared him that by escaping on our own."

"Yes, that would be best," Pearl agreed, turning to look out at the rest of the cave. "But you being grounded makes that tricky. I don't know how to direct a ship like this, and even if I did I think it takes more than two people, especially when we are stuck with paws."

"Then…" Lily once again hated her lack of knowledge; this was not something she could improvise with. "Let's come back to that. How, exactly, were you captured?" She would gather as much information as possible, and see if something leaped out at her as useful.

"Well, I wanted to wake Thaw with a fish to the face, since he did the same to me yesterday," Pearl relayed, not looking back at Lily. "He gets up early sometimes, especially now when he has so many friends to play with, so I woke up way too early and flew out to get a big one."

"This was before dawn," Lily guessed.

"Long before dawn, and believe me, I was regretting it even before I was ambushed," Pearl said casually. "It was cold and windy and snowing. Anyway, I was just diving when one of your scouts flew by, totally visible and probably out of fire given he wasn't trying to camouflage and escape that way. I don't think he ever saw me, otherwise he would have warned me. A half-dozen Deathgrippers flew after him."

"Death grippers?" Both words were familiar, but Pearl had put them together as a name.

"That's what their riders call them," Pearl explained. "I was conscious for a lot of the trip here, and they do talk. The riders, that is, the Deathgrippers didn't say a word."

Lily nodded. She was glad she had someone who understood No-scaled-not-prey with her; this would be even more difficult if she didn't, though she had yet to actually see one in this whole ordeal, aside from a brief glimpse back by her cave.

"There was a clash outside the valley, far outside it," Pearl continued. "Your scouts and guards _did_ do something, they kept that from happening inside the valley. Anyway, one of them peeled back around, and I gave it a pretty serious stomach wound, but then I fainted."

"Fainted?" Lily huffed.

"Well, you know, got knocked out without being hit," Pearl clarified nonchalantly. "I don't know how. A different Deathgripper was carrying me when I woke up, so I think I might have killed the one I cut open. There were only three coming back with my group, so we probably dealt with the other three."

"And they brought you here?" Lily prodded. "Where is here?"

"Just out of sight of the valley, directly out to sea," Pearl reported. "We're below the deck of the ship, but not by much. There are hatches up there in the ceiling." She flicked her tail in the vague direction of the far side of the wooden cave. "You can't see them now, they're hard to spot when they're closed."

Lily squinted at the ceiling, but it was hopeless. She saw many, many gaps and cracks, and any or none of them could be what Pearl was referring to. She would have to follow the other light wing's lead when it came to getting out that way. If it came to that.

"So we need to get out of those hatches," Lily reasoned. "Or break through the side." They could blast their way out, maybe. They would need to get to a place where they could reach the wood without the shiny rock bars in the way, but that was another obstacle in its own right.

"The side leads nowhere but the water," Pearl reminded her. "And you cannot fly. I could probably get out, but you will be stuck here."

"I got here over water, so I can get back," Lily reasoned. "The Deathgrippers, did they seem attached to the No-scaled-not-prey on them?" It was simple enough to envision a hostage situation being leveraged into forcing one of the enemy to bring her back to land. Dangerous and possibly lethal if she misjudged any of a number of factors, but simple.

"It was hard to tell," Pearl huffed. "Maybe threatening the No-scaled-not-prey would work… but they could just drop you halfway through the trip back. It's risky."

"Everything here is risky," Lily retorted. "Even waiting in the hopes that Ember will intervene." They didn't know _why_ they had been taken, and that made it impossible to predict what the enemy wanted to do with them, and whether it would be acceptable.

She tried to think back to the things Beryl had said long ago, in explaining the many reasons No-scaled-not-prey took dragons prisoner, but the things she could remember were all inherently lethal. "We can't stick around too long," she rumbled. "We don't know whether they plan to kill us tomorrow, or never, or as soon as they have a spare moment."

"They have not yet," Pearl reasoned. "But I would not bet on that. Some No-scaled-not-prey keep captives until they can trade them for something else, and others kill just because they can." She shuddered violently, her body twitching as she remembered something Lily was not privy to.

"So let's at least keep our options open." Lily walked up to the stone bars and put a paw on one of them. She pressed forward, and was not at all surprised when it did not give at all. They expected these things to hold her in, a simple, obvious effort would be bound to fail.

But she had one example of how a trap like this could be escaped. Pyre.

For once, remembering him did not hurt much at all, just a dull ache in her heart that was always there in some capacity anyway. She recalled him saying he had flamed things like this, over and over again, and they had eventually weakened and broken.

She looked around, checking to be sure she was not under observation. They were still utterly alone.

Her flame came with a sputter, and she would have gritted her teeth had she not needed to keep her mouth open. Something in her chest twinged in a new way, and she supposed that she could add an internal bruise to the collection of injuries she had experienced. If it was a bruise at all; she didn't know. But that was what it felt like, throbbing as she let out a soft, powerful stream of near-white flame at the bottom of one of the stone bars.

It heated and began to glow, but no more. She pushed almost everything she had into it, saving only enough fire for one good shot, and still there was no reaction.

Once the fire she was willing to expend was gone, she cut off the flow, winced at the ache in her chest, and stepped back. "Do the top of the same bar," she requested.

Pearl, who had been watching curiously, didn't argue, which was a relief. Lily had been half expecting a question or a complaint, but instead Pearl just leaned forward and began flaming. The same thing happened at the top of the bar, and when Pearl stepped back, it was glowing but otherwise unchanged.

"Hit it in the middle, hard," Lily continued. She would do so herself, but the last time she had thrown her body at something, she had ended up whining on the ground from the jolt alone. She stepped out of the way-

Barely fast enough. Pearl reared back and twisted to knock her shoulder into their enclosure with a speed and strength that betrayed the fear she hid behind optimism. She rebounded just as hard, and hit the ground in a sprawling heap.

"Ow," she groaned. "Did it work?"

"No," Lily sighed. It was too much to hope that they could break the biggest obstacle to getting out of here with two long flames and a heavy impact, but she didn't like the alternative. Pyre's escape had taken moon-cycles of repeated flamings, and they didn't have moon-cycles. Or, more accurately, if they ended up using Pyre's method long enough for it to work, they were in much deeper trouble.

"Yes it did," Pearl said woozily, squinting at the bars from where she had landed. "It bent."

Lily looked again, and soon saw what Pearl meant. It was subtle, barely there, but the middle of the bar was convex now, bowing out ever so slightly. The heated metal was also bent, joining the curve to the straight ends, still glowing a little.

"Maybe this will not take very long," Pearl theorized. They could repeat the process at least once more in the next day, and the bend could mean that the bar was weaker now. They would need to break at least two more to make an opening large enough to slip out of, but that could be done in as little as six days. Still a far cry from the immediate escape she wanted, but much more tolerable than moon-cycles of waiting. If Ember failed, this might be an acceptable backup plan.

Not that she wanted a backup plan; she wanted a way out now, under their own power. Her pack needed her, and she needed to get out of the potentially mortal danger they were stuck in. But a backup plan was better than no hope at all.

Her musings were interrupted by a chunk of the ceiling swinging down, and she winced as the wood cracked against another set of bars. She shied back as familiar shapes began swarming down, and was thankful they had _not_ broken through on their first try.

Nine Deathgrippers used their talons and hind legs to clamber down into the wooden cave, hissing and snapping at each other as they went in a feral display of annoyance that would have gotten any light wing doing the same a smack from their Dam, at the very least. Two were coated in white, like before, while the rest were the same red and black she remembered from the first one that had come to the valley.

They were not like light wings, distinguished by their glints and eye colors; all had yellow eyes, all were, she presumed, red and black in scale, in the same places. If it were not for their distinguishing injuries, she would not even be able to tell them apart.

But the injuries were distinctive. One was moving gingerly, bleeding from its stomach, a weeping gash that spread garishly whenever it inhaled. Another had scorch marks all about its chest, and coughed wetly as it moved. Both white-coated Deathgrippers bore splashes of blood, some theirs and some not.

Lily knew she was avoiding thinking about what might have happened after she was knocked out, what might have happened to Grass and Crystal's Sire. She couldn't think about it; this was not a time or place to be distracted by worry for things she could not change. But seeing all the blood on those two, and how so much of it stained their long, deadly talons, she knew she was not going to like what she found when she returned to the valley.

There were nine of them, all living, and seven were not coated in white mud. One _more_ than Pearl had accounted for in attacking the valley.

"We got some riders," Pearl hissed to Lily. "Look, blood-stained false hides."

Lily saw, though she had not connected the lack of No-scaled-not-prey and the blood stains until Pearl said it. There were only six No-scaled-not-prey riding, and one of the white-coated Deathgrippers was missing their rider. If the blood spoke true, they had not come out of this raid without losing people.

Not that those who remained seemed to care; the violent squabble to get down into the wooden cave only continued once all were through the hatch. The Deathgripper with the stomach wound stumbled into an open pen, but the others all remained in the pathway between the rows of cages, snapping and hissing.

Lily shivered as she noticed something unsettling. Not a single word had been spoken, though what looked like the makings of a half-dozen feuds was brewing right in front of her. She did not know what that meant, but her best guess was chilling. If they could not talk, or did not know how, there would be no words. The prisoner had spoken of breeding them, and she knew well enough how an upbringing could shape a child.

The No-scaled-not-prey did not raise their nasally voices to resolve the conflict; they dropped off their mounts haphazardly, rolling or stumbling to a stop, and all made for the hatch. The one with the injured mount was picking at its wound, and called out to the others.

"That's the one I cut open," Pearl hissed. "But the gash was bigger then. They did something to hold it closed."

Lily could see thin threads crossing the wound like a spider's web between blades of grass, and she did not doubt Pearl's claim. The question of whether it was _enough_ was still very much applicable, though. Stomach wounds were notoriously finicky, and the Deathgripper was not acting as if it was nothing.

The No-scaled-not-prey did not seem to know either; they called to each other over the din of their mounts scuffling.

"I can't hear them well enough to make anything out," Pearl admitted without prompting, probably guessing that Lily would want to be let in on what they were saying. A particularly violent snarl punctuated her words, and one of the Deathgrippers bodily threw another into a cage, slamming it into the bars.

One of the No-scaled-not-prey let out a shrieking whistle that had every dragon, Lily and Pearl included, cringing and pawing at their heads. It rang far louder than it should, and Lily wanted to drive her claws into her ears. Her vision actually blurred, it was so loud.

In the wake of that terrible noise, there was silence so deep the erratic breathing of the wounded Deathgripper could be clearly heard, just a little louder than the sloshing of the waves outside.

The Deathgrippers filed into the cages without any complaint, their heads down. Each one took its own separate enclosure, none even close to the one Lily and Pearl were stuck in. A No-scaled-not-prey walked down the corridor, sliding sections of the bars out to bar the exits, trapping the Deathgrippers inside. Only the entrance to the injured one's cage was left open.

The ragged breathing stopped, and Lily's eyes widened. She leaned forward, watching as one of the No-scaled-not-prey rose from its side and wiped off a false claw on its leg. Another blood stain, though she could not see where the wound had been dealt.

The No-scaled-not-prey scaled a rickety-looking wooden construct near the hatch, using it to exit the wooden cave. The hatch itself was closed after them.

It was once again silent, but in a very different way. Lily felt a dozen eyes turn to her and Pearl. The Deathgrippers were all glaring murderously. Not growling, not snarling, not calling out accusations. Just glaring.

Lily was not at all happy to have her feelings, from when they had interrogated the prisoner, confirmed. She was _definitely_ in over her head.

O-O-O-O-O

"Hey," Pearl called out, addressing the Deathgrippers. "Do you stink like this normally, or is it cowardice I smell?"

"Uninspired," Lily judged. It wasn't the worst insult Pearl had come up with in the long, boring time since the Deathgrippers had returned, but it wasn't the best, either.

"I'm not Storm," Pearl muttered for what had to be the fifth time. "But they _do_ stink, so it is extra effective for being true."

Lily couldn't argue that, she was slowly getting used to the pungent odor but it was far too much rot and old death for her liking. Any rot or old death was too much, in her opinion, but it drifted off of them in waves of stench. The dead body in the far corner only added to the smell.

"And yet not a word," she murmured. "I think we have exhaustively tested the 'provoking them will make them speak' theory."

"Nothing else to test, so I might as well keep going," Pearl huffed. "Does anyone here have ears, or are you all just muscles and stupidity given form?"

The hatch in the ceiling slammed open, and the Deathgrippers all reacted, snarling and growling in anticipation that was as feral as it was enthusiastic. Pearl flinched, and Lily felt the urge to cover her ears. She followed through, remembering the last time the Deathgrippers had gotten too noisy.

Sure enough, the piercing whistle sounded again, and Pearl slumped down, pawing at her head. Lily, having anticipated it, was not nearly as bothered. She watched as a No-scaled-not-prey threw down a hunk of raw, bleeding meat. It was not fish, it was some other kind of prey, and there was a lot of it.

More came down on top of it, and then more still. The scent of blood overpowered the smells of rot and death, only slightly more palatable to Lily for that. It drove the Deathgrippers crazy, though, and they knocked their talons against the bars separating them from their meal.

Two No-scaled-not-prey dropped down and began tossing the hunks of meat. Said chunks were far too large to fit through the bars, and landed right in front of them. The Deathgrippers, once their meal had been delivered, instead sank their tusks and talons into what they could reach and _rended_ it into smaller pieces in a gory show of strength and capability. Those pieces fit.

Lily felt ill, watching the carnage beginning anew at every cell, and hoped that they would not be expected to do the same. Aside from the fact that they _couldn't_ do something like that, lacking talons or other methods of severing flesh through the bars, she just wanted fish. Not whatever this was.

"I hope that is not some sort of dragon," Pearl whispered, barely audible over the wet ripping sounds. "But it probably is."

Lily winced, considering that. There were no scales, and she did not recognize any particular shape to the haunch-sized chunks of raw flesh, so she could not be sure. They all seemed uniform, so she could assume they all came from the same type of creature, but that was as far as she could reason. It wasn't like she had ever cut open a variety of creatures to learn what their insides looked like.

A third No-scaled-not-prey descended, and her heart lifted. It was bearing fish, four of them.

"Oh, good," Pearl sighed. "Never eat what they give us if you cannot tell what it is."

"I had figured as much," Lily murmured. The No-scaled-not-prey were talking, but she could barely hear it and obviously couldn't make any sense of it. "What are they saying?"

Pearl walked forward, blatantly pressed her head to the side of their cell, and lifted her ears. "Something about heat," she huffed.

"Word for word, please," Lily requested. She preferred being confused over worrying that Pearl had left something out for brevity that would turn out to be important later.

"Okay… The one with the fish is saying that it's a stupid idea," Pearl relayed.

"What is?" Lily asked.

"It's not a stupid idea, it's an easy test, or so says the one not tossing meat to the Deathgrippers," Pearl continued, seeming to not even have heard her. "And we know it worked before."

"No, we do not," the fish-bearing No-scaled-not-prey remarked. "We were told it worked in the past. It's not like we've had one recently, and we don't know if these are the same kind."

"You're too skeptical," the other No-scaled-not-prey grunted. "They've made the chamber, the cage is empty, the boilers are ready. Worst we can do is waste time checking it. At best, we'll get the training dragon we've been missing for a decade."

"Like it will even be useful," the fish-bearer retorted. "Looking at the sun doesn't make you better at not being blinded."

"Stupid comparisons don't make you smarter, either," the other one grunted. "And this idea came down from Grimmel himself."

"He's overstepping," the fish-bearer complained. "It's not his job to order us around directly."

"Grin and bear it until he gets put in his place or proves himself," the other advised. "If the scrap we got into today is any indication, there's a good chance he'll prove himself soon. Or he'll get his head bitten off and somebody more suited can take over."

"Wouldn't have to if our… wait, I don't know that word," Pearl murmured. "Whatever. It's a name or something. If our 'whatever-that-was' would stop licking his paws."

"You spend that long under someone, when they rise you keep that habit for a bit," the other one huffed. "Even if you shouldn't. I'd say you'll understand one day, but you're never getting past… another word I do not know." Pearl shook her head. "And now they are bickering. I know those words, but they don't mean anything."

Lily watched the two No-scaled-not-prey glare and shove each other, and was not surprised to hear their words meant nothing. Wordless growling would have fit the scene perfectly, but No-scaled-not-prey apparently did not growl.

The fish-bearer, having tucked the four fish under one of his limbs, shoved the other one back and took a single fish into its hand, waving it warningly. The other one recoiled and said something.

"Don't swing that at me, you'll get the something on me." Pearl shook her head in annoyance. "Why do they keep using words I don't know?"

Lily was more worried about _what_ said word was supposed to be, not why these No-scaled-not-prey were confounding Pearl on occasion. The reaction to seemingly innocent fish implied they were either dangerous or disgusting.

"Pearl, was it scared or disgusted by the thought of fish getting on it?" Lily asked urgently. The fish-bearer had stopped fooling around and was looking their way.

"He, and the one with the fish is a she, I think," Pearl murmured. "Scared, probably. No-scaled-not-prey don't really _do_ disgust like that, they think it makes them look weak. But I don't know why they would fear a fish."

"If there was something dangerous about it," Lily huffed. "Something that can be transferred by touch." It only made sense; she did not fear touching plants that would be poison only if eaten, and the same reasoning applied here.

Pearl shied back, her body as far from the front of the cell as possible, and Lily followed suit. The No-scaled-not-prey with the possibly poisonous fish stared at them.

Lily stared back, cautious but not cowed. It had blue eyes and a thin, drooping face much thinner than that of the prisoner her pack kept.

It tossed the fish in and stood there, waiting. Another sign of trickery; there would be nothing worth seeing if all the fish would do was sate their hunger.

"The safe move is to refuse it," Lily huffed.

"You say that like there is another option," Pearl hummed. "And you would not mention eating it and risking our lives for nothing, so I don't know what you have in mind."

Lily shook her head and decided against saying that there _was_ some merit to proposing they take that risk; the enemy had taken them alive for a reason, and that reason would not be served by killing them now, whatever it was, since a corpse could have done all she had since being attacked by her cave. They had a use that required life.

But possibly _only_ life, not good health, so she wasn't about to eat the fish. And if it was no good as sustenance, then she could use it for something else. "Sending a message," she hummed, stepping forward to examine the four seemingly innocent fish they had been provided, all the while aware of the watchful eyes on her from the other side of the bars.

There was nothing amiss in appearance, and a cautious sniff revealed no obvious smell. They were still wet from the ocean, and the fresh scents of brine and raw meat likely overwhelmed anything obvious.

That was where most other light wings would have stopped, the trick passing their cursory checks. Lily snorted and delicately sunk a few claws into the gills of one chosen at random, taking care to keep her paw away from the flesh and slime. A few claws in the fish's tail provided leverage, and she proceeded to shred it, opening up its stomach and peering at what lay within.

"She is surprised," Pearl said, watching the No-scaled-not-prey in Lily's stead. Lily didn't look up, but she growled savagely. There were no plants in the guts of the food they had been offered, but there was a stench, growing worse as it was exposed to the air more thoroughly than before-

And now she could see that there was a wad of fish flesh stuck in this one's throat, blocking it up. A trick to prevent the smell from seeping out strongly enough to be noticed, now rendered worthless by the much larger hole she had made.

It stung her nose, a harsh, unnatural scent. If she had swallowed this whole, she would never have noticed. If she had bitten it in half, like Claw had done – and wasn't it strange, how her memories of him were no less sickening even when she was facing something much more dangerous in the moment – she probably would have swallowed enough to get whatever effect they were going for. But eating this would have been a mistake, however it was done.

"They will have to try harder than that," she snarled, glancing up at the No-scaled-not-prey. She dug the claws of one paw into the fish, avoiding the stomach while getting a good grip and judging its weight.

Then, with a single flick, she flipped the offending food right at the No-scaled-not-prey, tossing it through the bars. The fish bounced off the No-scaled-not-prey's torso, leaving a big wet spot and dropping to the ground.

She watched carefully as it barked in surprise and craned its stubby neck to look down at its front. It didn't use its bare paws to wipe the slime off, which was telling.

"She is just insulting you," Pearl provided, her voice light. "Good one."

"We're not eating these," Lily said. "Or flaming them." She didn't know whether the fumes would be harmful. Kicking them all out of the cell would work better-

The other two No-scaled-not-prey came over, and the one who had been struck by the fish rambled something in a painfully high-pitched voice.

"She is saying that you pick at your food and don't like the smell of the word I don't know," Pearl conveyed.

"Well, then, force it down the throat," the one who had been passing out the other meat said.

"No, we'll skip right to the end, and avoid one of us losing a hand," the other corrected before Lily could contemplate the implications of what had been suggested. "Come on, let's go get permission."

"Stupid dragons," the fish-bearer muttered. "This is going to stain."

The three left, scaling the wood and slamming the opening behind them.

Lily snorted and flung the other fish out into the cell. She could have kept them to use in some future plot, but that would be stupid. The enemy knew she had them, and it was not as if they could be hidden. They were more dangerous than they were useful, whatever it was they did.

"They did not give up," Pearl noted. "They were talking about doing something else to us."

"Yes, but whatever it is needs us to eat," Lily reasoned. "Or drink. And they cannot force either." They could not hold out forever if the enemy withheld food and water, not even for very long, but some time was better than none at all.

"This is serious," Pearl remarked. "I would not have you think otherwise, even if Ember is coming to get us."

"I know that," Lily hummed, wondering why Pearl thought that needed to be said.

"I am just worried my enthusiasm might be making this seem less dangerous to you," Pearl admitted solemnly. "You are treating this like a game."

"Am I?" Lily didn't _think_ she was doing anything of the sort. She knew very well what was happening and how much danger they might be in; she was just working with what she had and not freaking out about it.

"That might have provoked them," Pearl said, nodding at the eviscerated fish Lily had flung. "We might be in more danger now. Did you think of that?"

"I _think_ that it was less dangerous to understand what they intend, than to play along and hope it does not happen," Lily retorted. "That was a test to see more clearly how dangerous _they_ think whatever was in that fish is."

"So you are not taking this lightly?" Pearl asked.

"No, not at all," Lily growled. "We are captives to an enemy we do not fully understand, an enemy who attacked my valley and my people three times now. I want to escape, and I want to understand what I am fighting, in that order of priority. Is that reassuring?"

"You are not like most of the people I know," Pearl said candidly. "I guess I did not expect such a… _cold…_ response. You have never been in danger like this before."

"You weren't there before the end of Claw," Lily growled, turning away from her to look out at the feasting Deathgrippers. "I have plenty of experience being trapped and injured in a small place with danger lurking outside." She remembered the seemingly endless days of lying on her side or stomach in the caves, tended to by Pina or Honey, waiting for news or danger to come to her, unable to flee. It had not bothered her so much then, but it felt very similar to now.

A lot about that felt similar to now, though this was a very different form of danger. Instead of authority to usurp from one paw, she faced an entire assembly of enemies she could not turn or easily reason with. What was more, she could not be sure she had time, unlike before. This was an entirely different sort of stress… but the core was the same.

She was in danger of a sort, but fear or despair would only get in her way, so she was choosing not to feel them. Pearl's attitude helped, but her own cold anger helped more. She still didn't know what had happened at the valley, what had happened to her pack. Crystal's Sire, Grass, those who fought the group that had captured Pearl. Not knowing bothered her, and suspecting that there had been casualties _enraged_ her whenever she thought about it.

"I'm fine," she assured Pearl. "I can handle this, and I am not going to take any stupid risks."

"That is good to hear," Pearl sighed. "Now, if only they would come back with some new fish and casually mention that _these_ ones are fine because you have shown we will not fall for tricks like that."

"That would be convenient," Lily huffed. She _was_ a little hungry, though the scenes in front of her and the lingering scent of tainted fish was at least driving that back for the time being.

O-O-O-O-O

The Deathgrippers had finished eating quickly, and it seemed that after a meal came a deep sleep. Lily observed as they all dropped off to sleep, one after another, and wondered whether it was natural or a result of something added to their food. Their captors had already proven capable of such tricks.

"Captors," she muttered. Pearl's ears pricked, so she elaborated. "Are the No-scaled-not-prey their captors too, or are we the only prisoners here?"

Pearl raised her head and looked out over the wooden cave. "They don't talk," she said quietly. "That makes it hard to tell."

"We faced one lone Deathgripper before you arrived," Lily said. "It had no No-scaled-not-prey with it. They have some degree of independence."

"I've seen what it looks like when a dragon works with No-scaled-not-prey in a situation like this, and it does not quite match," Pearl huffed. "It is like we are not even _understood_. When I was calling out insults, they did not even react."

"That could be a well-disciplined response to all prisoners," Lily argued. "One meant to get us to underestimate them and assume that we can speak freely." They had nothing worth hiding yet, but when they did she was not about to fall for such a trick and say it loud enough to be overheard.

"Or they do not even know our language," Pearl countered. "Maybe they just know to do what they are told by the No-scaled-not-prey, and no more. Maybe-"

A hissing noise interrupted her, one loud and insistent, never varying in pitch. Lily glanced around, looking for the source. All of the Deathgrippers were still asleep, and the hatch in the ceiling had not opened again. The only thing that had changed was a yellow cloud quickly expanding in a nearby empty cell-

Lily squinted at the growing cloud. It was spreading into the cells around it and the walkway, and the thickest part was right near one of the many, many cracks in the wood of the ceiling. It was coming in from above.

"It's coming this way," Pearl snarled. "Remember, they had another plan to get us?"

Lily did remember, but she had more important things to think about. "Get ready to flame it the moment it comes within reach," she said. "If we conserve our fire, maybe we can keep it out of our cell."

Pearl opened her mouth and positioned herself to flame at the side of their cell closest to the cloud. "But what _is_ it?" she asked. "What does it do?"

"Nothing fatal or irreversible," Lily guessed. The cloud was covering Deathgrippers, more and more as it spread, and it would probably affect them too. That also explained why such a move was not the No-scaled-not-prey's first choice; the fish would have only gotten her and Pearl.

"That does not make me feel any better," Pearl griped. Lily moved into place beside her and readied her fire.

The yellow mist crept forward, and they both flamed it. Lily could feel her reserves running out with every heartbeat, only half full to start with thanks to their earlier use, and she hoped-

The fog billowed around and past their flames, coming in across the entire side of the cell, the bars offering no protection and their fire making no difference. Lily cut it off the moment she saw it did nothing, and held her breath. Pearl followed suit, but not quickly enough. She wavered, her eyes dilating rapidly, and collapsed.

The thundering of her chest forced Lily to acknowledge that she was only stalling the inevitable, but that did her no good. She had no solution to counter this; there was nothing within her power that could stop the first breath she took from consisting of yellow fog.

She felt a surge of panic, even though she could see Pearl's chest rising and falling steadily. Even though she _knew_ , by logic and observation both, that this wouldn't kill her. This was not something she could control, avoid, or reason with.

She forced herself to exhale, her head already spinning from the lack of air, and barked out a breathless noise of defiance, though she did not feel so defiant now. There was nothing to do but breathe it in and concede.

She just wished it did not feel so much like the worst times of her life, trapped and unable to avoid the one trapping her as he did whatever he wished. Panic was flying around the edges of her mind, always seeking a crack in her thoughts to let itself in.

Then she inhaled, and with startling quickness her worries were forced away from her. They were not gone or addressed, just shoved aside by a crushing drowsiness. She fell awkwardly, landing atop Pearl, and shuddered as the darkness closed in around her.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Well, guest reviewer** _**epclaymore** _ **, while we don't have any actual drawings of the character in these stories aside from Ember, we do have a** _**No Story Stands Alone** _ **chapter that's the next best thing.**


	53. Reliant

A sea breeze passed over Lily's tender back, and a pained whine pierced her ears. The ground still rocked below her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she realized that she was immensely tired, even though she was just waking up.

She looked around, confused and groggy, and beheld a number of different things, all vying for her attention and comprehension, both of which were very limited at the moment.

Another cell like the first, this one even smaller. Pearl lay in a separate cell beside it, and was currently running her tongue across one of the smooth, shiny stone bars and whining.

Beyond Pearl, in the rest of the room, lay an array of wood and what Lily recognized as melted sand, all shaped into fragile, intricate things she did not understand. The melted sand, what Beryl had called glass, was set atop wooden platforms all around the small, grey chamber. This one was not made of wood, or at least did not seem to be. The walls, the ceiling, even the floor was the same sort of material that made up the bars of her cell.

A No-scaled-not-prey pushed open a part of the wall and walked in. It collected some of the glass things with care, grabbing as many as it could.

"I'll bur' your mou', see 'ow 'ou li' i'," Pearl mumbled threateningly, her tongue firmly pressed to the bar. "Wi' _fire_."

The No-scaled-not-prey, a small and fragile-looking thing, even more so than normal, left without even acknowledging Pearl's plight.

Lily turned around, casting a cursory glance at the last thing of interest in her new prison. The far wall, behind her cell, was also bars, not a flat wall. The sea breeze that came from it was magnificent, and she could see the outside world through the openings.

It was a sight that made her blood run cold, but she chose to ignore it for the moment. "What is wrong?" she asked Pearl, turning to address her fellow captive.

Pearl whined and took her tongue off the bars for the time it took to answer. "Made me eat some paste," she said miserably. "It burns like I stuck a burning log in my mouth!" She opened her mouth wide to show Lily.

Lily had anticipated, for a stomach-churning heartbeat, a horrible ruin of a mouth, charred and bloody. What she saw instead was a normal, undamaged mouth. Maybe a little inflamed, redder than normal, but that was all. "It is not a real burn," she said soothingly, thinking back to all the plants she knew. Pyre had told her of ones that burned the tongue if eaten, but there weren't any around the valley. This was something similar, it seemed.

"It still hur's," Pearl slurred, pressing her tongue to a different bar.

"And that helps?" Lily asked, curious despite herself. It wasn't like she could do anything to help Pearl, and in the absence of something useful to do, she had no reason not to ask.

"Col'," Pearl said in way of reply. "I's col'."

"Cold, right," Lily said. "Got it." She watched Pearl for a moment more, but upon seeing that nothing was likely to change, turned back to consider the barred window.

It was not a path to freedom; even if she could break it open, she would be able to go nowhere afterward, except for straight down, to the middle of the wooden platform. To the top of the 'ship', if she was using Beryl's word, a messy combination of 'tree' and 'wings' with a hint of 'water' added to the mix.

Directly below, she could see No-scaled-not-prey milling around. Some moved with purpose, and others walked in circles. Not just walking aimlessly, they were _literally_ walking in circles. She didn't know what that was meant to do, but if her very brief time in captivity was any guide, it would have _some_ unfathomable and possibly dangerous reason behind it.

Staring down at the floating ship below was not comforting, but it was less disconcerting than looking beyond this particular ship. She looked up at the grey sky, and spotted a few Deathgrippers flying around, idly watching the sky above the…

Flock. It was the only word she had for the absolutely breathtaking expanse of floating wood arrayed in front of the ship she was on. She couldn't see everything, though the opening was very good for looking out at the flock and was probably meant for exactly that, but she could see enough. More than a score of massive ships, five or maybe ten times bigger than the one her people had destroyed, flew through the water in loose formation. Smaller ships darted between them, moving quicker than the behemoths through no obvious method. Some had the massive false wings of the ship she had seen previously, but the largest ones instead belched smoke. Those ships were armored in a way that reminded her of scales, the reflective stone sheets arrayed along the outside in exactly that fashion.

These No-scaled-not-prey burned fires in the belly of wooden structures without a care, made stone structures float, and assembled flocks so large they made her fear for her people just to look upon them. They used gas and tainted fish and had ways to pull a light wing out of the sky like they had with Cara and Beryl back when she had thought a single ship was a worrying prospect.

It was breathtaking, in a terrifying way. As she watched, a trio of Deathgrippers emerged onto the multi-tiered ledge of one of the larger ships, leaping into the air to relieve their fellows in the patrols. The ones in the air flew down and landed on a different ship, implying the sort of enclosure she and Pearl had been kept in at first existed on several of the ships.

That was good. She held on to that little insight, using it to calm herself. This _looked_ bad, but the more knowledge she could take back to her pack, the better prepared they would be to do something about it. Even if she could not even contemplate her people winning a fight against this many enemies.

She glanced down at the expanse of ship below the elevated cave her cell was located in and tried to count the number of No-scaled-not-prey. It was not easy; their movements made it like counting fish under the water, or ants under a rock. But if she took her best guess, there might be forty visible, or maybe fifty. She had no clue how many more might reside below the wooden surface of the ship, but if she assumed this was all there were, she could get a best-case guess of how many there were total.

Five of the large ships, with fifty each. Six, if she counted the one she was on, though she could not tell if it had stone scales or false wings from where she was. Either might be present on the back of the ship, or above her head. Twelve more, smaller and not scaled. She would assume those had forty No-scaled-not-prey each. The smaller ones on the outskirts, all four of them, would be thirty each.

It took her a long moment to add all of that together in her head; it was not often she had to deal with amounts of people larger than could be easily held in her mind. The total she came to was nice and round.

"Nine hundred," she murmured to herself. "At _best_." She didn't know the ratio of above-ground No-scaled-not-prey to below-ground No-scaled-not-prey, those resting or relaxing or just not involved with the work she could see. It was possible only a third of a ship's worth was visible to her now, in which case the number was three times as horrific.

"Wha' ni' hun're'?" Pearl asked.

"My low guess for how many No-scaled-not-prey there are here," Lily explained. "It could be two or even three times that, though, and I'm assuming that there aren't any ships out of my line of sight, which there probably are."

"Tha' a lo'," Pearl huffed. "Bu' a goo' ligh' 'ing can ta' ou' many wi'ou' 'rouble."

"They'll have to," Lily said quietly. "And does that account for all the tricks they are bringing with them, or the Deathgrippers, or the way they can sometimes make us fall unconscious without any warning?"

"No' 'o ea'y," Pearl admitted.

"Unless Beryl has been holding out on me when it comes to tactics, not _possible_ ," Lily corrected. "If it comes to an all-out brawl, we're losing. Badly." Thankfully, it didn't have to come to that. She couldn't think of any tricks to deal with this in a single strike, but Beryl would have a plan. He knew more about this stuff than she did.

Pearl might too… but Lily didn't want to ask her about it. Something held her back, a reason she _had_ but could not quite name, even to herself. She would wait and ask Beryl right after getting a paw on exactly how the pack had fared in the latest strike against it.

"I don't know why they did this to me," Pearl groaned, pulling back from the bar and closing her mouth with a grimace. "It burned for a bit, but now it is fading, and nothing has happened."

"Try using your fire," Lily suggested. That would have been her first guess for what a paste in the mouth was meant to do. Maybe it made fire painful to use.

Pearl inhaled and sent out a small stream of flame, scorching the stone floor. "That _helped_ ," she said, her eyes wide. "I should have done that to start with!"

"You burned it out of your mouth," Lily guessed. "Or at least some of it." That was a solid proof against her first guess.

A piece of the far wall slid open again, and the same stooped No-scaled-not-prey from before entered. It did exactly the same thing as the last time Lily had seen it, not paying them any mind as it gathered some of the many glass objects.

"Those look a little like what Ember messes with in his spare time," Pearl observed. "He does not use glass, but it has the same feel. A bunch of stuff set out to tinker with."

"Does he?" Lily asked, her eyes on the No-scaled-not-prey as it left with its clutches full of random things. "How?"

"In his No-scaled-not-prey form, of course," Pearl clarified. "I can barely even touch most of his things without breaking them, unless he makes them for me. Then they work great."

"Does he spend a lot of time in that form?" Lily asked. She had assumed Ember only took on his non-dragon form when great need required it, though now that she thought about it, she didn't know _why_ she had assumed as much.

"Not a _lot_ , but regularly," Pearl hummed. "He has to balance how he ages, since only the body he is currently in ages at all."

Every time Lily heard more of Ember's existence, she grew more disturbed. That was a fairly innocuous detail, but it was just so _strange_ to her. "Interesting," she said quietly.

"Very much so," Pearl purred. "He is always coming up with new things for us to do."

The No-scaled-not-prey returned once more, and this time began dragging a wooden structure out of the chamber. It only took the structure just outside, returning immediately to take the next. Lily noticed that all of the little devices were gone now, and wondered what the point of removing them was.

"What do you suppose he's doing?" Pearl asked, looking at the struggling No-scaled-not-prey. It was having a hard time shifting the bulkiest of the free-standing wooden things, struggling to get a grip with its fragile paws.

"How would I know?" Lily asked. "You are the expert."

"Don't call _me_ an expert, I barely know anything about them except how they talk," Pearl grumbled. "Ember is the expert, he grew up as one."

"What?" Lily asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" Pearl cast her an unimpressed glance. "I am sure I did, back in the valley. Ember is a No-scaled-not-prey and a dark wing forced to combine into one person. They existed separately before that."

Lily shook her head. "No, you just told me he was both," she said faintly. She didn't understand how Pearl was comfortable with that knowledge, for all that Ember seemed to be a normal person despite his insane past.

"Oh, well, now you know." Pearl huffed. "Don't tell me you are going to be one of the people that freaks out and never looks him in the eye again. We have enough of that when we visit the ice nest."

"And that is why he does not tell people these things immediately?" Lily asked.

"Their alpha told them all exactly what he was when we weren't even around," Pearl elaborated. "When we went to visit after that, half of them did not like him, and the other half just wanted him to go away. They did not _act_ on those misgivings, but it soured what was otherwise a fun trip."

"I am not going to be like that," Lily assured her, thinking of how she had treated Beryl and Spark back when they first arrived. She had been given practice dealing with people who unnerved her for no logical reason. This was almost the same, though she did feel that having such a strange origin _was_ a reason to be wary of someone. It could even be said that Ember's loyalties could be compromised. She didn't believe it, but a less perceptive person might.

And someone like Diora would, whether or not she personally believed such a thing, use that information to strike at Ember and Pearl. "And do not fear I am going to spread this knowledge, either," she said. "It is better off not being known."

"Well, I did not think you would," Pearl admitted. "But you did give Beryl an ultimatum about telling people he had no mate, so I wasn't sure how you handle secrets."

"That was different, and in the end I did not actually make him do anything," Lily argued. "He accidentally roared it in front of half the pack while arguing with Diora."

"So I heard," Pearl laughed.

The No-scaled-not-prey finished dragging one last wooden thing out of the chamber, leaving only a few near the walls, and approached their cells.

Pearl flashed her teeth at it, but it paid her no mind, instead going to the large opening in the wall behind them and pulling up a thin stone covering from the ground.

Lily was impressed by how well the thing had been hidden; it was buried in the stone floor, and aside from a little curve to grab on to, had not been visible at all, though now it rose high and obscured the view of the outside entirely, making a fourth wall of reflective grey.

"I don't like this," she murmured, watching closely as the No-scaled-not-prey took the burning sticks off the walls and left, plunging them into darkness. That did not bother her so much as how the chamber was entirely empty of anything at all aside from her and Pearl. When the wall closed, it was with an echoing thump.

"Well, this is boring," Pearl said flippantly. "Why did they take away all of the fun stuff we could look at? They could have at least left us the nice view."

"Does it seem to you like they care about our entertainment?" Lily said dryly, holding back her growing unease. The dark didn't scare her, she had spent a large portion of her life sleeping in caves, but the preparation beforepaw _did._ It spoke of something more happening, something that required all of this as setup.

"No, but complaining is better than sitting here in silence waiting for whatever comes next," Pearl said.

Lily would have agreed, were she not beginning to notice something. "Is it getting warmer in here, or is that just me?" she asked.

"Well, I might be imagining it because I'm worried and you brought it up," Pearl said. "But it _does_ feel a little warmer now. Maybe because they shut out the nice cool breeze from outside?"

"That would make it stuffy, not warm," Lily huffed. She could definitely feel it now, there was no mistaking the rising heat for imagination. It was too sudden, too rapid a change to be a trick of the mind.

"Well, this isn't so bad," Pearl rumbled. There was a dry rustle as she lay down on her side. "I wonder how they are making heat."

"Irrelevant," Lily said shortly. The real question was _why_ , not how. It was growing stuffy in their darkened cell, the air hot and cloying, and her back was beginning to ache for no apparent reason. And still it grew hotter.

Lily found herself laying down, flat on her stomach, and panting. Her eyes were getting itchy, so she closed them, not that it made much of a difference. Her back was throbbing abominably, in a way that she could not hope to alleviate. It felt like those four points were sweating out pure pain, sending it across her body.

"I was wrong," Pearl said hoarsely, "this is bad."

The heat grew worse still, and Lily's head throbbed. It was not as hot as fire, not even close, but where fire was applicable, a brief burst, this permeated her entire body. It was like laying in the blazing sun except there was no light and the sun was _everywhere_ , heating even the air she drew into her lungs, heating her from the inside.

It was senseless, there was no point to it that she could see, and she was helpless to stop it as the heat intensified even further.

Lily rasped out a groan, her throat parched, and felt a familiar shimmer across her body. Her camouflage, or the ineffective, blurry remainder she possessed, had just activated, though she had done nothing. That meant that her scales were so hot they thought she had flamed them.

The heat lingered in the air, torturous. It was dry and harsh, not a speck of moisture to be found, and Lily's throat felt raw. She kept her eyes closed, afraid of what would happen if she opened them, and tried to breathe shallowly. She didn't know how Pearl was faring, and could not spare the will to check. Her entire being was focused on enduring.

There was a creak, and a movement in the air, a breeze that did absolutely nothing to help her, moving only more heat. A flickering light passed over her eyelids, and a No-scaled-not-prey squeaked something.

The light remained, and the heat finally began to ebb. Pearl stirred, her claws scraping against the stone.

"Lily?" she croaked.

Lily slapped her tail against the hot stone floor, unwilling to do anything more than that.

"You're shimmering," Pearl said.

Lily took that as a hint that it was safe to open her eyes, and laboriously pulled her eyelids up. There was a single flaming stick attached to the far wall, and the opening had been left ajar, revealing a wooden passage. Pearl was fully camouflaged, and she presumed her own body was shimmering and failing to obscure itself, thanks to the huge patch of ineffective scar tissue on her back.

A No-scaled-not-prey turned a corner and walked into view in the corridor, heading their way. It was tall, and had a shock of white fur unique enough that Lily took notice. No-scaled-not-prey did not sport white fur, as far as she knew. It had what Lily interpreted as a severe expression, and carried something flat in one of its paws.

It entered the room, wiped its forehead off, and scratched on the flat thing with a thin, sharp thing, murmuring all the while.

"Heat meant actual heat…" Pearl huffed. "Not the feeling of heat. Obviously. Idiot."

It took Lily much longer than it should have to realize that Pearl was once again translating for her benefit. She almost told Pearl not to bother; she wasn't in the right state of mind to understand right now, her head and back still distracting her with fresh pain. But speaking was also an effort, so she said nothing.

"Everyone says you were… so smart…" Pearl huffed, continuing in a louder voice. "But really, pepper seed extract? Why would that work? Why would you even suggest it?"

Lily didn't know if the No-scaled-not-prey was talking to the object it was scratching, or to someone who was not there, but neither option spoke well of its sanity.

"Ambient heat, though, that is obvious enough," Pearl continued. She pitched her voice to be loud and whiny, which Lily might have found entertaining in other circumstances. "Full camouflage for the uninjured one, some sort of failed halfway state for the… other."

"Didn't say other," Lily guessed, finding it in herself to speak. Pearl's hesitation had seemed her own, not that of the speaker.

"No," Pearl admitted.

"Word for word," Lily reminded her.

"Fine," Pearl grumbled. She seemed to be recovering rapidly, though it was still very hot in the chamber. Lily wished she could claim the same rapid recovery for herself. She still felt like she was burning up inside _and_ rolling around on her back at the same time.

"At least he didn't say heat like for the hounds," the No-scaled-not-prey mused, dropping the flat object on one of the wooden structures. "That would be even more obnoxious to test."

Water beaded on its face, and Lily wondered where it was coming from. The air was exceedingly dry, after all. Seeing those little droplets rolling down it reminded her of just how _perfect_ a huge pond of water would be right about now, and she almost whined.

The thumping of heavy paws came from the corridor behind the white-furred No-scaled-not-prey, and it turned, holding the flat object behind its back. Three more No-scaled-not-prey entered the room, and…

Lily squinted at the smaller creature they had brought with them. It walked behind a burly No-scaled-not-prey, moving on all fours but with no wings and covered in brown fur so short it almost seemed to just be skin. It had small eyes and vicious little teeth, and snarled in her direction.

"This is going to be confusing," Pearl mused, seemingly unconcerned. "I am going to name them. The white-furred one can be White, the one with long fur will be Long, the big one can be Bulky, and the thin one with the stupid-looking hook nose is definitely weird enough to be Ugly."

"Yes, but what about the smaller one?" Lily asked.

"I think that's a dog," Pearl remarked, sounding bemused. "I've never seen one, but Ember described them. Or it's a cat, but he said those don't snarl or bark, they hiss."

"What is it good for, and is it prey, predator, or a person?" Lily asked.

"Prey to us, predator to smaller things," Pearl said shortly. "Oh, they're talking about us. Bulky says 'so it was physical heat that did it?'"

Lily could feel their beady eyes on her, and she glared back. The burly one Pearl had called Bulky barely looked at her, instead, staring at Pearl, but the thin one and the one with fur down to the waist both seemed to find her the more interesting sight. The dog snarled again, and the burly No-scaled-not-prey barked a gruff, nasally noise.

"It was not hard," White claimed. "What else could they possibly control of their own will?" It moved to the side and discretely dropped the flat object behind one of the few wooden structures that had been left in the room, hiding it from the others.

"That's not good reasoning," Long remarked. Pearl gave it a much lighter voice than the others, so Lily assumed it was female, and by extension the other three had to be male. She certainly couldn't tell the sole female apart from the others just by looking at it; the long brown fur was its only defining feature. "It may have been an inner control, an organ or some other such thing."

"But it is not," Bulky said. "Good. Any weaknesses? Does keeping them extremely cold keep them from hiding?"

"We will find out in due time," White said. "Set the dog on the scent so we can be rid of it."

Bulky pointed at Lily. The dog looked through the bars at her. "Scent," Bulky commanded.

The dog raced to the bars, and Lily stepped back. She contemplated killing it with a blast to the head, but decided that might just get her hurt in retaliation. Her recent experience with the heat had driven in just how helpless she was if they wanted to injure her, and she wasn't about to provoke a repeat experience.

Especially as it seemed nothing they had done so far was _meant_ to harm, just to test ideas. She didn't like thinking about what they might be able to do with their ingenuity if they were trying to cause pain.

The small creature's nostrils flared, and it inhaled greedily, snuffling in her general direction. She growled at it, but while it kept its eyes on her, it did not back off for a few more heartbeats.

"Come," Bulky commanded, and the dog obeyed. "Good boy."

"Get it out of here," White commanded, speaking to the other No-scaled-not-prey much as they had spoken to the dog.

"He's not doing anything to bother you," Bulky complained, though it left with the dog as it spoke.

"Your disdain for the lesser animals is divisive," Long observed. "You should put it aside. They are useful trackers and reliable in a way that no Deathgripper can be."

"They're also stupid, stuck on the ground, and entirely too fragile," Ugly said casually. "Dragons are better."

"You trade loyalty for power," was the retort. "I do not go to sleep every night wondering if my creatures will decide to rip my throat out tomorrow."

"Neither do I," Ugly huffed.

"Stop it, both of you," White barked. "Focus."

"Hard to do in this heat," Long snorted. "At least open that nice opening of yours."

"By all means, do so," Ugly drawled.

"I will!" Long stormed around Lily's cell, stomping all the way, and fiddled with something at the base of the wall. The thin stone wall soon fell back into its hole, once again obscured, and the merciful sea breeze returned. Lily turned her face into the air flow, panting as relief washed over her.

"Now, _report_ ," White commanded irritably. "These two, where did you get them?"

Ugly shrugged its tiny shoulders. "Took the cripple," and with that word Pearl huffed a nonverbal apology, "in the mountains. Fought off two others, probably killed them."

Lily's heart fell, but she clung to the 'probably' the No-scaled-not-prey had felt fit to add. If it didn't know, she couldn't be sure either. Maybe they were merely injured, and in a way Honey and Copper could tend to.

"Got the normal one out over the ocean, on its own," Ugly continued, unaware of the translation or Lily's reactions. The No-scaled-not-prey didn't even seem to hear Pearl's low growls and rumbles, and certainly had no idea that they meant anything. "Fought a bunch near those mountains. I get how they killed the messenger now. When they're clever about it, we can't easily get near. Vicious, too, though some way more than others. I'm not sure why that is yet."

Lily felt a flush of pride for her people, though she knew the majority of them were probably less vicious by this one's reckoning; Pearl was likely the one it counted as truly dangerous, given she had dealt out the only fatality Lily knew of for sure.

"Doesn't matter," White said, waving a limb dismissively. "How many?"

"According to those who took the cripple and got in close, scores, including young," was the succinct response. "High guess says one-fifty, low guess says sixty. Normal proportions for quality breeds."

Pearl hummed inquisitively, and though Lily still could not see her, she could tell she was asking a question. The problem was, Lily didn't actually know how many light wings were in her pack. It was likely closer to one hundred if she included the young, but she had not exactly had a chance to count them recently, or any reason to. "That's about right," she murmured. "In the middle."

"That'll be a tough one to crack, but not impossible," White said casually. "Any of the darker breed?"

"One showed up right at the end of the fight, and they all rallied to it," Ugly admitted. "There might be more." It crossed its limbs and said no more.

"Good," White breathed. Pearl made an effort to make him sound creepily enthusiastic, which Lily would for the moment assume was not an exaggeration. "Very good."

"Yes, very," Long agreed. "Except, you know, we're not getting paid for this. Don't let your obsession-"

White slammed a paw on the stone wall, producing a loud cracking sound. "I am not _obsessed_ ," it growled.

"Just enthusiastic," Ugly agreed. "Curb your tongue, Long." Pearl huffed. "He used her actual name, but I don't know what it means so I cannot translate it."

"Just keep calling her that," Lily said quickly, not wanting to miss the interplay between her enemies over name discussions. Her body still ached like it had been dragged through a rocky field, but her mind was sharp once more, and this was _important_. Her enemies were holding a council right in front of her, unaware that they were being heard by the leader of their targets. This was not an opportunity she would get again, not if she and Pearl were going to escape anytime soon.

"Curb yours, dragon coddler," Long spat back.

"Both of you shut up," White barked. "Long, you can go."

"I'll be bringing the rest of my pack around to get the scent later," Long said.

"Yes, do that," White agreed coldly.

Long left, and Ugly snorted rudely. "I still think her division is redundant and worthless."

"They serve well when we need a less controversial presence in No-scaled-not-prey territory," White replied as if by rote. "And for tracking during extended hunts, and for providing an expendable distraction force."

"Yes, but that's not worth dealing with her and her lackeys," Ugly pressed. "Come on, you said as much back when you were where I am now. Taking the lead doesn't mean suddenly appreciating the idiots under you."

"And _you_ know my position is too shaky to be making waves," White replied. "Once I've got a few more dark wing heads on my wall as proof I'm not a twice-lucky fluke, I'll deal with her."

Pearl growled quietly while she translated that statement, and Lily added her own voice to the threatening noise. She didn't like that one bit, especially as her pack was hosting several dark wings at the moment. Beryl and the others now had an even bigger target on their backs, especially if this white-furred No-scaled-not-prey held the authority it seemed to.

The No-scaled-not-prey both glanced their way, alerted by the louder noise. "It lasts surprisingly long," Ugly observed. "It is too bad we cannot make this room cold to test them further."

"Without ice, no," White agreed. "But we could send for a few buckets of sea water and see if that does it."

"We have plenty of time to check things like that later," Ugly said. "Do I have full authority to use them as I wish?"

"That depends. Tell me what your plans are." White leaned against the wall, staring in Lily's direction.

"Depends on several things," Ugly offered. "If they make a breeding pair, then I want to keep both alive and send them back to see what our breeders can make of them, if anything. If not, then I'd keep the healthy one for experimenting and cut up the cripple's back to find out why it's not healed properly. Maybe I'd try my hand at fixing it, or maybe I'd just let it die, depends on what the problem is."

"Done," White said, much to Lily's horror. "Though I don't think this sort can be bred. Much too willful and clever."

"Don't boost their reputation to boost your own," Ugly replied. "It's the dark wings that are terrors in a fight, not the light wings."

"And perhaps we will learn why that is by the time we are done eradicating this nest," White said, baring its teeth at the other. Lily did not need Pearl to tell her the gesture was meant to be cold and intimidating; the dark light in the white-furred No-scaled-not-prey's eyes would have lenta sinister cast to any expression it was capable of making.

"We're going to turn a loss on this one," Ugly warned.

"Vengeance knows no costs," White retorted, and once again Pearl gave it the tone of someone quoting another's words.

"But vengeance has been known to stab a few hundred lesser dragons and call it retribution, rather than lead ourselves to ruin out of stubbornness," was Ugly's response.

"We'll trade some of the corpses through intermediaries," White explained. "Our reputation does not fall if nobody knows it is us doing so, and our lack of a patron makes secrecy feasible."

"Clever, and in that case never mind, this is definitely worth doing," the other conceded. "Are you going to be keeping these two here, or can I have them brought back to my ship's cages? These are better built, but that won't matter once I have the cripple unconscious and under my claws."

"Have them taken back tomorrow morning," White huffed. Its cold eyes gazed through Pearl's shimmering form. "And when you go, see about having my things brought back into this chamber. I'm not doing another heat test any time soon."

"Yes, alpha," Ugly said. "Be careful, though. I'm not sure these cells have bars close enough together to stop a fireball. They were made for No-scaled-not-prey captives."

"They won't think to do such a thing," White snorted.

"You were just arguing that they were smart, but as you wish..." Ugly shook its head. "On your head be it if you get blown to pieces. At least avenging you will be easy." It retreated before White could answer, closing the hole in the wall behind it.

"Should we kill him?" Pearl asked. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. There are a lot of them."

Lily considered it. On the one paw, this _was_ the leader of the enemy. Killing it would be a good thing, and they had a perfect opportunity.

On the other paw, it seemed likely that this No-scaled-not-prey pack was more than capable of replacing their alpha if it died; Ugly seemed like an obvious successor, or Long, depending on the whole picture she obviously couldn't see. They were not like her pack, lacking many clear alternative sources of leadership. If she killed this one, another would take its place, one with different motivations she would not be privy to. This one wanted to prove itself and kill dark wings, and those might be exploitable flaws.

"Don't bother," she decided. "It's not worth the danger it will bring."

White, now the only No-scaled-not-prey in the room, leaned forward. "So close, and yet so far," it murmured, Pearl translating its words a heartbeat later. "I would stab the idiot who decided you are not dark wings if they were still alive to be stabbed. A whole nest of dark wings would be just the thing."

Lily didn't like the look in its small, circular eyes. The small bands of fur above them had crept down, and the expression that created was both alien and inherently threatening.

"But I have to start somewhere, and there is nothing else here that could have slain the first ship, so there's a good excuse," it said, as if speaking to itself. "The dark wing is reward enough for _me_. Will you lure it here?"

The No-scaled-not-prey let out a long, drawn out hum, and put a paw to its chin. It showed its teeth and murmured one last thing. "Maybe you would have… but it does not matter. We are coming for it, not the other way around. Fate does not repeat itself."

Lily felt the urge to fire despite the lack of benefit to doing so, and the very real chance it would get them killed in retribution. She held her fire, she was no idiot falling prey to every illogical whim that crossed her mind, but she was surprised by the depth of the impulse she had to hold down. This No-scaled-not-prey was nothing like Claw…

But did every inexplicable reaction have to come from her past? She growled, frustrated with herself. It would have been nice to blame her every illogical impulse on Claw and her trauma, but that wasn't the case and she wouldn't lie to herself about it. She didn't _know_ why she had wanted to flame it so badly despite the downsides to doing so.

Except that it was the leader of the enemy. The leader of _her_ enemies, the ones who had cut off Cara's ears, killed Blur, and maybe killed Grass and Crystal's Sire.

What had the prisoner called the leader of its pack, the one with the obsession with dark wings? Grimmel, a name Beryl had translated for her. She hadn't really made the connection until now, but this was obviously the same person.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at her enemy, committing its appearance to memory. She said nothing, because there was nothing to be said between them, not even if it understood her. It was not the entire pack it led, not even close, but it was the mind behind the pain and the death wrought against her people in the last few moon-cycles, the being who bore _responsibility_. She would see it pay for the actions of its subordinates, and if she got the chance she would use what she had learned here to destroy it.

White, or Grimmel, as she now knew to call it, squinted and turned its back on her, leaving the room in silence, blissfully unaware of what, exactly, it held prisoner.

"I didn't like him," Pearl said, "but it could be much worse. At least he wants us alive."

"They want _you_ alive," Lily said, shaking off the majority of her anger, lest she sound angry at Pearl. "Me, they could take or leave." The callous way in which her fate had been left in the air didn't bother her, not yet, but only because she wasn't letting herself think about it. The idea of being cut open and then either healed or left to die was terrifying, or would be if she let it fester. She knew better by now.

"It won't matter, Ember will come for me, and you," Pearl huffed. "Or the pack. Surely they know where we are."

Lily couldn't argue with that, though it did raise a question, one that had probably occurred to Pearl too.

If their friends and family knew where they were, why hadn't they done anything yet? And when they did do something, _if_ they did, would it work? Or would they just be throwing away more lives for nothing?

Lily and Beryl had swapped places since the last time No-scaled-not-prey had held someone captive, and she almost felt guilty about how sure she was of his decision. If he wanted to deliberate over the greater good, he should definitely be allowed that, but she knew he would come for her. Sort of like how Pearl knew Ember would come…

She shook her head and mentally chased away the stupid thought. This was not the time for pointless comparisons. This was the time to…

Sit and wait. Or plan a way out on their own, but she had no clue where to start with that, so it was likely she would be stuck waiting anyway.

O-O-O-O-O

Night was falling, and Lily was staring out at the dreary evening sky. She kept her eyes on the featureless cloud cover, having long since tired of observing the No-scaled-not-prey below. Pearl did the same, for much the same reason; there was nothing else to do, and unless either of them had an epiphany about how they were going to escape, nothing to talk about, not under these conditions.

She had been staring for a long time, long enough that when a dark object fell from the clouds directly in her line of sight, she blinked and shook her head, wondering if she was seeing things. Pearl tilted her head and did much the same.

Then the falling object began _roaring_ , and Lily stood, her confusion replaced by anticipation. That was Ember, diving hard and aiming right at the ships. It had to be him, though she had no idea what he was doing.

"Right on time," Pearl said cheerfully. Her nose was pressed up against a bar as she leaned forward, and Lily mimicked her. It didn't help, but she felt the need to do something…

Especially as Ember continued to hurtle down toward the ship next to theirs, moving far too quickly to pull out of his dive. On the one paw, that meant none of the No-scaled-not-prey had even begun to react yet, but on the other it meant he would splatter against the odd stone surface and die.

But this was Ember, and Pearl didn't seem to be worried in the slightest, so Lily assumed it wasn't a problem for him. He flashed down, slamming into the ship next to theirs, impacting so hard that the entire ship rocked in the waves.

"Stupid cage," Pearl growled. "I can't see him down there!"

Lily had much the same issue; she could see the ship to their other side quite easily thanks to the angle, but she couldn't see much more than the very front of the ship Ember had hit. There were No-scaled-not-prey there, the ones she could see all looking in the same direction…

She huffed in irritation. They were too far away to hear and at the wrong angle to see, and there was nothing they could do to fix either of those problems. What she _could_ see was the frenzy of confused movement on the decks of most of the other ships. As best she could tell, none of the No-scaled-not-prey knew how to react.

"It looks like he stopped down there," Lily observed. "The others are not freaking out, so he is not going on a rampage, but they are not calming down, so he has not been handled."

"Good point," Pearl conceded, calming down. "We know what he is doing, even if we cannot see him."

"Which is?" Lily asked. Pearl might know her mate's mind, but Lily couldn't claim the same familiarity.

"Well, he made a dramatic entrance and landed in flames, meaning he is a No-scaled-not-prey now, or at least that they know there is something strange about him," Pearl said. "That means he isn't going to go 'oh, I'm a lost and innocent dragon, lock me up next to your other prisoners' and get us out from the inside. He is not going to go on a killing spree either, so that means he is negotiating for our release."

"With what?" Lily asked, holding in an undignified snort of amusement. She was more than a little amused by Pearl's cavalier description of the first option despite the gravity of the situation, and humor was doing wonders for making this tense moment less stressful, but she needed to know exactly what Pearl thought was going on.

"Well, probably not anything they really want," Pearl reasoned. "Maybe he is threatening them. No-scaled-not-prey don't tend to take weird powers well at all, even worse than most dragons would. He could have shown off to intimidate them. That would be acceptable."

"Acceptable?" Lily probed, sensing that there was more behind that particular choice of words.

"We all came up with a good little moral rule for him to follow in situations like this," Pearl explained. "So he can trust he is not crossing lines he shouldn't, and so he can set a good example for Thaw. Showing up, scaring them, and then demanding our release in exchange for going away and not destroying them would be perfectly fine, and it is the sort of thing he would do if he was worried and a little reckless because of it."

"It assumes they will take him seriously," Lily noted.

"They had better," Pearl muttered. "Because if they don't, this is going to get _messy_."

On that somewhat disturbing note, they lapsed into silence. Pearl turned around and tried to stick her ears through the bars, as if to hear what was going on better, but that was hopeless. Lily paced the tiny perimeter of her cell, waiting anxiously for something to change.

The arrival of a large, portly No-scaled-not-prey startled them both. Lily bared her teeth, and it jolted backward, saying something in a relatively deep voice for one of its kind.

"Oh, he is complaining and asking why nobody thought to muzzle us," Pearl relayed. She squinted at the No-scaled-not-prey. "That is a good question, actually."

"What is a muzzle?" Lily asked. She knew the word, but not in this context.

"Something to keep us from firing or biting," Pearl explained. The No-scaled-not-prey had retreated, and they were once again alone. "Last time I was captured, they kept me so tied up I could barely move, and I was _also_ in a cage and guarded. These No-scaled-not-prey don't seem to know much about keeping prisoners."

"They don't seem to do it all that often," Lily guessed. The Deathgrippers barely counted, and there hadn't been any other dragons in the empty cells she had seen.

The fat No-scaled-not-prey returned with friends and a bunch of brown false hides, and Pearl hummed thoughtfully. "Let them muzzle us," she suggested. "Ember must have struck a deal."

"It won't be up to us to cooperate." Lily squinted at the large one, as it seemed to be in charge. It was preparing a small stick and a smaller little thorn, sliding the thorn _into_ the stick. "They will have some way of making us do what they want."

She was proven right when the stick was leveled, and the little thorn shot out to take Pearl in the side. "Ouch!" Pearl complained petulantly, her eyes dilating rapidly as she slumped to the ground.

A second sting hit Lily, and her last coherent thought was to wonder whether she would wake up in yet another cell, free, or not at all.

O-O-O-O-O

It was no surprise to come to with an annoying pressure around her head holding her mouth shut. Neither was it a surprise to still feel the ground swaying under her paws.

What _was_ a surprise, on the other paw, and a very unpleasant one at that, was the searing pain in her back as a small limb pressed down on it. She flailed blindly, sticking her wings out only to find that they were being held down, and opened her eyes to see a dark, cloudy sky, more of the vines from before, and a large number of No-scaled-not-prey.

The pressure came again, this time from another angle, and instead of flinching away she lurched backward. Her wings pressed against the vines again, her back throbbed abominably, and the small limb hurting her snapped with an audible crack, bent between stiff vines and a hard body. A No-scaled-not-prey screeched, and the pressure was yanked away.

She couldn't turn her head enough to look at the one she had hurt, but she had a good idea of what was going on now. They were pulling the vines all around her, getting ready to take her somewhere by air.

The vines swayed, and the ones below her pulled up at her underbelly. She stood as best she could to relieve the pressure, only to have her breath pulled from her as a Deathgripper leaped into the air and snagged the vines with its talons. Her paws dangled in the open air, and she was absurdly thankful she hadn't ended up on her back again.

The Deathgripper took her down to another ship, and she recognized one of the No-scaled-not-prey on it, the only one given a wide berth by all the others. The scrawny shape and distinctly brown false hides gave Ember a look unique enough that she knew it was him.

Her anxiety did not go away, not even close, but it did fade a little. This _was_ a rescue of some sort, and someone she could probably rely on was arranging it. The Deathgripper took her around in a circle, and she blurted out the most potentially useful thing she had to say.

"Pearl might still be captive," she called down. She hadn't seen the other female set free, and a tricky liar might try to keep her and claim otherwise. Hopefully Ember was thinking along the same lines, or at least that he would luck into acting as if he had thought about it, as he claimed to have done with Diora.

Then they were going, and she was turned to look out at the distant mountains. She wasn't quite facing the same direction as the Deathgripper carrying her, but it was close enough that her tail was to the ships-

Which, she had noticed in their brief circle, included at least a dozen more behind the one she had been in. As if this wasn't bad enough already.

Another Deathgripper flew up beside hers, and its riders barked back and forth for a short while before falling into silence. The dragon carrying her had been silent the whole time, of course, save for random growls and snarls.

She found her thoughts turning to that particular mystery once more, and a shiver ran through her, one not totally caused by the freezing cold-season air. The talk of breeding and seeing what could be made of her and Pearl shed some light on that situation, though it only revealed more mysteries of an even more twisted, morbid nature. She didn't want to think about what an outside force could do with impressionable children; Diora might seem mild and nurturing in comparison.

The mountains ahead of her, growing larger by the moment, helped her stop thinking about that less than helpful topic. She looked upward, but all she could see of the Deathgripper carrying her were its massive talons and the underside of its chest and head.

Were they really just going to drop her off somewhere and let her go? She would love to believe it was true, but it relied on her enemies, so she wasn't going to assume it was going to happen.

But there was nothing she could do that would help her situation, not until they were at the very least flying over land, rather than the certain death that was the ocean.

Or maybe it was not _certain…_ She could remember Pyre swimming, and he had said something about how he did it. But she wasn't about to take _that_ sort of risk, especially not when her wings, the things he had said were the doom of every other light wing who tried to swim, were still firmly intact, as useless as they were.

Her captors flew lower, and before she knew it they were skimming over the shallows and gliding to a stop on the shore. She didn't recognize this particular stretch of sand and rocks, probably because the rocks made it an unpleasant alternative to the many unmarred parts of the shoreline, but it was close to the mountains. She would be able to walk home.

And it was close, so there _should_ have been guards and scouts coming down to drive them away, but at this point she wasn't even surprised by the lack of a reaction from the valley. Her scouts had failed every single time it mattered, and her guards had just fought this morning. Then there was whatever Ember had said or done to ensure he came out to the ships alone…

She hit the ground with an ungainly thump, falling to her side in the tangle of dead vines, and the Deathgrippers landed just ahead of her. Both dragons turned to regard her with mean eyes and bared teeth, including those ridiculous tusks that looked a lot more threatening when she was totally at their mercy…

Their riders barked back and forth again, and one whistled loudly. The Deathgripper it rode tensed, and the mean eyes focused on Lily narrowed, going from forebodingly empty to downright sinister in a heartbeat.

She tried to pull her paws up, but succeeded in nothing more than straining her wrists. Her mouth was still securely bound shut, and while she could probably have freed herself from that alone, she needed her paws to do so.

The Deathgripper lurched forward, its talons extending for her, and she shrieked in sudden terror, finally comprehending what the No-scaled-not-prey must have been deciding. Two sharp points, like claws but longer and sharp all the way down, jabbed down toward her chest and head-

A blur interceded, knocking the talons together and yanking as it passed by in an instant, pulling the Deathgripper forward and onto her in an uncontrolled tumble. The second one shrieked, once in anger and once in outright fury and pain, and the one on Lily snapped at her, but it had landed over her and couldn't bend its neck enough to reach her. Its talons had ended up stuck in the sand and tangled in some of the vines it had dropped only moments earlier, and when it yanked them out it tumbled Lily under its hind legs, unbalancing it anew.

Lily had sand in her eyes and pain in her back, and couldn't tell what was going on beyond her small, pained world of snarling and vines and sand and an angry Deathgripper. Her front paws were still stuck, but her back paws could move, and when she felt scales under them that weren't her own, she pulled back and struck, jabbing blindly upward.

The Deathgripper crouched down over her and tried to leap into the air, paying her no mind even as she clawed ineffectually at what had to be its hind legs. It was looking at something beyond them, at the other Deathgripper and the attacker, and in a moment would be leaping into that fight-

Lily pulled her paws back, gathering herself, and rolled fully onto her back. The vines cut and the sand rubbed and she _hurt_ , but through the pain she used her new leverage to buck her hips up and drag her claws through a much softer part of the Deathgripper stupid enough to bring its underbelly into reach. She cut through skin and hot flesh, then bucked again, stabbing her paws into the open wound she had ripped, cutting anew in a blind attempt to do as much damage as possible before she could be stopped. Hot blood streamed down her paws and onto her body, and then the Deathgripper collapsed, crushing her into the sand. She howled, but upon trying to replenish the air she had let out, found that its weight was crushing her chest and stomach so thoroughly she couldn't inhale at all. Her heart thundered in her chest as even more panic sunk its claws into her mind, and she struggled frantically.

All in the span of a pawful of heartbeats. All so quick and brutal that her pain was somehow both unignorable and distant. All was eerily silent, the world oblivious to her desperate plight for air, save for the barks of one of the No-scaled-not-prey, and then even that stopped in a loud, cut-off yelp. She couldn't even hear anyone breathing, and the sounds of the waves were distant.

The Deathgripper on top of her shifted a little, and she raked her claws down its body in the little space she was given, trying desperately to encourage it to move off and let her inhale. It shifted again, collapsing to the side, and she shoved the limp weight with all her might, though her mind was starting to drift away yet again, her strength going with it…

The body shifted a third time, falling to the side, and she sucked air in until her chest hurt in a different way, then barked it all out in a breathy noise of pain and shock. Blood pooled between her and the body, and she realized, quite belatedly, that it was dead.

"Lily, did it hurt you?" Pearl asked, her wet, warm muzzle nudging Lily's upturned head. "Are you okay?"

Lily inhaled again and choked off a howl, turning onto her side to put her back to the Deathgripper. She blinked furiously, trying to clear the sand and blood out of her eyes, but when she did eventually see, everything was tinted red and almost too blurry to make out.

The body of the other Deathgripper was clear enough, and the red stripes Pearl bore told the rest of the story. The forest was a murky stand of green and black a short distance beyond all of that, and the mountains rose in the distance, unchanged and yet somehow looking a lot less safe than they had early that same morning.

_**Author's Note:** _ **But wait, there's more! Ember's perspective of the events of this chapter is over on** _**No Story Stands Alone** _ **. Anyone wondering what happened that Lily mostly didn't see, or why Ember came alone, or just anyone wanting to check in with our past protagonist again, can go check that out.**


	54. Supportive

The shore was divided in two, high tide marked by the place where cold sand turned into cold, snow-covered sand, the former washed clean by the waves over the course of the day. There was one corpse on the sand, and one in the snow. Dark red blood, so dark it was nearly black, stained both parts of the shore.

Lily lay on her side, panting heavily. Only moments had passed since the violent, abrupt struggle that had taken place, and she still felt as if she might pass out. Not that she wanted to; all practical concerns aside, her brief captivity had been punctuated by losing consciousness time and time again, and to do so now would feel like yet another defeat.

Pearl stood opposite her, seemingly at a loss for what to do next. She looked unusually fearsome, her mouth and neck covered in blood that was not her own, completely at odds with the bemused expression she wore.

Lily knew that something was going to happen. More Deathgrippers would come, or Ember, or Beryl, or anyone from the valley. In none of those cases did she want to be found on her side, weak and obviously hurt, so she took a deep breath and struggled to her paws. Her back hurt, but that was an unavoidable constant in her life, and she could bear it. Her chest also ached with every movement, which was not so normal, but it didn't hurt enough to stop her.

Pearl looked beyond Lily, to the dark, cloudy sky. "Ember will be coming here soon."

"Don't want to wait in the open," Lily huffed, shuffling toward the treeline as she spoke. "Have to walk back anyway."

"I'll walk with you," Pearl immediately volunteered. "Do you need to lean on me, or something?"

That was a tempting proposition, but Lily shook her head in denial. It would slow her down, any benefit she got from added support totally negated and then some by the awkwardness it would bring in navigating the dense forest and then the narrow mountain paths.

"Okay, but you look terrible," Pearl said, walking alongside her as she entered the forest. She looked over once or twice, as if checking to be sure Lily's decision was final, but otherwise dropped the subject.

Lily focused on putting one paw in front of the other and relaxing, trying to bring her body to some semblance of normal as they moved. Her heart still thundered in her chest, and every soft sound in the distance had her flinching. Quite apart from the physical stress she had been put through, that last, frantic struggle for survival had left its marks on her mind, and she needed to be rid of them before she encountered anyone who relied on her authority and reputation. Anyone from her pack, basically.

It didn't help that she knew she had good reason to be jumpy; given her pack's absolutely appalling failure to have scouts around, Deathgrippers could be roaming the forest around her even now, and she wouldn't know unless she noticed them approaching. This place was not safe.

Nowhere was safe, not from the enemy she had faced today. The waters were not safe, the forests definitely were not, and the air was just as dangerous. The mountains had been proven thoroughly unsafe by her abduction, and the valley itself was a trap waiting to be completed by a set of biting teeth above it to make all as flightless as herself.

Some of that could be rectified by strategy, but not all of it, and none enough to return her sense of security. Certainly not when she had yet to fix any of it-

A body crashed through the forest off to her right, and she leaped to the side out of pure instinct, knocking her tail against a tree.

"Pearl?" Ember called out loudly, his form shrinking and then reversing back to normal while wreathed in flames.

"Over here," Pearl roared.

Ember bounded over, greeting his mate with an enthusiastic nuzzle that totally disregarded her current state and rubbed half-dried blood all over his cheek and nose. "Not your blood," he murmured, inhaling deeply. "Theirs."

"I ripped two throats out," Pearl explained. "Lily opened a stomach, which would have been enough on its own given a little more time, but we had to be quick."

"And the No-scaled-not-prey?" Ember asked, sparing Lily all of a moment's glance before looking back to his mate as if she didn't exist.

"I didn't have to kill them any particular way," Pearl replied. "I just picked them up and shook until everything was broken."

"That's one way to do it," Ember rumbled, wincing as he spoke. "Neither of you are hurt?"

"No more than normal," Lily said dryly. For once, she was grateful to be annoyed; it helped her return to a more normal state of mind. "Any idea why my pack has been so oblivious during all of this?"

"Careful, not oblivious," Ember said. "They're still patrolling the mountains, just while camouflaged. Cara came with me to the fleet, and since I got you both out, she is not going to be leading an assault. She'll be waiting for you to get back to the valley, since Beryl advised that nobody leave for the time being, in case there are enemies in the forest."

That didn't explain why nobody had come to drive off the two Deathgrippers landing on the shore near the mountains, but Lily didn't really _care_ anymore. Not about that, not when it had worked out. There were way bigger problems to handle, and the first was ensuring she made it back to the valley as quickly as possible. She would get the explanation in the process of resolving everything else.

And to that end, both Ember and Pearl had stopped to reunite. She growled and continued walking, putting her tail to them. They both leaped forward and caught up the moment they noticed her leaving, of course, which got them moving again without her having to say a word.

"Is Thaw okay?" Pearl asked, walking so close to Ember that Lily could hear their scales rubbing together with every step.

"He's fine, everyone in our family is fine," Ember assured her. "Worried, of course, but by now Cara would have brought word that I got you both out."

"Why weren't we met with a dozen light wings the moment we made it to the shore?" Pearl asked, voicing the question Lily had decided she didn't care enough to get answered.

"I _may_ have told Cara not to interfere if it looked like the No-scaled-not-prey were cooperating, just in case they had orders to kill the prisoners the moment it looked like they were being betrayed," Ember admitted sheepishly, ducking his head for a moment. "I figured that was more likely than them betraying us after I made clear how bad that would be for them."

"As it turns out, I would really have liked having a dozen people to back me up," Pearl snorted. "The moment they got to the shore, they decided to kill Lily."

"It wasn't an order they were given?" Ember asked.

"More like they had vague orders and didn't agree on the interpretation at first," Pearl explained. "That was the impression I got. But they did agree that their leader wanted to betray you."

"Oh, definitely," Ember huffed. "He was only playing along until he got what he wanted out of it."

"Which was your dark wing form," Lily said, seeing the obvious connection. "To attack, no matter what excuse it gave."

"Exactly that," Ember shook his head. "If he had understood what I was capable of, he might have gotten a good shot at me, too. I'm not invincible, just hard to predict if you don't know how I operate."

"I will want an explanation," Lily interjected. "For how you managed to survive a fatal fall on your way in, and for why Pearl was more worried about you doing something you would regret than you getting hurt or captured. All you have told me does not explain that, and if you can destroy them, then I need to know."

"What you need to know is that I _will not_ destroy them," Ember said firmly. "I won't be your weapon of mass destruction, or your infiltrator, or anything of the sort. If it cannot be done by a clever No-scaled-not-prey and a clever dark wing working together, I will not voluntarily do it."

Lily looked over at him, her eyes narrow. "But you _could_ ," she said. "Else you would not have anything to threaten them with. I need to know what I have brought into the midst of my pack, and you did not tell me the whole truth when I first asked, or at any point since." She kept her voice carefully neutral, trying to strike a balance between disapproving and understanding. She _didn't_ understand, not entirely, but Pearl had dropped enough hints and partial explanations to have her keep an open mind. Not to mention they had a common enemy aiming to harm them both; that always helped smooth relations between allies.

"I told you all that matters," Ember huffed. "I am no danger to your people, and not a weapon to use against these No-scaled-not-prey. I will do what I can to help out, especially as dark wings seem to be an obvious distraction tactic and I am more durable than most, but if I told you what I can do, you would want to use it."

"I will want to use it even more if I do not know the full extent," Lily growled. "I have no power to compel you, I am not pretending otherwise, but I _must_ know what you might do of your own accord if you deem the situation desperate enough, if only to protect my people from any sort of backlash." She wasn't going to back down on this one, and when he didn't immediately answer, she cut in front of him and blocked his path, staring him down. This was _important_ , especially as she now felt she might know more of her enemies than her allies. That wasn't acceptable.

"I hope you do not plan to create a situation where I feel obligated to go all-out," Ember said coldly, staring right back at her. "The last female to try and make me a monster for her benefit died for it."

Lily glanced at Pearl, and Pearl shrugged her wings silently, as if to say she wasn't going to get between them. Not out of fear, there was no fear there, but because it wasn't her argument to shut down. Maybe she thought such a confrontation was inevitable.

And as for her reply to Ember's threat? She didn't back down in the slightest, and her voice was stern. "I'm not planning anything involving you. I am asking what you are so that I know whether I have a much bigger problem in the middle of my valley the moment some arbitrary condition is met. The rescue you just pulled off is appreciated, but you're not the solution to any of my problems, and I don't plan to use you as such."

"Let's see if that holds," Ember rumbled. "Any No-scaled-not-prey or dragon I kill personally provides me with their body and their memories. It has no limit, and I cannot be permanently killed so long as I possess more bodies to use. I am capable of impersonating anyone perfectly, possessing both their appearance and the knowledge they had in life, while remaining myself underneath it. The flames are just a side-effect of changing back and forth, but while they are out they make me impervious to force of any kind, able to ignore anything that comes my way in the time it takes to shift."

A silence reigned after that, the snowy forest around them totally still and quiet. Pearl had a resigned look, and Ember was obviously frustrated.

Lily took a moment to take that in, to fully comprehend what it meant. It fit what she had known in the way a dragon fit their pawprints, filling the shallow little dents with just a fraction of what they really were.

"That's only half of it," Pearl said, breaking the silence and surprising both of them. Her tail sought out Ember's, and she shot him a momentary glare even as she wrapped it around his. "He isn't going to _use_ any of that. He doesn't have a collection of bodies stored away to use whenever he wants, you have seen all that he is. Maybe that is what he _could_ be, but what he _is_ is different. He is just a person with two bodies who cannot be harmed while switching between them, and one who maybe ends up knowing the mind of his enemy if he gets into a fight and wins it."

Lily arranged her thoughts into something resembling order, and focused on the obvious conclusion, helped there by Pearl. "I can call on that person if I need their help, and they might offer it?" she asked. "And my people have nothing to fear from him?"

"Nothing more than what they fear from anyone else," Ember rumbled.

"You are not going to go on a rampage if someone you care about is killed?"

"Not one facilitated by the darker side of my abilities," Ember said coldly. "But that's all I'm promising."

"And it wouldn't be against innocent people, so the pack is mostly safe," Pearl added.

Lily would have asked what she meant by mostly, but she didn't need to. The obvious answer was Diora, and she could not in good conscience call that particular light wing innocent. It would be a disaster for Ember to kill her, of course, but by this point Lily was buried in so many problems and potential disasters that she was numb to the addition of one more.

"Okay, then," she said, backing down now that she had the knowledge she needed. "Thank you for cooperating. I will not be spreading this information." As much to keep the pack focused on the other, actual danger as to protect his privacy, but he didn't need to be told that.

"Cara saw something," Ember huffed. "She is going to demand answers too, and by now she might have told half the pack that I did something impossible."

"Beryl will have that well in paw," Lily chuffed. She knew that _he_ knew how Cara was, and thus that if he even suspected this was a possibility, he would cut ahead and stop her from spreading it. She had probably been cornered and sworn to silence the moment she returned.

"He probably will," Pearl agreed. "Now, we were going somewhere…" She flicked her ears in the direction of the mountains.

Lily nodded and turned around, resuming the wearying trek back. Pearl and Ember followed at a short remove, occasionally murmuring to each other.

She wondered how this forced confrontation would affect her rapport with Pearl and Ember. Pearl didn't seem to mind, but Ember had been a neutral presence to begin with, more easily approachable through Beryl than on his own. He hadn't been happy to reveal all of what he was to her-

But that might not have been frustration directed solely at her, given his misgivings about Cara. He had to expect that there was a chance his secret was already out, or at least revealed in its existence. That would bother him, given what Pearl had said about him being treated differently by the dragons of another pack because of it, and her forcing it would not have been pleasant in light of that.

She growled to herself, annoyed. She should have considered all of that _before_ broaching the argument. Handling it later, after he found out that Beryl had contained the spread of information, would have been much less contentious.

Assuming he had, of course. But she trusted Beryl to do what needed to be done, to do the things other people would need to be told to do. He could keep up with her, and had the proactive attitude to do so without needing orders.

She was going to be relying on that, and on his knowledge of tactics, and on every other part of him that made him so good to have around. This was too big to handle the minutia on her own, and she needed his help to work through what she had seen and learned, and how it could be used against the enemy.

Grey began to show between the trees in the distance, and soon afterward they were walking alongside the base of the mountains, headed for the only path up on paw.

If it weren't for the Deathgrippers, she would have thought to make something of that. Her valley had walls and one easy way in. That might have been a useful tool against an invading enemy comprised solely of No-scaled-not-prey. But the existence of their dragon allies, or prisoners, or mentally underdeveloped tools, or _whatever_ the Deathgrippers were, made that worthless. Any serious assault on the valley would begin with a fight to control the air above it, and if they lost that, there would be no turning the path up on paw into a choke point. If they _won_ said battle, maybe it would come into play, but she had her doubts about that too.

They went up the mountain in single file, Lily leading with Pearl behind her and Ember bringing up the rear. She didn't ask why they were bothering to follow her all the way up the mountain on paw when they could fly, their reasons were transparent enough that there was no need; Pearl thought she needed protection, and Ember was staying with his mate.

Lily wasn't about to complain about their presence, either. She still felt vulnerable, and when it came to being guarded, Pearl had a much better track record than most, and Ember was something else entirely. They were less likely to get killed by an ambush meant for her.

She sped up, walking as fast as her various bruises, sore spots, and ongoing pains would let her. She had to get back to the valley, to find out whether or not Grass and Crystal's Sire were alive.

A soft bark had her stopping in her tracks, about halfway up the mountain. Pearl and Ember fanned out to either side of her, looking around warily.

"Alpha!" A young female leaped out from behind a rock, shaking snow off of her back with a flutter of her wings. "You are back! Are you hurt?"

"Yes, I'm back, no I'm not hurt," Lily rumbled, continuing on her way. "You are here to watch the path up?"

"We are here to do that," another female grumbled, poking her head out from behind another boulder nearby. "And we are not supposed to be showing ourselves."

"It is the alpha, Pearl, and Ember," the first shot back petulantly. "It is not like they are going to hurt us."

"No, but if this place was being watched by others, you might have given away your presence," Lily said. "How long have you been out here?"

"Since this morning," the disgruntled female admitted. "We are being relieved soon. I think."

"I'll make sure you are," Lily said kindly, keeping to herself that she would do so mostly to get more experienced, reliable light wings down here to guard the path. She continued up the mountain, and the two females retreated to their hiding places. Presumably they were hiding in order to not have to flame themselves, but Lily also intended to specify that the replacement guards would need to be camouflaged at all times.

"Looks like we've been noticed," Ember said casually.

"Well, yes, we noticed you," the chirpy female said. "You especially, the snow makes you obvious. Orange does not blend in with white, no matter how dark it is outside."

"No, I meant by Beryl," Ember said, nodding up at the peak of the mountain.

Lily looked up and saw a black silhouette gliding down, swooping to land on the path a short distance ahead of her, perching on a jagged rock and staring down. His finely-toned form stood out in stark relief from the white and grey behind him, and she could tell he was glad to see her.

She was happy to see him, too. More than happy, her heart was light with relief, and she rushed forward, swiftly closing the distance between them with more haste than necessary. She was-

Confused. She was confused. She slowed down a bit as she neared, logic warring with her undeniable good mood. Nothing had changed; all that had happened was that Beryl had arrived, probably only here to check on the guards he had placed. There was no _reason_ to be so enthusiastic.

"Sorry I could not come myself," Beryl rumbled, speaking quickly. "You are uninjured? That is a lot of blood."

"Nothing serious, none of it is my blood, though I'm going to stop by Honey and Copper if they're available," she said with a hum, dismissing her confusion. She was glad to see him because he was exactly what she needed right now, answers and competent, involved leadership to delegate to, a mind to pick and another set of paws to employ in protecting her people. Someone she trusted. Of course she was happy to see him; Pearl and Ember were good, but she didn't have the same connection with them, the same rapport, and in this dark time, she needed that.

"It's great to see you," he said.

"Any fires I'm needed to put out?" she asked. Ember and Pearl were behind her again, having caught up, but she didn't really care if she was blocking their way. They could fly.

"No, thankfully," Beryl chuffed. "Pearl, Sire, any injuries?"

"I'm more in need of a wash than anything," Pearl snorted, for some reason sounding amused.

"Yes, and not by tongue," Ember said seriously. "I don't have a taste for blood, and getting that much off of you would be like drinking it. I'm fine too, Beryl."

"Good." His face fell, and his ears drooped as he looked at Lily. "At least that part of this went without loss or injury."

Lily's good mood plummeted, though a little piece of it remained, stubbornly resisting even the sadness of knowing what he was going to say next. "Who did we lose?" she asked with a sigh.

O-O-O-O-O

She had seen too many dead bodies. Those of the enemy were barely palatable, not made less grotesque by their identity, but at least less pitiable. Those of her people, though, the ones she was meant to protect? The ones who had given their lives protecting her?

She closed her eyes and put a paw on Grass' back, the only part of her body that was not stained or ripped open. It was impossible to tell which of her injuries had killed her, or whether they had all been dealt before she died. It might have been the puncture wound in her chest, or the gut wound that was a gaping hole she could smell despite the body being cold and already partially frozen over. The stench of death was worse, even, being the only thing she _could_ smell in the frigid air.

"Nobody saw them die," she said, and it was not a question. She knew nobody had seen the fight. She was the only witness, and she had been knocked out before most of their injuries had happened.

"No," Beryl said quietly. He was somewhere behind her, having shown her to where the bodies had been gathered, and then backed off. He sounded slightly surprised that she wanted him to say anything, but elaborated anyway. "A Deathgripper with a large burden was spotted by some of those fighting the main group, but it wasn't until they had all retreated that anyone could get to your cave and check on you, and by then they were long gone."

"But not all of this blood is theirs." She could smell that too, just a hint of retribution among the horror. "And you found a body."

"It was cast down a mountainside," Beryl said coldly. "Cara orchestrated that the moment everything else was seen to. It is in several pieces quite far away from your cave."

"That's little comfort," Lily said, opening her eyes and forcing herself to move on. She did not touch the cold body of Crystal's Sire, instead standing in front of it and forcing herself to look. His death was at least easily explained, his head at a terribly wrong angle even now.

"Crystal?" she asked, pushing down her anguish.

"Still getting seen to by Honey and Copper," Beryl said. "She had a nasty fall, and they wanted her to stay overnight in case she took a head injury."

"So I will see her after this," Lily murmured, moving on to the third body. It was a female, her white scales stained by dirt as much as blood. Her entire side was _flat_ , broken by an impact, and her wings tattered. "What happened here?"

"We didn't take too many injuries fighting off the larger group," Beryl said, "But they managed to stab right through this one's wings. She tried to land near the peak of the mountain, but even that was too far a fall."

Lily could tell that Beryl didn't know the female's name, but she didn't consider that a particularly egregious lack of knowledge. He wasn't supposed to know every single person in her pack.

But _she_ was, and she was finding that she couldn't quite remember this one. Not young, but not old either. She had been one of Claw's, one who lived a quiet life and didn't make waves. What was her name? Something about the ocean?

"Lily?" Beryl rumbled uncertainly.

"I don't remember her name," Lily admitted. She was glad he was the only one around; that was the sort of thing she wouldn't tell any of her fledglings. "I should, but I don't."

"Did you interact with her often?" Beryl asked. "I do not recognize her, and I have been around you a lot recently."

"No, maybe once or twice in passing. She didn't get into arguments or cause trouble." Those were the things that would have her constantly meeting a light wing, if they were not important in some other way. The quiet ones slipped through the cracks when she was busy.

"Well, then I would say that's not so bad," Beryl offered. "There are a _lot_ of people in this pack."

"It's not okay," Lily said, turning around. She put her back to the bodies, the people who had died for her or for the pack she led, and leaped up onto the nearest rock. "It's really not okay. But aside from finding out and remembering, and trying to do better in the future, there is nothing else I can do." The living needed her attention more than the dead, no matter how she might have failed the dead.

"I can find it out for you," Beryl offered. "You go to Honey and Copper, get yourself checked out. I'll handle it."

"Yes, please." She would have preferred sending someone less important on such a task, someone like Holly or Cara or even Aven, but they were all busy with the groups of light wings protecting the valley and watching the enemy from afar.

"I'll find you with Honey?" Beryl asked, leaping up behind her.

"Or close by, yes," she confirmed. It was almost a given that Honey wouldn't let her get away with just a quick checking over, and it wouldn't take Beryl very long to learn a single name. Half the valley probably knew it. It was her own failing that she didn't, not an understandable oversight. No matter how comforting it was to hear Beryl say so.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily found Honey, Crystal, and Copper all on Honey's rock. Neither Honey nor Copper was sleeping, despite it being the middle of the night, and she got the sense that she was expected.

Mostly because Honey was frantically waving her tail and murmuring to Copper, who moved away from Crystal to also beckon silently with his tail. They looked silly, both straining so hard to catch her attention without leaving their rock or making any noise, but it was effective in that Lily would have been tempted to go find out what they were doing even if she had no intention of staying to be treated.

"Alpha!" Honey hissed. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Lily murmured. She and Beryl had come down from the mountain and headed straight to the bodies, while Pearl and Ember had gone to spread the news and then see to their family. Most of the valley probably only knew that she was back, not _where_ she was, or when, exactly, she had returned.

"Come up!" Honey said enthusiastically, shuffling to the side and almost knocking Copper off. He leaped down of his own accord, but it was a near thing.

Crystal, who had not moved a muscle, shifted slightly and let out a quiet snore.

"Quietly," Honey added, glancing back at her other charge. "Copper, could you watch her?"

"My joy in life is watching young females sleep," Copper said dryly.

"Oh, maybe you should tend to the alpha," Honey murmured, apparently not noticing the sarcasm in his voice. She looked between Lily and Crystal as if trying to judge which of them was less likely to interest Copper. "Yes, the alpha."

Lily didn't have it in her to be amused _or_ insulted by that, and she didn't want to disparage Copper's abilities, so she let that go without comment and hopped up onto the rock. Honey and Copper switched places, Copper apparently also opting to not complicate matters further by correcting her. Honey sat on her hind paws and stared at Crystal's chest, watching it rise and fall, and Copper got to work.

"What happened that I need to know about?" he asked, eyeing her back. "You have raw wounds here, not deep at all, but very inflamed. Most of the blood on you does not smell like it is yours."

Lily tilted to the side and shifted her wings out of the way, well aware that resisting his examination in any way would just make her look hypocritical. That was the problem with having personally taught the people examining her; they would apply her own lessons on troublesome patients without batting an eye, because she had been firm in teaching them to assert themselves and brook no pointless argument. "First I was put to sleep by something, I don't know what. Then I was on my back, my weight supported by vines that rubbed me raw."

Copper let out a sympathetic croon and tentatively licked a spot on her back, causing a shudder of pain to work its way up her spine. "I see… But you were not left untreated. Else there would be dried blood caked on your back, and I see little of that."

"Pearl tended to my back," Lily said. "Afterward, we were… heated up."

Copper tilted his head and let out a confused rumble. "How so?" he asked. "Are you scorched somewhere? You would not be mentioning it if you did not think it was harmless."

"No fire, just close confines and air that got so hot I could barely remain conscious," Lily said curtly. "So hot my camouflage activated without me doing anything."

"Strange…" Copper licked down along her spine, and she muffled a yelp. "I will not insult your intelligence by advising that you not lay on your back for a while," he said dryly, "but you should also try to just rest. No running around, no stress, no staying up all night…"

"Yeah, not happening," Lily murmured.

"Well, then I suppose it would be best to give you something mild for the pain, so it will not distract you," Copper concluded. "Honey can help you clean yourself off by the pond… discreetly."

"Yes, please," she said.

Copper flew off, leaving Lily with Honey and Crystal.

"You know," Honey said, "you never taught us what to do if our patient has the authority to totally ignore our advice."

"You hope she knows enough to balance duty and health," Lily replied. "How is she?" She gestured toward Crystal.

"Sleeping, exhausted, sad," Honey listed. "Not hurt, and she is showing no signs of a head injury. But you will not be getting any help from her until the day after tomorrow."

"Why not?" Lily asked, wondering what complications Honey hadn't told her about.

"Because she just lost her Sire," Honey rumbled, looking over at Lily. "One she actually cared for. It is not safe to ask anything important of her right now."

"Sometimes, we have to get up and keep going, whether or not it's safe," Lily huffed. She would need Crystal, too; she needed everyone she had ever put the slightest bit of trust in. This was not a time to sit things out because one was sad, no matter how much she empathized with this particular sadness.

"It will be up to her." Honey shook her head. "But surely you can do without one person? It is not that bad, is it?"

"It won't be if I can help it, but I'm not sure what I can do," Lily admitted. "What's coming… It makes the one fight most of us have been in look like a petty squabble between fledglings." Beryl's training was good, but it was no match for experience and overwhelmingly superior forces.

"But we have you, so we will be okay," Honey replied.

It felt like someone had just landed on Lily's shoulders and was pushing her down, crushing her. "I'll fix this," she promised, seeing no other option. She settled down to wait for Copper's return. Maybe the plants he was bringing would take the weight away, too… but she doubted that. It wasn't a physical thing, just the way she interpreted having so many lives relying on her cleverness to get them out of this horrible situation… somehow.

O-O-O-O-O

The pain was a muted buzz, distant and ignorable. It was never _really_ noticeable until it was exacerbated or temporarily muted, and Lily savored this instance of the latter, though she knew it would come back with a vengeance later. There was a reason she did not make a habit of alleviating her own constant suffering despite having the means. Putting it off only made it harder to bear on a daily basis.

In _this_ case, though, she needed to be at the very top of her game, undistracted and fully aware. She was as close to that as she could get, and now she needed to dig her pack out of the pit they had somehow fallen into.

"Several dozen Deathgrippers, probably," Pearl concluded. She had been speaking for a while, methodically laying out what she and Lily had seen in their brief time of captivity. Ships, numbers, specifics about what they had overheard, all of the important things. "They can't be reasoned with, I tried. They don't even talk."

She addressed a ring of dragons, most light with one noticeable exception, all arranged on the plateau. The sky was still as stone, unbroken grey hiding all light, but Lily had been told it was some time after midnight.

Beryl stood to Pearl's right, Lily to her left. Across the plateau, Pina filled in for Crystal. On either side of her, Holly, Aven, and Cara stood.

All were relied upon in some way, though if Lily could have easily excluded Aven from this meeting without being obvious about it, she would have done so. Peace was not an option right now, and that was all Aven would argue.

These were her advisors, most of them, and her most informed, experienced minds. Three young sisters she delegated to, her own cavern-Dam, a visitor, and a friend from afar. She could rely on them to help with the planning…

But at the same time, most of them weren't capable of coming up with truly useful suggestions. They all had flawed, narrow ways of looking at the problem at paw. Beryl didn't, Pearl might not, but the rest of them did. She had to balance that while she looked for the real answer, too.

"I saw most of that from afar," Cara added. "If we attack quickly and while camouflaged, we can destroy most of it before it comes into play."

"They're forewarned and have the ability to fire into empty air and hope they hit," Beryl countered. "What works on normal No-scaled-not-prey doesn't work nearly so well when they know exactly what they're up against. We don't have the element of surprise."

" _They_ do, if anything," Lily said. "Why have our scouts consistently failed to provide advance warning?"

Cara bristled, but Holly knocked her wing against her sister, and she backed down. "I think it is a problem with speed," Holly offered. "The Deathgrippers are surprisingly fast. Both times they have attacked directly, they have chased scouts back without being left behind at all. If someone came across them flying around and managed to leave without being seen, we would get advance warning, but that did not happen either time."

"I am not satisfied to blame this solely on bad luck," Lily grumbled, "but let's move on. We know where they are now, they're approaching as we speak. We have people watching them at all times?"

"Yes, and carefully," Cara growled. "That will not be a problem. The problem is figuring out where to strike most effectively. Can we not ambush every dragon they send up?"

"We could kill one or two, maybe," Lily said, thinking it over as she spoke, "but then they would just send up a few at the same time, or with riders, and we would end up in a pitched battle we can't easily win. All while leaving the valley lightly defended, if at all."

"So how do we attack?" Cara asked.

"Do we attack at all?" Aven countered, leaning forward to look past Pina at Cara. "Should we? I still think we can send my friend back and have him speak on our behalf."

Lily found little joy in squashing Aven's aspirations, but the time had come to do it, lest she do something stupid. "Even if the prisoner can be expected to speak on our behalf, and not simply for you," and even that was in question, when the best the prisoner could say was that it would like Aven as a captive to keep, "it will not matter. We know why these No-scaled-not-prey are striking at us, and neither reason can be removed that way."

"From what you said, one motivation was hunting my kind down," Beryl elaborated, "but the other was avenging the ship this entire pack destroyed." His ears drooped for a moment, and Lily could tell he was thinking through whether it was all his fault their pack was in this situation. She didn't think so…

And she decided to say as much, lest he let it get to him. "That would have happened whether or not you were here," she said firmly. "One of my people, maybe more than one, would have gotten caught, and we would have gotten to that point anyway."

"Probably," Beryl conceded. "You said it seems like a custom, not something we can change by killing the one in charge?"

"Grimmel is the only one who cares that much about hunting down dark wings," Lily confirmed, "But I got the sense that getting revenge was a group-wide motivation. It will not change no matter who we kill. We lack others to blame their deaths on, and they know we killed the Deathgripper they sent later, so there is no escaping that they have reason to attack."

"Reason and means," Pina said softly. "What can we do to avoid this being a slaughter?"

"That's what I'm not sure on yet," Lily admitted. "There are plenty of options," and _that_ was an exaggeration if not an outright lie, but it would keep them from despairing before they even started to plan, "but I don't know what would work best."

"We have to attack," Cara said.

"We should hide and hope they go away," Holly retorted. "Or send someone to lead them on a wild chase and then lose them." She gave Beryl a decidedly cold look. "Since they want a dark wing…"

"Maybe," Beryl said, not dismissing the idea immediately, "but they have the numbers to chase me and attack your pack at the same time. It would only take a few Deathgrippers with riders to overpower me. Give them some backup so the pursuit can go without rest or delay, and I'm all but done for unless I give them the slip, and then they'll just come back to this fight."

"Okay, maybe that would not work," Holly admitted. She looked around to the other light wings. "Anyone else have ideas?"

"I do not know why I am here," Pina admitted. "I am a guard and spend my free time with my mate or a bunch of fledglings. I do not know war."

"You're here to provide your perspective as exactly those things," Lily assured her. "Let's go at this from a different angle, everyone. What will _not_ work? Aven?"

"Killing the prisoner," Aven immediately supplied. "That gets us nothing, he could be useful and I do not want him hurt."

"Okay," Lily agreed, "we will not do that. What _else_ would not help us?" The more they ruled out, the less they had to work with, but that meant everyone would be thinking about the things that actually had some merit to them.

"We can't just kill their leader," Pearl said. "That was pretty obvious, it wouldn't do us much good. Well, my family specifically, but not the pack."

"We cannot strike at their flock of ships while it is all together," Cara admitted. "We have to fight them when they are weak or spread out, not when they can just fill the air with fire and sharp things and hit us without seeing anything."

"We cannot just defend the valley and keep them out, they are intent on killing us and have the numbers to trade lives and still win," Holly said solemnly. "We cannot trade. So we have to either fight smart, or not at all."

"Yes, this is all good," Lily said. "Good, because doing any of it would be bad. Keep shooting things down, we are narrowing the field."

"Fighting on the ground is a terrible idea in general," Beryl said thoughtfully. "In the forests we can't shoot very far because of the trees, and close combat is their territory. But the Deathgrippers must be even worse in the trees than we are, and No-scaled-not-prey aren't very fast in general."

"That could be something we can use," Lily hummed. "Lure them down, use the forest to our advantage before any No-scaled-not-prey can reach where we landed." Or crashed, it was almost certainly going to be a crash given the dense canopy, but the idea remained. It was a tiny fragment, needing much more around it to work, but it was _something_.

"We-" Holly was cut off by a flash of light in the sky, below the clouds. It illuminated several light wings flying in a tight circle, holding a position in the sky like Beryl had taught them.

"Attack," Cara snarled, leaping into the air. The others quickly followed suit, though not everyone flew directly to the fight. Pina remained low in the air above Lily, and Pearl went toward the caves. Beryl lingered for a moment longer.

"It doesn't look good," he said. "They have a lot more flexibility than I could have guessed. Don't rely on my training to make your people their equals. If it comes down to a fight at all, you're going to lose people." With that, he flew up toward the conflict-

Which, as far as Lily could see, had not yet begun. Distant, unsettling roars contrasted with light wing screeches, and she could see her people holding the sky above the valley, not venturing out to strike yet. They wouldn't until they had critical mass, enough light wings to guard and fight at the same time.

Her people were learning. From her abduction, they had learned to not assume the enemy would always come in one group. From the previous attack of the sole Deathgripper, they had learned to prefer fire over claws and teeth, to strike weak points. From the first No-scaled-not-prey ship, they had learned that even the best could be surprised and overwhelmed, and that ridiculously superior firepower was effective.

But for every lesson like that, there was a high cost. Cara's ears, Blur's life, Grass' life, Crystal's Sire's life, the life of the female Beryl had told her was called Flicker. All just to learn the scant few lessons so far.

Beryl flew out, a dark presence even in the dark night sky, and a wedge of light wings ventured toward the braying Deathgrippers. Lily could barely see them, they were all so far away, and only the flashes of light and slightly delayed sounds of explosions told her anything was happening.

Another lesson might be learned tonight. Another price would almost certainly be paid, a trade made that any decent person would balk at. And if they fought again tomorrow, it would happen again. And again, and again, until her people were all gone and she was left knowledgeable but defeated, as Holly had predicted.

The surface lesson from _that_ was to pick her battles carefully, but Lily dug for another one beneath it, discarding that as insufficient. She was no use now, just a cripple leading with her mind, and if she could not be better than her advisors, there was no reason for her to lead at all. What was the _real_ conclusion she should be reaching from all of this, from what she had learned? The end result of all the lessons she could see laid out in front of her, something she could do now that, if she did not, she would wish she had done when the end came?

She would not trade lives. They would. They were here precisely to do that, to collect on their advance of a ship's worth of lives, to make it even and then some. Her opponent had no morals and was oriented around killing, her people had spent season-cycles _learning_ morals and had everything to protect, everything to lose.

Any fight that harmed a single one of her people, however damaging to the other side, was a loss for her. But she couldn't get her people out of this without losing something.

There was a screech in the distance, and a second group of light wings went out to fight on the other side of the mountain range, catching the attempted ambush long before it reached anyone. They had learned, but even in their learning they would be hurt.

And this was all the opening strike, a tentative pawing as prelude to a full-body assault. She had seen the many, many ships and No-scaled-not-prey, none of which had even been committed to battle yet. They were testing her people, kidnapping and learning about them, preparing to wipe them out.

Every battle was a _win_ for them, not only because they inflicted damage and could more easily absorb the return, but because they were learning too. She couldn't let them get better at fighting her people.

A loud roar went up, and a small collection of dark figures flew up from the caves. Ember and some of his family, brought into the fight by Pearl. They went to join Beryl's front, and though she couldn't tell from watching the distant struggle, she would have guessed that they would win it.

It didn't matter. There would be more Deathgrippers, more No-scaled-not-prey, the real fight hadn't even begun. The _real_ fight would be a bloody battle of matching wits, an inferior underdog pitted against a vengeful, superior enemy. It would be violent, barely winnable even with her trying her hardest.

"No," she snarled to nobody at all. She looked around the valley, spotting fearful light wings, Dams and Sires sheltering young ones, some shepherding their children to the caves, others remaining where they were as if thinking movement would draw attention to them.

"No," she said again, seeing the future if she chose this fight, if she took Grimmel as her enemy and faced him, or struck from the shadows, or did _anything_ against him. Last time she had fought a superior enemy, there was no running. This time?

This time, she would lose if her people fought _at all_ , if they defended, if they attacked, if they maneuvered and whittled down the opposition first or if they didn't. It didn't matter, the end result was the same, death and suffering for… _nothing_. Nothing they would not still have if they fled, except for the valley itself.

They had to leave. It would be difficult to propose, difficult to implement, and difficult for her people to stomach, but it had to be done. If the trade for this valley was to be in lives, she wouldn't make it at all.


	55. Vital

Lily leaned to the side, her ears up, and listened to the worried whispers of the female who had just flown in from her turn scouting the enemy. It was not urgent, not in the scout's opinion, as she had flown in without any hurry, but it also was not good. Not that Lily had expected any _good_ news.

"They smashed right into the shore, threw a bunch of stuff off their wooden things, and started setting up sticks in the ground," the female relayed.

Beryl leaned in from the other side, his ears almost touching Lily's. "Are they going into the forest?" he asked.

"Only a few, most are just putting things all around them on the beach," the scout said. "There are a bunch of Deathgrippers above, but they are not going anywhere either."

"Good," Beryl rumbled. "We have time." He winked at Lily, and she had to hold in a very inappropriate laugh. They were being watched by the vast majority of the pack, after all.

"For what?" the female asked.

"Go join the crowd and find out," Lily suggested, waving her tail at the pack assembled around the plateau. "And thank you for remembering to come directly to me."

"Yes, alpha," the female said, pulling away. She seemed flustered, as if she had only just now realized that there were scores of light wings watching her report. She leaped into the crowd, disappearing into the mass of bodies.

Lily put the report out of her mind, since it had done nothing but confirm what Beryl had already predicted. They had made landfall. Next would come fortifying the immediate area, then scouting around to make sure they knew the landscape, possibly laying traps as they went, and _then_ something he couldn't predict, an attack of some sort.

If she had her way, none of her people would be present to find out what that third part of their plan was. It was midmorning, and they would all be gone by midnight.

"You all know I have been captured, seen the insides of their ships, met their leader though he did not know me, and then rescued," she announced. Beryl remained at her side, a visual reminder that while she did not have much personal knowledge of the enemy, she had the aid of one who knew No-scaled-not-prey better than most. She would need his voice of authority soon enough, and it felt nice to have someone up here with her for once…

She threw _that_ worthless thought aside too, wondering where it had even come from, and focused on the speech she had come up with in the early morning after figuring out all the specifics with Beryl and a few others. "I have spent all night planning, plotting, looking for ways for us to win."

There was a halfhearted murmur of anticipation, like a little wave made by a fledgling playing in a puddle, destined to be snuffed out by another, larger wave coming the other way. She savored the admittedly small sign of her reputation working as intended.

"And I have a way," she continued, speaking loudly and clearly so that none would misunderstand her. This would be hard enough without being misheard. "It will not be fun. It will not be safe. It will require sacrifice from every single one of us."

Already, the enthusiasm was disappearing, being replaced by apprehension everywhere she looked. She wished she could just sit down with every single one of them, one at a time, separately, and explain what she had realized, what she had seen. That she could ensure they all knew _exactly_ what she had seen, what it meant, how she felt. She didn't want to do this either, but she knew it was necessary, and she wished that it was not.

"But it will be much better than fighting them directly. Better than huddling in our cave and hoping they go away, which they won't. Better than anything else I could think of, anything anyone could think of." She inclined her head at Beryl, indicating that he also could not think of a better plan, which was true, though he had agreed with her the moment she said they needed to leave.

"If we fight them, some of us will die." She growled angrily. "Some of us already have died, and I am not going to let _anyone_ hurt my people if there is an alternative. Is there anything more precious than our lives? Then the lives of your family, your friends?"

She paused, long enough for some people to realize she wasn't asking a rhetorical question, that she was actually expecting an answer.

"No!" someone barked.

"Nothing is more important!" another added. The tide of voices broke a moment later, everyone roaring or barking their opinion.

Lily waited it out, letting it go on for a short while. When it died down, she barked wordlessly and spoke again. "Our lives are more important. More important than our pride, more important than this valley. We will not fight. We will leave."

There was more she had meant to say directly after that, but for once the shocked silence she had expected didn't come. A steadily increasing wave of noise took its place, light wings gasping, and then speaking to each other, and then voicing their horrified objections to the crowd, louder and louder to be heard.

The noise was bordering on painful, but she did not even _try_ to cut it off or respond. She looked to Beryl, and he stared back at her with wide eyes. He had not fully understood how unappealing this plan would be.

He didn't know what it was like to live somewhere for all of one's life, to never know anywhere else, and then one day to be told to leave. She knew. She had used it before, relied on it, planned around it. Never before had she tried to uproot it, to overwhelm it, but she had known going in just how fervent the reactions would be. She was asking them to venture into the scary unknown.

But, though she had expected it, now she was finding that hearing their fear hurt, too. She was asking them to _trust her_. She had built up the same trust she was now calling on, working for season-cycles on end to create an image they could rely on. If this was a test of her efforts, she would have failed.

Maybe. Maybe not. The moment there was a momentary lull in the noise, she roared as loudly as she could. "Listen!" The noise did not abate any further, but she went on anyway. "If we cannot fight, if we _will not_ fight, then we have to leave! This valley is home, but it is just a bunch of rocks and a pond. There will be other valleys, other homes, but there is no replacing each other!"

Some of them were listening. The ones who knew her personally, her friends, those she had helped before. Those few she had already spoken with, in preparing the specifics. Others, the majority of the pack, weren't paying her any mind.

So much for the image she had spent so long cultivating, if it did nothing to help her now. She snarled, angry at herself as much as them, and looked to Beryl. "Some extra volume would be appreciated."

He nodded, and they roared in unison, long and loud. His roar was deeper than hers, she had a slightly higher-pitched voice, but hers was more piercing.

Others in the crowd joined in, recognizing the signal Beryl had proposed in case a single call to order wasn't enough, and the noise became physically painful, roars from every direction at the top of strong light and dark wing lungs. It cut through the frantic babbling like a claw through sand, and in its wake left only a murmur.

"This isn't open for discussion, I am not asking you to leave, I am telling you that we _must_ leave if you want the light wings around you to survive the cold-season. If you want to survive yourself." She paced along the edge of the plateau, glaring out at the people who had so disappointed her in their lack of trust. "Plans have been made, we have guides, we have a way to leave, to bring everyone and leave none behind. It was a choice between leaving our home or losing lives and then maybe leaving anyway, if we are not wiped out entirely, and I have _made that choice._ Everything else is secondary, we _must_ leave."

"The outside world isn't so bad," Beryl added, following up before the noise could start again, taking her momentum and flying with it. "It's not safe, but neither is this valley, now! Your greatest advantage is hiding in plain sight, but that does no good if the enemy knows where you will be anyway. Leaving means leaving the danger behind, trading a dedicated enemy for the lesser dangers of life."

"And that enemy _is_ coming," Lily continued. "I have just now received word that they are landing on our shores, preparing to be attacked, readying their claws and watching the skies. If we attack, we die. If we wait here, we die. If we leave, then we lose them and do not die. Only one of those is acceptable."

"How are we going?" Clay's mate called out, right on time. Lily usually waited for someone to naturally ask the questions she wanted to move speeches forward, but this was not something she could leave up to chance.

"It is going to be complicated," Lily said firmly. "I will be splitting you all into smaller groups, each with a leader I have personally instructed on exactly what we will be doing, what the precautions are, and more. I and some others have devised a way to leave and travel that will make it impossible to follow us, and so long as you remember the things I am going to tell you, and listen to those I have appointed to lead you on this exodus, you will be fine."

She wished everything she had just said was true and without unspoken additions, but almost none of it was. The time in between deciding to leave and this announcement had been a blur of hectic arguing and decision-making, clawing out the details and beating the thorny problem of leaving into something that could be done, and none of it was perfect.

But that was a big reason she was breaking the pack up into smaller groups for the journey. Where the overall plan failed or needed to be adapted, she would have people she could trust in charge to adapt on the fly.

"Listen carefully," she continued after a moment. "Those leading your group will be able to tell you anything you missed, but you will be less scared if you understand and remember what we are going to do, and why."

Now she had the attention of the majority, and though it still stung that it had taken so much effort, she could ignore that. They were listening, caught up in the details, not the overall decision. That was the best she could hope for.

"We will be going before the No-scaled-not-prey finish establishing themselves on our shores," she said. "At dusk, each group will go into the caves, camouflage, and depart, flying close to not lose each other." That would be dangerous, forcing them to fly slower than normal to keep together despite it being almost impossible to see each other. As a result the initial departure would be the most risky part of the whole endeavor, but there was no way around it.

"You will all be flying East, toward the rising sun and moon, away from the setting sun and moon," she continued, speaking slowly and clearly. This was not the only time they would hear these instructions; she expected the better part of this entire day to be taken up in questions and reiterating things, all hopefully directed at her subordinates. But she wasn't about to mess up the first rendition they would be hearing.

"You will stay well away from the coastline, so that the No-scaled-not-prey cannot follow by sea," she continued. "Fly parallel to it, as much as possible. This will be up to your group leader's judgment. Your group may or may not meet other groups, if that happens, travel together if you can. Sleep in the day and travel at night, if you can, though groups with fledglings may not be able to do that reliably." She wasn't about to set any of this in stone except the direction and the ones in charge; the rest would need to change on a group by group basis, as circumstances warranted.

"Continue East over the forest, but do not cross any oceans, nothing a flightless dragon could not cross on their own," she continued, a distant memory nagging at her, one she had drawn from in picking their direction. It was the obvious one, the only direction that led them into the endless forest and thus away from the ships that made up a vast portion of the enemy's might, but it was also the direction Pyre had meant to take her.

She inhaled, covering her momentary sadness by making it look like she was catching her breath, and remembered the bare necessities of that day one more time, just to reassure herself. It was burned into her mind, unforgettably painful, but for once that inability to forget had not been _only_ torment for her, it had also been useful.

' _It's not even that far,'_ he had said, after mumbling to himself and retracing the pack's path in his mind. _'We just have to follow the coastline East of here for a while.'_ Then she had asked if he could get there on paw, and he had said, _'Mostly. We will figure out how to cross the water when we get there.'_

She repeated his words in her mind, doing her best to hold back the flood of irrelevant feeling and pain and despair that should, by all rights, accompany them. The important part was that she had a direction to somewhere Pyre had considered safe. Lacking anywhere else to go, she would direct her pack there. They might not actually go to the place he had come from, but it was _somewhere_ to aim for, and the one impassable obstacle in the way provided a landmark for her people to reunite at.

Not that she would be telling them where she had gotten the directions from, or what they might find at the end. All Beryl and the others knew was that Pyre had told her about the terrain out that way, and her pack in general didn't even need to know that much.

"Don't go in any other direction, and don't stop travelling until you reach something nobody could cross on paw. It will probably be where the shore curves around, if I had to guess," she continued, shaking herself out of the half-experienced memory before she could be sucked in.

"Once you're there, you can try to find the other groups and gather together. Warmth is going to be a problem, but I have passed on several ways to combat it to your group leaders." How to dig tiny caves in the sides of hills, something from Beryl and Ember about making a warm sleeping place out of snow, of all things, and little bits of advice Pyre had given her. The cold was going to be a problem, but not too much of one. Not for those who would be flying all day, then huddling together at night.

"Fly camouflaged, don't fire shots unless you have to, and avoid being followed," she concluded. "We will meet up wherever the first impassable obstacle happens to be, days or even moon-cycles away from here, and the enemy will have no idea where we have gone. They will not be able to catch up, either, because while we fly in a straight line, they will have to fan out and search in every direction."

There was more, so much more, but most of it was meant for her subordinates to convey as needed, lest she bury her people in information they didn't yet need. Contingencies, what to avoid, rules to follow… Ways to survive. She couldn't impart season-cycles worth of lessons from Pyre in a single day, but she didn't have to. Common sense and warnings about the most common mistakes would be enough, and she had the luxury of picking who she taught.

"We will leave, and they will not follow," she said confidently, looking to the sky for a moment. It was empty of enemies; the Deathgrippers had not struck to kill in the night's attack, just a probing attempt to see whether they were alert and wary, and now they flew above their No-scaled-not-prey masters, defending their own airspace as the ground-bound section of their forces established a defensive position to fall back to. It was a steady, measured advance, which worked to her advantage.

"Those of you with fledglings," Beryl called out, startling her, "if they are of a small enough size to carry, do that. If they can fly, have them fly. Do not worry, the groups have been arranged with that in mind. You will not be separated from your mate, nor grouped together with too many other Dams and Sires. We have accounted for that."

"I saw a lot of people looking at their children and looking scared," he added in a whisper meant for Lily alone. "Sorry."

"No, that's good," she said, not at all bothered. He was doing what she wanted, catching and covering for her inevitable little mistakes. They had planned around fledglings, it was true, but she should have made sure everyone knew.

"Those I have chosen as group leaders are as follows, nobody else," she called out, leaping back onto the path she had planned out in advance. "Holly, Cara, Pina, Mist, Clay, Cedar, Flare, Rain, Pearl, and Dew." Not Aven, because she wasn't all that reliable, though Lily of course hadn't given that as a reason. Not Crystal, because Honey was right, she was in mourning and Lily hadn't wanted to drop a mountain of responsibility on her the moment she woke. Not any of the dark wings, because they would be leaving in a different way and couldn't camouflage.

Each of the people she had listed would be in charge of anywhere from eight to fifteen light wings, groups balanced so that the more difficult cases would not overwhelm any one leader. They all knew what they were doing, and though she would not have put some of them in charge if she had better options, they were all capable of it.

She didn't hear any vehement objections to her picks; in truth, most of her people looked like they were in some form of shock, staring up at her with overwhelmed or frightened looks in their eyes.

"They will come and tell you who you are with," Lily said. "They will answer all of your questions. I will be around, smoothing things out as needed. Be brave, be kind, put aside any petty squabbles you might have, focus on what needs to be done and let the rest fall aside."

Her subordinates, her leaders, set to work in the crowd, roaming around and catching the ones they had been assigned or requested for their group, separating everyone out. Lily was glad she had taken such care to keep families together; if such a process was accompanied by worry or fear because, say, Holly and Mist were each taking one half of a mated couple, this whole thing might have crumbled into a chaotic mess before it even got started. As it was, families went together when they were called, and everything was, if not orderly, then calm enough to pass as such to a casual observer.

"That worked out well enough in the end," Beryl remarked. "I expected Diora or someone like her to set up a fuss."

"That will still happen," Lily said confidently. "But not until she figures out how to use this to her advantage. There's a reason I sent her with Pina's group." Pina was mature, capable of putting Diora down in an argument, and if it came down to it, capable of thrashing Diora in a fight. What was more, she had no standing bad blood with Diora, so it was possible Diora might not challenge her at all.

"Hey! You, alpha and sidekick!" Storm leaped onto the plateau, casting Beryl a smug purr. "What is going on here?"

"You would know if Ember had been able to find you this morning," Beryl said dryly.

"Root and I were busy annoying the neighbors," Storm said casually. "And I come back to hear you're all going to fly away? Did you even consider that Root might have a problem with that? If you are expecting a miracle, you can go jump off a cliff and look for one yourself." She glared angrily at Lily.

Lily refused to rise to meet Storm's surprisingly altruistic anger. "I did not expect him to fly alone," she said, "or even with other light wings, since that is asking for something to go wrong. He'll be travelling with the dark wing group, and leaving in the same fashion." That had not been any trouble at all to arrange, though she was pretty sure Flare had borne the brunt of Whirl's reaction to that news. Thankfully, Lily hadn't needed to be there for that conversation.

"Which is?" Storm demanded, partially mollified. She still sounded angry, but looked less eager to bite someone over it. "I am up for crushing a few fat skulls, but we cannot fight them all off and get away unscathed."

"Ember has a plan," Beryl said carefully, mindful of the many ears around the plateau. Nobody seemed to be listening in, but Lily was glad he had absorbed her careful mentality when it came to potential eavesdropping. "Root will ride on him on the way out."

"Ride?" Storm tilted her head. "Ember is not that big…"

"You were there for the fight last night," Beryl said significantly. "He was too."

"Oh, I get it," she huffed. "Okay, that could work. We are travelling along with them, right?"

"Half of our family still has business here," he said. "Of course we are, especially since Root will be there, and Pearl will be busy leading some of them. We're helping."

"You are definitely _helping_ ," Storm snorted. "Okay, fine. See you later." She departed with a hard flap of her wings, getting just enough air to glide over the crowd and angle upward.

"She would have saved herself a lot of trouble by telling someone where she was going this morning," Beryl mused. "But that's Storm for you."

"She barely seems to fit with the rest of your family," Lily mused. "Thorn and Herb are calm and kind, Ember is nothing like her, Spark could not be more different in attitude, and you're nothing like her either."

"Different circumstances, different temperaments, different Sire…" Beryl shrugged his wings. "She's a good person, just rougher than most. She fits in fine."

Lily couldn't quite remember what the deal was with Storm's Sire, but the arrival of Ember, dropping down from almost directly above them, entirely distracted her from asking about it. "So?" she asked.

"Should work," Ember said shortly. "They don't usually go out without riders, but it's not unusual enough to get me checked unless I'm obviously doing something wrong. And the other Deathgrippers…" He trailed off, looking over at Beryl.

"How bad?" Beryl asked.

"Not bad so much as depressing," Ember admitted. "They're… stunted. That's the best way to put it. They don't _have_ a language, they're never around any other kind of dragon unless it's dead or about to die. They understand commands, and they're not treated badly, but it's not a life anyone would want unless they knew nothing else. Worst of all, they're fiercely loyal."

Lily knew he was talking about the Deathgrippers from first-paw experience now, however that worked. He had killed one in the defense of the valley the night before, one of the only deaths inflicted in that fight, and that meant he knew what it knew. Somehow. She wasn't sure how using that knowledge meshed with his 'nothing a No-scaled-not-prey and dark wing together could not do' moral code, unless it was fine so long as he didn't kill specifically in order to get information. She wasn't about to question it when he was helping her.

"That explains why they didn't respond to Pearl's taunts," she huffed. "There are no unforeseen problems?"

"Can't say that until it's done and over with, can I?" Ember rumbled. "No problems so far. I'll be ready to take Root out at dusk, and if we could just find Storm, everyone else will be prepared to make their own ways down when that time comes."

"We just saw her, she went that way," Beryl said, pointing Ember in the direction Storm had taken. "You could catch her before she gets too far if you're quick."

"I always end up chasing after her for one reason or another," Ember grumbled good-naturedly, taking his leave with a respectful nod to Lily and a lopsided grin for Beryl.

"And, of course, that means there's no trouble with your escape plan," Beryl said, turning to Lily. "I'll be nearby."

"You'll be where you're supposed to be, not a step closer," Lily huffed, wondering whether his promise to not make advances was wearing thin. He hadn't put a paw out of place yet, but she couldn't help hearing his concern and wondering where it came from. Was it purely friendship, or was he still harboring feelings for her?

She shoved those thoughts down, though they didn't go easily, and looked around, centering herself. Her fledglings were all grouping up now, some calmly and others with an excess of nervous energy. Actual fledglings ran and barked and got corralled by their parents, or huddled near their parents, or just acted like they didn't notice anything abnormal was going on.

"I'm going to go break that up," Beryl said, indicating a heated discussion going on between what looked like a male and his mate. "You?"

"Same, putting out fires," Lily said dryly. "See you tonight."

O-O-O-O-O

Watching the sun slowly begin to set over the mountains was a bitter affair on this particular day. Lily turned away after only a glance, refusing the inevitable deluge of memories she would undoubtedly be assaulted by if she lingered, if she remembered the many other times she had watched the same ball of orange falling into the same craggy peaks.

"That is always beautiful," Pina remarked from behind her. She had been one of the first to arrive. Lily could see the others flying up now, but for the moment it was just the two of them on the ledge outside her cave. Pyre's cave.

"Keep yourself busy enough, and you can ignore almost anything," Lily said.

"Is your point that you have ignored the little things far too often?" Pina asked.

"No, not really," she said.

"I do not know what you mean, then," Pina huffed.

"I'm not really talking about the sunset." She looked down at the valley, the white figures moving around aimlessly. Some would be saying temporary goodbyes to friends, others to lost loved ones whose remains would be left behind, one particularly naive light wing would be saying goodbye to the No-scaled-not-prey prisoner they were leaving to be found by its compatriots… A lot of goodbyes.

"You are talking about all of this," Pina sighed. "It has not sunk in yet, has it? I do not think that is just you, it has not sunk in for any of us. Yesterday at this time, I had not even thought of us leaving. Today, now, we are moments away from going down and beginning the departure."

"Time was of the essence. This would not work if we took the time to get used to the idea." She was feeling the same thing Pina was, possibly more so than her cavern-Dam. The time in between deciding to leave and now was a blur of arguing and discussing and thinking about the practicalities, and then sorting out the many small conflicts the news brought… She had not slept since the night before last, and her body was dragging, but she didn't feel tired. She just felt strange, like she was floating in a cloud but not. She could function, it was just odd.

"I was captured, I was freed, I decided we should leave, and now we are," she said. The others were close now, gliding in. "There is no time between those things, it all feels like one terrible day with no end, just darkness in the middle."

"But you are clear-headed enough to do this, right?" Pina asked, nudging her side worriedly.

"Enough," Lily confirmed. She stepped back as the rest of her guards came in, landing on the ledge that had only rarely seen more than a few light wings at any one time.

It felt as if there were so _few_ of them; a fourth of their members were gone, and one replaced. Pina went to stand with Mist, who for once did not glare at Holly, who in turn made room for Cedar and Flare, the latter keeping one eye on Crystal as she flew in last of all.

Six. There were six of them, where there should have been eight. Lily hadn't even expected Crystal to show, but the sad, withdrawn look on her friend's face made her presence, and by extension the two absences, _more_ sobering, not less.

Lily had not seen Crystal awake since her kidnapping, and she found herself walking forward to embrace her friend without any thought whatsoever. "You don't have to be here," she hummed, draping her head over Crystal's. "You are mourning, that is the most important thing you have to do."

"You never let yourself mourn," Crystal huffed quietly.

"And I never want anyone to follow in my miserable pawsteps," Lily said, half serious and half joking. "Really. Go be with your Dam and Pearl." She had made sure Pearl had Crystal's group exactly so that in the journey to come, there would be an old friend there ready if she needed help.

"In a moment. I should be here." Crystal pulled back and looked at the other guards, who were doing their best to give them privacy on the relatively small ledge. "Whatever it is we are doing here. Not all of your leaders are present. Are they coming?"

"They will be here any moment," she said. She had specifically instructed those of her leaders who were not guards to linger and come slightly later, so that she could address her guards first… and Clay she had given both options, to come whenever he felt more comfortable. Since he was not here now, she would assume he didn't want to make things weird.

She backed up as far as the ledge would allow, right to the edge, and looked at them as a group. "You did well."

Those words hung in the air for a long moment, unchallenged.

"Even those of you who aren't here right now," she said, acknowledging the absence of Grass, Crystal's Sire, and Clay, though the latter was only absent because he chose to be. She hoped including him in that acknowledgement wouldn't make this awkward, but it probably would. Everything was difficult and flawed and going by too fast today, and there was nothing she could do about it except hope it didn't seem so bad to those who weren't terribly sleep deprived like she was.

"I probably won't see any of you for a while, and I don't want to leave anything important unsaid. If I could go with one of your groups, I would." She shrugged her wings to shed light on the reason she could not, just in case someone didn't understand. "Thank you for giving me a fourth of your lives for season-cycles on end, for deciding to protect me where I cannot protect myself. But now your assignment is changing."

"Protect my people," she ordered. There was a flapping sound from behind her, and more light wings joined, for once at exactly the right time. Cara dropped down behind Holly, Clay landed on the far end of the ledge, Rain and Dew joined Pina, and Pearl dropped down so close to the cave entrance her tail was partially inside. If the ledge had been crowded before, it was full to capacity now.

"All of you, protect my people." Her ears fell flat, and she let them, hoping it gave her a sombre appearance. "Lead them, keep them together, and if you cannot find the others at the end of the journey, settle down somewhere safe. I chose you all because I trust you, and I trust you can find it within yourselves to lead for as long as it takes. But I expect to see all of you again."

"Clay," she said, singling him out. "I expect to meet the child who will come from the egg I never found time to visit. You will be okay?"

"Yes, you arranged my group to be people my mate and I trust, we can all share the task of keeping him or her warm and safe," Clay hummed. "It will be done. We will see you again, alpha."

"Mist," Lily said, looking at the female in question. "You will lead fairly, and you will lead well. You won't let petty grudges get in your way?"

"You mean with Holly?" Mist looked over at Holly, blatantly acknowledging their mutual dislike with a distance that Lily understood all too well; a product of the day, not any permanent change in mentality. "I do not see how it will get in the way of anything. I will see you again soon."

"Cedar," she said. "I fully expect Liona to come out of this more confident, both in herself and in you. You will lead with the same gentle reassurance you are so good at?" She had burdened him with many of the more timid females, along with a backbone of stronger light wings to keep them safe. It was playing to his strengths, but she wanted to be sure he understood why.

"Yes, though she has already improved more than you know," Cedar said defensively. "You will see once we meet again."

"I will," Lily agreed. "Pina, you will lead with the same compassion you have shown so often in the past?" Pina had one of the most fledgling-heavy groups.

"We may be slower than most, but we will get there," Pina promised.

"And we will be right behind you," Dew said.

"Don't try and meet up too soon," Lily warned. "But other than that, I have no worries for your group, Dew. And you, Rain. I expect to see all three of you together again when we all meet up." Theirs was one of the few families that had to be split, in this case because she was short on reliable light wings.

"I might be late because my group took too many breaks, but other than that we will be fine," Rain said lightly. "Though why you have _me_ of all people in charge…"

"I trust your parents," Lily rumbled. "Maybe not so much you, but you know, desperate times…" They both chuckled at the joke, though it was made far too heavy by circumstance.

"Flare, I'm asking a lot of you," Lily said bluntly, turning her attention to him. "Root will be safe with the dark wings, but in exchange I'm putting you in charge of a dozen light wings instead of just one. You can handle it?"

"My mate will be the hardest part," Flare hummed. "You could have put her in charge instead of me, you know."

"I trust you more," Lily said bluntly. "And I will see that said trust was well-founded when we meet again."

"You will," Flare conceded, dipping his head.

"Pearl," Lily continued, looking to the female in the back. "Thank you for taking this on. None of this is your responsibility or your fight, but I feel much better knowing you are taking part."

"It'll be an adventure," Pearl said. "I'm more worried about you and your group than mine."

"We will be fine," Lily said. She needed to extract no personal promise or motivation from Pearl; returning to her mate and son were already all the motivation she would ever need.

"Cara, no turning your group into a bunch of warriors and harassing the enemy," she said seriously, though she had already extracted promises from Cara on that topic earlier. It bore repeating. "We want to leave them behind with no clue where we have gone, not drag them along in a series of flying battles."

"Yes, alpha," Cara huffed.

"Good. I want to see you back with every single one of the light wings under your command." Lily said. "Will I?"

"Probably, but no promises," Cara huffed. "Something is going to go wrong."

"So long as it does not go wrong because of you," Lily conceded. She had given Cara able-bodied light wings for a reason, just as she had also made sure those light wings were not used to following Cara into battle. The same reasoning was behind sending both Honey and Copper with her; Lily was balancing the likelihood of provoking conflict with the ability of Cara's group to survive it.

"And you, Holly," she said, turning to the last light wing to be addressed. She was met with a level, expectant stare. "You wanted lessons in leading, and now you will be putting what you have learned to work. Demonstrate how much you have learned by being there when I arrive, all safe and accounted for."

"Thank you for the encouragement, alpha, I will," Holly promised. It sounded like she had seen through what Lily was doing. Lily wouldn't be surprised if that was the case; she didn't have it in her to be too subtle right now. Holly didn't seem inclined to make trouble with the fact that she had just used an emotional parting to somewhat cynically inspire and reinforce the confidence of her subordinates, so it was fine.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the sun was more than halfway behind the mountains. There were a few light wings flying around above, and the distant figures of Deathgrippers, as of yet still confined to the airspace above their masters, and nothing else. Just a few clouds and the massive orange orb and a sight she might never see again, not from here.

"Go, remember what you have been told, protect my fledglings," she growled. "Do not falter, do not shy away from hard decisions, do not let yourselves be gainsaid. I have chosen you, and there are no others more able to keep my people safe." If the worst-case scenario came to pass and her people were scattered beyond hope of gathering together again, she would have set the seeds of almost a dozen new packs, small and vulnerable. She would have no others leading those packs, were they to come into existence.

It wouldn't happen. Her best plans had a way of failing despite everything, but this was not just her plan. Beryl, all of the light wings before her, and more who were not present had all contributed. If all they could do was doomed to fail, then there was nothing more she could possibly do anyway.

"Go!" she repeated, flinging a wing out to its too-short limit and cringing internally at the tugging pain in her back.

The light wings all leaped into the air, flying as one for the time it took them to split and cover the valley. Each went to a different place, each to gather different people. A few of her leaders went to gather those flying above the valley on watch; those would be the last groups to leave, though it seemed that precaution was unnecessary.

Lily watched the sun set and her people gather. She lingered as long as she could, and when the sun sank beneath the mountains…

She looked down at the valley one last time, sighed, and went into her cave. All was in motion, and she needed to play her part lest she doom herself.

The image Beryl had given her by proxy did not look quite so calm and peaceful now. She sat down opposite it and stared for a time, listening for the first sounds of failure even as she did her best to calm herself.

Her body ached. Her eyes felt heavy, though she could _not_ sleep. Ember would adapt, he could carry out their plan even if he had to come into the cave and pull her out while she slept, but to slumber while her people began the most dangerous part of their perilous journey, the one she had sent them on… No.

So she sat, she waited out of sight of any prying eyes, and she stared at the lines that managed to pull at her weary heart without also tugging out the pain she kept buried.

Her eyes began to drift shut of their own accord. She shook herself thoroughly, but it didn't really help.

"This is going to be a very long wait," she said into the silence, hoping that talking would keep her alert and awake. She had spent the vast majority of the last day and night talking to people, and she hadn't felt overwhelmingly tired until she stopped, so it seemed reasonable to assume they were connected in some way.

Addressing a bunch of meaningful lines on stone was not the _most_ sane-looking way to remain awake, but she couldn't find the energy to care.

"I am going to miss this cave," she said softly, looking around. It was not much, but it was _home_ in a way the valley itself just couldn't match. This was the only place she felt safe…

Though it was tainted now. She had been attacked, two of her guards killed, right outside. Blood had been spilled, though she couldn't see it now. Someone, probably Beryl or under his direction, had removed it, but the scent remained. It polluted the air, contrasting the smell of home that had gradually faded over the moon-cycles after Pyre's death, replaced at first by nothing and then by her own scent.

"Maybe it's good that we're leaving," she murmured, her thoughts drifting. "I won't have to sleep somewhere else in the valley instead of here." She wouldn't have to choose between feeling like she was abandoning another part of Pyre, and being unsafe every night as she slept. He would have understood, but this felt much… cleaner. More clear-cut. The valley was a danger, known to the enemy, as unsafe as this particular cave. They all had to go. It was still her choice, but one not made for her own comfort.

"Maybe Ember can make another cave wall like this for me," she said after a long silence. Her eyes drifted to the impossible scene of peace. It was perfect, impossible to reproduce… But she would not have thought it possible to make in the first place. Ember could do the impossible, and Beryl would ask him if she wanted him to. Maybe even if she did not request it; he had a way of knowing what she needed without her having to spell it out for him.

The light had dimmed further, and she remembered that she had one more thing to do before the wait, before it became so dark that a momentary flash of light would be blindingly obvious.

She stood, hopped on her paws to wake up a little more, and flamed the stone wall across from her, using several shots worth of heat in the process. That done, she pressed up against it until she was hot enough, then turned around and did her other side.

It was a slow process, far slower than just leaping through a cloud of intense heat in the air like most light wings did, but the heat spread and reached the crucial point all the same, reducing her to an imperfect, shimmering blur with a stark grey top.

It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. When Ember came to pick her up, the less anyone else clearly saw, the better. Clarity would only make the illusion they meant to present less convincing.

That done, she decided that it was safe enough to peek her head out beyond the cave and watch the sky. It was a dark orange on one side and black with stars on the other, the color fading with every heartbeat. There wasn't a single light wing in the air, and from this angle she could only see one Deathgripper, far from the valley. There would be more outside her limited field of view, but at the moment only one was visible to her.

They would take their time. They might send somebody to investigate the lack of guards, but if they did that would only make the second phase of the evacuation more believable.

Lily had received regular reports on Grimmel's advance, his incursion into their territory. With Beryl, Ember, and Pearl providing insight, she understood what he was doing.

He was taking his time. First came claiming the sea. Then came claiming a chunk of the land that, if attacked, would bleed her people far more than it should, their defenses aided by tricks and traps.

All of that had been done by mid-morning, but that was not the final stage. Next would have come spreading out around the mountains on paw, to ensure none could slip away. Then, probably seizing the sky. Then, descending and ascending and converging from all angles, bleeding her people with every trick and every tool they had, until they thought they had the measure of her defiance. Then an attack, or something else, it didn't matter.

That was, in most respects, exactly what she would have done in their place, given superior forces and experience. Take the time to dig in, prepare each move in advance, never showing true weakness, only bait for the unwary. Only when all else was done would any risks be taken.

But in being so slow, they were not considering that their quarry might flee. They were not foolish to have such oversights; Claw would have stayed and fought. A leaderless pack could not have fled with any coordination, and they _were_ sufficiently prepared to cut down stragglers if they caught any.

The only tactic they were not ready for was a complex, full departure organized in less time than it took them to set up, without a single hint of it before it was over.

Lily found that her eyes had closed again, and smacked her tail against the ground. The sharp pain did less to wake her than she had hoped, and she knew she was pushing on her limits. A day without sleep was normal, a day and a night strenuous, but another day afterward was a stretch, and the majority of a night after that potentially an overreach.

She should have napped in the afternoon. That was obvious now, though she didn't see when she would have had time without leaving problems to her already overworked subordinates.

A dark, angular shape rose out of the valley, flying low and slowly. Lily squinted at it, then sighed in relief as the Deathgripper crested the mountains, headed out over the forest without noticing anything. No alarm call had gone up, and enough time had passed that Ember and Root would be well on their way. A lone Deathgripper skulking down the mountainside, carrying a camouflaged light wing body on its back. Ember, in a stolen form, conveying Root down the path and out over the forest to the dark wing meeting point.

He had taken Root out… A heavy flood of melancholy struck her, tearing through her relief as the stark truth hit her. Root had been carried out, which made her, Lily, the last light wing in the valley she had presided over for season-cycles.

Three days ago, she would not have thought this possible or at all worth doing. Today, tonight, she could hardly believe it had been done, but she couldn't say that it was the _wrong_ move. Sometimes, the only way to win a war was to flee, live, and fight another day if at all.

The sky was mostly dark now, and multiple Deathgripper forms began to show against the stars, circling from afar. They had noticed that there was a lack of activity above the valley. Not that it mattered.

It was all going well, and Ember would be coming for her soon. He would repeat his ruse, carrying her on his large back, down the path and out over the forest. Taking her to where the other dark wings gathered, along with Root and bereft of Pearl and Lightning, who were with another group. They would travel on paw for a while, hidden in the boundless, featureless forests, and then once truly clear of Grimmel's forces, in the air. She and Root would have to ride together, and Ember would be slow with their weight, but it would work. Probably.

If they got that far and it turned out Ember couldn't carry them both, Lily would walk and consider herself lucky to have made it. Or maybe Root would make a breakthrough in his lessons and become capable of flying on his own again, or maybe he wouldn't but Storm and another could get him into the air despite his dislike for flying while blind. Or maybe…

Lily realized her mind was wandering aimlessly, and grunted gutturally, annoyed with herself. She just had to keep it together until they reached the dark wings, and then maybe she could sleep. She would sleep at _some_ point soon, there was no doubt of that.

Another Deathgripper, or perhaps the same one circling around again, passed by overhead. The other Deathgrippers were closing in on the valley now, flying in the air above and presumably wondering what was going on.

None of them looked her way. None would have seen anything if they did; she was a blurry oddity in the air by a nondescript part of a massive mountain range, in the dark, with only her head out in the open. She would have been amazed if anyone could see her without some sort of hint.

She wondered how Beryl was doing. He and the other dark wings had crept into the mountains and would be sneaking down by various ways, to avoid detection. He might be creeping down the slopes behind her cave, or gliding over the dark forest, or if he was quick, maybe even already at the rendezvous point. Wherever he was, she knew he was safe-

Until there was a strident call in the darkness, another Deathgripper flying over. Two more dragons screeched, an obvious alarm call that made Lily want to run and hide. Worry gripped her, a perfectly reasonable reaction, but it struck at her very core, and she bolted from her cave and rounded the path with little regard for her own safety. She frantically looked around the sky to get some idea of what was going on, what had happened, but all she could see was more Deathgrippers closing in from a distance.

Another Deathgripper flew up into view, flailing about mightily, and began shrieking, drawing attention to itself. The others all converged on it, and it led them on a meandering chase through the sky, staying far enough ahead that they couldn't strike it down.

Lily knew she was watching her clandestine escape fall apart in front of her. That had to be Ember, riderless and drawing attention away from a dark wing who had been noticed. She also knew that the distraction he was providing was the best cover she was going to get. They were pursuing him far too thoroughly for him to give them the slip any time soon, and more were arriving from the ships with every passing moment. She could tell that he wouldn't be able to bring her to safety any time soon, if at all.

All the same, it was an effort to move, and panic welled in her chest, trapped and silenced but still there. This wasn't the plan, and the plan had _already_ been risky, she would have to go down on paw and hope there were no roaming No-scaled-not-prey, and she would have to somehow find the others on her own.

But it had to be done, so she mustered her courage, smacked her tail against the ground again to drive the last hints of lethargy from her mind, and began her last journey down Pyre's path as quickly as her paws would carry her. She was just going to have to improvise.

_**Author's Note:** _ **When was the last time I left a chapter on a real cliffhanger? Too long, if I can't even remember it. Enjoy this one!**


	56. Hunted

Ember was disappearing into the distance, pulling a flock of Deathgrippers behind him with truly disturbing screeches and howls, attracting as much attention as he possibly could. The dark wings were who knew where, maybe descending the mountain, maybe flying away, maybe even dead. As far as Lily knew, she was the only person in the valley, and even she stood on the edge, at the top of the path down the mountains. It was dark out and the moon was only partially full, shining down fitfully.

All of which took on a much more sinister cast now that Lily knew she was on her own. The light wings were long gone, even those slowed by an egg or hatchlings, and the dark wings had dispersed. Ember had been driven away, and there was nobody else to help her.

She was one crippled dragon suffering from severe sleep deprivation, and they were hundreds of No-scaled-not-prey and dozens of Deathgrippers, all forewarned.

The only advantage she had was being hard to spot - not impossible, her back was sabotaging her in that too - and being alone. One small patch of moving blurriness on the side of a mountain might not attract attention. She wouldn't have the additional protection of Ember pretending she was his prey, but it was something.

But only if she moved now; waiting would gain her nothing and make her eventual departure even more treacherous. She had no time to spare.

The old path down was familiar, but she took it as slowly as she dared, conserving motion as much as possible. She did not leap down, she stalked, and every paw was placed in the best possible location, shifting no loose rubble.

Her recent injuries had taken much from her, and her current state of mind was dulling the rest, but moving silently was a skill that no longer required thought. Season-cycles of playing with Pyre, and then season-cycles of spying on her own people, had ingrained the habits needed to move silently so deeply that they remained even now.

Those same habits held her still and silent when she turned one of the many blind corners and almost walked into a trio of bulky No-scaled-not-prey. They were outfitted in shiny stone scales, holding sharp claws, and visibly confused, even to her less than stellar understanding of No-scaled-not-prey expressions. Their eyes stared through her.

That confusion lasted two heartbeats, two frantic, blood-rushing moments in which Lily considered her options with the speed of desperation. She could fight, she could turn around, she could try to sneak past, she could lay down and hope for mercy but that wasn't actually an option at all because she wanted to live past this moment-

One of them barked something guttural, and the other two jabbed forward with their long claws. They entirely missed her, misjudging how far away she was, but they had made her decision for her. She leaped off the carefully curated path Pyre had made long ago, landed on the steep slope to the side, and slid down.

She leaned back, her paws all out, and hoped with all her might that she wouldn't hit any bumps. The rock was slick with patches of snow and ice, and the wind rushed past her as she picked up speed.

A strange, resonant call went up from the No-scaled-not-prey she had left behind, and she knew she was exposed, at the center of a moving disturbance on the mountainside, easily spotted. She wasn't going fast enough, though already she was moving faster than she could walk.

Her unbroken slope ended at a jutting ledge, and she hit it hard, coming to a sudden halt. Her vision blacked out for a moment as the pain of the impact washed over her, then cleared. As much as it hurt, it also drove back her exhaustion, for which she was thankful.

Roars from above and behind her drove her to her paws, and she quickly took in the mountainside below her. It was mostly steep slopes, rock faces far too steep to walk up and too irregular to slide down. She couldn't fly, and the path was out of reach.

There was only one option that did not immediately lead to a fatal fall or being stabbed by Deathgripper talons, and she took it despite every muscle in her body tensing in trepidation. She leaped down, off the ledge and onto the nearest slope, her claws out and her heart hammering like never before.

The rock was slick; she got little traction, even with her claws. Her head was facing downward, her tail up, her wings partially out on instinct alone. She bounded down and forward, running despite the utter insanity of taking such a steep slope with anything other than the utmost caution. Caution was slow and would get her killed.

There was a jolt, and she was in the air. She fell oddly, her mostly downward descent meeting the rock again as it sloped forward in front of her. Her next leap was almost a disaster, but she jerked her back leg forward, scraping it against the rock, and managed to remain upright and travelling downward. Her wings and tail, worthless though they usually were, served to keep her from tumbling forward, the wind rushing over them and pushing her down. It was not flying, it was not gliding, and it hurt her atrophied muscles and tortured back, but it worked.

Two leaps, then three. She was hurtling downward, each impact jarring her bones more than the last. She had not moved this fast in season-cycles, not under her own power, and to do so now was as terrifying as it was fulfilling. Her body fought to extend her wings and fly, to pull out of this near-suicidal dive she had put herself into, but every new impact jarred them back into place, pushed by the wind but not supported by it.

A patch of snow on a horizontal rock shelf came up directly in her path, and she leaped to the side at the next opportunity, understanding that to come to an abrupt stop now would probably break her body entirely if not just kill her outright. This was a dive with occasional painful redirections, and she had no idea how to get out of it safely.

The next roar was closer, and she chanced a look back. Sure enough, two Deathgrippers were diving after her, closing in with every passing moment. There was nothing she could do about that; the slightest mistake would see her dead anyway. The bottom of the mountain was approaching, and near the bottom the steep but flat slopes were replaced by a jumble of boulders, chunks of rock dislodged from higher up over the season-cycles.

It was impossible to actually _think_ as she bounded down; whatever rational thought the constant pain didn't drive away, the sheer _speed_ at which she was moving and being forced to react made it irrelevant. She stuck her paws out, did her best to remain upright as she hit the slope, and pushed off again despite pain from everywhere. Then she fell, pulling her legs back up for another punishing landing-

A Deathgripper swooped down in front of her and jabbed at the rocks, overshooting and striking nothing. Lily hit the rock right in front of it and jumped forward, leaping over it even as it tumbled down and crushed its rider in a smear of red. She had leaped high to avoid them, and in the moment she spent fully in the air, she stuck her wings out, but they couldn't go far enough. She was falling, actually falling, too far from the rocks to bear the next impact, dropping down toward certain death.

Then her body was seized, yanked upward as a pair of thick claws dug into her sides. Her bones _creaked_ as her speed was forcibly taken away, and she shrieked breathlessly at the sharp points digging into her.

The Deathgripper, for that was what had caught her, shook her and headed down, toward the base of the mountain. Its rider was squawking something loudly enough that Lily heard it over her own screeching, though she didn't know what it was saying. She could see the forest below, the red and black body above, and spots in front of all of it as her head whirled.

The Deathgripper soared down, so close to the ground that she could smell it, and dropped her. She landed on her stomach, smacking her chin against the ground and biting on her tongue, thankfully without any teeth. A talon drove into the grass in front of her, and she crawled around it, trying to get away.

There was a shriek from behind her, and for whatever reason, it didn't stab her or even pin her down. She dragged herself up, though her paws were sore beyond belief and her legs little better, and stumbled into the forest fringe, putting as many trees between herself and the enemy as possible.

One thought continued to repeat itself, taking up all of her dwindling mental ability with endless variations on the same meaning. She could have died. She _should_ have died. That should have killed her.

She looked back, her neck cramping in protest, and saw nothing but the thin veil of trees. No pursuit, not yet, no angry dragon bulling through the trees to slaughter her. No No-scaled-not-prey, nothing at all.

For now. There was no way she was getting away without being chased, and she _had_ to run, but she couldn't make herself move faster than an alternating limp, favoring one paw with each set of steps. Her front paw felt broken or sprained somewhere, her back paws were both scuffed and bleeding, and blood ran down her back from when her wings had strained but failed to pull free of their constraints, not that it would have done any good.

One paw in front of the other. Head up, ears down, listening for the end of her escape attempt. For the beginning of the end.

It came as a rustle, a body forcing itself between some bushes she had passed a few moments ago. She growled and tried to turn, but her legs gave out, dropping her onto her chest. She looked up at the dragon who had found her…

"That was insane," Beryl panted, his chest heaving as he made his way to her. "How did you _do_ that?"

Lily stared blankly at him. Her tail twitched, but other than that she was still.

"I mean, I know _how,_ I saw part of it," he rambled, leaning down to paw at her side. "It was just really, really risky. Did you _practice_ or something?"

"No," she groaned. She certainly hadn't practiced, and a single misstep would have gotten her killed. Luck had made her look experienced, nothing more.

"Well, tell me on the way," Beryl rumbled, sticking his head under her side to push upward. "Come on, they're coming and we need a good head start."

Lily wanted to say she couldn't, but something about him being here, pushing at her and assuming she could, made her feel like _maybe_ she could stand. Maybe she could walk. She rose with his help, placing each paw under herself with as much delicacy as she could muster, and found that they would hold her, though the one that felt broken was not contributing at all.

"Okay, now forward," Beryl rumbled, sticking his tail under her stomach in place of his head. He was holding her up as much as he could, which made her think he saw _exactly_ how tired and hurt she was, though he didn't speak like it was hopeless. "I killed the rider of the one who had you and stuck the Deathgripper's head in the remains, so it won't be able to follow very well. The one on the mountainside in front of you didn't make it back up and shredded its wings, and the No-scaled-not-prey who blew their horns were way too far away. But others will be coming, I left a mess behind."

Lily huffed, her attention almost entirely on walking without collapsing again, even with him making her feel just a little lighter. In the back of her mind, she hoped that the consistent loss of Deathgrippers Grimmel was experiencing would make him more wary about using them; there weren't many at his disposal, not when the dark wings seemed to kill one or two every time they had an outright fight. Attrition ate away his air forces just as brutally as it did hers.

They walked awkwardly, Beryl keeping his tail under her and leading the way with his side pressed to hers. It was slow, and they made noise, but the snowy forest was silent around them.

"Ember might find us, but he might not," Beryl continued. "Spark was caught making his way down the mountainside, some of the No-scaled-not-prey were climbing up and they crossed paths. Ember went up to keep the Deathgrippers from noticing the commotion, and then they all went after him. He will probably fly until they are all exhausted, then change and get away in a fresh body. But if he doesn't run into us, we won't meet up with him."

"The meeting point?" Lily asked. She highly doubted Ember could find them now. Not in time to do anything.

"It's far, we assumed you and Root would be getting rides," Beryl admitted. "It's this way, but we won't make it before sunrise at this pace, and you know what we said about that sort of thing."

Lily knew all too well; it had been her own cold reasoning that determined what any group would do in that situation. If someone didn't show up, it would be assumed that they were either dead or making their own way toward the distant rendezvous point. There just wasn't any way to effectively search for someone in this terrain when everyone had to keep moving forward in order to avoid being found in turn.

She _did_ , on the other paw, wonder whether Beryl's family would stick to that decision in the face of him being missing.

A Deathgripper roared somewhere above the trees. It was far too close for comfort, but its next roar was further away.

"If that is all they are going to do, we will be fine," Beryl murmured as they maneuvered around a copse of trees too thick to walk through. His tail slipped away, and Lily grunted at the loss of support, however slight. Her legs quivered, but held, and when he offered his tail again, she waved it away. They would be faster not stuck together…

Even if she would much rather have his support, and not just because she felt like she would collapse and sleep for a moon-cycle the moment they were out of danger. She didn't fully understand her own motivations, likely because she wasn't in a state to do any amount of thinking.

They walked deeper into the forest, skirting the deeper snow whenever possible. It had piled up around trees and in hollows, deep and potentially treacherous. The cold wind shook more from the trees above them. Every so often, a Deathgripper roared in the distance, and more rarely from somewhere close above, separated from them by nothing more than the obscuring canopy and ignorance.

The pain was no longer enough to keep her awake; her eyelids slid down, and no amount of jolting, aching, or fear was enough to pull them back up again. She wandered along behind Beryl, drifting in a half-sleep that had her walking slower and slower, following his warmth and his tail, the only thing she could see clearly. Her mind drifted…

O-O-O-O-O

A blood-curdling shriek jolted Lily awake. She tried to stand, collapsed with a whine, and realized that she couldn't remember laying down, or actually going to sleep.

She _definitely_ couldn't remember curling up around a tree with Beryl against her side, holding her close. He had moved away even as she woke, but the absence of his heat and the fact that she felt newly cold told her where he had been.

"How long?" she asked. Her head pounded fiercely, because all of her _other_ injuries just weren't enough for her to handle on their own.

"I don't know," Beryl said quietly. He was circling her now, looking into the forest in all directions. "Can't see the moon. It's still night."

"We have lost our lead," she observed.

"Not entirely, but yes," he conceded. "You couldn't go on. It was necessary."

She was in no state to argue with him, so she didn't. "I can walk now."

"You might have to try running," Beryl huffed.

"I'll _try_ ," she hummed, attempting to get to her paws again. It was possible, but she was, if anything, sorer than she remembered. Her left front paw was definitely sprained at the very least; she could barely stand to set it down on the ground, let alone use it. "Can't make promises…"

It was easier to move once she was standing, and she began to walk. Beryl circled around to join her, and subtly angled her to the left. She assumed she had been going in the wrong direction and went with it.

A new noise rose from behind them, a short, relatively quiet bark that sounded like it came from an angry but puny fledgling. "Dogs?" she asked.

"I assume so," Beryl confirmed. "Pearl said they had some of those."

"They brought one in to get my scent," Lily recalled. She didn't know whether the animals would be able to follow all light wings better for knowing her smell, or whether it just meant they could follow _her…_ but either was bad. The original plan had involved everyone flying at some point, and her riding on Ember, but that wasn't going to happen now.

"Yes, that could be bad," Beryl agreed absently. "Hopefully they're not very fast about following it."

Lily responded by forcing her body to break into a slow trot, though she had to lean heavily on her good side to not fall over as she ran. She found that she could hold to the pace without too much more discomfort than walking. Her breath came out in bursts of mist as she moved, panting in the cold night air.

The dogs behind them began baying, filling the otherwise silent forest with their noisy calls.

"Wish I had Ember here," Beryl grunted, falling back to run behind her. He glanced over his shoulder every few moments, watching their rear. Their slow run was no strain for him; as far as Lily could tell, he might as well be walking. "I don't know anything about dogs except that they are like wolves but not, and sometimes hunt or track for No-scaled-not-prey."

"What do you know about wolves?" Lily asked.

"Nothing," Beryl said dryly. "Just that they're like dogs."

They passed over what had been a tiny stream, barely more than a paw in width and now just a long patch of ice. Lily had never been this far out into the forest, not that she knew exactly how far they _were_ right now anyway, and she didn't know what to expect. The same trees, that much had been obvious back when she flew over in search of Pearl, but what lay below them was a mystery.

One of the dogs barked from surprisingly close by, and Beryl swerved around a tree to come up beside Lily. He snarled in the general direction of the noise, and a louder, more distinct bark was thrown back at him.

"They're coming from an angle," he hissed, veering off to dart directly at the source of the sound. Lily stumbled to a stop, leaning up against a tree to keep her injured leg in the air, and watched him disappear into the darkness. He leaped up into the lower branches of the canopy right before he disappeared from sight, silent and deadly.

She could hear her heartbeat, her breathing, and the ever-closer baying of the dogs. One began howling, then abruptly cut off. There was a yelp, then silence-

Then a crash of snapping wood and heavy things hitting the ground, and Deathgrippers snarling. Beryl appeared again, coming back from the direction of the noises, his eyes wide. A body dangled from his maw, and he snorted vigorously as he returned to her.

"Same dog?" he asked, dropping it in front of her.

"It looks like the one from before," she said quickly. "Was that crashing-"

"Deathgrippers. Don't know how they found me. Didn't land _on_ me, snuck away, but it was close." He sniffed the corpse. "Can't take it with us."

Lily caught his meaning, and though she didn't feel hungry, she knew better than to refuse what chance had offered them. When his claws made quick work of breaking the small creature in two, she did not hesitate to bite into one half and swallow it. The soft, ticklish covering it had instead of scales tasted terrible, and the limbs almost stuck in her throat, but she choked it down without incident.

"Not how you want to eat stuff with bones, but good enough for now," Beryl said, ripping his apart and consuming it in several pieces. "Now keep running, we're not that far from the Deathgrippers!"

Lily couldn't hear anything coming their way aside from the more distant dogs, but she broke into a slow run anyway. Her stomach was heavy with meat and whatever else the decidedly bony predator turned prey had on it, but she found that it didn't slow her much, if at all. She was already so hindered by her many, many injuries that she wasn't running fast enough to upset her stomach. If anything, having eaten was only easing her headache.

As she ran, she found that she was still tired. That was no surprise; she couldn't have slept for more than half a night, and that was a generous guess when it was probably more like a tenth of the night, all told.

But the mind-fogging depth of her exhaustion was gone, driven away by that brief, deep slumber, and she could think more clearly. She couldn't speak easily, even if she were in perfect health she wouldn't be fit enough to talk while running like this, but she could think.

Her first, most pressing concern was the hunt going on behind them, the one pursuing them through the forest. The dogs were baying constantly, driving them forward, and Beryl had almost been caught when he went to silence the closest one. He had wondered how they knew where to go…

"The dog," Lily panted, thinking of something too urgent to keep to herself. "Did it howl or bark differently when it saw you?"

"Yes, it was scared and…" Beryl paused, and unlike her, he did not do so because he had to catch his breath. "I _see_. The dogs locate us, and the Deathgrippers drop down to fight when they are called."

"Yes," Lily huffed, glad he was smart enough to follow her reasoning without her laying it out for him. She had heard the dogs referred to as trackers and expendable forces, not fighters or hunters, so it had been a short leap to guess who _would_ be doing the killing once the quarry had been located in a place like this. They were being hunted by land and air. The No-scaled-not-prey would be following behind, the dogs searching them out, and the Deathgrippers above landing whenever a dog barked in the way that meant it had spotted them.

She wondered if they could use that knowledge. They would have to take it into account, at least; being spotted could be relied upon to draw Deathgrippers down, though not to that exact spot, so killing the dogs was far too risky a strategy to use. Beryl was a great fighter, but she wouldn't pit him against multiple Deathgrippers and expect him to walk away uninjured, and she _needed_ him to be okay. Not just for her sake.

"I guess I will not be killing any more of them, then," Beryl said ruefully. "Too bad, they made a passable meal, and it is not like I can fly up to do some fishing anytime soon."

Food was going to be another problem, though it didn't _feel_ like all that big an issue at the moment, thanks to the one dog they had shared. Water would not, there was snow and they had fire, but food was not so easily obtained.

The dogs baying from behind them, and to their left now, more joining the chorus, put all of that in perspective. This flight would be over long before they could starve if they did not somehow get away.

"Scent," she gasped, reminding him of the way they were being followed. Both of theirs, or maybe just hers, it made little difference. She did not for an instant believe he would abandon her to this.

"Another problem," Beryl agreed with a growl. "Are you able to go into the trees?" He leaped up into the lower branches, bulling the smaller ones aside and jabbing his claws into the bark of the main trunk. As she ran, he leaped from one to the next, following along. After a half-dozen such jumps, he returned to the ground.

"Too hurt," she said shortly. She might have gotten a reprieve from the worst of her body's agonies, but that was out of the question.

"Figures, all awesome escapes have a downside," Beryl muttered. "Okay… Think. If we can't get rid of our scents, and we can't outrun them, and we can't get rid of them… What _can_ we do?"

Lily thought about it for a while, or what felt like a while. It was still the middle of the night, though she felt as if she had been running forever, so her sense of time was very likely skewed.

"Can't let the dogs… call. Kill them… before they know... you're there." She stopped to walk for a moment, feeling like a prisoner inside her own flawed body. She _wanted_ to run like the wind, to leap and fly, to do everything like Beryl could, perfectly and with an attractive sort of grace. Instead, she hobbled along, slowed whenever one of her legs twinged more painfully than the rest, and ignored the scratchy throbbing of her back's massive scar and four painful points.

"Yes, we might have to," Beryl said. "Now?"

"Can't go forever," Lily said. She was going to need an actual rest soon, and that meant being able to hide or getting so far ahead they could waste a day going nowhere. Neither was possible so long as they could be followed so accurately. Her whole plan for escaping Grimmel's people had hinged on _not_ fleeing on paw like this. "Now is best."

"Okay… Okay, I can do this." He shook himself out, his muscular wing shoulders flapping against the driving wind. "You continue ahead, don't stop. I will circle around and ambush them from the side before they catch up to you. I'll use my fire… No, that doesn't work, the Deathgrippers will hear. I'll drop from above before they can react."

"Yes," she huffed. That could work. "How will you find me after?"

"Just go straight and don't turn," he said. "I can catch up easily if I know what direction you are going."

Lily nodded, bracing herself for the inevitable pain of picking up her pace again, and reached out to Beryl-

Beryl pressed his forehead against hers, though he seemed surprised by her offering the gesture. She was surprised by herself too, but just too tired and worried to care. "Be careful," she said.

"I will," he hummed reassuringly. He turned around, and she took the cue to break into her awkward trot again, still favoring her bad leg. The baying of the dogs in the distance had not stopped, but it took on a more foreboding tone now that she knew it would be dying out soon.. if all went well.

Running alone was surprisingly difficult compared to running with Beryl at her side; she lacked the effortless gait to copy, or the partner to pit herself against, a standard to measure up to. Every limping step was more difficult, her confidence sabotaged by the need to stay in a straight line, and further undermined by her desire to know what was happening. She would not find out anything if she stopped and waited for Beryl to return, it wouldn't help at all to do so, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was running away from someone irreplaceable, leaving him to do the hard work protecting her life without a word of thanks.

Aside from resolving to properly thank him when she next saw him, there was nothing she could do but continue to run and worry. She could imagine him approaching the dogs. They would maybe be moving together, maybe running around alone, their narrow muzzles to the ground to smell her… And maybe him. But not him at the moment, perched in the trees above, waiting for a perfect strike. He would have to follow them, but he was lithe and skilled at such things.

Was it her imagination, or had one of the many voices dropped from the distant chorus? She couldn't tell, and that meant that if Beryl _had_ ambushed one, he had been successful in silencing it before it could call for Deathgrippers. Or he hadn't done anything yet, and she was just hearing what she wanted to hear.

A note in the discordant harmony disappeared, and this time it was clear one of the dogs had stopped its peculiar braying. Another trailed off and did not start up again, and as Lily listened, the ones off to the side all went silent.

Then she heard the distant crash of a large body smashing down through the canopy, though she hadn't heard any dogs barking the alarm. Its rider had probably noticed the disappearing dogs through the absence of any noise… But that wouldn't let them pinpoint where Beryl was like following a single dog's barking would have.

She was growing tired of running, her new energy fading far too quickly for her liking, but she pressed on, motivated by the success she could hear behind her. It was not long before the ones directly behind her began dying away, cut off abruptly or dropped and just never resumed. It might have been her imagination, but the remaining dogs sounded more desperate in their howling, less confident now that it was obvious to all involved that they were being silenced.

The chorus did not end with a whimper, though, not like she expected. Instead, a piercing whistle rose above the noises, not a noise Beryl or the dogs could make, and all of the remaining hounds abruptly fell silent.

Lily didn't like the sound of _that_. If she had to guess, the No-scaled-not-prey component of the hunt was deciding to cut its losses and protect the rest of its dogs, so that they could continue the chase without going back to their ships for more. If Beryl couldn't find the rest, if even one lived, they might not have gained anything by killing the rest.

Her ears were up, cold and growing numb in the intermittent icy wind. She was straining to hear distant noises as she ran, ignoring the crunching of her paws on snow. The freezing wind also stung her eyes, and as a result she had them more than half-closed, only open at all because running into a tree or tripping on a branch would be counterproductive.

So she nearly didn't see the red and black shape ahead of her in time. It was just a flicker between the many trees at first, stalking along in the distance. The movement was what alerted her more than the color; it was not so obvious against the dark trunks and darker leaves and needles.

But when her tired mind processed that there was something big and silent moving ahead of her, she stumbled to a halt and pressed herself against the nearest tree, her attention abruptly returning to the present.

How it had gotten ahead of her and in the right general area was not a mystery; they knew where the dogs had been going, and she had been travelling in a straight line. Anyone with half a mind for logic would see a general area to search. They - for she assumed there was a rider present too - had landed much too far ahead, but that was only because she was slower than they anticipated.

She could see the Deathgripper, maybe fifty long leaps away, its body disguised by the many trees breaking up and blocking her view. She could only hope they would do the same for her in return, and that she had stopped soon enough to not give herself away.

She was not camouflaged, and that lack did not bother her as much as it would have elsewhere. The forest had many snowdrifts, large patches of white on the ground, and she could blend in better if her movement did not catch and befuddle the eye in an otherwise featureless forest.

The Deathgripper snarled and leaned against a tree, shaking the canopy above it. Its rider barked something, and it stopped, but its agitation was clear. When it stalked away, she saw a flash of its sharp tail lashing against the same tree, slashing bark right off of it.

It was stalking the area ahead of her, walking directly across the path she would have taken. It hadn't seen her yet, and might not at all, but standing still to avoid detection had its own dangers. If the hunt was still going with less vocal dogs, she would never know until they were right on top of her.

Her headache was back, pounding without remorse as she stood still and waited. Her legs were weak, trembling with the effort of holding her up. She eased herself down onto her stomach, both because it would make her slightly harder to see, and because she didn't see any merit in pushing herself to stand when she could be resting her legs.

The Deathgripper growled so loudly she heard it from where she lay, but it still hadn't seen her. It paced through the forest, heading off to the right. She caught a glimpse of its rider, a spindly figure on its back, but only once. Then it moved out of sight, behind too many trees to show even a glimpse.

Beryl chose that moment to return. He dropped out of the trees with a muted crunch, landing with one paw in a snow drift. "Lily?" he hissed.

Lily nodded in the direction she had last seen the Deathgripper. "Dragon and rider over there," she whispered, standing with some difficulty. "Searching. Trying to predict our path."

"Good thing we should be turning to the left soon," he hummed, circling around to stand between her and the direction she had indicated. "Go ahead. I will cover our rear."

"Thank you," she said, remembering her resolution. "For everything. Really."

"Are you about to do something risky?" Beryl asked, giving her a worried look.

"What? No." She began to walk, her entire body crying out in protest.

"Good." He followed behind her, his warm breath ghosting across her tailfins every so often. "That sounded like something someone who did not expect to live through the night would say."

"I hope to survive this," she said quietly. "And if I do, it will be solely your accomplishment. So, thank you."

"We all have our strengths," he hummed. They had walked far enough away that Lily wasn't bothered by him speaking a little more loudly. The Deathgripper had disappeared, checking the wrong swathe of forest. "You got everyone _else_ out. I saved one life, you saved more than a hundred."

"Did the light wings leave without issue?" Lily asked. She had hoped so, assumed so, but it wasn't like she had been in a place to actually _know_ what happened, aside from the absence of obvious catastrophe right above the valley.

"As far as I could tell, yes," Beryl said. She had to slow for a small hill, and he walked right into her tail. "Sorry," he huffed.

"That's good," Lily sighed, entirely unbothered by the physical contact. "And your family? Spark got away?"

"Hard to say, but I saw some of them leaving. Spark was one of the last… I was supposed to be the very last one. I think they all got away."

They moved in silence for a short while, Lily unable to spare any concentration as they crossed a patch of frozen puddles and icy, wet grass. It wasn't cold enough to freeze everything yet, and water coexisted with ice in some places, freezing her paws whenever she took a wrong step.

"I _think_ I got all of the dogs," Beryl said, breaking the silence once they were back on more solid ground. "How many would you say the No-scaled-not-prey had?"

"I never got to see any but the one, so I don't know." She shook her head, wishing she had a better answer. "Assume that they did not send out all of them for two dragons."

"One of which was a dark wing, they just might have if Grimmel is determined enough," Beryl countered.

"It would be foolish to send them _all_ on any one hunt, there will be more kept safe as backup," Lily retorted. "If you killed all that were here, we only gained time, not a permanent end to the hunt."

"Still worth something," Beryl murmured. "You need more rest yet?"

"Not until we make it to that meeting spot," she decided. She felt horrible, tired and aching all over, but she would feel _worse_ if they did not reach that place as quickly as possible. It was their only real chance of reconnecting with the dark wings and returning to the original plan.

O-O-O-O-O

The silence of the forest lasted through the rest of the night. No baying dogs were heard, and the Deathgrippers roaring overhead grew less and less frequent. Lily was not stupid enough to think that meant the enemy had decided to give up the pursuit, but she did hope it meant they had exhausted their ability to continue for the moment, and were waiting for reinforcements, more tracking dogs or less tired Deathgrippers.

The lack of obvious danger did not make the endless walk any easier, or any harder. The rush of being pursued and in mortal danger had long since stopped helping Lily push herself, and its absence was a blessing.

Distraction came in counting her pawsteps, then in counting the trees, then in listening to Beryl's breathing, steady and measured in a way that hers was not. Her paws grew numb, but the rest of her legs throbbed ceaselessly, growing worse whenever she focused on the pain. Distraction was necessary.

They reached the shore some time before sunrise, when the moon was still sinking down toward the horizon. From there, they retreated back into the forest, avoiding the easily-accessible shore like their lives depended on it - which they did.

Dawn came, and they still had not traveled far enough. Beryl took the lead, murmuring that they were close now, and Lily trailed behind him, feeling as if her head was full of rocks.

Her eyes locked on his swaying tail, then, when she grew tired of looking at that, his hips and backside behind it. He was certainly pleasant to stare at. More than pleasant… but that was the exhaustion taking hold, nothing more.

"Well…" Beryl stopped next to two scraggly trees. "We were going to meet somewhere around here, I think. There was a gap in the trees next to two dead ones, and…" He nodded up at the dragon-sized ray of sunlight cutting in at an angle, and the ugly pair of trees. "I think this is probably it. Impossible to check from above, but we're in the right area and there aren't many places like this."

"Were they here?" she asked, looking around. The entire area was filled with slush and melting snow, all of it disturbed, but that might not have been Beryl's family.

"Smells like it," Beryl huffed. "They're not here now, though, so they must have kept going like we planned."

"Would they really leave you?" Lily asked.

"Ember needs to carry Root if they're going to go anywhere fast, and they have Thaw with them too, for safety," Beryl reasoned. "They trust me to take care of myself. I would guess…"

He trailed off, walking out of the sunlit space and around a tree. "Yes, they went this way on paw. It looks like a Deathgripper landed, that would be these talon marks, but those disappear."

Lily followed him to look at the tracks, but she was too tired to puzzle them all out on her own. "So what happened?"

"They gathered here, and left without me, you, or Ember, trusting us to catch up on our own," Beryl said, following the trail further out. "Ember came around later, in Deathgripper form, and changed once he found their trail. They would have kept going on paw until he caught up, then flown to put as much distance between them and the valley before dawn as possible."

"So they _did_ leave us?" Lily asked.

"Ember will take Root a few days out, then come back and find out from Grimmel's people himself, if I know him," Beryl said with a huff. "Either by using his Deathgripper form, or by just catching and interrogating somebody. However he does it, he'll find out that they didn't catch us, and that we were together, and from there I think he'll trust me to get you to the meeting spot. We're on our own."


	57. Complicated

Lily looked down at the muddled gashes and dents in the paw-deep snow drift. She couldn't interpret them at all, but Beryl could, and they apparently told of his family departing on paw and Ember arriving later.

These were the marks of their plan flying away and trusting them to fend for themselves. Help wasn't coming back for them unless they were captured by Grimmel, and even then there was only a slim chance Ember would find out in time to save them.

She looked up at her only lifeline, the only way she was going to survive this indefinite journey into the wilderness. Beryl didn't look all that concerned, truth be told. His tail swayed in the way she knew meant he was thinking, but his ears were up and his eyes light.

"Is there anything more to learn from this place?" she asked.

"Probably not, no," Beryl hummed. "I am wondering whether it would be worth the risk to follow the trail. They have almost certainly met up, and from there would fly, so it will likely end somewhere, but there is a small chance they are still on the ground. On the other paw, it's a big, obvious trail to follow for _anyone_ who comes across it, not just us. We might be served better by leaving it behind and hoping anyone following us will follow it instead, either by mistake or because there were obviously more than two dragons going this way, and thus more targets."

Lily considered that for a moment, weighing the options in her mind. "Do you think we will actually find them at the end of the trail?" she asked.

"No, almost certainly not," Beryl huffed.

"Then let's…" She paused to yawn, her eyes closing for a long moment as she struggled to remain awake, upright, and coherent. When it passed, she shook her head and continued. "Let's go another way. No point in chasing the trail if there's nothing at the end."

"Right." Beryl veered off the path, headed deeper into the forest, and Lily followed. She was still dead tired, had been all night, but they needed to keep moving…

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's sense of time was warped by her exhaustion, but she was sure they hadn't been walking for very long when Beryl stopped and looked around. It was still early in the morning, as far as she could tell. The sun wasn't cooperating, hiding behind one of the few clouds in the sky.

"This seems like a good spot," Beryl hummed, pawing at a dry, grassy knoll between the trees. He looked back at her expectantly.

"We need to keep moving," she objected, seeing his intention. She was far more tempted than she wanted to admit, but another nap was _not_ getting them further away from Grimmel's forces.

"You need to rest, or you'll just collapse again." He kneaded his paws in the grass, as if demonstrating how nice the spot he had picked was. "Better here than randomly in the middle of some muddy patch or pile of slush."

She couldn't argue with that logic, partly because it was sound and partly because she wasn't alert enough to. "Only for a little while," she huffed, gingerly laying down. "Keep an ear out…" It was chilly, so she left a space open at her side for him. Awkwardness came second to pure survival, he could sleep at her side if he wanted...

Sleep came over her like a surprise attack, knocking her out the moment she stopped moving and let her body relax.

O-O-O-O-O

For a few blissful moments immediately after waking, Lily felt like she was in her cave, ready to begin another normal day. Small details contradicted this, such as the wind in her frills and the soft ground under her, but she ignored them for a short while.

It was not danger or pain or worry that drew her from her pleasant half-dozing state, but the smell of raw fish. Her stomach rumbled oddly, hungry but unsettled by something, and she wondered what she could have eaten to cause it…

And _that_ line of thought led her back to where she really was, why she was out in the open. She groaned and opened her eyes, expecting to see an overcast forest.

Instead, she saw an orange glow in the sky above, where the trees didn't block, and she flinched. "No," she growled, ignoring the trio of fish on the ground nearby. "I slept too long!" Far too long, if it was sunset. She had wasted an entire day!

"You needed it," Beryl said from somewhere close by. She looked around, but she didn't see him, until he leaped down from a nearby tree. "Hungry?"

"Annoyed and worried," she shot back, unwilling to be so easily appeased. "We are being _hunted_ , I could have gone on after a short rest, not an entire day!"

"No, you really could not," Beryl retorted. "I don't know how you made it as far as we did. Besides, this is going to be hard enough with us both in peak condition, let alone with me dragging you along while you struggle to stay awake. We'll make up the lost time by moving faster." He pawed at the closest of the three fish, flicking it toward her. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes," she conceded. They were alone, it wasn't like she needed to look infallible. He was probably right, she just didn't like sacrificing their head start for her own benefit. Her thoughts were clear and fast now, and her body, though sore in every possible place, was a far cry from the shambling wreck she remembered. The rest had done her a world of good.

That said, she stood and winced, having put weight on her left front paw without thinking about it. "Not so good there, though," she muttered, gingerly testing the limb. It wasn't broken, though she had thought so before. Just sprained, maybe cracked somewhere. The pain came from around her ankle, so if there was a serious injury, it would be there, but she could move her paw without much discomfort. It just wouldn't bear her weight.

"I think it's sprained," she said, shaking the injured limb and confirming that small, sudden movements didn't hurt. "Or something is cracked."

"What about the rest of you?" Beryl asked. "I didn't want to overstep by licking your wounds while you slept, so… you might want to do that."

Lily rolled her neck and set about testing her wings. As she timidly shifted each one and endured the normal discomfort that always came from doing so, she pondered the difference between him and Pearl. Faced with an injury and an unconscious light wing, Pearl had leaped right into treating her. Beryl, on the other paw, had held back. Maybe it was partially because it wasn't serious, and part of it was definitely because he didn't want to be seen as crossing any lines, but she couldn't see how that was helpful behaviour.

"You have my permission to treat my wounds whether or not I am awake to say so," she said absently, smacking her tail against the ground to test for bruises. "I have a feeling this won't be the last time one of us is hurt on the run."

"Well… In that case, you have wounds on your sides that could use cleaning," Beryl said, gesturing at his own side.

Lily turned to the side and eyed the puncture wound he spoke of. It was shallow, more of a scrape with a deeper point near the end where the Deathgripper had pulled at her to arrest her fall. "I can handle these," she hummed, quickly covering it in a coat of spit. It had already scabbed over, thanks to her spending an entire night and day before paying it any mind, and she got the unpleasant taste of her own blood in her mouth.

"Thank you for the fish," she hummed before swallowing one, simultaneously replacing the bad taste in her mouth, sating her hunger, and thanking him as she had resolved to do more often. A lot of the night before was a muddled mess in her mind, but her own thoughts were clear, as simple and slow as they had been. It was the times in between talking and fleeing and hiding that blurred together now.

"It was a risk to get them, but I was quick," Beryl huffed. "There are Deathgrippers about, I cannot take that risk again if there is any alternative. I think the ships will be heading up the coast sooner or later, too, which will make it even more dangerous."

"They will be following us." Him specifically, because he was a dark wing and Grimmel was set on killing more of them. She and he had been trailed fleeing on paw and inland, so the smart move would be to sail up the shore they were closest to and hope to drive them back into the land-based pursuers.

She purred, pleased with herself, and snapped up the other two fish. It was good to have her mind back up to full speed, sharp and dangerous once more. "Let's talk on the move," she suggested. It was time to put her mind back to use.

They set off, side by side, and she took a few moments to get used to the feeling of walking on bruised, beaten paws. "Do you know anything about walking on bruises?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Not specifically, but I know that you're going to be sore everywhere until you adapt to the pace we'll be setting from now on," Beryl hummed, speeding up. "If we are still being pursued, we must move faster than the No-scaled-not-prey can, and for longer than they can." He settled into a pace that was closer to running than walking, and Lily found herself straining to keep up.

"Always assume they still have our trail," Lily huffed. She would not feel safe until…

Until she was home, but there was no going home. Grimmel knew where it was, and if she were him, she would have set traps and spies, people just _waiting_ for an unsuspecting pack to return. Her one safe place was no such thing.

But she felt more or less safe _now_ , though she didn't know why. She was on the run, hunted, fleeing an unstoppable enemy with only Beryl to aid her. Maybe it was because she had nobody to protect except him and herself, or maybe it was just that she trusted him, and this was his element.

"A smart assumption, until it drives us to do things we would not risk if we thought we were not going to die the moment we stopped moving for too long." He shook his head. "Assume that if we have seen any trace of them in the last… say, ten days… _then_ assume they are still following."

Lily hopped over a raised root system and eyed him skeptically. "That seems arbitrary."

"It is, but my point is that we might be out here for a long time," Beryl rumbled. "And this time around, the enemy is not capable of easily following or hunting us down. They have to work for it, and at _some_ point we won't be worth the effort."

"Grimmel is in charge, so that point may be much further out than you think," Lily cautioned.

"Maybe…" Beryl hummed thoughtfully. "But for now, it seems like we have some breathing room. Can you go until dawn?"

"Can _you_?" Lily asked. "You stayed up all night back in the valley, then all night last night. Now you're talking about doing it again. When was the last time you slept?" She could hardly believe he was able to stand three days and three nights without sleep.

"The secret to my boundless endurance is sleeping whenever I can," Beryl chuffed. "I knew I would be up all night on the night of the escape, so I snuck away and slept from noon to near nightfall, with Spark ready to come get me if anyone needed me urgently enough. Today, I slept for a little bit right after you went to sleep, lightly so I would hear any dogs coming close."

Lily considered pointing out that he was doing exactly what he claimed wouldn't have worked for her, staving off exhaustion with smaller doses of much-needed rest instead of just sleeping a whole day away. She might have, had she not felt so amazingly normal now, while he sounded more than a little weary underneath his good humor.

"You can sleep and listen?" she asked instead.

"It's a habit you pick up after being hunted for long enough," he huffed. "More of a state of mind than a skill. It's not as restful, but you take what you can get. I'm glad I can still do it after so long not needing it."

"I suppose you have spent a lot of time avoiding the No-scaled-not-prey hunters," Lily murmured. It made sense that he would have that experience, though she didn't know the specifics.

"Them, and something worse. I spent a few moon-cycles in a forest somewhat similar to this, being hunted by a clever creature who wanted me dead, though for most of that I thought we were alone." He chuffed and rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. "Come to think of it, I was with only one other person, and we were sticking to the ground, and the one hunting us wanted us dead with an unhealthy amount of motivation… A _lot_ like this, all in all."

"How did that end?" Lily asked.

"We turned it around and hunted her down instead," Beryl hummed. "Do you hear that?"

"The wind?" Lily asked, listening closely. He hadn't sounded too concerned, so she didn't think they were in any danger.

"No, that rushing sound… This way, I think." He led her off to the side, further from the shore. As they went, she began to hear the curiously constant sound, one that held steady even when the wind died. It was like the ocean but not, more direct and less rhythmic, a constant tone instead of a back and forth of waves.

"It's water," she said, electing to be vague and only speak of what she was reasonably sure about. Beryl would probably provide the rest.

"A brook or stream or even a river," Beryl said happily. "Fresh water. This is convenient. I did not think there were any in this forest."

"None that are visible from above, not this close to the valley," Lily said, confident in her memory of the endless canopy from when she had been able to fly over it. They couldn't be even a day's flight from the valley yet, and she had flown those skies often enough before being grounded. "Also…" She trailed off, confused.

"Yes?" Beryl asked.

"A brook, a stream, or a river," she repeated, trying to remember exactly what she had been taught. "But a stream is a small, narrow river. And a brook is a small stream. So you just said 'a very small river, a small river, or a river,' but with different words."

Beryl let out an amused bark. "I suppose I did," he chuckled. "We can conclude that I think it is definitely some size of river."

The rushing noise was getting louder, and Lily found the energy to push ahead, taking the lead. "Let's find out," she purred.

"Careful, this is just the sort of place a Deathgripper might go if it landed nearby," Beryl cautioned, taking some of the wind out of her wings. She slowed down, and they advanced together.

Lily shoved a sapling aside, Beryl pushed through a bush, and just like that they were on the edge of a river.

Turbulent water rushed by, streaming across a bed of pebbles and sand. The water was murky, but shallow enough that she could see the bottom, maybe deep enough to come halfway up her legs. It was cut into the ground, following a straight channel off at an angle. The water was flowing in the direction of the sea, coming from some unknown source further upstream.

Lily had never seen a river of any sort before. All her knowledge on the subject was from Pyre, facts and descriptions passed on with a skill with words that could never totally capture the experience of standing in front of what was described, watching the snow on the banks drip into it, wondering why it had not frozen over yet when the air in front of her face periodically whitened with her breath.

"Definitely a brook," Beryl said, easily leaping over to the other side. It was the width of two light wings standing side by side, maybe less in certain places where the dense foliage on the banks grew out into the open air above the water. "Can't be too cold, it's not frozen yet."

"Want to test that?" Lily proposed. She certainly didn't want to go and check the water's temperature, but he could if he felt like it.

He leaned out over the water, staring down at it. "Well, can't hurt," he grumbled, before dropping down into the water. She shivered convulsively, glad it was him and not her, though he didn't seem bothered by it.

"Not _that_ cold," he confirmed. "Brisk. Chilly. Want to clean your paws?"

"No, thank you," she said primly.

"How about throwing the dogs for a loop?" he offered with a knowing purr. "I don't know how effective it will be, but it's water and doesn't hold a scent. Our trail might end here if we walk upstream, and they won't know where we've gone."

"Even if it does work like that, they could split up and check both sides of the brook, in both directions…" Thus cutting their effective forces into fourths for a time, and slowing them down immensely, if they even picked up the trail again at all.

"At best it throws them off completely, and at worst we are still going away from them, and in roughly the right direction." Beryl stamped his paws, splashing himself. "It really is not that bad. Chilly, nothing more."

"I can't argue with that," she chuffed. She would be enduring mild discomfort for a potentially huge advantage, and since when was she _not_ willing to make that sort of exchange?

Lily dropped down, hopping as smoothly as possible to avoid jarring her back, and was immediately beset by the deceptively strong flow around her paws. She was in no danger of falling over, but the short half-dozen strides she needed to get to Beryl were much more strenuous than normal.

"This might not be a good idea if it tires me twice as fast," she warned, once again thankful she could just speak her mind without worrying about how she would look in front of her fledglings. Admitting that she was the weak link so bluntly would not normally be an option.

"You have to step high," he said, turning around to demonstrate. "Paws up, only in the water when going down and going up. It will still be tiring, but not nearly so much."

"Got it. Let's get going." She tossed her head and stepped forward as he had demonstrated, glad to confirm it was much less strenuous. It was still annoying, but she would get used to it.

"Off we go," Beryl hummed, turning his tail on her to go upstream. He made quite the sight, stepping high like he had showed her, somehow at once humorously delicate while also rugged, forging a path through rushing water with his head held high and his paws placed firmly against the current…

Lily caught herself staring, and wondered at her wandering thoughts. Where had all of that come from? There was looking at a person to know who they were or what they thought, she did that all the time, but what she had just done was different. It had no purpose, not really, and no obvious prompt.

"Spark told me a story, once," Beryl said, breaking into her confused self-examination. "He was going around from island to island, and he happened across a mixed pack that had a rock-eating alpha."

"How does one eat rocks?" Lily asked, instantly intrigued.

"By being the sort of dragon that can, it is not something you learn," Beryl rumbled. His tail drifted low, skimming the water for a moment before jerking up away from it. "Anyway, this alpha had everyone else in the pack bringing them rocks every day. He wasn't a _lazy_ alpha, Spark said there was something about narrow caves and him being extraordinarily fat… It wasn't some sort of abuse of power, is what I'm saying. I think."

"This was not the point of your story," Lily guessed.

"No, I'm just getting bogged down in the details," Beryl agreed. "They would all go into the cave, one at a time, and pass the rocks out to the people behind them. Spark participated once, out of respect or something, I don't remember what reason he gave."

"I am going to have to ask Spark about this someday, just so that I can get all the details you do not remember," Lily teased.

"Should I stop telling the story?" Beryl asked.

"No, don't." She liked listening to him, and she assumed he had some sort of larger point he was trying to make. It was not as if walking upriver in total silence was better than listening to him ramble on, either.

"So he gets into the line," Beryl continued, "which is stretching ridiculously far from the cave entrance, and it's all nice and orderly, which he thinks is weird. He asks the dragon in front of him why there is a line at all, and the dragon says they get it done faster that way."

"Sounds reasonable," Lily said. She was still wondering where he could possibly be going with this, and half expecting some dark turn out of nowhere.

"So he waits, and it goes forward really slowly, but apparently that's faster," Beryl said. "Finally, he gets into the cave and the dragon in charge breaks a chunk of the wall off for him, right at the very end."

"Wait…" Lily was starting to get an idea of what the twist of this little story was going to be. "Is this cave set into the side of a mountain or something?"

Beryl glanced back at her, an amused expression on his face. "You already know what happens next, don't you?" he asked.

"Does Spark ask why they don't just start breaking rocks from the easily accessible spot that doesn't need a line?" Lily asked. "Or several of those spots? Or just bringing the alpha rocks from wherever?"

"Pretty much," Beryl snorted. "As it turns out, the previous alpha always said the better rock was deep in the mountainside, and tunneled in herself. When she gave up the position, the next alpha, the fat one, couldn't get into the cave, and wasn't motivated enough to fix that directly. People volunteered to go in, and they made lines and figured out how to do it… without ever considering that the rock might be just as good closer to the surface. Which it was, of course, it was just that one past alpha who put importance on that cave's rock supply for no real reason. Spark was celebrated by the whole pack when his question got around."

"Does this tale of painfully stupid decisions have a moral?" Lily asked with a snort. It reminded her a little of how her pack had ended up with Claw, but in a much more benign way. She would have to remember to have it told to Root. Such a simple, clean story might do for teaching younger fledglings where their actual history would be too graphic.

"No, it was just a funny story that came to mind because I was thinking of ways to take our minds off the cold water we are wading through," Beryl admitted. "Got a better one?"

"A better moral than nothing?" She splashed some water at his tail, and was rewarded with a surprised yelp. "How about 'think about what you take for granted?'"

"See, that works," Beryl rumbled. His back paw kicked out, spraying water a short distance behind him. He looked back, purring smugly-

And saw that she had wisely stopped walking after splashing him, and thus had avoided the predictable - to her, anyway - retaliation in kind.

She tilted her head and rumbled innocently at him. "Yes? You were praising my assessment?"

"Two can play that game," he rumbled. "This is not the end."

"No, but it is the end until we get further upstream," Lily offered, cloaking her new defence in reasonable logic. "We cannot slow ourselves down too much."

"That is not the end either," Beryl snorted. "However clever it is."

"I suppose not," she said agreeably, well aware that she had won this little exchange. It was a pleasant feeling, and unlike so many of her recent challenges, one with no bitter undertone. She had not lost anything in matching wits with Beryl, there was nothing at stake, just ways to pass the time.

"It's my turn to tell a story," she offered as they continued forward. She didn't have many that would keep their light mood, but if she danced around the circumstances, there were a few tales of Burble - Thunder, now, though that still didn't really connect in her head - that would do good to take their minds off the cold water.

O-O-O-O-O

They walked for the majority of the night, leaping out onto the bank only whenever their paws went numb from the cold. The time passed quickly with stories, and if it weren't for what they were doing, and why, Lily might have even forgotten they were being pursued.

Part of that was because she had neither seen nor heard any trace of the hunters. No Deathgrippers had roared in the distance at all, though they had heard plenty all throughout the pursuit the night before.

She knew better than to think the hunt had ended; in all likelihood, someone on the other side had wised up to how obvious the hunters making noise was, and how much it helped in getting away and _staying_ away. But the utter lack of further proof _did_ deprive her of anything more than an uneasy certainty that they were not safe.

Nobody was safe, her and Beryl least of all.

Beryl suddenly leaped out of the water and onto the shore, and Lily flinched. "What is it?" she hissed.

"A smell…" Beryl trailed off, looking around warily.

Seeing as their lack of scent had already been spoiled for this part of the shore, Lily wasted no time in leaping out of the water after him. She landed on a lump of thick grass, one paw in a small bush with annoyingly ticklish leaves.

The bush distracted her, and she spent a few moments pulling her paw out of it without uprooting the whole thing and taking it with her. Then she took a step back-

A disgusting smell assaulted her nose, and Beryl snorted in restrained laughter. "That would be it," he chuckled. "Maybe wipe your paw off."

Lily looked down and saw that she had stepped on a little pile of mud balls with a very strange, mostly unpleasant odor to them. She growled and dragged her paw along the grass, reluctant to dip it in the river she had just leaped out of before she absolutely had to. "What is this?"

"Waste," Beryl said bluntly. "Prey waste, I think. It seems we have gone far enough from your valley that there are prey around." He set off into the forest, and Lily followed, doing her best to memorize the pungent odor since it apparently led to food.

"Does the prey taste better than it smells?" she asked hopefully.

"Definitely," he said. "Which is good, because I'm starving."

"Same here." She had pointedly ignored the building growling in her belly up until now, knowing full well the reality of their situation. The talking and stories had helped her ignore everything except the present moment.

"Well, then…" He looked around, as if judging the situation. "I could hunt this one down much quicker if I was alone, since you don't know how yet."

"But you could hunt it quicker still if I was participating and already knew what to do?" Lily asked.

"Yes. That doesn't mean bringing you along _now_ is the best choice." He looked over at her. "We need to balance speed and safety. I will hunt this one alone and return to here, and when we have more of a definite lead, I can teach you. Is that okay?"

Lily considered it for a moment. She didn't like being left alone, but practically speaking, it would _save_ time to have her wait, rest, and let him do the hunting. She could even watch the river, just in case the No-scaled-not-prey were following close behind somehow and they just didn't know it yet. If she was found while he was gone, unlikely though that was after a whole night of not a single sign of the enemy, she could flee down the river again and use it to evade pursuit.

"Go," she said with a sigh. "I'll wait here."

"I will be back shortly," he promised. "Or not so shortly. If I find nothing and no trail to follow, I will be back quickest, if I do find it I might take a while longer, if it is big and heavy longer still, and if something else happens even longer."

"So I should hope you take long, but not too long," she summarized with a wry purr. "Now I will be worried for you _and_ confused over whether it is good or bad that you are not back yet. Thank you for that."

"Anything to keep you occupied," he rumbled, giving her an odd look before disappearing into the shadows of the forest. She watched him go, her eyes on his dark scales until they were indistinguishable from the rest of the view.

She was alone in a dark, unknown part of the forest, far from home and away from everyone she had ever known. She didn't run after Beryl, but the urge was there.

Instead, she turned to the side and sprawled out on her stomach, taking her weight off her paws. One eye was on the river, looking downstream, and the other on the dark forest on her side of the river. So long as she could assume that the No-scaled-not-prey and their animal minions were still on her trail, she could be sure she wouldn't be snuck up on from behind.

But it still felt as if there were little bugs marching down her spine, from behind her ears all the way to the tip of her tail, crawling and making her uneasy. She didn't like being alone, not like this.

It struck her that while this was not the furthest she had ever been from _anyone_ else, Beryl being not all that far away even now, it was certainly the furthest she had ever been from her pack since she had sworn to protect them. They were all adrift on the wind, following individual paths that might never connect again. She had done everything in her power to protect them, but the optimal solution in the short term, the _only_ solution, was terrible _now._

"It was necessary," she whispered to herself. The words were no comfort at all, and the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. She was not even with Root and the dark wings, watching over her pack's most vulnerable member as he traveled with friends. She was _alone_ , with Beryl, contributing nothing and unaware of what might be going on elsewhere.

For all she knew, there had been no further signs of pursuit because she and Beryl had gotten away. It was possible that one of the groups she had sent out had been caught instead, by the same hunters who would have come after her if they hadn't been distracted. It was possible they were dead now, and she would _never_ know for sure what had happened. They would just never reconnect with the other groups.

It was eating away at her inside, and she knew she needed to stop dwelling on it. She was going to be away from her people for days, potentially moon-cycles or even _longer_. Letting guilt devour her from the inside would be bad enough if she was okay aside from that, which she wasn't. She was already burdened with too much guilt, and this was not her fault.

That was what made this different. For once, she didn't feel she had made a mistake. Not one that led directly to this moment. The world had given her a challenge, one with steep stakes, and she had declined it for her peoples' sake. There was nothing she would do differently, and feeling guilty about that was wrong.

She needed a distraction… and the first thing that came to mind was to use whatever had kept her from thinking about any of that until now. That, in turn, was fairly obvious. It was either Beryl, or the consistent threat possibly still following behind them.

She turned her head and looked directly at the river. Nothing moved within, not fish. There were a few water bugs in the shallows, near a stand of reeds, but that was it. Nothing was coming upstream like she and Beryl had. Nothing, as far as she could tell, was coming from the woods on the other side of the water. The skies were quiet, if not necessarily empty.

The danger she was in definitely wasn't a distraction; worrying about whether she was safe or not just led her back to wondering about everyone else. That left Beryl…

And, now that she thought about it, she definitely had some other things to figure out about him, too. Such as what she had been thinking back before he began his first story, looking at him like she had.

"Not just that," she muttered, remembering other, similar moments from the night before. Pressing her forehead against his without prompting right before he left to go kill off the dogs hounding them, for one thing, and keeping herself awake by ogling his backside. Being so unusually excited to see him upon returning from captivity with Pearl, too, and a dozen other moments she was only now connecting. All driven by something she hadn't noticed. Some were addled by lack of sleep, others explained away by circumstances, more still by the ease she felt with him, the safety of knowing his desires and trusting his restraint, not needing to put up an image and remain at paw's length.

It _could_ all just be coincidence, individual moments not connected in any larger way. That was the easy thing to assume.

But easy did not mean _right_ , and the little moral she had given Beryl's story rung in her ears. She wasn't going to let this go, not now. Not when she needed to distract herself for the time being _anyway._

"Let's put it all together," she said aloud, finding that it was comforting to speak to herself on occasion; her voice was not loud enough to go beyond where she lay, but it was a familiar sound in unfamiliar territory.

Beryl was a male dark wing, her friend and trusted advisor. He had seen her at her worst and not turned away, he was helpful and had at one point harbored some sort of attraction to her that was _not_ based on the power she had over her pack.

She had, quite recently though it didn't feel like it, told him to stop feeling attracted to her, because she didn't feel the same way. Since then, he had acted entirely honorably, not once overstepping.

"If anyone oversteps, it's me," she mused, thinking of how she had on multiple occasions admired his body with less than innocent thoughts on her mind. He was fit, toned, and muscular in all the right places, and unlike most males, didn't have any obvious personality flaws that dissuaded her from thinking about him that way.

It was not really a surprise to admit that she was physically attracted to him; she had known, it just wasn't important. It was proof she _did_ know what her own preferences were, that she had a liking for males who were strong and well-built. Males like, say, Blur, just didn't appeal-

She groaned, recalling that Blur was dead. Her fault, under her rule. But the point remained. Physically, Beryl was as close to perfect as any real male could get. And in addition to that, he _wasn't_ an idiot or easily manipulated or already mated to someone, and she knew him.

"Strong, smart, kind, cunning," she said. "No wonder…"

A branch cracked somewhere nearby, and she froze. She still couldn't see anything either on the river or in the woods around, but that-

Another branch cracked, and Beryl growled in annoyance as he dragged a lanky, four-legged carcass across a bed of nettles and dead thorns. "It was resting close by," he said proudly, tossing the carcass free of the thorns with a twist of his neck. "Never even noticed me."

Lily put aside what she had been thinking about, aided by her growling stomach, and examined the body. It was large, too large to choke down like she had with the dog, and covered in the same sort of furry outer layer that she hadn't liked before. "How do we eat this?"

"Strip off the hide, save the bones for last, go for the fatty parts," Beryl advised, dragging his claws through one of the haunches. There was a grisly tearing sound, and he dug deeper, separating the leg from the body in a display that was downright tempting, and in more ways than one.

She shook her head, blaming _that_ thought on the things she had been pondering when he interrupted her, and tentatively tore a strip of the flesh off the chest.

"Bones there," Beryl said, pushing the haunch he had claimed over to her. "Let me take the annoying parts."

"Thanks," she purred, setting about the task of eating something other than fish. She kept her thoughts from before to herself, unsure of where they were going to lead.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily returned from relieving herself to find Beryl slumbering on his side, his belly exposed to the world. At first glance, sleeping like that seemed unusually careless of him, but then she remembered that he knew she would be keeping watch, and that the enemy was fully capable of slitting his throat no matter how he slept if they caught him unaware.

She settled a short distance away, one eye on him and one eye on the forest nearby. The river was somewhat close, she could still hear it, but they had moved far enough away that they couldn't be seen from its banks, just in case.

The sun was rising… somewhere. She looked up, but she couldn't see it thanks to the dense tree cover. If it wasn't so pointless and risky, she would have considered firing a shot just to clear a nice view of the sky.

As it was, she had a long, boring morning to sit through, and though she was fatigued she was not tired enough to sleep. Plenty of time to revisit the subject of Beryl in the privacy of her own head. She wasn't about to mutter to herself when he might be awake and listening; that had disturbing similarities to a time she had spent asleep and being admired…

She shuddered, thoroughly bothered by that comparison, and pointedly looked away. She was nothing like Claw where it counted. She wasn't going to lay a paw on Beryl without his consent, and furthermore he wasn't _related to her_. He wasn't even uninterested; she had needed to tell him not to pursue her.

But none of that helped her figure out what she was going to do _now_. She didn't know what she wanted or why it mattered, and all she had to work with was an attraction to Beryl and an indefinite hiatus from being alpha of her pack.

One of those things was under her control, so she needed to decide what she was going to do about it.

She huffed in annoyance and looked back at him. He was still sleeping peacefully, paws twitching on occasion. His chest rose and fell, black scales moving over powerful muscle.

This wasn't going to be something she could just ignore. It would need to be addressed in some way. She had options, but doing nothing wasn't one of them.

She growled quietly and went over her options in her head. On the one end of the spectrum, she could try to make herself not like him. On the other, she could make him her mate, assuming he was up for that. Neither of those was even remotely feasible, and she didn't want to do either, but in between there were compromises.

She wanted…

Lily huffed again, realizing that she didn't know what she wanted out of this. Her attraction was an opportunity, but she didn't know for what, or whether it was worth seizing.

Her thoughts were flying in circles, and she was only growing more frustrated with herself. She stood and walked a short distance from Beryl's sleeping form, making space and giving herself the option of talking aloud once more.

"I want… What do I want?" she rumbled to herself.

The first thing that came to mind was obvious. She wanted Beryl. Physically, for sure. Mentally, he was also an attractive prospect, but she didn't have time for a mate in the normal course of her life as alpha, not to mention that taking a mate would create problems.

She growled at herself, not liking where that thought led. Her pack was used to taking orders from males, historically speaking, and she had just recently seen how little they trusted her implicitly. Beryl was fine now because he was obviously subordinate to her, but if she took him, or anyone for that matter, as her mate?

"Can't let that happen," she growled. That would trap her in a vicious circle, half of which was of her own making. She had made clear that she believed mates were equals, so Beryl would be her equal. But Claw had made sure everyone was very, very used to obeying a strong, somewhat charismatic male in power, and if Beryl was her equal, then he would wield power that did not come from her.

Her fledglings, so relatively new to following her, would tend toward him instead of her when they had problems. He already had a rapport with many of them, and the older light wings were all too used to following a male.

It would begin slowly, and would be ameliorated by Beryl's lack of desire to rule, but that wouldn't last. Every time he helped someone, or gave an order, or disagreed with her publicly, just like he did now, his power would grow and hers would wane. The first time they had a real argument over pack policy, she would come out looking power-hungry, or she would lose. There was no winning that, and she was not about to abdicate to Beryl, no matter how much she liked him.

Taking him as her mate wasn't a choice she could make in good conscience, if he would even agree to it. He had not professed his undying love, he had only said he might be interested if she sorted out some of her more egregious issues. It was a potential and probably surface attraction, not a deep thing. Not yet, and not ever if she chose not to let it progress.

Thinking about what it would be like to let their relationship progress made her feel odd, in the same way that watching him move sometimes did. That was new, and she didn't quite know what to do with it; she had a long, mostly suppressed history of her body objecting as she was abused, but absolutely no experience with the opposite, the way things were supposed to be. She couldn't think about it without pushing down bad memories, so she didn't want to examine it too closely, but she knew what the outward signs of attraction looked like… If not, until now, how they felt.

"I _do_ want him," she admitted to herself. Physically, maybe even as a mate, though that couldn't happen. Practicality aside, that felt like an impossibly far away concept, and she doubted she was _ready_ for such commitment. She had never even considered anyone else as a prospect, it was far too early to be ready to take him as a mate.

She wasn't okay with that, and it couldn't happen anyway. But the physical attraction was there, and she wanted to explore that. She hadn't felt this way… ever. It was pleasant, it took her mind off of other things, and she was facing an uncertain future in which she would have precious few pleasant distractions. This was a chance, devoid of the laborious task of protecting her image in front of her fledglings.

"I want to do _something_ ," she muttered, realizing that she _really_ did want it. Whatever it would be. If she was alpha, she would never have the time and it would all be much more complicated, but she was not alpha at the moment. All of the usual complications had fallen away, leaving only a desire she would usually have ignored for the sake of others.

It was a low priority, a personal urge that would not benefit her people, but for once she had nothing more important to sacrifice her personal desires for. She had no people to lead, no enemy she was capable of facing, nobody to preserve her image for. No reason to avoid relaxing with friends, or chasing a male.

For once, the most optimal choice she could make would be to do what made her happiest, so long as it did not hinder her survival or hurt Beryl.

She knew the shape of what she was contemplating; it was obvious now that she was thinking about it. Her body, for perhaps the first time ever, was pushing her toward doing things with this interesting male. Said male was also interested in her. They were alone together. That story told itself, and the usual consequences were… not a problem.

She looked around, almost immediately spotting one of the same sort of blue-green bush that had rendered her barren, though this one only had a third of its leaves still attached, and another dropped even as she watched. It was no use to her, not now, but it was the reason this was without risk. Of that sort, anyway.

She looked down at the ground, doubting herself. This was sudden and unexpected and stupid. It would slow them down a little, and it would complicate things between herself and Beryl where she had only just managed to keep them on good terms thus far. All for a primal urge she could easily ignore, to follow a whim she would have buried without a second thought back in the valley.

It was an uncertain risk for an even more uncertain reward. At worst, she would ruin the relationship she had with him now, and at best… At best, they would enjoy being together for a time, and then they would go back to normal once she was back with her pack. He would never want that, he was…

Understanding. Clever. Flexible in his ways of thinking. Maybe he _would_ be okay with such an arrangement? Someone like Gold would have leaped on it for all the most base reasons, someone like Clay might have refused it since it was not normal to mate without being mated, but Beryl was not like either of them. The closest example she had for how he might react was herself, and her thinking was without a doubt affected by her attraction to him. Though he had professed a similar feeling, so that might make the similarities in their reasoning stronger, not weaker…

She snarled at herself, frustrated again. She had stalked a circle around Beryl's sleeping form a dozen times over in her deliberations, spoken to herself until an observer might think her insane, and still come to no real conclusion. It might be too much of a risk to propose anything to him, it might ruin their friendship over something trivial she had already avoided once, or it might be a pleasant, mutually enjoyable adventure that would cause no problems at all. She could be leaping into a pit filled with spikes, or she could be blindly leaping over a hole with something she wanted inside, only to never get the chance again.

Even in simple, trivial matters of fulfilling her own desires, she couldn't avoid these terrible lose-lose scenarios. Either she risked ruining what she had, or she sacrificed a chance at something new and good in her life, something physical where she couldn't do so many physical things already…

"Oh, no," she murmured, struck by a terrible thought. She was so crippled, so hindered by pain. It stood to reason, in the worst possible way, that being with Beryl wouldn't work out physically. She couldn't even lay on her back, and the very little she knew of mating required that…

That wasn't an end-all reason not to, though. She almost wished it was, if only to put a stop to her deliberations. It was a guess, a problem she could probably get around, or maybe not. It was another uncertainty stacked atop the already large pile.

"Take a leap, stay on the ground," she growled. "Take a leap, stay on the ground. Take a leap…"

A distant roar echoed, and she spun around. Beryl was still sleeping soundly, unharmed, and it had been far away. But it was proof the enemy was still around, maybe still hunting. They could be found at any time.

"Stay on the ground?" she murmured, coming around to stand in front of Beryl. Was that what she had decided? She didn't feel like she had made a choice at all. But one of her choices was a distraction, and the other was not. She could at least wait until they were _definitely_ safe before forcing herself to decide.

"Neither, for now," she concluded, sitting down across from him. She wouldn't act, or decide _not_ to act, until it was clear she wouldn't be diverting their energies at a dangerous moment. Or until something in the balance of uncertainty and desire swung so heavily she couldn't remain undecided. Whichever came first.


	58. Attractive

Lily straddled the edge of sleep and waking, her mind fogged and confused. Beryl's scent was heavy around her, more musky than normal, as well as her own, as strange as that was since she usually couldn't smell herself at all. Her scent had a spark to it that she didn't recognize, and she felt warm, especially in her lower stomach and hindquarters. Raging hot, and damp.

"Lily," Beryl called out, breaking into her half-dream. A paw pat her forehead, gingerly, as if trying to avoid touching her any more than necessary. She vaguely interpreted his uncertain growl as being worried or embarrassed, which helped draw her from her slumber.

"Wha'?" she slurred, blinking rapidly as she tried to drive the fog from her mind. It was odd for sleep to cling to her like it just had, and she wasn't sure what was going on.

"It's dusk," Beryl huffed. "You might want to go jump in the river before we head out."

"That will wake me up," Lily agreed with a groggy rumble. She pushed on her paws, belatedly noticing a damp patch in the grass under her hindquarters as she rose.

"I will be waiting over here," Beryl said quickly, retreating so fast she felt as if she was missing something.

Lily watched him go, wondering what she was missing. She still felt odd, riled up and sleepy at the same time, and watching him leave only made her feel stranger.

There was a pleasant tingling sensation between her hindlegs, and she stilled as she put all the pieces together. Odd, pleasant sensations, an unusual-feeling dream, Beryl trying to avoid drawing attention to her, the smell still clinging to her nostrils, a wet patch under her in a certain place…

She scented the wetness to confirm what she had guessed, then took Beryl's advice and headed to the water, wondering what it all meant. Her body was trying to send her a message, one she thought she had already received, if not acted upon. She hadn't had one of _those_ dreams… ever, that she could remember, though Pina had taken her aside once to mention such things, back when she was a fledgling.

The water was cold and strong, and thoroughly washed away both her lethargy and her lingering arousal in the brief time she suffered the icy chill and disorienting push on her paws. By the time she leaped out onto the bank, she was composed and hoping to shove this inconvenient incident behind her before Beryl read too much into it. She still hadn't decided whether to follow this sort of urge or not, and until she did decide, she didn't want him aware that it was even an option, for fear of him influencing her choice. It had to be _her_ decision first and foremost, not something she was talked into.

"Let's agree to pretend that didn't happen," Lily said upon seeing Beryl waiting by one of the dying blue-green bushes. That had to be pure chance; he didn't even know what that sort of bush _did_. He was staring at her, but even as she noticed that he looked away with a shrug of his wings and a nod, so she was probably imagining that.

"It slips my mind sometimes that you are only… what, ten season-cycles old?" Beryl asked. "That sort of thing happens to anyone under twenty, on occasion. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Lily chose not to bring up his awkwardness in waking her; that was probably the fault of her making him promise to not make advances on her, not any inherent discomfort for what was going on. "This hot-season will be my eleventh, yes," she confirmed. "How old are you?"

"Honestly, I do not keep track," Beryl admitted sheepishly. "It was hard for a period of time, almost impossible really, and I think Spark knows my exact age better than I do. Somewhere under thirty."

"How can it be hard?" she asked, happy to lead their conversation firmly toward safer skies. "Just count the seasons."

"There are places where you cannot tell what season it is, and if you spend long enough there, it becomes impossible to know if one has passed, or five," Beryl rumbled. "I spent time in one such place, Spark did not."

"What about Ember?" Lily asked. "Where was he?"

"Dead and also running around as a No-scaled-not-prey fledgling," Beryl said wryly. "He's probably not sure about his age either, but he has a much more solid excuse."

"I guess Pearl or Ember told you how much I know now," Lily huffed.

"We keep each other up to date on stuff like that, especially when knowing means I can relax about what I avoid talking about," Beryl confirmed. "I heard you were not particularly pleased to find out that there was more to what he could do than you were told?"

"No, and I still feel justified in my reaction," she said calmly. "In retrospect, you both played a tricky game of telling some of the truth without telling me what I really would have wanted to know."

"You are not mad at me about that, are you?" Beryl asked.

Lily shook her head, dismissing the very idea. "It was on his behalf, and it was a matter of avoiding confrontation," she reasoned. "You just left it up to him to explain, and he performed the majority of the deception. I can't complain about you being loyal to your Sire." Not when his Sire, and by extension Pearl, were on her side, more or less. Even if it did bother her, she wasn't about to worry about it _now_ , when Ember and the rest of Beryl's family were nowhere to be found.

"But," she added a moment later, "I don't feel entirely comfortable around Ember."

"You'll get used to it," Beryl said, unbothered by that admission. "It's only scary until you know him well enough, and then it is just a part of him like any other."

"If you say so," she conceded. She didn't agree with that; what Ember could do was inherently unsettling, and no amount of familiarity would get her to forget what he was capable of. But Beryl had proven right before, and she wasn't willing to start an argument over something so trivial.

"I hope he's okay," Beryl murmured, looking up at the dense tree cover. "Wherever he is. The rest of them, too, but him most of all. He will be the one in the most danger. There were Deathgrippers roaring in the distance all throughout the afternoon, and I cannot help but wonder what they were doing."

Lily growled and dropped back to walk behind Beryl, wanting to keep better watch on their surroundings. "I almost forgot we are being hunted," she admitted.

"Yes…" Beryl looked back at her with an unreadable expression. "You seemed lighter. More carefree."

"I was free of worry about the very real dangers stalking us and my people, yes," she said with a snort, somewhat amused despite herself. "It might feel good, but it is not safe to be so oblivious." Not to mention that she had not felt much less stressed, talking about deception and lies.

"Not now…" Beryl trailed off. "Not ever, maybe, but if you cannot ever relax, you will stress yourself until you start making mistakes. Since you cannot do anything more than what you are already doing, now would be the best possible time to let go and relax."

"I am trying, when it comes to worrying about my people," she admitted. "I know I can't do anything more for them. But it's hard." She was experienced in avoiding certain subjects in her own thoughts, but this was different because she couldn't just lock the memories away and hide from them. Someday, she would need to dig them up and resume being alpha, and she would need to do it without missing a beat, without drowning in built-up guilt, no matter what state her people were in when she found them.

"Focus on the here and now," Beryl advised, his deep voice soothing in her ears. "The sounds of the forest, the feeling of wind on your face, the chill in the air… The little things, what is going on around you. As a side benefit, this will make you much more observant." He ended his words with a lilting purr, one that made her purr back at him.

It was good advice; she tried to listen, feel, and see without thinking beyond their walk…

And her eyes drifted to his tail. She examined the veins in the membrane, and then her eyes slid up toward his backside. There, she found herself looking at the base of his tail and trying to remember the vague feelings she had dreamt of that evening. The encouraging warmth, the strong scent that drew her in, her own scent rising to mix with it. The heat down between her back legs, her own pulse growing stronger and more noticeable in that place.

She huffed quietly and tried to focus on the less alluring sights, lest she become _interested_ enough that Beryl noticed somehow. The trees swayed with the cold wind, and moonlight flickered across drifts of snow and dry grass alike, a thousand speckles of light and darkness intermixing, playing across scales and lending depth to what would otherwise be a shadow, curves and bulk to a flat shape stalking through the forest in front of her… And she was back to admiring Beryl.

"This isn't working," she said honestly, neglecting to give context to her complaint. "I need another sort of distraction." Ideally one that did not make her feel like a lust-addled young adult unable to control herself. She had never felt this way before, and while she liked the feelings, being unable and unwilling to control or act on them was frustrating.

"Another distraction?" Beryl glanced back at her, seemingly noticing nothing amiss. "I could give you the basics of hunting, so that you will be ready to join me next time."

"Perfect," she barked, a little more loudly than she had intended. As they walked, she squeezed her hips together, trying to drive away the unusual feeling. It didn't really work, but she kept doing it anyway, at a loss for any other method of calming herself without being obvious about what she was doing.

"Right…" He glanced back at her, then stopped to look down at the forest floor. "Here is something."

"Prey?" she asked, walking up beside him again.

"See anything about this spot?" he replied, gesturing with his paw.

She examined the tossed medley of sticks, fallen leaves, and grass blades. "No," she admitted, not at all surprised by how unremarkable it was. If this was something easy, she would have learned it for herself long ago. Pyre would have taught her in more than vague explanations about tracks, scents, and patterns prey kept to so long as they did not think they were in danger.

"Not even in that little mud spot?" Beryl clarified, shifting a leaf for her to see where he was talking about.

"I see a small feather," Lily observed. "Is that what you mean?" It was a puny, bedraggled thing, torn and with the hard part sticking out of the mud at an angle.

"Yes, exactly," Beryl chuffed. "This is worthless, hunting and catching birds isn't even enough to break even. You'll make yourself hungrier during the hunt than the bird will sate."

"But you brought it up because it is a type of track to give me an idea of what I should be looking for when it comes to more worthwhile prey?" Lily guessed.

Beryl let out a long, amused rumble. "I have to admit that it is refreshing to teach someone who will not immediately demand to know why I bothered in the first place when I do something like that."

"Someone who thinks before they speak, you mean," Lily purred.

"It's rarer than you make it sound," he replied. "I always want to ask whether they think I like to waste time on irrelevant things. If I say I am teaching something, then I am teaching it, and it would be better to wonder what I am teaching and why."

"So what you are really saying," Lily hummed, "is that you're glad to be done teaching my pack to fight." She did her best to not think about _why_ he might be done for good, but it was hard…

"Let's get back to the task at paw," Beryl suggested rather loudly. Lily glanced up, startled.

He pawed at the leaves, pressing them down. "What am I doing?"

Lily avoided stating the obvious, instead trying to connect his actions to what he was trying to teach. It would have been embarrassing to fall into the trap of getting stuck on details right after he had praised her for avoiding it. Luckily, the real answer was easily discerned. "You are making a pawprint," she assessed. "Another type of track."

"Yes, though it's not working very well," Beryl admitted. "These leaves will stay down for a while, but they'll quickly be covered by others. Impressions are best found in mud or sand, both of which you'll get by water, which prey need to survive."

"Water that we are walking away from," she noted. "So much for that."

"That's necessary for _our_ survival," he said with a grimace. "And we should keep moving. Keep your nose down and your eyes on the ground. I have noticed several little trails already tonight, other things that are too small for us to bother with, and I want you to call them out as you find them. Learn what's not worth going after, and you will find it much easier to ignore in the future."

"I understand," she hummed. He walked forward, and she let him take the lead. Her nose went to the ground, and she sniffed at every patch of leaves she passed over. There was a myriad of smaller, subtler scents she never usually noticed, but none were particularly interesting.

She kept her head down and focused on the admittedly boring task anyway, even once the novelty of it wore off. She knew a bit of the theory of hunting from Pyre, and Beryl hadn't said anything she couldn't have figured out for herself, at least not yet, but focusing on his lesson was doing wonders for keeping her mind off of the things she couldn't change.

A distinctly male scent promoted itself to her attention as she walked, and she snorted out, almost amused. All she was smelling was him, his scent wafting over when the breeze shifted her way. It was nothing like what she had smelled on herself earlier, just the normal scent of an adult male.

Her thoughts drifted away from prey, and she took in his smell more deeply. It had its subtleties, just like any dragon's scent. She could tell that he was healthy, not sick and diseased, and… intriguing.

She could tell he was available. That was not new, it was a simple thing to notice that there was no female scent drifting through his, but it was certainly more interesting to her now, in this situation, than it otherwise would have been.

She huffed his scent out of her nostrils, or tried to, at least. It refused to go, clinging and reintroducing itself with every inhale, however slight. She found herself needing to press her hips together again, and her eyes drifted back up to him.

It was like a sickness of the mind, but natural and without a cure. She didn't even _want_ to cure it, not really, not when it kept her mind off of other things. She did feel lighter and more carefree when she wasn't thinking about-

"Stop," Beryl huffed, throwing his wing out. "Look. Silently."

Lily did not bother asking how one looked loudly, and instead did as told. She could see many gnarled old trees around them, and a big beam of moonlight, and a bunch of broken branches around the hole…

Something had crashed through the trees here, something big, and she could faintly smell a familiar, unnatural odor. Some of the branches had streaks of white on them that were too flat and thick to be snow or ice.

If that were all, she would go forward to investigate, but the same thought that had undoubtedly occurred to Beryl had wormed its way through her mind, too. A Deathgripper had crashed down here, but why? And had it left, or was it still around?

Beryl moved forward, carefully and silently pacing around the outskirts of the moonbeam, his eyes on the mingled leaves and snowdrifts around it. Lily went the other way, checking for the same thing, and dreading what she might find.

Because what if the Deathgripper had come down second, after one of her people? What if there had been a chase? What if she found old blood or smelled someone dear to her?

There was that same pungent odor, the scent of the white coloration the Deathgrippers had donned like mud to blend in with the snow. It twisted and mingled with everything else, but she didn't _think_ there were any light wing scents mingled in, just Deathgripper, snow, and the forest.

"They went off this way," Beryl huffed quietly. "Alone. Doesn't look like they were following anyone."

Lily looked up at him, across the pale beam of light, and shook her head. "If there was a chase, someone else might have landed nearby. We should follow-"

"No, we shouldn't," Beryl interjected. "I don't just mean they were not chasing someone, I mean the spacing of the prints implies they were walking slowly. And look, this direction would end up with them hitting the stream."

"Which is not visible from above, so they cannot have come down for it," Lily reasoned back at him.

"True, but we still should not hang around here, just in case they come back," Beryl rumbled.

"Okay," she conceded, glad she didn't have to let herself be argued around just so that her fledglings would hear all of Beryl's implied reasoning. This discussion had just ended, he had won her over to his way of thinking with most of it left unsaid, but it would have needed to go on for a while yet if she had to justify her change in opinion to anyone else.

"I really do not think they came down to chase someone," Beryl said as they turned their backs on the crash site. "There wasn't the slightest hint of anyone but the Deathgripper coming down here, and it would make no sense for it to land away from its prey if it knew where to go. This is much more like how they have been following us."

"That does not make me feel good about our safety," Lily said, not really meaning it. She didn't feel all that threatened at the moment; this and the occasional distant roar were the only indications that they might still be in any danger at all. There was still a chance they would be caught, she wasn't letting her guard down, but there would be indications beforepaw, warning signs much more ominous than this one. So long as they kept moving, they would be okay.

"But it makes you feel better about the safety of your people?" Beryl asked hopefully.

"It does," she admitted. "A little."

"Then I'm glad I said it." He glanced back at her, his eyes meeting hers as they walked. "I think this could be good for you."

"Finding a crash site and then leaving it alone?" Lily asked. "Yes, it could be good. For both of us…" A thought occurred to her, and she hummed quietly. "That reminds me of something."

"Yes?"

"They brought the dog in to get _my_ scent," she said. "Does that mean that they can track any light wing, or just me?" She would almost prefer it if they could only track her.

Beryl looked back again, this time with tilted ears and a confused expression. "We went over this when we were planning the departure, remember? Ember said it probably meant they could follow you easily, and discern your scent from other light wings, but they could get the scent of anyone else just by taking a dog into the valley."

Lily titled her head and thought about it. "No," she said after a moment, "I don't remember."

"Probably because you were tired even then," Beryl suggested. "It catches up to you eventually."

"Yes, but it was necessary," she rumbled.

"I'm not arguing that," he said amiably, "I am just saying that there are trade-offs. It seems not quite remembering the little things afterward is one of them. Keep that in mind for your next long planning session."

"I will," she chuffed. Things like that made him perhaps her favorite advisor. He didn't immediately leap to telling her not to do something, he just made sure she knew the consequences. He was sort of like Pyre in that, though at the same time absolutely nothing like Pyre, full of life and so _relaxed_.

She was supposed to be relaxing too. "I am going to go back to scenting for little trails," she declared. "And you should walk beside me, or behind me. Your scent is getting in the way." She could smell him even now.

"This is not the prey you are looking for," Beryl snorted, running around a few trees to come up beside her, flaring his wings and crouching down as if to hide from sight. His wing brushed her side as he posed, just for a moment before it jerked away, and he quickly put a little distance between them.

Lily shook her head, fed up with second-guessing his motivations. "Do you still remember me demanding you not even come close to making moves on me?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes…" Beryl eyed her cautiously. "Why? Have I overstepped?"

"No, you're understepping," she snorted. "Forget that. I am not going to snap at you the moment you inch past the line. If I do not like it, I will let you know."

"Because you are trying to be less uptight?" Beryl asked.

"I am relaxing," Lily said innocently, wondering whether the attraction she was hiding was hidden well enough. At the moment, she didn't think anything would give her away, but he had noticed her unusual dream that evening. He was clever, he could put two and two together. But some things were only obvious in retrospect, and Crystal had told her she wasn't obvious with her feelings even when she meant to be…

Lily sidestepped and leaned against him. "We're friends," she said. "If I am a little less touchy than most light wings, it's because there are some in my pack who would get the wrong idea far too easily." She wasn't quite sure whether that was true or not, but it was part of the truth at the very least, and the part that would put him at ease without committing her to a course of action.

"This is a very good start to relaxing," Beryl rumbled. "But I thought you did not want my scent distracting you?"

"Yes, true, back up," she chuffed, catching herself before she could do anything else. She was well past wondering what was getting into her, and onto wondering whether it was something she _could_ control. Her body answered to _her_ , and its many defects had taught her to push past pain and fear and exhaustion… but she didn't have much practice ignoring positive emotions, and attraction was totally new.

Beryl obligingly backed away, and Lily set her nose to the ground, sniffing deeply and pushing him out of her mind. She was going to smell the little prey, not think about Beryl or wonder if he was staring at her hindquarters like she enjoyed doing to him-

It really _was_ a disease of the mind, unavoidable and corrupting her every thought. She almost spit a little ball of fire into the snowdrift in front of her. She _would_ control herself.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's stomach rumbled as she scented another little prey trail. "When you say these are not worth hunting, do you mean they are _never_ worth hunting, or that they are not worth hunting when you are mostly full?" she asked hopefully. She didn't know what made the tantalizing scent that passed through the mud, leaving little splayed clawprints, but it smelled interesting.

"Never," Beryl said, squashing her hopes. "But you did good finding that one. That makes five since we found the crash site."

"Ten in a night, none of them worth following," Lily added. "That is good?"

"This forest is bare and mostly lifeless, so yes," Beryl confirmed. "I don't know why that is, either. Your people could not possibly have hunted this far out without you knowing about it. You're not responsible for the overhunting."

"Definitely not," she huffed, putting her head back down and moving on. "I would have noticed over the season-cycles." Pyre would have noticed, too. "What could have caused it?"

"Scarce food sources, maybe. I have not seen many berry bushes either." Beryl stalked off to the right and batted a paw at yet another green-blue bush. "These are everywhere, and they seem worthless."

"Certainly not edible," Lily rumbled. They _did_ seem more plentiful than usual, though they were all losing their leaves now. She had assumed that was just her slightly altered state of mind picking them out of the undergrowth more thoroughly than normal. But if Beryl noticed it too, it had to be something more than warped perception.

"I don't know enough about plants and prey to say what's going on," Beryl decided.

"Better than guessing randomly with no knowledge to back yourself up," Lily hummed.

"It definitely is…" Beryl came back to walk at her side, and his wing brushed hers. Neither of them moved away, him because she had told him such things were fine, and her because she liked it.

She put her head down and tried to ignore the feelings for the umpteenth time. It was becoming clear that she was going to have to do _something_ soon, either to stifle herself or to act on it. But she didn't know what.

Another prey scent came in at the edge of her nostril, trailing around in an indescribable way that led her to believe it was coming from something to her left. She turned away from Beryl to follow it, expecting another little trail through the mud, lined with stray fur or feathers.

Instead, she got a deep trio of circular holes in the mud, and a _much_ stronger smell than any other prey. "Is _this_ worth finding?" she asked expectantly, closing her eyes to focus on the smell. It wasn't like fish, none of the trails had been anything like fish, but it screamed of fresh, non-dragon blood, and something big enough to have a lot of it.

"This definitely is," Beryl purred, taking the lead. Lily followed him, for once distracted by something more alluring than his tail, though in a different way. "Okay, time to actually hunt. It's not eat or starve, not yet, so do not get too stressed."

"But there are stakes," Lily objected. "If we do not get this, you will have to go fishing at some point." That was a big risk, and she would much rather he not need to take it, especially not on her behalf.

"Like I said, it's not catch or starve," he repeated. "Don't overwork yourself. We're going to run now, but not too fast. Be ready to stop the moment I do."

"Understood," Lily huffed. They had been walking fast all night, and she was tired, but not to the same extent as so often recently, where she could barely move of her own accord. She could run for a while.

Beryl broke into a fluid lope, and Lily did her best to follow, though she felt less than graceful compared to him. The scent of the prey remained in her nostrils, driving her forward, and she found that she had little trouble following it. Moving off of the path it had taken was like having fish pulled out from under her nose; the few times she did go another way to avoid close-set trees, she immediately found it again afterward.

They ran for a short while, not long enough to tire her out to any meaningful degree, and then Beryl stopped without any warning.

"There's a big puddle ahead of us," he said quietly, backing up. Lily backed up with him, copying his every move in lieu of an actual explanation. "The prey is drinking from it. There are thorn bushes to the prey's right, and there is a snowdrift to its left. I want you to circle around to _our_ right, its left, and hunker down by the snow. I'll scare it, and when it tries to flee, jump and dig your claws into it."

"I can do that," Lily huffed quietly. She immediately began creeping around the trees and bushes that apparently obscured the puddle. She couldn't see it, and had to all but crawl in order to not be seen, a huge white mass slinking through the dark forest, but she could hear occasional grunts and water splashes nearby.

She wished she had camouflaged herself, however imperfect it was. A moving blur had to be less noticeable than a stark-white dragon slinking around…

But there was no cry of alarm from the prey, so it didn't matter. She crouched down by the edge of the snowdrift as Beryl had suggested, inching her way forward until she could see the pond and the odd brown creature standing in it with its back to her.

She contemplated leaping out and grabbing it now, while it was oblivious, but Beryl probably had a reason for not suggesting that. He knew what they were doing, and she didn't. She remained still, ready to leap up and pounce on the narrow, horned creature. If she weren't so hungry, she might have cared about its appearance, but at the moment she just cared about what lay beneath that brown coat.

Beryl leaped out from hiding and the prey immediately bleated and bolted, its spindly legs propelling it through the snow. Lily leaped forward, surprised by its sudden speed despite waiting for exactly that, and drove it down against the base of a tree. It stopped moving before she even got her claws into it, and she stared at its long neck.

"They don't bend like that," Beryl supplied, coming up beside her to paw at its head, which flopped loosely at an obviously unhealthy angle. "Nice takedown."

Lily forced down a fleeting memory of Crystal's Sire and his similarly fatal injury, instead focusing on the here and now, as Beryl had told her to. She was standing in a dark forest, victorious in her first hunt, her prey under her paws.

She sank her teeth into one of the fat flanks and tore a chunk off, stripping the fur off with clumsy claws as she went. This part she knew, thanks to Beryl showing her with the prey he had brought the night before.

"It's good enough, but it's scrawny and alone," Beryl observed in between claiming his own portion and eating it. "That makes two over the course of our entire journey so far, both undersized."

"Could it be coincidence?" Lily asked. "One is random, two might be a coincidence. Three or more is a pattern."

"It's possible we're just in an unappealing part of the forest," Beryl conceded. He bit down, and bones cracked loudly, signalling the end of any long-winded discussion. They had more important things to do with their mouths.

Lily focused on filling her stomach, enjoying the meat while she could. It was strange and a little frightening to know that she couldn't be sure where her next meal would come from, but at the same time she knew she had Beryl, and now she knew the basics of hunting.

Hunting was good. She found a bone and snapped it between her paws to lick at the broken ends. There was something about the chase and the end that made her feel alive, independent. It was something she could do, and without her back hurting much at all. Running hurt, but so did walking, and she had not needed to run for very long.

They lingered there by the puddle, finishing off the still-warm kill in turns. When the last of the edible bits were gone, Beryl shoved the remainder off into the snow and covered it. "I think we can rest here for the day," he said casually, returning and laying on his side. "You don't want to run or walk anywhere right after a meal like that. That's one of the downsides to eating less frequently but more in a sitting."

"That, and getting fat," she snorted.

"You won't get fat," Beryl said seriously, arching his neck to look at her. "You might fill out a little, but that will be from the constant exercise, not eating a lot at once. And you are beautiful anyway."

Lily eyed him skeptically, and he stared back at her. "A little too blatant on the encouragement, there," she joked.

"I meant it," he said, before looking away again.

Lily huffed and settled down, her paws under her head. Something had to be done about this, and soon. A choice needed to be made, and her body was constantly pushing her toward one of the two available options. Even Beryl complimenting her was enough to get a reaction, however slight.

She let her eyes linger on his exposed underside, straining to master her feelings. She was not some moonstruck female who had just learned of males, she knew far too much about the things that came from attraction, though none of her first-paw knowledge was applicable here. It couldn't be; even thinking about Claw made her feel the opposite of what Beryl did.

She didn't like thinking about Claw, so she pushed him from her mind and eyed Beryl some more. He didn't notice, lying as he was. One eye to the ground and thus closed, and the other to the canopy, and the sky beyond. It didn't look comfortable, but he preferred lying that way for some reason, at least on this particular trip. She had not spied on him as he slept back in the valley, so she didn't know if he did it there.

He probably didn't; he had at least one enemy in the valley, Diora, and so wouldn't want to expose himself to whoever came around while he slept. Right now, his neck and chest and belly were all facing out at her, vulnerable. They moved in and out with every breath, shifting arrays of muscle covered by scale but nonetheless clearly defined, all the way down his underside and out into his tail.

Her heart quickened and a wet heat began to smolder down below, and she narrowed her eyes. She needed to be able to control _that_ reaction, as it was the one most likely to give her away before she was ready to make a choice. If she couldn't…

If she couldn't, did that mean that the right choice was to pursue it? She did not immediately push the idea away. It was an attractive option, _he_ was an attractive option, and likely open to her if she made her intentions clear. It was a risk, but not much of one, not in that way.

She wanted this. It was just a question of whether or not it was worth the risk of messing things up with him…

But she trusted him. He was smart and capable of _not_ letting something like this get between them. If he didn't feel right about it, he would tell her so. And she wanted to find out what it was supposed to be like, what these feelings were meant to lead to.

Lily stood, her heart beating fast, and hesitated. Once she began, she couldn't change her mind and pretend she wasn't doing what she was obviously doing, that would just confuse Beryl and make things awkward. And she couldn't just jump on him, either, the very thought of assaulting him with something he wasn't expecting or allowing made her want to vomit.

"If you want to gnaw on a bone, go ahead," Beryl said casually. "I buried them to keep from attracting scavengers, but so long as you cover them up again it will be fine."

"I want something else," Lily said breathlessly. "I really do."

Beryl rolled onto his stomach and looked over at her. "What?" he asked.

Lily stalked upwind of him, not sure what she was supposed to say, and flicked her tail back and forth a bit. Her scent would probably speak for her… Maybe she was supposed to make herself look appealing too, but she was not an attractive light wing. That would probably just backfire, no matter how he might think she was appealing.

It might all backfire, he might not want her at all, but she was beyond the point of going back now. His eyes widened as her scent reached him, and she knew she couldn't pretend nothing was happening. She couldn't go back… and she dearly wanted to, for the long moment of silence that passed between them.

"You said no…" Beryl rumbled, staring at her.

"I'm no good with this sort of thing, I have no idea what I'm doing," Lily admitted. "But I want to know what I've missed out on. You make me want that."

"You do not have some plan going on here, do you?" Beryl asked, looking away from her. "Lily, trying to attract me is _not_ acceptable in some clever scheme."

"It's not a scheme," Lily whined, shuffling her paws in helpless agitation. "If it was a scheme I would know what to do or say. I just don't think I can hide it any longer, and don't want to anyway."

Beryl breathed in deeply, his eyes returning to her. They were wide and open, but conflicted too. His ears wavered between standing upright and laying flat on his head, twitching erratically.

"We can't risk an egg," Beryl murmured, sounding so very confused, but also regretful… "I don't know what this is supposed to be, and you are not about to ask to be my mate."

"No, I…" Lily cast about and found the nearest blue-green bush. She didn't need it, but she needed a way to explain why eggs were not a problem, and she _didn't_ want to talk about being barren. Her hindquarters were smoldering like a lit fire, and she just wanted to get past the confusion and find out whether he felt the same way she did.

"These bushes stop eggs for a moon-cycle," she said, before hastily swallowing a leaf, hollow act though it was. "Not a problem."

"Oh." Beryl walked toward her. "What… Do you really want this? You are not just pressing on even though it does not seem like such a good idea now?"

"I do," Lily confirmed. Her hesitation was gone, and it sounded like he was considering it… "Just… stop me if you do not feel right about this?"

"Okay." He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. "Same for you."

She purred heartily and ran her face along his chin and down his neck, giddy at the prospect of finally giving in to his allure. She had no clue what she was supposed to be doing, and instead had to lean into her impulses, the very things she always tried to control. Just this once, maybe it was better to act without thinking, however foreign that was to her.

If she _could_ do that. Her thoughts were all over the place, and she felt strangely out of breath, but she didn't care. She let her gaze wander down his back, guided by her wants, a yearning to... Her body, the raging fire in her hindquarters, fuelling a desire for him to… to…

She startled a little as Beryl gently nuzzled her face, and then he gracefully lay on his side in front of her, the embodiment of relaxation, watching her with eyes that were at once understanding and inviting. She exhaled, feeling relieved, though she didn't inspect her brief hesitation too thoroughly; she was trying _not_ to think, and certainly not about where that would lead.

She awkwardly rubbed her face on his chest, purring increasingly loudly at just how _firm_ all that muscle really was, and then further down, along his side, strongly desiring to first know more about what she was getting herself into. Her tail curled around to bop at his nose, and he bit at the tip with toothless gums, pulling at it.

Neither of them knew what they were doing, just that they were doing something. They were lying beside each other now, facing opposite directions; she couldn't even see his face. He was rumbling deep in his chest, but for all she knew he was feeling terribly uncomfortable and just waiting for her to do something else.

She nuzzled his flank, breathing heavily and savoring his warm and intoxicating scent… then mustered her courage and gently nudged his hindleg aside to reveal something that put paid to her worries about whether he was enjoying her semi-random actions. She stared, suddenly feeling even more out of her element, but vindicated at the same time, and purred throatily as she satisfied her curiosity, adding pieces to a puzzle she had never before felt the need to complete. He shivered…

"This is good," he rumbled huskily. "I… You lead."

"I planned to," Lily purred breathlessly, laying her head on his flank. Then she thought about how that might sound, given her reputation, and wanted to take it back. "No, there was no plan, but I want to."

"It's okay," he said, twisting around so that they were facing each other again. "I get it. This is my first time, too. I don't know what I'm doing." He licked her across the face, and she responded in turn.

"It's working," Lily purred, nudging at his neck. "Roll over, please?" She had the overwhelming urge to _not_ be on the bottom, to take charge and make sure this was good for both of them. She wasn't quite sure whether it _worked_ like that, but she was going to find out.

Beryl purred at her and rolled onto his back without hesitation, his every movement open and inviting. He was strong, fit, a friendly face she knew. He trusted her, and she completely trusted him. She was not afraid.

She was not afraid, and she wanted him. She put a paw on his chest, then another, and walked up him. Then she eased herself down and joined them, and all of her thoughts flew away on the wings she no longer possessed, leaving her without a care in the world except the present moment. She could smell him under her, feel him, _taste_ him as she panted against his muscular chest, and they fumbled and tested and found the rhythms that had them both stifling sounds in the quiet hum of the snowy forest.

O-O-O-O-O

Some time later, Lily lay on her side, her mind blissfully empty. Beryl lay opposite her, his paws resting on and under hers. They were both panting, and both happy with what had happened…

But all too soon, the bliss faded and her thoughts returned. She could see the same thing happening to Beryl, obvious most of all in the way he looked at her with increasing uncertainty.

Now, as much as she hated to put herself in a delicate position so soon after such a mind-altering experience, was just as important as what had just happened. This would be the conversation that defined or ruined what they had just begun.

"Pearl told me something, back when we were talking," Lily began, hoping to set the mood as something calm and understanding. "She said that mating wasn't just for making eggs, that it was enjoyable too. She said it because I didn't really _get_ that at the time. Now I do."

"It was… but it usually happens between mates." Beryl huffed and looked past her. "I don't know what we just did, but you are not going to ask to be my mate."

"No," Lily confirmed. "Neither of us is ready or willing to make that choice. Right?" She certainly hoped she had interpreted his desires correctly. If she hadn't, this was about to go bad very fast.

"I was not… am not… I don't know." Beryl clutched one of her front paws between his. "This was good. I liked it. I like you. But you have things that need to be sorted out."

"Yes," she agreed. "Many things. But this, what we just did… I do not regret it."

"I certainly do not either," Beryl assured her. "I have had to stop myself from staring at you for so long… I tried not to think about you that way, but… the moment you said you felt the same way…"

"You hid it well," she huffed, wondering how many 'innocent' looks she had missed. Maybe not so many, some probably were innocent, and it was not as if she wasn't guilty of the same thing.

"So did you… When did you decide you liked me after all?" He scrunched his face up, apparently deep in thought. "I cannot tell, even looking back."

"Neither can I. It came slowly and I didn't have time to notice it." She huffed and nosed his chest. "But what we are now… not mates. I can't take a mate, not when I get back to the pack. There are problems with that. Big problems."

"I will take your word for it," Beryl hummed. "But we are not with the pack now."

"Not now," she agreed. "I want to do this again." She had hoped giving in would soothe her desires down to something manageable, and it still might, but it definitely hadn't rid her of them completely.

"No-scaled-not-prey have a term for a pair that is not a pair officially," Beryl told her. "Lovers. That sounds like what you want, though I do not think dragons do it."

"We can, though… Does it mean mating as we please, and being close, but only until we get back to the pack? And then being just friends again?" She didn't like that thought, but the pack was supposed to come first, and she wasn't going to let this get in the way of that. Somehow.

"Yes… It can also mean we meet in secret after we rejoin the pack," Beryl hummed. "Or not. I am not going to make you promise anything when neither of us knows what the future holds."

"Thank you," she purred. "I want this, and I do not want to ruin our friendship. The details can come when they are needed."

"That does not sound like how you usually do things," Beryl noted.

"I am trying to relax," she retorted. "That means not obsessing over what happens when we reach the pack. It also means doing what _I_ want to do."

"And speaking of your wants…" He huffed quietly and paused for a moment before continuing. "Just to check, you are not just being with me because you have no other options right now?"

"What? No." She shook her head wildly. "You are my _only_ option, the only one I like and trust enough. If it were anyone else out here with me, none of this would happen." She wasn't even sure where that particular worry had _come_ from; her problem was that she had very exclusive standards, not that she lusted after every male with a pulse.

"Just checking," Beryl rumbled. "And that plant really does stop eggs?"

"It does," Lily said quietly. She contemplated telling him that it was unnecessary… But she didn't want to. It made her feel _damaged_ , even more than her back did at the moment, and she didn't want to feel that way. Not when it didn't matter. "Eggs are not a worry," she concluded.

"No worries… except for the hunters maybe still coming after us." Beryl rolled away from her and sat up, looking around the brightening forest. "You sleep first. I'll wake you at midday to watch for me."

She hummed agreeably and remained where she was, tired and content. She didn't know what the future held, but she suspected it would now be much easier to relax and move forward.


	59. Preoccupied

Lily pawed at her face and ears, humming happily as she rubbed clean snow across her forehead. It was shockingly cold, but she didn't care; it was supposed to wake her up just as much as it was meant to clean her face, and she was in a great mood. The moon was shining up above, or so she assumed since she couldn't see it, the wind was blowing, and she might have been imagining it, but she thought it was a little warmer out on this particular night.

She finished with her face, which was becoming too cold for comfort, and lay down across another pile of clean snow, holding in an undignified shriek as she quickly attempted to rub herself more or less clean. There was no liquid water around for her to use, and snow had seemed like an acceptable alternative.

It was much less acceptable now that she had tried it, and her hindquarters in particular ached with the icy chill she had dropped into. She quickly retreated to Beryl's still-sleeping form and lay next to him, her side to his stomach since he was still sleeping on his side.

Doing such a thing just last night would have been awkward; they had slept back to back for warmth throughout this journey, but it had been something done of necessity and quickly forgotten what with everything else going on.

Now, it just didn't feel like anything important. She had seen, touched, and generally experienced every part of him, and compared to that, wriggling around to press her freezing underside to him and hoping he didn't wake was no big deal-

"Aaaaah!" Beryl screeched the moment she made contact, his eyes flicking open in an instant, and he immediately pulled away. He writhed madly for a moment and then ended up on his back, shuddering.

"What did I do?" Lily asked.

"Ever had snow in the worst possible place?" Beryl asked, curling up on himself and rolling back. "Why would you do that?"

"I didn't put any snow on you… intentionally." She flicked her wings and noticed a little puff of snow flying off. A guilty purr wormed its way out of her. "Unintentionally, however, I was cold and probably wouldn't have noticed if I still had some on me."

"You definitely did," Beryl grumbled, his paws kicking out to pull her close. "That was horrible."

"I'll warm you up again," Lily hummed, feeling a familiar warmth that came from inside. It wasn't enough to warm her up on its own, but his warm body pressed to hers was helping a lot, and they could be even closer… After what they had done the night before, she was feeling a lot more confident about trying it again.

"We _should_ keep moving," Beryl said reluctantly, lightly draping a wing over her.

"There hasn't been a single sign of the hunters since we left that random landing site," Lily reminded him.

"I know…" he rolled his eyes and snorted at her. "You are much more confident this time."

"I know what I'm doing this time," she purred, and happily nuzzled his neck. She also knew exactly what she was getting into, how good it would feel, and just how much Beryl enjoyed it. There was nothing stopping her now, except possibly the threat of death by No-scaled-not-prey if they wasted too much time…

Which was a pretty effective deterrent on its own. She reluctantly stood and put a little distance between them. "But maybe saving it for the end of the night would be better," she conceded. "Let's get moving."

"There's something to be said for motivation," Beryl huffed, standing and shifting his back legs awkwardly. Nothing was showing, but Lily suspected that if she had a little more time to work on him, he'd have trouble walking-

Which wasn't what they needed right now. She set off in what her best guess was of the direction they were going, and didn't object when Beryl came up beside her and subtly corrected her course.

"Something occurs to me," Beryl said after they had walked for a little while. "The plant you ate last night… Why doesn't the entire pack know about it?"

"How do you know they don't?" Lily asked. They didn't, of course, but she didn't see how he would have come to that conclusion so quickly. It was not as if preventing eggs was a topic of casual conversation.

"Rain would be sleeping with random females for fun if he knew about it," Beryl explained. "Or he would at least have tried it. Also, Crystal told me she didn't want her eggs until she had them." There wasn't the slightest hint of accusation in his tone, but Lily bowed her head anyway, remembering that confrontation.

"At first, it was a secret only I knew," she said. "I didn't think to tell Crystal until too late. Past that, I have not told anyone because I haven't had time to make sure making it common knowledge would not cause any major problems or shifts in the pack's balance. Except Pearl, I told her because I used it on her back when she was with Claw."

"I'm guessing she thanked you for that," Beryl rumbled.

"And promptly ate one, so-"

"No," Beryl interjected, cutting her off with an outstretched wing. "I don't need to hear that. Pearl isn't my Dam, but I like to think of her as something close to one, and Ember is my Sire. What they do in their alone time, plant or not, is none of my business."

Lily stifled a laugh, sensing that he was serious. "Okay," she said instead, "agreed. No talking about that. Not that I intended to."

"Always best to be sure," Beryl muttered. "I never know… hear that?"

Lily was growing used to them being interrupted by more pressing concerns; she raised her ears and listened closely without bothering to ask what he thought he had heard. Aside from the wind in the trees, she didn't hear anything at all.

"Maybe it was nothing," Beryl growled, shaking his head. "Sorry."

"I am getting used to our conversations being interrupted by Deathgrippers, dogs, or No-scaled-not-prey," Lily said lightly. "It's not a problem. I'd rather be alive and interrupted than dead."

"It always seems to happen while we're talking, too," Beryl noted.

"That's an illusion," Lily said thoughtfully. "We talk often enough when we've got nothing else to do, and you're more likely to remember being interrupted while speaking than you are the many times you've said something and been able to finish your thought, that's not as dramatic. I doubt it actually means anything except that we're way too chatty."

Beryl snorted and gave her an approving nod. "So casual about our impending doom," he quipped.

"It's only impending if we count you hearing things as a sure sign of pursuit," she joked.

There was a large crash somewhere in the distance. They both froze.

"So… impending." Beryl resumed walking, and at a much faster pace that had Lily struggling to keep up. "No roaring that I can hear."

Another cacophony of snapping branches and falling wood sounded further away, far too quickly to be the same Deathgripper landing again. Two more came from the forest behind them, and then there was silence for a little while.

"It doesn't seem like they have any idea where we are," Lily hissed. "None to the other side or in front of us to surround us, nothing even close… They must be landing randomly." Or they were pursuing somebody else, but she found it hard to believe Deathgrippers would be actively chasing a light wing without a single roar. They just didn't do that, at least in her past experience.

"That will never work, and Grimmel must know it," Beryl growled. "I would like to consider him an idiot and be done with it, but that's a bad idea. If he has really lost our trail, this might be him struggling to catch us by pure chance…"

"But it also might be him changing tactics to something less reliant on luck that we don't yet understand," Lily said, completing the thought for him. Her legs were aching, partially from walking and partially because they were sore from _other_ activities, but she thought she could keep going at their current pace for a while. The rest of her felt fine, save for the ever-present throbbing in her back that didn't count.

"Either way, all we can do is walk and outsmart him." Beryl tilted his head thoughtfully. "You met him, what was he like beyond what the prisoner said?"

"He _wasn't_ anything beyond that," Lily said after a moment of thought. "Maybe he was clever, I didn't see anything to determine either way. We already knew he was obsessed with hunting your kind down, and I gathered nothing much beyond that about him. I would even say I learned more about the people around him, and I know hardly anything there."

"The people you surround yourself with can say a lot about you," Beryl mused. "Crystal, Mist, Rain, Clay, Pina… You're a difficult case because so many people are around you a lot, but I'm sure it still says something about you. That you're overworked, maybe."

"Maybe," Lily huffed. "In that case, what does a bunch of conflicting No-scaled-not-prey who do not agree on many things, and do not treat their leader with as much respect as one would expect, say about the one in charge of them?"

"That they think they know better," Beryl guessed. "Maybe. But if they're all going their own ways and _don't_ respect him, it doesn't sound like he would be getting anything done. We've seen plenty of evidence that whatever the internal strife, their group as a whole works just fine."

"I can't make any good guesses, Pearl heard them and translated. I am just going off of what she said." Lily shook her head. "There is something more going on here, in any case." Another crash of branches somewhere behind them, distant enough that it was not all that worrying, punctuated that statement.

"I wonder… If they're doing this, does it mean they lost our trail when we went into the stream?" Beryl asked a short while later, sounding as if the idea had just occurred to him. "We have yet to hear the dogs, and haven't since before then. Maybe this is them trying to find us again."

"Or," Lily growled, guessing at what must be happening, "this is them trying to pick up our trail." The dogs were small, and the Deathgrippers obedient enough to not eat them on sight; she presumed that the latter could carry the former around with no issues. "Drop a Deathgripper down randomly, send the dog out to smell the area, leave if they don't find anything, and do it again somewhere else."

"That's… unlikely to work?" Beryl swished his tail to the side, back and forth, brushing snow behind them and occasionally sending some at her back legs. "Easier if we keep leaving pawprints."

Lily caught his meaning and began swiping her tail whenever they passed over a patch of snow, brushing the powdery wetness back into some semblance of smoothness. Her tail smacked against his a few times as they worked out their timings, and neither of them remarked on it.

She purred to herself as she remembered wrapping her tail around his, how easily it had all gone… He held his tail lower this evening, as if far less wary around her on some instinctive level, and there was no question as to why. She was less wary too, though not of him.

She was less wary of her own mind. Her only previous experience with anything close to mating was terrible, but she had pushed through and made new, good memories. It was nothing like all of her _other_ pains and bad memories, Claw's physical abuses had always been ignorable, but she could imagine a hundred ways her first time with Beryl could have been sabotaged, and none of them had happened. She had not lost her interest halfway through, or been beset by sadness and remembered pain, or anything like that.

She felt more _whole_ than she had in a long time, even now as they swished their tails and walked faster than was comfortable and fled potentially fatal pursuers. None of that was internal, and when it came to her internal problems, she had one less this evening-

A short braying noise rang out over the trees, cutting off with a yelp. Lily tensed, her wing shoulders shifting unconsciously. "Dog," she growled.

"Silenced, too, but not by me," Beryl breathed. "And I know why. I killed the last group by following the sounds and ambushing them. They want to do the ambushing this time, and silent dogs are part of that."

"I didn't know they could be silenced," Lily growled, forcing her already sore legs to move faster.

"Tie a vine around their muzzle and they've got no way to howl, but they can still track us just fine," Beryl said pragmatically. "Ember's the one who makes things, but even I know that much."

"Unless he taught you to make something useful for this exact scenario," Lily said, hoping that was the case even though it seemed very unlikely, "he's not all that important right now. Figuring out how we respond to this is." If that dog had howled and been silenced, it had howled for a reason, and the last time she heard that howling, it was when the dogs were on their trail. It didn't seem like much of a leap to assume their trail had just been picked up somewhere behind them.

"We just lost whatever lead we built up," Beryl said gravely, breaking into a fast trot. "We can't rely on hearing them from afar. They can't assume we will flee them directly, but if they're spread out to either side of the trail then we can't go at an angle without losing even more ground, so we have to try and run directly away anyway. I'm not sure what to do here."

"Run," Lily panted. "I'll let you know… if I think of something better." Just like that, they were back to where they had started a few nights ago, enemies close behind and nothing to do but flee. Far more comfortable with each other, and with some nice, warm memories to spur them on, but that didn't seem all that important in the face of the relentless enemies behind them.

O-O-O-O-O

The night wore on with excruciating slowness, every moment dragged out and punctuated by the constant crunch of eight paws on snow, and as Lily tired, the occasional swish of her tail dragging on the ground until she mustered the willpower to hold it up again.

There were dogs and Deathgrippers behind them; she and Beryl had heard the occasional Deathgripper taking off or landing from behind, not all that far back, which seemed to be reinforcements swapping in. The tired were giving up, and the freshly rested taking their place.

If the first attempted hunt had faltered and failed when Beryl killed the dogs, then this was what it had been meant to be. A relentless pursuit, continued indefinitely with fresh replacements until their quarry collapsed from exhaustion.

Lily had not thought of anything useful; when she could think at all, she puzzled over the unapproachable problem, finding no solutions. There was nothing one flightless dragon and one dark wing could do that would not end in one or both being caught and possibly killed, not with the current situation. Not that she could think of, and judging by Beryl's silence, she wasn't the only one totally out of ideas.

The only saving grace was that something about how the pursuit was being conducted was slowing the enemy down; they had not caught up, not yet, though the night had to be closer to over than not. The sky was overcast, or what little she could see of it was, so she didn't know for sure, but the hunger gnawing at the bottom of her stomach seemed to indicate they had been fleeing for a long while.

Another series of crashes came from somewhere ahead and to the left of their current path, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief as Beryl slowed to a stop. "Left or right?" he asked briskly.

"More… left." Lily said slowly, her chest heaving. "I need a moment."

"You've got time," Beryl said gently, stalking ahead to stare through the trees. "They are slower now. It would be nice if we could find another stream, though. We need something to get them off our trail again."

"So they can… do this again and find us." Lily shook her head. "We need something to _cover_ … our trails permanently. If that exists." She could think of a few smelly plants that might do the job, but-

"Yes, cover," she panted, looking around hopefully. She remembered, with a pang of deeply-buried sadness, that Pyre had enjoyed eating a particularly stinky root. If there were some around, they could maybe use them…

But she didn't see any of the plants associated with those noxious tubers. They would be obvious if they were around, long free-standing stalks of green jutting out of the ground, and there weren't any within sight.

"Ready to keep going?" Beryl asked her, oblivious to her potential solution.

"Yes," she huffed, lifting and shaking her paws one at a time. They had to keep moving for now, and if she saw any of those roots, she would stop and dig them up.

Beryl led her off at an angle, moving right to avoid the Deathgrippers that had landed to the left of their path, and Lily followed, panting hoarsely. The cold, dry air was wreaking havoc on her chest, and her insides felt dried out like a leaf at the start of the cold-season. They had not found any water, and snow was icy cold, doing little good for her throat and chest even as it provided water for the rest of her.

A distant shriek rose from their right, one not from any dragon that she knew. It was absolutely piercing, long and loud in the night.

"Sounds like… someone is torturing a rat," Beryl huffed. "Heard that once, didn't like it. No-scaled-not-prey can be brutal, even the ones that don't want us dead."

"But so can we," Lily panted, her back itching in the cold, though it would be agony to scratch. She felt she had more experience being the rat, whatever that was, than most, and it wasn't a No-scaled-not-prey who had hurt her.

"Yes… Does it sound like it's moving?" Beryl stopped for a moment and tilted his head, both ears on alert. "It _is_ moving. It will cross our path if it keeps going."

"So we stop here and wait for it to go, then keep moving," Lily said, turning to lope back around to him. She didn't want to fully stop moving until she was sure they were going to wait; getting up right after laying down would take more willpower than she had at the moment. Her ears rang with the shriek, though as it came closer it sounded smaller and smaller, loud but coming from a tiny body.

"There it goes," Beryl said as the creature, whatever it was, passed from their right to their left, moving through the underbrush somewhere ahead of them. They couldn't see it, but that didn't mean it was far away; visibility was severely limited in the forest, and from the noise alone Lily assumed it had probably passed within firing distance.

"That was…" Lily searched for a word that described her confusion. "Unexpected."

"Yes, but it cost us time," Beryl said, beginning to walk once more. Lily followed behind, wishing she could muster the seemingly endless reserves of energy that he had to call on. "It would have been a great distraction if we were idiots, though. Maybe Grimmel sent it."

"A shrieking little thing for us to chase around while we're being hunted?" Lily asked. It seemed ridiculous… But she only had to think of someone like Honey to know that it could work. Not that Honey was _stupid_ , but her attention was easily caught and held, and in a moment of stress she might make a stupid decision just to feel like she was doing something.

Lily sighed as she pushed herself to move faster. She wished she knew where Honey, or anyone else for that matter, was. That they were alive and well, at the very least. Not knowing ate away at her every time she thought about it.

The shrieking, which never stopped for more than a few heartbeats at a time, continued to fade into the distance. Whatever little creature was howling its lungs out, it wasn't coming back around, and probably had never even known she and Beryl were around-

Whiteness leaped out into the open in front of her and Beryl, small and rotund, and Lily almost thought it was a light wing fledgling. She stumbled to a stop, her abused paws catching on a root she would otherwise have stepped over, and bumped into Beryl for what had to be the hundredth time that night. Beryl, for his part, stared incredulously at the little thing in front of them.

It was _not_ a light wing, she knew as much the moment she noticed the lack of wings, a tail, a neck, or anything remotely resembling her kind. It had puffy fur balled up around it, a narrow head with brown skin, and eyes that bulged out of its skull.

"Sheep?" Beryl murmured. " _Here_?"

The creature bleated loudly, barely even looking at them, and walked straight into a tree, knocking its head on the bark, rearing back, and doing it again before falling over.

Lily didn't know how to react to such random, irrational actions. "What is this?" she asked.

"Prey of a sort, though I didn't think any like this lived here," Beryl rumbled, circling the sheep, which kicked its spindly legs and bleated randomly. "And it is not acting normal…"

"Prey worth hunting?" Lily asked immediately, conscious of the growing pit in her stomach.

"Yes, but… no." Beryl leaned down and took a big sniff of the white, lacy bundle around the creature's body. "It smells wrong and is acting wrong. It shouldn't be here."

"We shouldn't eat it, then," Lily growled, seeing the implications. If something was in the forest with them and shouldn't be, odds were it came from Grimmel… who tended to use poisons and trickery. "It will make us stupid and slow, or kill us outright, or any number of other things. They have given it something to make it stupid."

"Good call," Beryl growled, backing away from the sheep. "Too bad, though."

"We need to keep moving." Lily turned her back on the odd bundle of noise and whiteness and shook her head. "These tricks are slowing us down."

O-O-O-O-O

More prey crossed their path, or passed to either side of them, as the night came to a close. Some were shrieking in fear, others wandering aimlessly, and a few even tried to fight when they saw her and Beryl, eyes wide and bodies quaking with unnatural rage. They were instantly dispatched, being worth little more than a perfunctory clawing, and none were safe to eat. All, from the shriekers to the fighters, smelled faintly of strange things, and acted very blatantly wrong.

At first, Lily considered it a stupid, wasteful tactic that would only work on the unwary, and thus of absolutely no use against her and Beryl. But as the night wore to a close and the grumbling in her stomach intensified, she saw that it had more than one effect. Not only could they not spare the time to hunt something, still fleeing slow, relentless pursuit, they could not even risk eating anything they happened across.

She said as much to Beryl after he disposed of the third rotund, tusked creature to run grunting at him and earn a quick disembowelment, and he nodded in agreement as they moved on. "Meaning fish is my only safe option, and therefore not safe at all. We might be going hungry for a while."

"Better that than you flying up into the open just to find that they're all on you in an instant," Lily said firmly, though the gurgling in her stomach urged her to reconsider. She wouldn't; Grimmel's forces felt a lot more _present_ than they had just the night before, and she didn't think Beryl could easily fly anywhere with so many eyes turned their general direction. It was only the vast, tractless obscurity of the trees that kept them anonymous on the ground. Anything emerging from that same cover would be noticed.

Off in the distance, another set of Deathgrippers landed at random. Lily instinctively looked toward the noises, though they were far away. They would probably be switching out another set of fresh No-scaled-not-prey and dogs, to continue the pursuit…

"If we can't get food tonight, we'll live, but if this keeps up we're never going to actually get away," Beryl said sombrely. "We need to consider our options for the day. It'll be here soon."

"We're running through the day, because if we stop they'll catch up," Lily said. "Unless you have a way to change that…" She didn't mention her idea with stinky plants; there didn't seem to be any in this part of the woods, as frustrating as that was.

"No, I don't…" Beryl shrugged his wings. "I guess we're doing nothing but running," he added.

"You have the energy to do anything else?" she asked incredulously. She _wanted_ to spend some more quality time with him, but in the same way she wanted to run ceaselessly like he could; even if she tried, her body would prove it impossible.

"No," Beryl admitted with a snort. "But I was looking forward to it."

"When we get out of this," Lily promised, flicking her tail forward and then running it down the length of his. "Now let's… keep going." She groaned loudly, voicing her dissatisfaction with the situation even as she continued to walk… always walking, sometimes running, never making any progress.

Beryl was to her side, turning to join her once more after walking around a tree, and then he was not. Lily instinctively dove out of the way as he leaped for her, but he corrected his course and shoved her to the side anyway-

Just as a Deathgripper passed through the empty space where she had been headed, streaked with the noxious white muck she had grown to hate the smell of. It bore a rider, who raised a thin wooden stick to its mouth.

Lily snarled from where she lay even as Beryl rose, but while he leaped forward, she inhaled and built up a blast in the back of her throat. The Deathgripper surged to meet Beryl, throwing its rider off, and when they clashed Lily let loose a small, focused bolt of fire to strike the No-scaled-not-prey right on the face. She knew what those sticks did, she had been put to sleep by them before.

But the No-scaled-not-prey wasn't the only threat. Beryl snarled and fired a blast at point-blank range into the Deathgripper's chest, but though the dragon roared in pain it still fought, pinning him down with its talons.

Lily fired again, this time a full-sized blast, and struck it on the side, the only place she could hit with any reliability as it and Beryl struggled. Beryl took advantage of the distraction to rake his claws across its underside, and the white of the snow beneath them bloomed red.

The Deathgripper thrashed a few more times, but Beryl drove home his assault, clawing at it until it fell still.

Lily let out a long huff of relief as the light left its eyes. "They're not so tough," she said shakily, rising to her paws. Her heart was pounding relentlessly, and the soreness in her legs had fled at the first sign of true, imminent danger. It would be back, but for now she was riding the high of being ambushed.

"Not close up, not without a rider," Beryl growled, turning to lick at his side.

"Are you hurt?" Lily asked, suddenly immensely worried.

"Just a scratch," Beryl assured her. "Long but shallow. Not really even bleeding. We have bigger problems."

"It came upon us without us hearing it land," Lily said. "A chance encounter? It could have landed a while ago and roamed the forest, hoping to run into us."

"Yes, but not that," Beryl said, limping past the No-scaled-not-prey's corpse, not even looking at the exploded top half. "Your shots, the roar… They must have heard us."

Several crashes in the trees close by proved him right, and Lily broke into a run without any further prompting. Beryl followed, letting her take the lead, favoring his left back leg as he moved.

A flash of red and black showed through the trees straight ahead, and Lily swerved to the side, headed inland. She leaped over patches of snow, sticking to the wet, leaf and mud-covered ground, hoping to make as little noise as possible. Even now, her body was starting to return to its fatigued, tired state, and her lungs ached, but she kept going.

More worryingly - she was seemingly _always_ suffering through any sort of run - Beryl was still only barely keeping up with her, in stark contrast to how it had been before the fight. She found herself glancing back every few moments, just to make sure he was still with her. He didn't even notice, his eyes on the forest to either side of them and his gait labored.

A Deathgripper roared from behind them, sounding as if it had come across the carnage they left behind. Lily pushed herself harder, panting raggedly, every short breath coming out as a plume of steam. There was a glow on the horizon, the orange and red of the sun rising on a clear morning…

Lily was tired and distracted by her worry, so it took her far longer than it should have to realize that something was wrong with that, but it stuck in her mind, anomalous even though she couldn't spare the attention to think about it. The rising sun's glow was good and normal, but…

The sky was blanketed in dark clouds. The sun shouldn't be rising at all, and the clouds hadn't cleared to let it shine through; she could see dark grey illuminated _from below_.

"Fire," she gasped, stopping abruptly. It was not close enough to be heard, not close enough to see through the trees, but nothing else would light up the cloudy sky like this.

"Good," Beryl grunted, continuing past her. She got a good look at the jagged gash running down his thigh; it _was_ shallow, as he had said, unlikely to be serious, but it had to be painful. "We can run through it… the dogs and riders can't. This is our chance!"

"No," Lily said, though she kept moving. "Something more is wrong, wouldn't they _know_ we would not be stopped by it?" She had never actually _tried_ going through a forest fire, having never seen one, but Pyre had long ago assured her that the only real danger was the smoke, not the flames themselves, so long as she did not linger. Normal fire was, as a general rule, not much of an obstacle.

"Does it matter?" Beryl huffed. "It will clear out our scents and stave off our pursuers, they don't send Deathgrippers in alone. Maybe it was an accident or chance, it might not be a plot."

"It might… not," Lily agreed, struggling for the extra air needed to talk. "But it might. And we might be running into it."

"Lily, we _can't_ run much more," Beryl said. "This helps. We get to the edge, dig out a spot to hunker down in, and shelter in the middle as it burns through. This is a chance to rest, they will expect us to keep going."

"Have you… ever done that… before?" Lily asked.

"No, but we can't pass this up," Beryl said. "What _else_ can we do?"

Lily had nothing to say to that; she certainly didn't have any better ideas. If the fire would give them a place to rest safe from pursuit, _and_ destroy their trails after them, it was worth trying.

As they ran, the glow spread across the horizon, an ominous light painting the sky orange, and a smoky haze blurred the sky even further. She knew they were close when she began to see flickers through the trees, and the smoke drifted on the otherwise cold breeze.

"Surprised everything is burning so well," Beryl said shortly. "Cold out."

"Dry out," Lily countered, ignoring all the snow around them. It didn't count, not in the face of the immense amount of dry underbrush branching off of trees and bushes everywhere. "Enough to light."

They passed through a small hollow, the ground dipping down and then sloping back up again, and walked around a few large pine trees, and almost tripped over a smoldering bush.

Lily was struck momentarily speechless by the sight laid out in front of her. Every tree and plant in front of her was burning wildly, the flames licking at some parts while utterly devouring others. The bush they had stopped at flickered to life with a small tendril of fire at its base, and quickly succumbed. Smoke wafted through the forest, rising up far too slowly, and Lily coughed as some wound its way into her already dry throat.

"Okay, we're here, time to hunker down," Beryl said, sounding as if he was talking as much to himself as to her. "The heat's fine, it's breathing the smoke that causes problems. We're not fireproof on the inside." For some reason, that made him chuckle.

"It's rising," Lily said, referring to the smoke.

"Yes, it does," Beryl agreed. "And the wetter stuff isn't burning so well." He retreated, heading back into the small dip in the ground, and Lily followed him. There were no trees in the depression, just a lot of weeds and vines… but those things were flammable too, and there were trees all around. The air was clearer down in the hollow, but it wasn't even close to perfect…

"Here?" Lily asked.

"I can't see anywhere better," Beryl confirmed. "I'm thinking we dig down more, so we can't be seen from above."

"You do that," Lily said, turning in a circle to examine their surroundings. Embers were drifting on the wind, fizzling out in a mud puddle, sparking up on dry brush… The flames might follow them right to the hole Beryl was beginning to dig.

So long as there was something to burn. She bent down and flamed the ground, walking in a small circle around him. Leaves were incinerated, pine needles curled up and disintegrated, and nothing was left in her wake but dried, cracking mud, albeit in a thin line not much wider than her head.

Beryl continued to dig, and she flamed, walking in wider and wider circles. She used up all of her remaining fire and scorched most of the depression. Freshly dug dirt piled up on top of her work, and Beryl gradually sunk lower in the ground…

The trees closest to the advancing fire were burning in places, gradually catching more and more thoroughly. The more flammable underbrush had already ignited all around the place they were claiming, and Lily watched as the larger fire met the furthest of her burned lines, and found nothing to burn.

Not that it would necessarily make a difference; she wasn't worried about the flames, she was worried about the smoke and potentially falling trees. Pre-burning an area around their hiding place could stop the smoke from coming up from right next to the hole and cutting off their air, if that was even a thing that happened, but what she had done made no difference when it came to trees burning in the wrong places and becoming unable to support their weight.

"Okay, done," Beryl grunted, backing out of the hole. "You first."

"Why me?" Lily asked, looking at the hole dubiously. "How are we both fitting in there?" It was big enough for one at most, a depression in the ground.

"You first because if something falls on us I think it should not land on your back," Beryl rumbled. "Go in, lay down, and I will do my best to lay on top of you without hurting you."

"Oh," she said shortly, her wings shifting as if of their own accord. She crept down into the hole, her claws sinking into the loose dirt, and did her best to press down as far as possible. There was a claw-length of open space between her nose and the steep dirt slope that made up the sides of the hole.

"Ready," she called up, bracing herself for pain. She hadn't rolled onto, brushed against, or otherwise hurt her back since being captured by the No-scaled-not-prey, but it was still raw from that.

Beryl stepped down carefully. His front paws pressed into the slope to her right, and his back to her left. He yelped as some of the wall gave and he slid the rest of the way down in one quick move, his chest and stomach hitting her wings-

And her back. She gritted her teeth and stabbed her claws deeper into the ground, holding in a shriek as his weight thumped down.

"Sorry!" Beryl barked apologetically. He relieved the pressure a moment later somehow, probably getting a better hold on the walls and lifting himself up, she didn't really know and couldn't see. His tail curled around to rest near her face.

"Is this okay?" he asked. "Because I'm starting to second-guess my whole plan. I don't know if this is going to help us any."

"Is your back below ground level?" Lily asked anxiously. She was hurt, but she was _always_ hurting in one way or another. She cared far more for his safety at the moment, enough to put that pain aside.

"Yes, barely," he confirmed.

"Then if a tree falls, it might land across the hole instead of squishing you," she said. "It's helping." It wasn't the best form of protection - the best possible thing to do would be to _not_ be in the middle of a wildfire in the first place - but it was the best they could do with what they had.

"Everything is burning," Beryl murmured. "All around us. Meaning nothing except a dragon can come through here… And unless they're stupid, none would want to."

He lapsed into silence, and all that could be heard was the crackling of the fire all around them. Lily was unable to see anything except a small portion of the treecover directly overhead, and that remained mostly untouched for the time being. "How are the trees doing?" she asked.

"Slow," Beryl said shortly. "They're burning in a few places, but the flames are mostly passing them by. They _are_ wet, it will take them much longer to really catch… and they'll make a lot more smoke when they do."

"We should leave when the smoke gets bad," Lily suggested. They could withstand the heat easily enough, especially as the occasional wintery breeze swept through, but choking to death would be another matter entirely. She could taste the taint already hanging in the air, and if it got too bad it would be dangerous.

"I'll let you know if that happens," Beryl rumbled. "Try to get some rest."

Lily huffed and shifted her wings under his stomach. "What about you?" she asked. She didn't think he was even laying down, not really; it felt like he was standing over her, and that took effort.

"I'll manage," he said. "This is still better than walking or running. It would be better still if I could really lay down, but that's not an option."

"If you have to, do," Lily said. "It's just pain, I can handle it." She was willing to, too. He was protecting her with his body, quite literally, and she wanted to return the favor.

"Let's… try it out." He shifted his paws and lowered down onto her once more, slowly resting his weight more on her wings and back. "How much does this hurt?"

"Not enough to make me say stop," Lily gritted. She shut her eyes and concentrated on breathing, on ignoring the four sharp, painful spots Beryl was laying on, and the more general throb of the rest of her back. Even more panic-inducing than the pain, the memories it was bringing back lurked at the edge of her mind, clawing at her composure.

She remembered lying in the net, shrieking as it rubbed her back raw only a few days ago, and she remembered being rammed into a tree, her back rubbed against the jagged bark as Ivy tried to force information out of her with pain. Worst of all, she remembered fleeting glimpses of being smashed onto her back long ago, screeching senselessly as-

Beryl's tail batted at her face, and she almost bit it, opening her eyes in surprise. The pain had receded, and Beryl was back to standing above her, only lightly touching her wings… and licking her side frantically, the only part of her he could easily reach. "Lily," he called out worriedly.

"That was not fun," she groaned, hoping that speaking would reassure him.

"Did it hurt too much to bear?" he asked.

"No, not that," she said dully. "Bad memories."

"Oh." He said nothing for a long moment, but when he continued speaking, it was with more trepidation than Lily had ever heard in his voice. "I know this might sound really weird, but… want to talk about it?"

That wrenched a small laugh out of Lily, in spite of everything. It wasn't funny, he was serious, but at the same time there was something so hilariously ironic about him asking if she wanted to talk about her past trauma now, in the middle of a wildfire after a whole night spent fleeing No-scaled-not-prey and their minions.

"That's a no?" Beryl rumbled.

"It's not a no," she snorted. "But not now. Maybe some other time." When she wasn't hurt and tired. When she felt like digging up all of those terrible memories. She _might_ , someday, but that day certainly wasn't today.

"That's progress," Beryl hummed.

Lily nuzzled his tail, glad she had broken the tension between them before this particular moment. "Maybe it is," she agreed.

The fire raged on around them, presumably spreading wildly in the endless forests, and hopefully driving their enemies away entirely… assuming it wasn't all some ploy by Grimmel himself. Lily wouldn't have felt confident enough to say either way, and the more she thought about it, the more it worried her.

She and Beryl had been pursued for a full night without end, tempted with random prey, sought out by blindly-landing Deathgrippers, and tracked despite killing anyone who actually found them, or got too close. But Grimmel hadn't given up, and she was abruptly sure this fire wouldn't be enough to stop him, either. He was out there, somewhere, planning his next move. Hopefully, he was at least concentrating on her and Beryl, and nobody else.

It was a small comfort, knowing that their long, laborious attempt to escape was probably helping her fledglings get away, but small comforts were all she had.

Small comforts, and one big one right above her. She purred, despite her dry throat, and let her eyes close once more. There would be no sleeping, not now, but she felt safe enough to relax a little. Until they were forced to move on once more.


	60. Endangered

Beryl coughed dryly and shifted above Lily, a trickle of dirt sliding down onto her partially-buried paw. "Time to go," he rasped.

"Past time if you sound like that," Lily agreed, finding her own voice similarly raw and dry. They had been mostly safe from the plumes of dark smoke drifting up all around them, save for when the wind blew, but it was getting worse by the moment. There was a difference between breathing fire and inhaling the crud that it burned, and they'd had enough of the latter.

"You are rested?" he asked.

"More than when we stopped," she said. She didn't feel rested at all, having not slept a wink, but she would make do. "And we need to find water soon."

"Yes, definitely," he rumbled hoarsely. His bulk lifted up from over her as he clambered out of their hole, and he groaned loudly. "Stupid scrape."

Lily didn't think the long, albeit shallow gash along his back leg counted as a scrape, but she held her tongue, opting instead to clamber out of the hole-

She had not seen the forest since going down into the hole some time ago, and now she beheld a very different landscape, one that momentarily demanded all of her attention to understand.

The ground was black with ash. The trees stood branchless, smoldering in some places without bark, blackened and scorched but still standing, towering high without the vast majority of their limbs. The foreboding grey sky loomed large between the few spindly branches that remained, revealed in its entirety.

"The fire is still going over there," Beryl said, looking back the way they had come. "We want to go away from it-"

A Deathgripper screeched viciously, and Lily looked up out of instinct, seeing it high above, rapidly circling down toward them.

"But not just yet!" Beryl yelped, bolting for the flickering flames. Lily followed, her limbs cramping up as she forced them back into motion. They both dove through the outer edge of the greedy flames, and after a few moments of running through the fires, Lily felt her camouflage activating, useless though it was.

"There's no cover out there," Beryl panted, looking back at the curtain of flames that obscured them from where they had been. The Deathgripper might even now be landing where they had sheltered, or its rider could be telling all the others where they were.

"Trap," Lily barked, holding back a cough. The heat wasn't getting to her, not yet, but the smoke was. She kept her head low to the ground, where the air was clearer. "No more cover." _That_ was what the fire was for, and she knew for sure now that it had been set intentionally. Grimmel had decided that if they were going to hide, they would do it in a burned wasteland instead of a massive forest.

"So we go back, get ahead of the fire, go away from it," Beryl rumbled, leaping over the charred remnant of what seemed to be a bush, deeper into the flaming forest. "Out of it."

Lily nodded and followed along; it made sense that the best move was to avoid Grimmel's trickery, and she could only hope just getting away from it on paw would be enough. The Deathgripper hadn't come in after them, maybe to preserve its much more flammable master, but the charred aftermath of the fire wouldn't afford them the same protection. But they couldn't hide within the fire forever, even assuming it didn't die out the moment the next cold-season storm hit.

The flames had spread a long distance in the time they had spent hunkered down, and if it wasn't for the occasional refuge of clean air between trees too sodden to catch at all, Lily thought she might have coughed out her insides before they reached the end. She and Beryl stopped at every place that was even remotely unburned, but never for long. Before, they had raced their hunters, both Deathgripper and No-scaled-not-prey, but now they raced the fire itself.

Until they were running no longer. Lily stopped short when the forest began to grow sparse in front of her, flickering flames giving way to the same desolate, ash-covered wasteland they had left behind.

"This makes no sense," Beryl rumbled, pacing parallel to the dead, already-burned stretch of land, just far enough within the flames to not be easily seen from above. "We came from here, the fire came back the other way… How did it burn out here first?"

Shapes prowling the strip of wasteland answered the question for him, in Lily's opinion. The No-scaled-not-prey were walking through the open area, looking inward, always inward. At the fire burning itself out over time… and anything that might lurk within. Deathgrippers would be above, ready to pounce the moment there was a target available. The No-scaled-not-prey had created a killing ground.

"Find a way… not guarded…" she hissed. He nodded, his expression grim, and began their seemingly endless run once more, this time along the fringes of the fire, pulling in, away from the edge so as to not be seen as anything more than a dark shape and a dark blur moving through the heavy smoke and dancing flames.

What they saw was not encouraging at all. No-scaled-not-prey dotted the ashy perimeter of the fire, all looking inward, spaced out just enough that there were no openings between them, no obvious places to sneak through. When the smoke blew over them, which it often did, they covered their mouths, but their gazes never wavered.

The line was not solely composed of No-scaled-not-prey, either. There was the occasional Deathgripper stalking along the ashy strip, bearing a rider that didn't bother watching the flames. Lily shrank back as one such Deathgripper stared in her direction. She was a blurry form speckled with ash, not obviously a dragon but also not invisible.

But the Deathgripper saw nothing, and continued stalking down the line. Lily guessed that it was much easier for her and Beryl to see _out_ of the fire than it was for their enemies to see _in_ , for all the good that did. Seeing was not so useful when there was nothing helpful to see.

It was hard to tell directions, with the sky a blank, featureless surface, but Lily could tell they were turning inward as they continued down the border between flames and ash, always turning the same way. A hollow, worried feeling had already made itself right at home in her chest, and it only grew worse as they continued onward. If _she_ knew vaguely where her enemies were and could draw lines they could not cross, _she_ would pounce on the obvious way to trap them, and it stood to reason Grimmel had done the same.

"We're probably surrounded," Beryl growled, voicing the same conclusion she was reaching. "Went the wrong way, shouldn't have run back into the fire…"

"Didn't know," Lily coughed. They hadn't known that the flames were a trap, not then, and it was still strange that Grimmel could have directed them so well. Fire did not neatly go where it was told-

Unless there was nowhere else to go. She had burned a place so as to stop it from burning later, nothing said the enemy could not do the same with their Deathgrippers. She should have seen it coming, somehow.

An irregularity in the ashland up ahead caught her eye, and she slowed as they came close enough to see it. A collection of cubes of shiny stone had been piled up, three high and three wide, in the middle of the ashy, barren field, and there were things inside them, visible through the bars that made up the sides.

"Cages… those animals _were_ from them." Beryl stopped entirely, standing atop a shrub that had already burned to a crisp and was no longer on fire, and leaned forward to peer through the flames hiding them from the enemy. "Look at them all…"

Lily's stomach rumbled as she took in the bleating, panicked prey animals languishing in the cages. Some were big and some small, and all were terrified. They seemed _normal_ , meaning Grimmel hadn't done anything to them yet. None were shrieking nonstop, or running in circles, or calm, they were all just huddled as far from the distant fires as possible.

But that was not the only interesting thing; she turned her attention to the No-scaled-not-prey around the cages. There were seven of them, all armed with long claws that reflected the light of the fires. Some were giving the prey grass, others water…

The water was a bigger temptation than the prey, and Lily resisted the urge to rush out there and take the brown water-containing thing from the No-scaled-not-prey.

"One good shot could knock all of those cages down," Beryl observed. "It's weird that they stacked them up at all."

"Unless it's meant to lure us in," Lily said. It _was_ tempting her, though she wasn't so stupid as to fall for it. Stacking the cages up made them more visible from a distance, and maybe they were _meant_ to be knocked over, to make a massive ruckus if anyone tried to dislodge one.

"Definitely a trick," she said, sure of her assessment. "But also a distraction." They couldn't just run past, and they couldn't get the food being dangled in front of them, safe in the cages as it was, but they _could_ attract attention by knocking the cages over. That was something they might be able to work with… Though it wasn't nearly enough.

A No-scaled-not-prey walked up to one of the lower cages, chattered with its companions for a few moments, then fiddled with the front until it opened. There was a multitude of little furry creatures inside, things that probably fit into Beryl's 'too small to be worth eating' category, and the No-scaled-not-prey took three, picking them up and sticking them in a little sack.

"I've never seen those before," Beryl murmured. "They look like fat squirrels."

"I'm more interested in where they're being taken," Lily replied. When the No-scaled-not-prey left the cages and began walking in the same direction she and Beryl had been going, they followed from the flames.

"If it weren't for the fire," Beryl huffed as they walked, "eventually burning out… I would say we could hide here… forever. They can't see us."

"Only because we're being careful and they can wait," Lily said, leaning to the side as a flaming branch fell from above. She was glad it hadn't landed on her back. "They just need to see us when we come out." They probably weren't even trying too hard to spot her or Beryl at the moment; it would do no good if they didn't come out.

The No-scaled-not-prey they were following stopped at one of the roaming Deathgrippers and barked something at the rider-

The rider with white fur that Lily thought she might recognize. "That could be Grimmel," she growled.

"Could be?" Beryl asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "How often do No-scaled-not-prey have white fur?"

"It's probably him." Beryl inhaled deeply and stifled a cough. "I could kill him. Fire, one shot."

"It wouldn't…" Lily trailed off as she thought about it. It wouldn't do them much good _right now_ , because she had seen that Grimmel's pack could easily replace him and would keep up the hunt as revenge. But Grimmel himself wanted dark wings dead with an unusual fervor, and for Beryl personally, getting rid of him would be a good thing…

"Not yet," she concluded. "Let me think." Grimmel was out in the open, clearly visible atop his Deathgripper mount, and was an easy target. Surely he would know that. If he was at all clever, he would have some sort of plan… Unless he didn't think he would be a target.

Which he wouldn't; what reason would he have to assume he would be attacked first? There were dozens of No-scaled-not-preys around, and the Deathgripper he was riding was obviously the bigger threat. If she didn't know who he was, she wouldn't consider him worth killing specifically, and he didn't know that she knew, or that she was _capable_ of knowing. He thought she was an animal to be slaughtered, he wouldn't be expecting an assassination attempt.

"What are you thinking?" Beryl rasped.

"He would not know to protect himself in particular," Lily said shortly, wishing her throat wasn't so dry. "He might be as vulnerable as he looks."

"But he double-crossed Ember," Beryl said.

Lily growled at herself. He _had_ done that, and that threw all of her clever reasoning off the cliff. Even if he assumed Ember was unique, he would be wary of a No-scaled-not-prey with a dark wing body trying to get revenge. Unless he was an idiot, there was definitely more to this.

Another Deathgripper dropped down near Grimmel, and the No-scaled-not-prey on top of it threw a brown lump about its own size off the saddle. Lily wasn't close enough to see what it was, and it hit the ground between the dragons, hiding it from sight. Whatever it was, Grimmel was interested enough to leap out of his saddle and presumably examine it… or step on it… or something else they couldn't see.

"Let's keep going," she murmured. "If you get a chance, blow him to pieces, but we shouldn't plan around it-" her throat caught and she coughed, hard.

A gunky mess of ash flew out of her mouth and hit a burning weed, extinguishing it instantly. It was black and _red_ , streaked with blood.

"We need to get out of this smoke," Beryl said worriedly. "That's not good."

"Doesn't look good," Lily agreed. She was surprised; her throat was raw and scratchy, but she hadn't thought she was _bleeding_.

"But we're not… going without a plan." She forced herself to keep moving. They hadn't made it all the way around their shrinking safe space yet, and she needed to know what they were working with. They needed some sort of plan to get out of this trap alive.

Beryl huffed and followed along behind her, clearly worried but unable to think of a better option. Lily sympathized; she couldn't think of anything better either. She didn't know how they were going to break the trap and get away. She had no fire, and no matter how fast she ran, the No-scaled-not-prey could put her to sleep long before she got anywhere. They couldn't stay in the fire, and they couldn't leave without getting caught.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily didn't know how long it had taken them to circle back around to the stack of cages. She didn't know how fast the fire was burning. But she _did_ know that the cages were further away than they had been before. Either they had been moved, or the flames were eating their way inward, and one of those possibilities seemed a lot more likely.

The situation wasn't only getting worse on the outside; her chest felt _wrong_ , and both she and Beryl were coughing up ash every so often. Ash and blood, in her case, lending urgency to their plight, as if things weren't already urgent enough.

But there was nothing else to use. The only two things of note were the cages and where Grimmel had been, and he might not even be there anymore. They were stuck inside a circle of flames, one that was burning itself away with every passing moment. They had to get out. Now.

"I don't have a plan," Lily rasped. "Can't think… of anything."

"Time isn't on our side," Beryl said. "I'll blast the cages, you run the other way. I'll follow, cover you."

It wasn't a plan that would get them out unscathed. It was, at best, a diversion and then making a break for it.

"Got it," Lily coughed. They didn't have any other choice.

They were already at the edge of the fires; there was no need to get into position. Lily looked out at the ashy expanse between her and the other side, the other burning forest. Grimmel hadn't stopped the fire from spreading, it was burning away uninhibited outside of the trap. Even if they made it, they wouldn't be safe… just out of the woods, which now that she thought about it was probably the worst possible metaphor she could have used-

Beryl coughed out a shot, an explosion sent the stacked cages flying, No-scaled-not-prey began yelling, and Lily ran for it, leaping through the flames and out into the open, facing away from the distraction Beryl had just created. If they were lucky all eyes would be on the cages.

She leaped out onto the ash, slalomed through three burnt-out tree husks still standing tall, and coughed as the cloud of ash she had just stirred up was brought back to her by the wind. A No-scaled-not-prey was in front of her, she hadn't seen it behind the trees, but she was already too close and it wasn't pulling its claw out fast enough. She smacked it into the tree with her tail as she passed, hopefully stopping it from attacking from behind.

Less than half a dozen heartbeats had passed. She was maybe a tenth of the way across. All the commotion was still centered around the cages; no Deathgrippers were flying down toward her, but several were circling above the cages, waiting.

She glanced back and saw Beryl slinking along. He was a mottled grey now, coated in the same ash that covered her, and his eyes were narrow, constantly flicking back and forth as he ran.

Nobody had seen them yet, aside from the No-scaled-not-prey she had hopefully dealt with. The ash covering them might have made them harder to notice, or their distraction was working better than expected, but whatever the reason, if they could just remain unnoticed for a little while longer-

The roar that split the air, one of alarm and surprise, was no surprise to Lily, but that didn't stop it from making her heart race even faster. Beryl had caught up to her, though he was limping heavily, and they ran side by side.

The first Deathgripper slammed down in front of them; Lily lurched to the side, while Beryl lunged forward, leaping high and striking at its rider. The Deathgripper reared back, and Beryl rolled off, continuing to run. Three more had landed in the time it took them to get around that one, and two of those three immediately let loose with their peculiar fire, aiming right in front of her-

Lily leaped through the fire before she could think about _why_ the Deathgrippers had thought it would stop her.

The Deathgrippers' flames were hot, far hotter than the fire she and Beryl had lurked in, and she shrieked as the bottom of her paws, and her back, and every other sensitive part of her was scorched. She hit the ground at a bad angle, rolled, and shrieked again as her weight smashed her back into the ash. The pain, the situation she was in, was familiar, it had happened before.

She didn't flail her wings or stop, she kept them tucked in and rolled all the way back to her paws, the momentum of her leap carrying through. Then she forced herself up and kept running.

"Go!" Beryl barked from somewhere behind her. She was in too much pain to argue; _she_ was the weak link, if she got to safety then he wouldn't have to worry about her. The smoldering edge of the forest was close.

Not that she expected to make it; there were more than those three Deathgrippers under Grimmel's control, and she was out in the open. But none came down after her, and she could hear Beryl fighting behind-

Lily ran heedlessly into the flames that marked the outside of Grimmel's trap, everywhere she had been burned aching all the more fiercely in the heat, then turned around.

Beryl was still running; seven Deathgrippers were trying and failing to keep up with him. He leaped between burnt-out trees, Deathgrippers crashing into them right behind him. If he stopped he couldn't possibly win, but he wasn't fighting, he was running, barreling through the streams of fire that had hurt Lily, raking his claws through anything living that got in his way, turning to avoid two new Deathgrippers smashing down right in front of him-

Lily gasped as he avoided another series of close calls, then doubled over hacking as her throat convulsed, spewing ash, blood, and the contents of her stomach all over the ground. Her throat felt like it was being ripped apart, and she couldn't stop coughing for what felt like an eternity. When it _was_ over, she felt lightheaded and far worse than before.

But _her_ plight wasn't as important as the one she hadn't been able to keep track of in her agony, and when she looked up, the agony in her throat and everywhere else seemed much less important.

Beryl was down, splayed out on the ground with two Deathgrippers pinning him down, one on his tail and one on his shoulders, pushing his head into the ash. He was struggling, he was alive, but he was trapped. The Deathgrippers seemed to be waiting for the order to rip his head off, and Lily didn't know No-scaled-not-prey well enough to tell what the ones on their backs were thinking.

Whatever they were thinking, _someone_ was an idiot. There were no Deathgrippers looking for her, no No-scaled-not-prey watching her side of the fires. She had fled, they had let her go in favor of catching Beryl, and now they weren't expecting her to come back. But she would.

Somehow. Even though she could barely breathe, had burned and aching paws, and no idea how to free Beryl. She didn't even have her fire-

She knew that wasn't entirely true even as she thought it. She had used up all of her fire burning the ground to protect their hiding place, but that had been a while ago now. One shot had come back in the intervening time, maybe two if she made them so small they were all but harmless. If she could even bear to fire with her throat already torn up by the ash and the constant coughing.

It was something. Maybe something she could use. She just had to figure out how two useless shots or one meaningful one could be enough to free Beryl.

And she was going to have to figure it out _fast_ , because a Deathgripper was flying in, and the rider on top of it had a distinctive topping of white fur. They landed hard for no apparent reason, the Deathgripper bowing down low to let Grimmel off. He all but leaped off, a flat, half-circle of wood in his hand.

He held it like a claw, and Lily suspected it was one, somehow. He approached Beryl, said something to the riders atop the Deathgrippers, and pointed the thing at Beryl's head.

Lily inhaled and spit a tiny, useless blast at him. It impacted the wooden thing in his hand and exploded in a lackluster ball of fire-

Which had him reeling back and howling, falling on his spindly rear in the ash. One of the Deathgrippers atop Beryl startled, and Beryl reared up. The rider atop the other Deathgripper raised something to its face, which Lily knew was bad, so she used her other shot on it.

Then, a plan coming to her half-formed in an instant, she leaped out into the open, flared her wings as wide as she could, and barked at them, before leaping back into the flames. Beryl was moving, ripping into the Deathgripper that had just lost its rider, freeing himself, Grimmel was still howling, and the other Deathgrippers were coming down toward _her_.

She ran, and they followed. Two leaped into the flames, and one leaped back out again, the rider screeching at the top of its puny lungs. The other didn't, and Lily ducked between two mostly-intact trees to avoid the snapping maw full of teeth right on her tail.

Beryl was roaring somewhere in the ashland, and it didn't sound like he had been caught again, but Lily had her own problems now. She turned and ran deeper into the flames, away from the ashes in an attempt to draw more of the Deathgrippers after her. If any were following from outside the flames, they had to come in or lose her. The one that had jumped in after her was still hot on her tail, crashing through trees where it couldn't fit.

She hoped, in the small part of her mind that wasn't solely dedicated to keeping her alive, that hurting their alpha meant the Deathgrippers would care more about chasing her now. They had customs about avenging each other, and Grimmel's obsession with dark wings was peculiar to him; she might have actually gotten their attention away from Beryl by blasting him, even though she hadn't killed him.

But whatever the motivation, none of that mattered if she died here and now, drawing them away. There was still only the one behind her, and she was only keeping ahead by leading it through as many trees as possible; it had the bulk to smash through, but that took time she could spend widening the gap.

The Deathgripper roared angrily at her as she threw herself past another set of large, unburned pine trees, and she chanced a look back.

It was mad, several wooden shards sticking out of its face, and the No-scaled-not-prey in its saddle was slumped over, unresponsive and flopping around limply with every movement; either unconscious or dead, which would explain why it wasn't bothered by the flames.

The Deathgripper lunged while she was still looking back at it, and she yanked her tail up and out of the way just before its talons pinned her. An abrupt turn brought her a heartbeat's breathing room, though now she was going the wrong way, and she saw white in the distance, between the trees. Not the white of her kind or a disguised Deathgripper, the white of snow and by extension unburned forest.

A plume of flame lanced over her head and fell over the already burning trees in front of her, so she turned again, diving out of the path of the falling flame. Her heart felt as if it was about to explode out of her chest, and everything hurt, and she didn't know where Beryl was or if he was even still alive.

None of those things could be fixed until she had gotten rid of the Deathgripper on her tail. She ran toward the as of yet unburned forest, fleeing the flames and the Deathgripper, thinking that unburned trees and snow would provide her with more cover. An ear-shattering roar came from close behind, and she leaped to the side. Talons dug into the ground where she had been, and she darted away again.

The snow was a welcome chill on her burnt paws, and the wind blew clean air in her face as if to welcome her. She angled for the largest pile of snow in sight, hoping it would slow the ungainly Deathgripper down more than it did her-

And an idea occurred to her, one that promised an end to the chase if it worked. It also promised death or capture if it _didn't_ work, but at this point she was willing to take a chance. She ran through the snowdrift instead of leaping over it, plowing into the head-high pile.

The cold was a shock to her already belabored body, a welcome one for once. Less so was the enraged roar behind her, though she was glad her solitary pursuer was so loud and obvious.

Lily burst out of the snowdrift; the Deathgripper crashed through it and the trees around it, snapping its teeth near her tail, it was so close. When her paws hit the mud at the edge of the snow, she clenched her claws and kicked back.

The Deathgripper scorched her behind with a small wave of flame, one that ended far too quickly to hurt, and let out a maddened roar. Lily leaped to the side, caught a glimpse of its eyes blinking furiously to clear out the mud she had kicked in its face-

And dove into the biggest snowdrift within reach. She landed hard, pulled her wings in, swung her tail around to bury it too, and held perfectly still as the snow crumbled in on top of her. The pile had formed in a small depression in the ground, and was slightly higher than her body when she pressed herself to the ground.

Her face was buried in the same numbing cold as the rest of her, and she held her breath. It wasn't a perfect hiding place, not even close, her wings were probably visible as a different texture of white.

The Deathgripper let out yet another roar - really, it had been roaring almost non-stop since the start of their short chase - and stomped off, the distinct beat of its paws hitting the ground fading quickly. More roars, these angry and confused, came from further away.

Lily slowly let out her breath, scarcely able to believe her plan had worked. That _either_ of her last two plans had worked, really; saving Beryl was far more luck than cleverness. The Deathgripper pinning him might not have reared back and given him an opening, or Grimmel might not have been hurt by her weak blast, or she might have missed because she was so tired and her throat hurt-

She shuddered and wrenched her mind away from that terrible line of thought. It had been a risky, desperate play, and it had worked, just as hiding in a pile of snow had worked. She wasn't going to rely on such tactics in the future, they weren't _good_ plans, but they had been sufficient. This time.

The cold felt good on her body, after so long in the fire or crammed in a hole surrounded by fire, and there might still be enemies around, so Lily lay still in the snow for as long as she could bear, letting her thoughts slip away for just a little while. The fire crackling nearby, slowly growing louder as it advanced, was enough to keep her awake and alert, but she tried not to think about anything else.

For a little while. Then she stood, shook herself off, and forced herself to think about what to do next.

"No Beryl," she murmured, pacing around her hiding place just in case she needed to dive back in. "Need to get away. Need to find him."

It was snowing, dark ash-colored flakes of ice peppering the world around her. The grey sky above was growing dimmer, heralding the end of the day. She took a mouthful of clean snow and held it until it melted to quench her immediate thirst, all the while thinking about what would be best.

"Parallel to the shore," she huffed quietly. She knew the general path her fledglings had taken, and the path she and Beryl had intended to follow. He knew it. They had no other points of reference, so if he was looking for her, he had to look for her there. But it was a _path_ , not a single place.

"He can track," she muttered. She couldn't do that, but he could. And he knew she knew that. So… He would stay back, and she would go to the path and keep moving forward. He moved faster than she did, so he would catch up.

That was a plan that only worked if they were both smart enough to anticipate the other's thought process, but she was confident he would think of it. Whether he was alive to act on it, on the other paw…

Grimmel wouldn't take a dark wing prisoner, he had been ready to kill Beryl then and there. So trying to find him with Grimmel's pack of hunters was a fool's errand; he wouldn't be there. She _had_ to return to their intended path and keep going, it was the only way he would find her, and if he didn't find her, he was dead, which he wasn't. She had to believe that.

But even as she pushed that worry aside, a new one came to mind, one far more urgent for her immediate situation. She had no idea where she was going.

Lily looked up and saw what she already knew she would, a cloudy sky that gave no hints as to where the moon was. An ashy snowflake landed on her nose as if to taunt her, dark and ominous.

She and Beryl had been on the right track right up until the fire came into play. Then they had run, hidden, turned around, and walked in a few big circles before making a break for it. _Then_ she had run from a Deathgripper, making a thousand last-moment turns and switching directions often, just to keep ahead of it.

She had no idea which way led to the shore, and she couldn't fly to check. If Beryl were with her, he could, but he wasn't… So she was lost.

But on the bright side, she knew where she _didn't_ want to be. She put her tail to the slowly spreading fire and walked away. Whether it was the right direction or not, she didn't know. But it was away from Grimmel and his traps.

O-O-O-O-O

There was something ironic, Lily decided some time later, about escaping a trap of fire and ash only to walk into a blizzard.

The wind howled through the trees around her, and snow fell like rain, heavy and fast. Every step left a paw-deep impression, and it was only snowing _faster_. The world was a mottled white and gray, the latter from the still-burning fires far behind her, smoke carried on the wind to follow her and pollute the snow.

Lily put one paw in front of the other. Then she did it again, as she had for the last… however long she had been walking. It was harder without Beryl, much harder. She had nobody to pace herself with, no one to talk to, nothing to look forward to except _maybe_ him catching up to her at some point. She couldn't find him, he had to find her, so that was not much motivation to keep moving.

To make matters worse, all was silent except for the wind in the trees and the patter of snow on snow. If there were Deathgrippers out there, they were silent, but Lily thought it more likely they had given up for the night… or given up entirely. If they had killed Beryl, there would be no more reason to hunt, not for Grimmel…

Such dark thoughts kept her company as she walked, but they weren't enough. Her eyes were heavy, and every time the wind blew, she stumbled, her tired wings catching the edge of the gust and pulling her this way and that. Everything hurt in a variety of new and interesting ways, but the edge of it all was taken off by the cold assault of snow on her body, chilling her even as it numbed her to the worst of her pain.

She didn't know where she was going, or who would find her, or what she would do then. She didn't know much of anything, except that she had to keep moving. Rest was for when her body gave out despite her best efforts, not before… and there was nothing else. If she stopped, she could freeze to death in the night, her body buried under the snow.

It was a cold, quiet fate that threatened her now, one of absence. She had nothing and nobody to keep her warm, and the weather would kill her if she stopped moving. That was all; there was no clever way out, not when she was so exhausted in body and mind. It wasn't fair… but losing Beryl hadn't been fair, either. Nothing was fair, not in real life. In stories told to fledglings, maybe.

And it was not as if she hadn't known the weather would be a danger; she and Beryl and Ember had given her fledglings lectures about how to avoid the very fate approaching her. There were ways to stay warm… if one had fire, and time, and people to help. Not if one was dead on their paws, dull from constant danger, and out of energy to do _anything_ but walk.

The trees creaked and swayed dramatically. Lily knew there was something wrong with that, but she wasn't sure what.

A terrible smell wafted to her nose, something akin to the worst of the plants Pyre liked to eat, and she realized the wind had stopped, and that the trees were moving anyway.

Small, furtive shapes dropped down around her. One poked her in the neck-

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's first thought upon waking was that she had done something particularly clever.

She eyed the densely-packed snow wall rising up in front of her face, and with some difficulty twisted her head to see that it slanted up to become a roof just over her wings. The same could be said for the walls around the rest of her body; they all became the roof.

It was warm inside the little snow cave, except for the head-sized hole near her left ear, through which trees, a lot of snow, and the grey sky could be seen.

It all reminded her of the technique Beryl and Ember had shared for keeping warm in a snowstorm, but smaller. She must have adapted it and somehow made this little place to keep herself alive… Though there were problems with that idea, the most obvious one being that she remembered doing no such thing.

The other obvious issue was that her theory didn't explain the terrible smell. She resorted to breathing through her mouth to avoid it, but that didn't help her understand _what_ was polluting the air with its stench. It wasn't anything on her; the fresh breeze from the hole by her head was just as strongly tainted.

And then there was the thing she _did_ remember. The odd little creatures who had… put her to sleep.

Lily growled, angered by the very idea, and impulsively flung her wings out. The snow cave gave way, collapsing inward-

She muffled a shriek as the slush crashed onto her back, and shook frantically, throwing it off with a speed born of desperation. The empty, quiet forest around her echoed with her angry growls as she shook the last of it off. Angry at herself, but also at whatever had put her in the snow cave, though she knew the latter was irrational.

Not that it mattered, seeing as she was alone. She remembered things in the trees from the night before, but a close examination now yielded nothing except drooping, snow-laden branches. The ground around her was no help; a fresh blanket of newly-fallen snow had covered any tracks that might have been left behind. She was standing in an unremarkable patch of the immense forest, one with nothing unique about it except the smell.

Lacking any other clues, she put her nose to the snow and tried to follow the smell, like Beryl had taught her. Either it was nothing, or it would lead her to the creatures she was half-sure had saved her life, so following it couldn't hurt. At worst, those weird little dragons didn't exist, so she wouldn't find them.

"At best," she huffed, trying not to let the stench turn her already mostly-empty stomach, "I'll find them, they'll give me food, and lead me to Beryl." She didn't expect _that_ , though. Her life never gave her the best possible option. She either got the worst, or had to manipulate her way into something better.

Her nose led her to a tree. There was a sticky, sap-like substance on it that reeked of dung and stinky wild roots and rotten fish all mixed together… and that was as far as the trail went. There were more streaks of the viscous liquid on other trees, but it was far too overwhelming for her to find any trails leading to whatever had put it there.

"Great," she complained bitterly. " _I_ can be followed anywhere by smell alone, but the things I want to follow can't."

"I mean, it _is_ convenient," Beryl said dryly from behind her.

Lily spun around and saw him walking toward her. "But," he continued, a relieved purr building under his outwardly casual words, "you _can_ follow whatever makes this smell once you get better at telling scents apart. That's what I was doing-"

Lily cut him off with a joyous bark and rushed to him, smacking her forehead into his side. He was warm and alive and _here_ , when she thought they would have to find each other or never see each other again.

"That's what I was doing," he said softly, draping a wing over her even as he turned to nuzzle her neck in return. "I figured you'd investigate such a strange thing out in the middle of nowhere. Or try and find our path and expect me to catch up, but I don't know where the shore is and I haven't flown up to check."

Lily let out a relieved laugh. "Yeah, that was the plan," she said happily, sidling up against him under his wing and nuzzling under his neck. "I knew you would think of it too."

"I'm glad I found you here," Beryl rumbled, hooking his tail around hers. "Following you would have been annoying. And you seem way more rested than I feel right now, so I guess you found a nice cave or something to wait out the storm?" He yawned widely, right by her ear. "I could really use a warm cave right now…"

"Well… no, I didn't find shelter," she admitted, pulling away to look him in the eye. "The last thing I remember is small creatures dropping out of the trees and putting me to sleep. Then I woke up in a nice little snow cave here, and they're nowhere to be seen."

"So…" Beryl looked around. "Is there still a nice snow cave? Because I was walking all night." His voice was light, but Lily could hear the deeply-rooted exhaustion in his voice. He was on his last legs, so to speak, where she had been the night before.

"I think we can make you one," she said, holding back the urge to leap around like a happy fledgling. Maybe later. It seemed like they might have time for such wastes of energy; they seemed to have got away in the blizzard, and there was still no sign of pursuit starting up again-

"Hey…" She left Beryl to go paw at one of the trees. "This can be tracked…" The sap-like liquid was clearly visible, and some of it came off on her paws.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"But it doesn't smell like _us_ ," she finished. "And it's strong." She had been thinking about using Pyre's favorite snack to disguise their scent, but this was _better_.

"Yes," Beryl said slowly, a deep purr of approval rumbling in his chest. "It is."


	61. Focused

In other circumstances, Lily might have wanted to spend a lot longer lingering on her lucky reunion with Beryl. Other circumstances being somewhere warm and dry and private…

And not stinking like they were standing right next to a waste pit. _Especially_ not when said smell was partially coming from her.

Beryl's nose twitched repeatedly as the wind shifted, and he let out a powerful sneeze that sent a little blue bolt of fire into a mound of snow. "Lily, if you don't mind…"

Lily knew _exactly_ how nauseating the concentrated scent she had just swiped onto her paws was, so she wasn't offended when Beryl waved his tail and gestured downwind of himself. "Right," she purred, circling around to stand on his other side. The unknown gunk she had taken from the tree clung to her paws even as she stomped through the snow. It was as sticky as it was smelly. She wished she knew _what_ it was, though.

"Can you keep following the smell?" she asked. "I want to know who helped me."

"Helped _us_ , since following the trail led to you," Beryl rumbled. "Which might not be a coincidence."

Lily hadn't even considered that, though in retrospect she definitely should have. "Yes. I want answers."

"So do I." Beryl put his nose to the ground and began walking back and forth, presumably trying to get a scent besides the terrible one smeared all across the trees around them. "Got it!"

"That was quick," Lily said, following him away from where she had woken up. She inhaled through her nose-

And promptly choked on the fumes wafting up from her own paws. Beryl was definitely on his own when it came to tracking these creatures. She would have to help in a different way.

"I was walking through the snowstorm last night," she recounted, thinking back. Her memory wasn't the best; it had all seemed like one long, terrible moment, and she remembered the _feeling_ of wandering in the snowstorm better than any specifics. "Small things dropped from the trees, I think… That's all I remember." They had definitely come from above.

"How small?" Beryl asked curiously. "Bigger than your paw, or smaller?"

"Bigger, definitely, but maybe not by much. I didn't get a good look." The little she did know certainly didn't match anything Pyre had told her about other sorts of kin. The only small ones he had mentioned were supposed to be colorful and not prone to sneaking around, which didn't fit this encounter at all. Not to mention he had never told her about any sort of person stinking so badly…

"That doesn't fit anyone I've ever met," Beryl rumbled, apparently thinking along the same lines as her. "I know small, and I know smelly, but never both at the same time. Are we _sure_ they're connected?"

"I _assumed_ they were…" Lily hummed thoughtfully. What did she _actually_ have as evidence that the two were related? She didn't remember them stinking when she was ambushed the night before, though that might just mean she hadn't had time to smell them. The stench had been present when she woke up, but she already knew that was because of the unknown substance on the trees, which she had never _seen_ anyone spreading.

"Which is more likely?" she asked. "That there is one sort of unknown creature responsible for everything, or that there are two unrelated things going on at the same time?"

"The simpler explanation is the more likely, you mean?" Beryl hummed. "I've heard that before… It doesn't really apply to the things that happen to my family, but maybe it works here."

"Doesn't it?" Lily asked.

"Ember's my first piece of evidence," Beryl snorted. "The simplest explanation is _never_ the right one when it comes to him or the things that happen to him. Then you have Spark… The simple explanation had me thinking he had abandoned me." He huffed quietly, his head still down to follow the trail across the snowy blanket covering the ground.

"Which he didn't?" Lily guessed.

"No, it was a huge misunderstanding," Beryl rumbled. "But my point is, simple is not always right."

"Point taken," Lily conceded. "But speaking of explanations… What happened back there?"

"Back where?" Beryl asked.

"Back when we were running across the burned forest and we got separated," Lily elaborated. She had run, did her best to help him, and then fled again, and in doing so didn't know a lot of what had happened to him.

"There's not much to tell," Beryl said. "I was overwhelmed, but they had standing orders to _not_ kill me if capture was an option. Grimmel wanted to do it himself. He gave a short little speech that I honestly didn't care enough to listen to, and then you blew his paw off and gave me an opening."

"It was a tiny shot, I don't think I did much damage," Lily grumbled. She _wished_ she could have done more; as it turned out, Grimmel's obvious opening to being blasted out of existence hadn't been warranted confidence, it had been a genuine weakness. She could have aimed for his head and killed him outright in the process of saving Beryl.

"It did plenty," Beryl corrected her. He stopped to dig his paws into the snow and overturn a dark, brown-stained bit of slush that stank like her paws. "Ugh, now I know what I'm following."

"That stuff is everywhere," she said thoughtfully. "What happened after you got free?"

"I ran," he said, continuing forward. They weren't walking in a straight line anymore; he changed directions every few steps, presumably as the smell told him he was going the wrong way. "It was close for a little while, but I'm faster than any Deathgripper can be on the ground. They're bigger and that slows them down."

"Yes, I guess you are," she murmured, remembering her desperate escape. Beryl might be faster, but she wasn't, or if she was, it wasn't by much. Thankfully, they had both made it out.

A flurry of snowflakes swept down on them, startling in its suddenness and intensity, and Lily looked up at the dipping, snow-laden branches above them.

"I hope we don't get another big storm," Beryl muttered, shaking his wings out to rid himself of the snow. "I barely made it through the last one…"

"I'm keeping my eyes open for a good place to rest," Lily said. "If we find one, we can drop this hunt."

"Yes… If we find one." Beryl to one side, then the other, taking in the empty, white-coated forest around them. "Hey, there's something."

Lily didn't see anything resembling shelter in the direction Beryl was heading, not even as they got close. "Where?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, no, not shelter, more of this stuff," Beryl explained, pawing at the tree he had stopped by. "It blends in, but the smell doesn't."

Lily cautiously sniffed the air, then hurriedly went back to breathing through her mouth. She could barely see the congealed gunk on the tree, but she could definitely smell it. "Are we _sure_ we want to find these people?" she choked out.

"If only to sate my burning…" Beryl yawned widely. "Curiosity. Maybe smoldering is a better description."

"Maybe it can wait," Lily offered, thinking of how long it must have been since Beryl last slept. "How about we make one of those snow caves you and Ember taught my people about, and continue this pursuit at night?"

"Away from this stink," Beryl agreed, making an abrupt turn. They walked a short distance from the closest marked trees, and Lily took another tentative sniff. It still stank-

"Your paws," Beryl reminded her. "I'll get this started, you…" He waved a paw around and then mimed flaming it.

"Make sure I don't stink us out of our shelter, or suffocate us in our sleep," she finished with a snort. "Got it."

After a moment's thought, she went downwind and scraped her paws off as best she could on a clean tree, then used up a shot flaming some water out of the snow all around her. It quickly turned to mud as she stomped her front paws in it, but that was still better than the stuff she was cleaning off, so she didn't mind. Mud didn't make her want to vomit whenever she inhaled.

Not to mention this was _warm_ mud, and felt amazing on her paws. She sighed happily and mashed her paws in a lot longer than was strictly necessary, just to enjoy the feeling. Running, walking, fleeing… she had done everything on these paws in the last few days, far more than she would ever do back in the valley. They weren't as sore as the rest of her - that was a high bar to pass even on a good day - but it still felt _amazing_ between her claws.

Once she could bear to leave the rapidly cooling mud, she lifted a paw to her nose and inhaled. An earthy, wet scent was all she smelled.

"Success!" she called out.

"Great!" Beryl called back to her. "Now come help me before this falls!"

Lily hurried back, curious as to what he meant about something falling, and saw him bracing a wall of packed snow as long as she was and higher than his shoulder. "What is this?" she asked.

"A wall," he huffed. "See how I've got my wing out?" He did indeed have one wing stretched out, the edge on the ground to form a shallow slope. "I had to improvise, we only have two people and the stuff Ember and I taught needed four. Come over on the other side and shore it up so I can push away."

Lily saw what he meant and quickly pawed some snow over to the base of his little wall. "I see," she huffed as she worked, "how this makes one wall. How do we get snow over us?"

"That's too much effort for now," Beryl panted. "Just get me out of the wind and I'll sleep like a rock."

"Rocks don't sleep… do they?" She stamped down on her gathered snow, forcing it into place.

"Some dragons look like rocks when they sleep, and are very hard to wake," Beryl said. "Close enough. My point was that I'm tired so just getting out of the wind is good enough."

"Got it." Lily stepped back and examined her work. "That should be good."

Beryl grunted, the wall - more of a mound now that she had added to the side - shuddered… and held.

"Good, the hard part's done," he groaned. "Now, see the other big mound of snow I piled up?" He flicked his tail at it. "I'm going to lay down with my wing out. You push it all on top of me and then flame it."

"This doesn't sound safe," Lily objected.

"It's not _comfortable_ , but the water freezes again and holds the snow up," Beryl explained. "Were you paying attention when Ember and I explained this to the pack?"

"No," Lily admitted. "I listened long enough to be sure you were making sense, then focused on other things." She had intended to travel with Beryl and his family, so she hadn't thought she would need to know every detail. Ending up alone, except for Beryl, had not been a possibility in her mind back then.

"Okay." Beryl shook his head, his entire body practically drooping with tiredness, and blinked a few times. "Here's how it works. I sit there and take up enough space for both of us. You put snow on me, except for my head, then flame it a little. I flame the ground under me to heat the inside. Then we wait while the water freezes again. Then you come in and we sleep there."

"Got it." She eyed his tail, which all but dragged on the snow. "Can you hold it up for long enough? Maybe I should be the one under the pile." The last thing they needed was their makeshift shelter collapsing on top of him before it was done.

"Do you want a mound of snow pressing down on your back?" Beryl asked rhetorically, already settling into position, his side against the snow wall and one wing outstretched like it was already covering her… Which it would be, once they were done.

"Point taken," Lily sighed. "I'll try to be quick…"

O-O-O-O-O

Lily woke slowly to the sound of claws scraping wood. She didn't really _care_ about the noise at first, either; it was quiet and she was warmly tucked under Beryl's wing. He would have alerted her if it was anything dangerous.

Then common sense caught up to her groggy, overly confident thoughts. Beryl had been absolutely exhausted, he might sleep through anything. She was supposed to be the one watching for danger.

She opened her eyes and saw… nothing. Not even the view of the forest that she'd had upon last closing her eyes. There was a little wall of snow in the way, one that definitely hadn't been there earlier.

The scratching came again, closer. It sounded like it was being made by many small claws, though Lily wasn't sure whether she was actually hearing something that made her think that, or remembering her last encounter with unknown creatures in the dark and assuming it had to be the same ones.

Either way, she wasn't content to just listen and guess, so she shimmied forward until she would poke her head up over the little wall of snow and see the forest.

It was dark, snow was falling gently, and four little dragons were rubbing up against a tree.

Lily blinked and looked again, but they were still there. She had never seen such strange little creatures. They looked more like half-sized No-scaled-not-prey than light wings, standing upright with big hind legs and no front legs to speak of, brown and with round, pointy faces. Pointier than No-scaled-not-prey, if she was being fair; they had bony protrusions for noses, but these dragons looked as if their whole face was that one protrusion, like birds with beaks.

They also smelled _awful,_ even though they were a good five wing lengths away and there was no wind. The four rubbing their little heads against the tree were leaving smears of a familiar brown liquid, and the fifth…

The fifth was clawing at something in the snow, standing on one leg as it poked and pulled at a dark thing the size and shape of a fish. If it smelled like one, Lily wouldn't know; the stench, as always, overpowered absolutely everything else. She was just glad to see that the liquid she had put on her paws was coming from the strange dragons' mouths, and not anywhere else.

The fifth one looked up, one beady eye staring in her direction, and froze. The others all followed suit a moment later, when they noticed their companion's lack of movement.

"Carry on," she said. It wasn't the most diplomatic thing she could have come up with, but it was the first halfway-decent response to the situation that came to mind.

"Our territory," the one by the fish piped. "You are just passing through?"

"Just passing through," Lily confirmed in a quiet, gentle voice. "What do you call yourselves?"

"We are tree-eating-smelly-spit-sneaky-kin," the little dragon chirped. It had been a while since Lily heard anyone naming something with the sort of word-string most light wings stopped using sometime in their fledgling seasons, if they ever used them at all, but she got the meaning easily enough.

"It is always good to meet new kinds of kin," Lily hummed. Especially for her, given this would only be the third new kind she had _ever_ met, assuming dark wings counted as different at all. "Were you the ones to help me last night?"

"Yes, we want peace," the little dragon said quickly. "No fighting. No talking. We helped you, we want nothing in return. Just that you do not stay."

"You'll get that," she assured them. The other four looked ready to bolt the moment she looked away, but the one she was speaking to seemed marginally more relaxed. "What have you got there?"

"Good-intention gift," the little dragon said. "Fish. A lot of fish."

"Then you've earned _my_ appreciation twice over," she purred. "Thank you."

"You are not so bad," one of the dragons by the tree chirped.

"What's going on?" Beryl rumbled sleepily.

Lily pulled her head back, glad to give her outstretched neck a break, and responded. "Our mysterious friends came to us."

Beryl leaned forward to look. "They did?"

She snorted in amusement, guessing what she would see when she looked up. "Let me guess, they're gone."

"I see nothing but some scratches on a tree, some of that gunk, and… is that fish?"

Lily _heard_ Beryl's stomach rumble. "Yes, it is. Are you done sleeping?"

"For food, yes," he declared, standing and throwing off the icy roof of their little den in his haste. "Though maybe we could take it away from here…"

"The smell," she said. "We should, yes. While we do, I'll tell you what they were like." She was curious as to whether he would have any insights; he was the one who had travelled the world and seen so many things. Maybe he would be able to draw conclusions where she didn't see anything of interest.

"Most importantly, do they know anything about Grimmel, my family, or your pack?" Beryl asked. "And why were they so nice to us? They brought ten good-sized fish, that had to be a hassle if they're small." He eagerly gathered up half the fish, spitting out snow as best he could, and Lily did the same.

Only after she had the fish in her mouth did she remember that she needed an empty mouth to talk. "'Ot 'ure," she tried anyway.

Beryl cast her an amused look and tossed his head, breaking into a run. There was a weak wind now, pushing snow into Lily's face. She didn't mind; it was refreshing now that she was rested and awake and _not_ running for her life, or struggling to keep moving. The prospect of a good meal at the end of their short run also might have played a role in lightening her mood; she hadn't even thought about how long it might take to hunt down something edible, and skipping that whole process was convenient.

They came across an oddity in the mostly repetitive landscape of the forest, a flat, raised surface in the snow, and stopped there. Beryl pawed at it, revealing a stone beneath the snow, and unceremoniously dumped his fish. "You were saying?" he snorted, before tossing his head back and swallowing one of the smaller fish whole.

"I wonder how this boulder got here," she said.

"Rocks are everywhere," Beryl rumbled. "This one is just convenient. Or maybe our visitors moved it here."

"No way," Lily said firmly. "They're way too small and spindly to move boulders." She bit into a fish and ripped it in half, hoping to savor the meal. Her stomach was all but growling at her to eat as fast as possible, but that would just lead to an upset stomach later.

"That gives me an idea," Beryl remarked.

"About moving rocks?" she asked.

"No," he snorted, "not that. Don't tell me what they looked like, I'm going to try and guess."

"Good luck," she said. _She_ would never have thought her mystery rescuers looked anything like birds or walked on two legs at all. Maybe Beryl could do better, but she doubted it.

"There's a lot of information to work with," Beryl rumbled, pausing to eat another fish. "I can safely assume they're nothing like any of the rock-eaters I've met, because you say they couldn't move a boulder."

"Perhaps," Lily mused, doing her best not to give anything away. Usually, she would be confident in her ability to hold a straight face, but Beryl was far better than most at seeing through her. That, and she might be out of practice. It had been a while.

While Beryl was busy eating and presumably trying to infer things about the little dragons, Lily did her best to think back and determine how long they had been on the run. It was harder than she would have thought, so much of the pursuit blurred in hindsight by exhaustion. She knew that they had just slept through most of a day, and she had slept the night before. The day before that had been spent hiding in and fleeing flames.. Or had it been a day? It would have been impossible to really tell in the midst of flames under a cloudy sky.

"I don't know how long we've been out here," she said aloud after finishing her last fish. "How many days has it been?"

"That's… a good question." He tilted his head and stared off into the distance for a moment. "I _think,_ if we count the night we left the valley as the first night, then tonight is the sixth night. Five days."

"It feels like twenty, at least," she said vehemently.

"It does," Beryl agreed. "Now, as to my guessing… The slime they were leaving on the trees was all at about the same height."

"It was," Lily agreed. Which, of course, it would be; they put it there by rubbing their head, or mouth, or whatever the term was, on the tree. She had seen it.

Beryl hadn't seen it, but he seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "That means either that's the height their tails reach, or it's level with their claws when they rear up, or something else like that. And I know they're small, so that rules out a lot of possible positions…"

"Which leads you to what conclusion?" Lily asked curiously. "That seems like a dead end."

"It is a dead end," Beryl admitted. "But there are other things to put together. They like lurking in the trees."

"Correct," Lily hummed. She put one paw up on the rock and began running her claws along some of the subtle grooves that lines its surface, just for something to do.

"And I doubt Grimmel and his No-scaled-not-prey would just ignore a bunch of little dragons, so I can assume they're not flying around, meaning they're sticking to the trees or the ground," Beryl continued.

A memory rose from the depths of Lily's mind, and she growled to herself. A brown object thrown down for Grimmel to inspect… She had seen it, back when they were lurking in the fire, plotting their escape. Not that it mattered now, but if it ever became relevant, she knew Grimmel had seen at least one of the little brown dragons.

"Meaning," Beryl continued, unaware of her minor epiphany, "that they're probably _comfortable_ on the ground or in the trees. I'm thinking long, prehensile tails, four limbs, the sort of body that makes tree-hopping easy. If that's true, then I'm betting they stand low to the ground, so the tree-markings probably aren't coming from under their tails… I bet the liquid comes from their mouths."

"Perhaps," Lily said casually. "Any other deductions?" She was secretly amused that he was so badly wrong, but she wasn't about to let that show, lest he change his guess.

"They've met light wings before," he said seriously. "They knew how to put you out like a fledgling. That, or they're close enough to our kind to have the same pressure point, but I doubt that given how small they are."

"That… is a good point." She knew for a fact that nobody in her pack had ever met those little dragons, certainly not since she had come into power, and Pyre hadn't known of them… but then how else would they know? "But you're totally wrong on most of your other guesses."

"Oh, come on," Beryl groaned. "I had to be close."

"The slime is spit, and it does come from their mouths," Lily revealed. "But they only have two legs and two wings, their tails are nothing interesting, and they walk like No-scaled-not-prey or birds."

"Wow, I was way off," Beryl huffed. "And it all sounded so good and logical…"

"You didn't have enough to work with," Lily said.

"I'll have to be smarter about the next big problem we have to solve," he replied. "How do we make sure we're totally out of the woods when it comes to escaping Grimmel?"

"We're not out of the woods," Lily deadpanned. She turned in a slow circle, staring at the trees all around them, just to rub it in.

"I'm not taking that bait," Beryl snorted. "You know very well what I meant."

"I do," she admitted. "And my best idea is going back, getting some of that slime, and covering our scents as long as we can." So long as they weren't spotted again, scent would be their biggest liability.

"We can do that," he agreed. He walked around the rock and scooped up some snow with his tail, spreading it across the flat surface. "And we can hide evidence of our presence. Remember the tail sweeping trick to hide our tracks?"

"Of course." She walked a few steps while swishing her tail back and forth, just to demonstrate. "Though it's going to get cold if we have to do it all night."

"The rest of us will be warm, we can just sit on each others' tails to warm up." Beryl eyed her hopefully. "And now that we are no longer running for our lives, no longer hungry, and no longer exhausted…"

"And not yet stinking like waste pits," Lily added with a purr. "Yes, I think now is a good time." If she could do anything on a whim; she hadn't spent days thinking about Beryl and holding back, the urge wasn't already burning inside her-

But Beryl delicately ran his nose down the side of her neck, apparently intent on fixing that. She shuddered, leaning into his warm side as her legs went weak, and found her doubts about wanting to climb onto him quickly and easily silenced.

O-O-O-O-O

It was cold, and snow fell intermittently, but Lily found she didn't really mind. It wasn't just the afterglow of being with Beryl, either, though that did help. Compared to the blizzard she had stumbled through, light snowfall was nothing.

It also helped that the forest was silent, save for the crunching of their paws and the swishing of their tails. No searching roars came from above, and no quickly-silenced barks or howls from behind, and no shrieks of prey running around mindlessly. The night passed without a single hint of renewed pursuit from Grimmel.

"We should rest soon," Beryl rumbled, breaking the silence. "Sun's coming up, I think."

"Hard to tell," Lily replied. "How do you know?" There was no telltale glow on the horizon, they couldn't even _see_ the horizon. As far as she knew, it might just as well have been the middle of the night.

"It's mostly a feeling, I'm getting tired and that means we've been walking for a while," Beryl said. "Wouldn't mind some food, either, but I'm not getting any prey trails."

"Nothing worthwhile," Lily agreed, wrinkling her nose in irritation. She could see a few sets of tiny tracks in the snow right now, for all the good they did. Nothing _big_ was around, leaving either the risky prospect of fish, or nothing.

"We've not heard any Deathgrippers all night, not even in the distance," Beryl remarked. "I could maybe risk a short flight to the ocean and back."

"If you can explain how you'll fire at the water without making yourself an obvious target, how you'll get back down into the forest without hurting yourself, _and_ how you'll find me again, then sure," Lily said tiredly. She had already thought all of that through, and he had too.

"Empty stomachs it is, then," Beryl conceded. "Are you sure your little friends aren't still with us?"

"We must be well out of their territory," Lily said. She wished it wasn't so; a second delivery of fresh-caught fish would be perfect. "We've not seen any of their marked trees in a long time."

"That's true." Beryl huffed and shook his wings out. "Let's spread out and check for tracks. Maybe we'll get lucky. If not, then we can at least look for a good place to spend the day."

"Right." The forest around them wasn't all that distinctive, so Lily made her own landmark by swiping up a tailful of snow and smashing it against the bare side of a tree. Some fell off, but the rest remained, caked in the cracks between the wooden scales, leaving an obvious reminder of where they had been. "Meet back here," she said, choosing a random direction and going that way.

"Don't spend too long looking," Beryl said, his voice fading as he went. Lily looked over her shoulder long enough to confirm that he had broken into a run. She, on the other paw, kept to a quick walk, her head down to better pick up scents.

Not that there were any; aside from the many little tracks from worthless prey, the wintry landscape in front of her was untouched. Again, she pondered the obvious scarcity of prey. Prey ate plants or other prey, and the former was present everywhere. Water could be a problem; they hadn't run across any sources of fresh water since the stream, which had been days ago. But was it _the_ problem preventing animals from inhabiting these forests? She didn't think so; the little animals needed to drink too, and they were here.

A small trickling sound caught her attention, and she followed her ears to its source… a patch of snow just like any other. The noise came from below her, and she stuck a paw out to try digging for it-

Her paw went down through snow, cracked right through a layer of ice so thin she barely noticed it, and plunged into a paw-deep stream. She held in a surprised bark and kicked around a bit, clearing enough ice to comfortably drink from the stream. It was as cold going down as it had felt on her paw, but fresh water she didn't have to melt herself was nice…

And it was fresh water, right here, completely disproving her already unreliable theory about a lack of water causing the lack of prey. On the bright side, everything needed water… big prey included. There was no scent to follow, but why would she bother following something, when she could wait for it to come to her?

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's stomach gurgled, and she imagined she could hear it echoing, it was so empty. A day's sleep hadn't made her any less hungry, that was for sure. But trying to catch prey after a whole night's walking hadn't seemed like a good idea, so here she was… Still not catching prey.

"How do I do this?" she asked.

"You dig your claws in and pull yourself up," Beryl said, giving her a confused look. "You've lived next to a forest your entire life. Do you really not know how to climb a tree?"

"It was never a priority," Lily said primly. Not to mention, she suspected her back would object the moment she actually tried it. She was only planning on doing it now because it was the best way to stake out the stream without immediately being spotted or needing to renew her faulty camouflage every so often.

"Just dig in, as hard as you can," he concluded, rearing up on his hind legs to slap both front paws to a thick tree. They stuck, and Lily could see his claws piercing the bark. "The outer layer can just strip off like a scale in a fight, so be sure to dig deep enough to get real wood. Then, just pull-"

He hopped up, his tail slapping the ground, and latched his back paws on. From then on, he never stopped moving, scooting up the tree with his usual grace, until he was high enough to stick paws on a sturdy branch.

Said branch shook, cracked, and broke immediately, falling to strike the ground with a muted crunch.

"Never," Beryl called down, seemingly unsurprised, "try to perch on a branch. We're _heavy_ , and the trees around here aren't strong enough. Always expect anything but the main trunk to break at the worst possible time."

"So how do I stay up there?" Lily asked, craning her neck to look up at him.

"Find two good branches close together," Beryl said, shimmying up again until he clung to the trunk next to two such branches, "and put one paw on the base of each." His back paws slid down, tearing a few pieces of bark off the tree, and perched on the very base of both branches.

"And then?" Lily asked.

"That's it," Beryl revealed. "Dig in, hook your tail around something else if you can, and wait. I can see the water from here, and unless you're looking straight up, you won't see me. I won't fall off unless I fall asleep, and maybe not even then."

Lily took in his posture. Belly to the trunk, back paws wedged up against it and branches, body vertical, head craned forward… She didn't think she could fall asleep like that even if it _was_ perfectly safe.

"There's no better way?" she asked.

"Not with these trees," Beryl said seriously. "But we don't have to do this. We could just keep walking, and maybe come across a trail like before."

"This seems more likely to work," Lily huffed. "We don't know where prey might be, but we do know where they want to go. Here."

"Okay, I mean, _I'm_ up for it," he said.

"One more thing," Lily called up to him. "Show me how to get down." She could imagine climbing up, successfully making it to the top of the tree, spotting prey… and not being able to get down fast enough. It seemed prudent to ask.

"Almost forgot that," Beryl snorted. "If you're close to the ground, jump. But if you want a gentle way down, just get out in the open," he pulled himself off the branches, "and loosen your grip."

A moment passed with no visible change, and then Beryl fell. Lily felt her heart jump, even though she knew it was part of the plan, and it didn't stop hammering at her chest when the noise of shredding wood and the slowness of his fall revealed that he was sliding, not falling at all. A rain of chunks of wood followed him down, and when his back paws hit the ground, a collection of bark fragments bounced off his head and wings.

"That's how you get down," he said, turning to face her. The strip of bark lodged between the little frills between his ears spoiled the otherwise impressive moment, but Lily didn't point it out. "Can you do that?"

"If I jump, I'm going to regret it, so let's hope I can," Lily huffed. It would hurt, neither way down would be painless for her, but sliding was definitely better than leaping and hitting the ground at full speed. Beryl would handle that if any prey worth leaping on did show up.

She tilted her head as a thought came to her. Technically, if Beryl was going to be hanging around in the trees waiting to strike, _she_ didn't need to be there. She could avoid climbing at all, and instead find somewhere to sit around, far away from this place so she wouldn't scare any prey away.

Practically speaking, that was probably the better plan. But she dismissed it anyway. She wanted to do this, to take part in keeping them fed, and to prove that she _could_ do it, so that if she needed to in the future she didn't doubt herself. There was a whole collection of good reasons to do it even if she didn't have to right now…

And chief among them was that she _wanted_ to. That was what she was supposed to be doing, after all. Following her desires, acting on them. Not thinking about the things she couldn't help. It was getting easier to keep her pack's possible struggles out of her mind, though only because she really couldn't do anything for them-

She shook her head and deliberately walked up to the sturdiest tree she could see, picking one close to the partially-hidden stream, but not too close. If she had to think about something, she would think about this possibly painful endeavor, not that.

"Keep moving once you start," Beryl advised. "But not so fast that you lose your grip."

"Got it." She reared up and smacked her paws into the tree, digging in as hard as she could. Claw pierced wood, and when she tested her grip by pulling down, everything held.

"The worst that can happen is terrible agony," she said aloud.

"Yes-" Beryl began, clearly intended to say something reassuring.

Lily leaped up, pushing off with her back paws and tail as she had been shown, pulling her claws up and out of the tree, and immediately dug them back in again, all four paws this time. The moment she stabilized, she stretched and tried to jump again, keeping her belly on the rough bark. It wasn't an easy movement, not even close, but it was doable.

Another scraping leap had her stomach stinging, and her body as a whole one light wing higher in the tree. She heeded Beryl's advice and didn't stop, pushing herself up over and over again. The constant stop and start was tiring, and her back was throbbing, though not nearly as badly as she had expected, but she was getting higher and higher.

And then she was passing the two branches, one slightly higher than the other, that she had planned to use as support. She stopped then, her paws aching, and stuck out her back paw, fumbling around until she found the branch. From there, it was a simple set of movements to put herself in the position Beryl had demonstrated, and then she was still.

All was silent, save for the wind knocking branches together as it passed. Lily leaned to the side and looked down. She wasn't _that_ high up, but Beryl still looked small from where she perched. Thankfully, season-cycles of being grounded had not left her with a fear of heights, though she really should have thought of that _before_ climbing the tree.

"Perfect!" Beryl barked, before going back to his tree and ascending once more. They were on opposite sides of the hidden stream, both looking down at it, and he was in the perfect position to stare into her eyes from slightly higher up. "Now, to gaze upon your beauty…"

"Gaze upon something edible first, please," she snorted, secretly pleased. She didn't think she was beautiful, not even close, but it was nice to hear him disagree. He wasn't prone to insincere flattery; he saw _something_ beautiful about her, though she didn't know what.

She didn't intend to ask him about it, both because she didn't feel like questioning it, and because making noise by talking would negate the entire purpose of climbing trees and waiting, that of stealth.

Time passed, measurable by heartbeats and the rhythmic flicking of Beryl's ears, back and forth with impeccable timing. The small movement wasn't enough to give them away, apparently, and once she grew bored with watching blank snow - which happened quite quickly - she began trying to copy him. It was deceptively hard to get her ears going in sync with any consistent timing, and the challenge was a nice distraction from the boredom.

A duo of tiny little furry creatures hopped into view a while later, moving like a hyper fledgling, drank from the stream, and left. Lily had no intention of pouncing on _those_ ; the two together wouldn't have made a mouthful. She and Beryl were waiting for something worthwhile. But it was a nice proof of concept; the little prey animals hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Then the world lit up with a single ray of moonlight. Lily squinted, surprised by the intensity of the single ray as it lit up the snow near the base of Beryl's tree, pure light reflecting off a white, glittering surface.

Beryl's face split into a wide, gummy grin, and Lily mimicked him. She had missed light, actual unfiltered light, and she wished there were no trees blocking her from seeing the moon. Her claws digging into the tree now felt slightly more justified, since it was helping withhold that from her.

She was just contemplating other methods of revenge against trees when a _massive_ prey animal stepped out into the beam of moonlight, massive horns jutting out and casting shadows as it moved through the lit area. She froze, her eyes wide and locked on the fat, brown creature. It sniffed the air warily, but it would get no warning from scent; the wind was blowing in their favor.

Lily flicked her ears at Beryl questioningly, and he nodded. This would be the tricky part; the bulk of his body was currently on the wrong side of the tree. He could fire at the prey, but that carried its own set of risks. A small bolt would probably kill, but if it didn't, the prey might alert every living creature within earshot of their presence, and that might restart the hunt for _them_. And if he made it big enough to _definitely_ kill, the detonation would do the same, along with scattering their food in many possibly burnt chunks.

So, instead of firing, he was going to pounce… Or maybe drop was a better word. Either way, that meant he needed to be able to leap in the right direction, which he couldn't do at the moment. Neither of them could, and as Beryl began very tentatively shifting his body, Lily wondered whether that was an oversight to their entire plan, not just an inconvenience.

The prey lowered its head on its long neck and began drinking from the stream. Beryl leaned back, pulled a paw out, and began circling around the tree as quietly as possible. His grip looked very precarious to Lily, and she was glad she wasn't the one having to do it. If climbing up the tree was simple, climbing _around_ it definitely was not.

A chunk of bark snapped off and fell, twisting in the wind. It hit the snow so quietly Lily didn't hear it, but the prey looked up. Then, after a long moment, it went back to drinking.

Beryl shuffled around a little bit more, then tensed and leaped off. The prey startled at the not-so-subtle noise of four sets of claws pulling bark out of a tree, but Beryl flared his wings halfway down and corrected to land squarely on the prey's back even as it tried to run. One loud crack later, and he was on the ground, a big prey animal in his paws.

He looked up at Lily, stepped off the prey, and grimaced, kicking at the horns. "That was close. I was hoping for one with less of these, or none at all. If you jump on them wrong, you can hurt yourself."

"Duly noted," Lily said. She wanted to get down as quickly as possible, and her stomach agreed…

But another idea had entered her mind, and she was _already_ part of the way up the tree… "I'll be down soon," she said, bracing herself and leaping up from her safe perch. First, she wanted to see the moon, and this tree seemed to be solid and thick all the way up, taller than the other trees by a fair margin.

The climb up was less scary this time around, no longer something she was only trying for the first time. She was probably more worried about going _down_ , since she would have to either break through a few branches, or stop and reposition to avoid them on the way down. Going far enough up was no big deal.

She stopped just short of the last few bare branches, basking in the mostly unblocked moonlight. Then she slowly pushed her head up, out into the open air.

The vast emptiness of the sky nearly took her breath away, it had been so long since she last saw it. The clouds were scattering, revealing a star-filled sky and massive nearly-full moon… and not a Deathgripper in sight. Everything was highlighted by the moonlight; she would have seen any dragon flying around, save for a camouflaged light wing, and there were none.

Except, she noticed as she turned her head, for two in the far distance, flying slow, steady circles above something. They were in the direction of the shore, and she would have bet part of the prey she and Beryl had just caught that they were guarding one of Grimmel's ships.

She lingered there for a few moments longer, enjoying the open air, then braced herself and loosened her claws-

An undignified shriek escaped from her as she slid down the tree _much_ faster than Beryl had. Her tail hit one of the branches she had meant to avoid, and it snapped instantly, but the jagged end scraped all the way down her underside, and then her tail hit _ground_ and she hit ground.

"Lily!" Beryl barked, rushing to her side. "You're bleeding!"

"Badly?" she asked, rolling onto her side. For once, she _hadn't_ landed on her back at the worst possible time.

Beryl didn't answer until after he had licked her from chest to hindquarters. "No… You got lucky. It's just a scratch and a splinter." He leaned in again, and she felt a tiny pinch. Then he leaned back and spit out a piece of bark no larger than a blade of grass.

"Lucky, indeed," she laughed. "I went too fast?"

"It takes practice, I guess," Beryl rumbled apologetically. He licked her face, and she smelled fresh meat. Despite her still-racing heart and aching chest, she felt a pang of hunger.

"You started without me," she snorted, waving a paw until he backed away enough to let her back onto her paws.

"You were busy staring at the sky," he said defensively. "See anything interesting?"

"We're not being hunted anymore," she reported, remembering what she had seen. "They're not landing randomly to find us, or searching at all. So long as we don't draw attention to ourselves, we're safe."

"Safe to hurt ourselves jumping on prey and sliding down trees," he snorted.

" _Safer_ ," she corrected herself. "The rest of this journey should be downright boring in comparison to what we've had to deal with so far."

"Are you calling me boring?" he asked indignantly. "Because you didn't think so earlier tonight."

"No, not you," she said with a purr. He was the reason she was looking forward to the rest of this journey, instead of begrudging every moment she spent on it. Boring, to her, just meant there would be time and no outside pressures. Boring was _good_ , in this case. Especially since she knew it couldn't last forever. They would find the pack again eventually.

_**Author's Note:** _ **You won't find this chapter's new species of dragon in canon; it's my own invention, and most closely resembles the Hoatzin in real life (though believe it or not, I didn't know about the Hoatzin until I decided to google 'smelly bird' to see whether there were any real-life examples to draw additional inspiration from). Look that up if you don't know what it is; it's cool!**


	62. Discreet

_**Author's Note:** _ **With this chapter, I'll pass 2** _**million** _ **words posted, and** _**Usurpation of the Darkness** _ **will have accounted for slightly more than a quarter of those words. That's… a lot. And crazier still, I've not told even a third of the stories I've** _**already started to write** _ **yet. Seems like I'll be here a while yet… and I wouldn't have it any other way.**

**Anyway, semi-meaningless milestones aside, have a momentous chapter!**

"It's amazing how easy it is to lose our way when the sun isn't out," Lily said, glancing up at the snow-covered canopy. "Especially since we can't see it that much even when it is out."

"I don't _feel_ like we've been going the wrong way recently," Beryl grumbled, though the thinning treeline in front of them meant they _had_ lost their way at some point. "But I guess we'll see. Think I can risk a quick flight above the clouds to check?"

Lily stepped forward and yelped as she sank into a chest-deep depression in the snow, one hidden beneath the featureless blanket of white. She hurriedly backed out of the icy dip, shaking herself to remove as much of the snow as possible-

Beryl came to her and pressed his side against her chest. "This just isn't your morning," he snorted. "Keep warm."

"Pamper me like this and I'll walk into more snowdrifts on purpose," Lily purred, snuggling into the crook of his neck and enjoying the dry warmth radiating off of him like the heat of a rock in the sun at the height of the hot-season, but deeper and less superficial.

"Pampering?" Beryl rumbled innocently. "This is a purely logical, calculated move to make us as efficient as possible. There's absolutely nothing to it aside from that."

"Oh, really?" Lily snickered. "You'd do the same for Diora?"

"She could freeze," Beryl declared. Lily knew he wasn't at all surprised that she had brought up Diora; when it came to jokes about someone neither of them liked, Diora was the only safe option, so she came up often enough.

"As I thought," Lily purred, licking his back where she could reach. "But we could be more efficient by finding out just how badly off-course we are." Clever jokes were well and good, and she wasn't rushing to move as fast as possible, but at some point before the sun went down they did need to figure out why the shore was in front of them instead of a long walk to their left.

"We have all day for that," Beryl muttered. "But here… this should work better than standing still." He stepped to the side, pulling her with him, then again.

Lily laughed as they slowly shuffled around the deceptively flat patch of snow she had fallen into, one tiny step at a time. At this rate, it _would_ take them the rest of the day to get to the shore she could even now hear in the distance.

Not that a day's delay would make much of a difference; it was hard to keep track of the season by moon-cycles when the sky was constantly overcast, but she was reasonably certain they had spent more than a moon-cycle on the move since escaping the fiery trap that marked Grimmel's last attempt to capture them.

A moon-cycle of walking, talking, hunting, eating, mating, sleeping together, and little else. The days blurred together in her memory, and she couldn't have picked out any particular one as unique. They were all good, great even, but nothing had _happened_ since they had lost Grimmel. Slowly making one's way through an endless, monotonous forest was not a good way to find new and exciting things.

So it was just as well, she mused, breathing in Beryl's scent, that she had brought the exciting, interesting thing _with_ her on this journey.

"Race you to the treeline," she said, abruptly pulling away from him and breaking into a run. He almost toppled over, and she got a good ten-step head start before he recovered. Said head start lasted all of a dozen heartbeats and then he was past her, but she didn't mind, that was the plan. She immediately spit out a blast of flames and ran through it when it detonated in front of her.

Thus camouflaged, she darted to the side and slowed to a walk, creeping through the snowy forest.

"Lily?" Beryl called out. "Where did you go?" It sounded like he had stopped running, and she caught a glimpse of glossy black amidst the trees.

Lily's plan was to sneak around and try to pounce on him without him knowing she was there; her camouflage would make that harder than it should be, given she was much more obvious than the average light wing, but it was still better than nothing. Her natural coloration might have blended in well with the ground, but the trees were not so favorably colored.

She could see him now, black pacing around aimlessly in the white and brown of the forest. He seemed to have given up their race, maybe worried about something actually happening to her. She felt a pang of guilt for making him worry, and resolved to get her little trick over with before he could become too alarmed. He was close, and a blur approaching out of the corner of one's eye was hard to notice…

"Got you!" Beryl barked, spinning around to face her with an unbearably smug look.

Lily groaned, disappointed. "What gave me away?" she demanded as she rejoined him, and they continued toward the shore.

"You're warm now," Beryl rumbled appreciatively, rubbing up against her as they walked. "I hate to tell you this, but a big blurry patch of air is pretty easy to see in the daytime. At night, it's pretty good, but when there's enough light out…"

"Not so effective," Lily sighed. "Well, it could be worse. You could be able to see with sound."

"I'm going to learn that the moment I get a chance," Beryl grumbled. "You should too. If everyone else has an advantage seeing you-"

"Then I should have a better advantage," Lily hummed, cutting him off. "That would be good." If she had the _time_ to learn something that took moon-cycles of aimless roaring. If Beryl knew it, she could have learned from him, but finding someone who could teach meant finding the pack, which meant all of her free time would disappear faster than a No-scaled-not-prey after having his paw blown up.

That was in the future though, the distant future at the rate they were travelling. She didn't have to think about it, and she had grown used to living in the moment. More used to it than she would have guessed, going into this endless journey. And she definitely had one dark wing in particular to thank for that.

"You know," she hummed, "sand holds heat pretty well. Spread our flames a little bit, build up a snow break for the wind…"

"More motivation to reach the shore," Beryl purred. "If a little risky, given we'd be out in the open."

"We'll do it near the shoreline, in the dunes," Lily elaborated, undeterred. "There aren't any Deathgrippers flying over the land anymore, and we'll see ships coming long before they see us."

"If there even are any ships out there," Beryl agreed. "I would like to think you blasting Grimmel's paw off showed him the error of his ways, and that he subsequently turned around and left entirely."

"It wouldn't have killed him," Lily retorted, reluctantly giving her own, less optimistic input. "And he _has_ lost us, but that doesn't mean he has given up." There was an obvious shoreline to follow if one was looking for her pack, especially when the No-scaled-not-prey forces were more efficient at travelling over water, and she and Beryl were going parallel to that very shore. There might not be _many_ ships in the area, but it seemed unlikely that there would be none.

Of course, that was all conjecture; she was totally ignorant when it came to what had happened after that last, fiery escape. Such was the downside of travelling anonymously. It was hard to keep track of someone while also trying to avoid being tracked in turn.

"At least we'll get a sense of whether he's around," Beryl hummed. "I still don't get how we managed to turn so hard, though. There's the shore, right in front of us, while it _should_ be a day's walk to our left." He flicked his tail out to their left for no apparent reason. "And we leave those snow arrows to make sure we know which way we're supposed to be going, even when it's cloudy. This morning's arrow was there…"

Lily had been the one to come up with the idea, and the one to draw the previous night's arrow, so she knew he was asking her whether she might have put it in the wrong direction. "I made it right when we decided we'd be stopping there," she recalled. "It wasn't like I was distracted. A little hungry," that was normal, prey was sporadic, though consistent enough that they could live off of it, "but not distracted. I'm sure I put it in the right direction."

"Then maybe the shore curves," Beryl proposed. "It can't go straight forever. If it curves inward, then we _have_ kept the right direction."

"And that would make this the first impassable obstacle to someone without flight," Lily recalled, her heart speeding up as she realized what this could mean. She had told her people to stop and gather at the first such place. If this was one, if they were not just seeing some other break in the trees...

The sight of the restless waves stretching out in front of them put paid to _that_ notion, at least. Lily stopped just short of the snow-covered shoreline, lingering behind a few scrawny, wind-bent trees. The waves were choppy, and the horizons clear… save for one ominous blot out in the distance, though that was not necessarily a No-scaled-not-prey ship. It was too far to tell.

"Windy," Beryl observed.

"No it's not," Lily said. _She_ didn't feel any wind.

"Up high," he clarified. "The clouds are shifting. We might get a view of the sun soon."

Which would tell them whether they had gone off-course, or found the designated stopping point. "I see."

"You will see, if we stick around here," Beryl snorted. "What I _don't_ see is a waiting pack of light wings. We might as well look for them while we wait for the sun." He didn't suggest flying above the clouds to get an immediate answer, and for good reason; just because they didn't see any enemies didn't mean there were none around, and a black dragon flying up in the sky would be visible for a long way.

"Searching would be efficient," she agreed, mentally watching her plans for a warm hideout in the sand blow away like dust in the wind. An uneasy pit had opened in her stomach, one that bothered her more when she thought about _actually_ finding the pack. She wanted to, she really did, but the responsibility would come crashing down on her again the moment she laid eyes on one of her people. She knew it would; she had only put it aside because there was nothing she could do for them.

"Split up, or go one way?" Beryl asked. "The shore goes two ways, and I don't know where the others would have settled down to wait."

"One way." She didn't like the idea of splitting up now, and if the sun came out to reveal this was all a false alarm, there would be no backtracking to meet up again. She turned to the left, reasoning that they might see the shore was curving if they went that way, and Beryl followed.

He also, she noticed as they walked, followed a few steps behind. Usually, it was either her behind or them walking close, side by side. Him walking behind her let her take the lead, both physically and metaphorically if they came across her people… And ensured they wouldn't stumble across the pack while doing something revealing, like the little jokes and excessive contact they had enjoyed only a few moments ago.

All of that, the easy closeness she enjoyed with Beryl, would need to be shoved back to where it had been before their journey. She tried not to think about that. The gnawing nervousness that permeated her mind was a worthy distraction, if not a _good_ one.

Every tree she skirted around might be hiding one of her light wings, a forward scout looking for her. Every distant noise could be someone noticing her before she saw them, preparing to call out and greet her. To welcome her and burden her with the safety of scores of her fledglings, all in the same moment. She couldn't wait and didn't want it to happen at the same time.

It was with that confused, anticipatory state of mind that she noticed a flash of red lumbering through the forest, red and black and large, a Deathgripper.

Her tail smacked Beryl in the face, her silently flailing to get his attention, and she shrank back behind a duo of closely-rooted trees. Beryl crouched behind her.

"Wait… it might walk by…" he rumbled quietly.

Lily was in no mood to fight a Deathgripper, so she heeded his advice, peering between the two trees but otherwise remaining out of sight. She wouldn't easily be noticed thanks to her camouflage, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding.

The Deathgripper continued through the forest, seemingly unaware of them. It was grunting as it walked, a repetitive, somewhat melodic noise Lily didn't understand the point of, and it was alone, lacking even a rider.

"Wait…" Beryl hummed. "I know that tune." He waited expectantly.

It took Lily a moment, stressed and focused on the Deathgripper, to understand what he was saying. "Ember?" she hissed incredulously.

"Very likely," Beryl murmured. "But maybe I'm wrong. You get his attention, so if it's not him, he won't bring Grimmel's forces down on us."

She nodded and slipped out from behind the trees, mentally plotting her escape route if calling out resulted in an obviously hostile Deathgripper charging her. "Ember!" she barked.

The Deathgripper stopped, looked around, and burst into blue flames. For once, that unnatural sight made her feel nothing but relief, the wider implications of it being him aside. By the time Ember had revealed his normal dark wing form, Beryl was already halfway to him. The two collided so hard Lily winced, imagining what an impact like that would do to her back.

"You made it!" Ember barked happily as they tumbled over each other. "I knew you would, but it's still good to see you here!"

"Everyone else?" Beryl asked, pulling away to look his Sire in the eye, suddenly apprehensive. Lily knew the feeling; she held her breath, waiting for the answer.

"Pretty much everyone," Ember hedged. "Our family made it fine, all but one of the light wing groups hasn't shown up, and some stragglers came in a few days ago. I think only half a dozen light wings are still missing from that group, but you'll have to ask Mist for an exact number. Her group is the one that got scattered."

Lily let out a long, loud sigh. "I'll do that," she said. "Are you out here looking for those stragglers?"

"Got it in one," Ember confirmed. "And you two, of course."

"And us," Beryl happily repeated. "You were definitely looking for me, specifically. That thing you were humming…"

"I figured you'd recognize your own creation," Ember rumbled. "It's been a while since I heard it last, but I think I got it mostly right."

"Mostly," Beryl agreed.

Lily had no idea what they were talking about, but she didn't want to ask. She had to go back to being friendly with Beryl, nothing more, and butting in to ask about something that sounded deeply personal seemed a little _too_ friendly. Or maybe she was overcorrecting, but that was better than getting Ember suspicious right away.

"Come on," Ember purred, "I can't take you over the water until it's dark, for safety, but there's a little patch of dry ground the sentries keep open nearby, we can wait for nightfall there."

"What's over the water?" Lily asked. She assumed the rest of her pack, that was the only logical answer… though she had specifically told everyone to wait on the _accessible_ side of the first obstacle. Whoever arranged these patrols must have thought they served the same purpose, but still.

"There's an island, a much safer place than here," Ember explained as they walked. "Has Beryl told you about the ice nest we encountered a while back?"

Lily looked to Beryl, who shook his head. "It hasn't come up," she said neutrally.

"We were only there twice," Beryl said somewhat defensively. "I didn't get around to telling her my life story, we weren't _that_ bored." His dismissive tone might have annoyed her, had he not cast her an apologetic glance that made it clear he was exaggerating to keep their cover. She nodded thankfully.

"Well, the most important thing about that nest is its alpha," Ember said solemnly. "This island has a similar guardian."

"Massive and icy?" Beryl asked.

"I don't know, I haven't seen her," Ember replied. "Haven't spoken to her much, either. She doesn't like me."

"Her loss," Beryl snorted. "Or is she scared of going into your mind and not being able to find her way back out?" The words sounded like a joke to Lily, but Beryl said them far too seriously for that to be the case, and sure enough Ember nodded seriously.

"Exactly that," he rumbled. "But she's strong enough to keep Grimmel's forces away from her island."

"Not just the Deathgrippers? Humans too?" Beryl looked over at Lily. "No-scaled-not-prey heads are a lot thicker, so usually this sort of thing doesn't work on them."

"What sort of thing?" Lily demanded. She was pretty sure she was getting the gist of what they were talking about just by listening, but way too much was being left unsaid.

"It varies… a lot, actually." Beryl growled thoughtfully. "Forcing people to do things they don't want to, taking over their bodies, searching through memories, trapping people _in_ memories while their bodies do whatever the one controlling wants…" He trailed off, giving her a worried look.

" _This_ one seems entirely concerned with keeping No-scaled-not-prey away," Ember added helpfully. "She's of the paws-off variety."

"I like that variety," Beryl murmured. "Better than the other kind, at least."

"I don't think I like the sound of _any_ of this," Lily huffed, feeling overwhelmed. Ember was bad enough; she felt she mostly understood him now, not that knowing what he could do made him much less dangerous. This was a whole new realm of dangers she didn't fully understand, one her pack had apparently flown right into.

"It's not as bad as it seems," Ember assured her. "It's only thanks to her that there's a safe place for your pack to wait. Deathgrippers and No-scaled-not-prey are all over this shore some days. They know _something_ is up with this area, and they're not going away."

"You have that on good authority?" Beryl asked.

"I've been doing some sneaking," Ember confirmed. "But they know this body now, or at least that something's off with any Deathgripper missing a rider, so I can't just pop in and get the latest news."

"Let me get this straight," Lily requested, trying to sort everything out in her head. "There's an island nearby with a guardian who keeps No-scaled-not-prey from even _noticing_ it."

"Yes," Ember said.

"My pack has gone there for safety." _That_ she understood, though it relied on the one doing the protecting being as benevolent as she seemed. _Not_ something Lily felt comfortable assuming for herself, but she could understand her fledglings believing it. "And they send back scouts to make sure they don't miss anyone coming in on paw."

"Today, that's me and Mist," Ember supplied. "Yes."

"Okay…" One part of all of that failed to make sense. "But why does that random island have a guardian in the first place?"

"Good question," Ember rumbled. "Truth is, I don't know. Like I said, she hasn't spoken much with me. Holly or Aven would know if anyone does, though. They talk to her often enough."

A brown patch of ground became visible through the trees, small and muddy around the edges. "We're here," Ember announced.

"Nice place," Beryl said dryly. "Very… not snowy."

"Lily?" A bit of snow crunched, and a blurred form leaped out into the dirt patch. "You are here!"

"Safe and sound," Lily confirmed, moving to meet Mist halfway. The camouflaged light wing knocked into her carelessly, sending a sharp surge of pain through her back, but she ignored it in favor of embracing Mist.

"I am so glad…" Mist abruptly backed up, and Lily got the impression she was cringing, though it was impossible to be sure. Her voice certainly supported that, though, quivering as she spoke. "I failed."

"How about we go fishing?" Ember murmured to Beryl in a transparent attempt to provide privacy. Beryl muttered an agreement, and the two were gone in a moment.

"How?" Lily asked carefully, unwilling to commit to anything before she knew what, exactly, Mist was talking about. Ember had mentioned that Mist's group was scattered and some hadn't returned, but that could mean any one of a number of things, ranging from Mist heroically trying to defend her group, to Mist giving her people away to secure her own safety. Neither of those was _likely_ , but either was possible.

"We were flying camouflaged eleven days ago, over the water," Mist said slowly. "None of us were visible. Two Deathgrippers bearing No-scaled-not-prey came up behind us, looking as if they would pass over. I gave the order to hold our course, and when someone's camouflage ran out early, they saw… There was a fight and everyone fled in different directions, and I could not find half of them again!" By the time she finished speaking she was all but barking the words out. "We had to keep going, we could not stay and search any longer, but that means I left some of them behind-"

"Which is exactly what I would have had you do," Lily said, trying to ignore her own guilt, and stared Mist down with stern eyes, daring her to object. "I put you in charge to make hard choices. Are you sorry for doing what I asked?"

"I… No?" Mist growled uncertainly. "You did not even ask how long we looked, or if the Deathgrippers were coming back, or _anything!_ How can you know I made the right choice?"

"Because I know you would not have decided to leave someone behind if you thought it was safe to keep looking, and I trusted your judgment when I put you in charge," Lily said firmly. "If you made that choice, then you made it for good reasons. You can tell me about those reasons later." And she _would_ ask later, when Mist didn't sound so terribly distraught. Right now, she just wanted to make sure Mist wasn't taking on any of the guilt.

Because all of the guilt for this, all of the responsibility, was Lily's to bear, and nobody else's. _She_ had sent everyone out, coordinated and arranged the departure. She had made the choice, and whatever came of it was her failure, not Mist's. So long as Mist had acted as she thought best, then she had nothing to be sorry for.

"Who did you lose?" Lily asked solemnly.

"Six light wings," Mist said quietly. "Six have yet to return, all mine. Two of them were fledglings." She whined those last few words, and Lily felt like whining with her.

"And who did you _save_?" Lily asked, pushing her pain away. Ember had not spoken of light wing captives, which shed a grim light on the possible fates of those still missing, but she couldn't be sure, and now was not the time to think about that. Not when she couldn't yet do anything about it.

"I… One fledgling, two pairs of parents, and an unmated female," Mist stuttered out. "It was all chaos for a while, and they were the ones I found without giving our positions away…"

"You didn't fail," Lily concluded, thumping her tail on the ground for emphasis. "You lost people, but you didn't fail. Failure would be not making it this far with _anyone_."

"Nobody else lost _anyone_ ," Mist growled, suddenly defiant. "Holly did not. Pina did not. Rain did not. I _did_."

"I don't know about what they did, just what you did," Lily growled right back at her. "And I say you did as best as could be expected. Are you going to argue with me about it?"

"I want to," Mist said stubbornly. "But… no."

"Good." Lily nodded to herself.

"You are… different," Mist hummed to herself.

"How so?" Lily asked, more bothered by that simple statement than she showed. It struck especially close to home now, when she knew she was hiding something, _and_ still feeling strange about stepping back into her place as alpha after so long away.

"I expected you to be mad," Mist admitted.

"Well, I'm not," she huffed. Worried for those who had been left behind, heartsick over the idea of any of her people being hurt or killed, guilty about all of the above being her doing at the heart of it, but not mad. Maybe she should have been mad, but she wasn't.

"I can see that…" The blur that was Mist moved over, and Lily got the impression she was being stared out. "How was your walk?"

Lily took the not-so-subtle request for a change of subject without comment; she was more than happy to talk about something less depressing. "Long," she said. "Dangerous."

"But you got away okay, since you are here," Mist objected. "What happened?"

"It started with Ember getting noticed," Lily recalled, lying down on the bare dirt as she spoke. If they were going to be here until nightfall, she would have plenty of time to tell the story, so she didn't feel like rushing it. Especially as it helped keep her mind off of other things…

She still didn't feel quite right about being alpha again.

O-O-O-O-O

"Ready for a flight?" Ember asked.

"Definitely," Lily hummed, hiding her anticipation with a seemingly casual flick of her tail. In the craziness of returning to her pack, possibly dealing with a mind-altering dragon, and everything else, the simple fact that she would be flying, or at least riding someone else who was flying, seemed small in comparison.

It didn't seem so small now, watching Ember change into a Deathgripper and knowing that the cold-season winds would soon be under her wings, or close to it.

"How are we flying this?" Mist asked, looking out at the empty ocean. "The normal formation, or should I go ahead and tell everyone Lily is back? And is Beryl going ahead, or keeping pace with you?"

"I'm sticking with the group, just in case," Beryl said.

"And I don't want anyone flying ahead to announce me, so you are too," Lily told Mist. That said, she clambered up onto Ember's back, her paws finding holds in between the many spiny protrusions, big and small. She was thankful for the thick scales and annoyance, in a way, because it felt much less like she was sprawling across someone's bare back this way. She had lain on Beryl's back once or twice, and this was nowhere near as intimate or comfortable.

Ember looked back, presumably mute in his present form, and she gave him a nod of confirmation. She was as ready as she would ever be-

He leaped, and she barked as an invisible paw pushed her down against his back, the force surprising her immediately. His whole body shook, and she clung to him, feeling much less secure in her grip than she had a moment ago.

The boundless sky, partially cloudy with stars shining through the gaps, beckoned to her, and she gasped quietly at the light feeling in her stomach, the unexpected vertigo of shooting up toward the moon after so long firmly on the ground.

She gave in to the urge to spread her wings at least a little and held them out, testing the wind. It pulled at her, painfully tugging at her back and pulling, pulling for her wings to come all the way out and straighten despite that being impossible for her…

It was a terribly bittersweet feeling, and she folded them in entirely before it could overwhelm her. However nostalgic it felt to be in the air, her paws were firmly holding her weight, and always would.

Ember didn't level out, not like she had expected; it felt like he was always climbing as he flew, flapping hard to keep in the air.

Off to one side, Beryl flew leisurely, easily keeping up with them. "Deathgripper with passenger is pretty slow, huh?" he called out when he saw her looking.

"Seems like it!" she replied, forcing her voice into an upbeat purr. She was supposed to be enjoying this. She _was_ enjoying it, for what it was. Only the lack of anything more kept her from sitting back and-

There was an island looming close in front of Ember, hilly and sporting a forest in the middle. Beryl had sprung forward impossibly fast, and wasn't looking in her direction anymore. Her mouth was dry, and a headache had sprung to life in an instant, throbbing between her ears and behind her eyes. The clouds had broken open, covering less than half the sky, and the moon shone down on her. She was sprawled on Ember's back, not standing as she had been, and she couldn't remember moving.

Her breathing quickened as she realized that she couldn't remember the clouds moving, or flying long enough to go from not seeing an island to almost being there, or anything else, and she quickly connected _that_ confusion to where they were going and what they would be encountering-

' _That was fast,'_ a voice that came from nowhere and everywhere at once said calmly. _'You are quick to notice when things are not as they should be.'_

"That was hard to miss," Lily snarled, looking around wildly. She was almost certain this was the guardian Ember had spoken of, but if some trickster thought to deceive her by camouflaging, flying above, and talking at just the right time, she wasn't going to fall for it so easily.

' _Come to the boiling pool once you have collected yourself,'_ the decidedly feminine voice hummed calmly. _'You are alpha, and there are things that must be discussed.'_

"You can start talking here and now," Lily growled irritably. She didn't like being summoned like someone's subordinate, and she liked somehow losing track of time even less. She _still_ couldn't remember the time between Beryl's quip and now, but she was sure something had happened. There was no point in making her forget a totally boring, eventless flight, so she had been made to forget something more than that.

There was no response from the voice, and for a moment she wondered whether she had hallucinated it. Ember and Beryl had brought back the fish, so she was pretty sure she hadn't eaten anything suspicious, but maybe there was something in the snow she had melted for water…

Beryl shuddered midair, his eyes widening. "Something just happened," he said slowly. "I don't know what, but _something_."

"Can you remember flying out this far?" Lily asked urgently. "Because I cannot, and a voice told me to go to a boiling pool."

"I didn't get any messages from voices in my head," Beryl growled, "but I can't remember the flight, either. What happened?"

"Holly says the guardian checks newcomers' minds," Mist offered from somewhere nearby. "I thought you two were just bored and not saying anything."

Ember tossed his head, likely agreeing with Mist.

"I'm not bored," Lily growled. "I feel violated." Her mind was her own, and even _she_ didn't like going into some parts of it. Nobody else had any right to pry there.

"What does she check our minds for?" Beryl asked curiously. He didn't sound all that upset, but Lily saw how he was holding his tail more carefully now, even as he flew.

"Holly did not say," Mist admitted. "You can ask her. We are almost there."

Lily distracted herself from her impotent anger by looking down at the island Ember was taking her over, balancing herself against the steady rhythm of his wings.

The island below was small, maybe twice the size of the valley in total. It didn't look that much different from the forest they had left behind, except for the massive bald patch lacking greenery in the center. Instead of trees, there was… nothing.

She stared in wonder as they passed over the huge opening in the ground, her tail going limp in amazement. A hole the size of a small mountain was dug into the center of the island, gouged out of dirt and rock and so deep she felt dizzy, despite already being in the air. The depths were illuminated by faint lights, blue and green and orange, all of which seemed to emanate from odd rocks jutting out into the depths. Steam rose from the very bottom, reflecting and carrying the multi-colored light.

Lily didn't need faint memories of Pyre talking about glowing crystals to tell her what this had to be; if she had been asked to imagine an entrance to an underground realm fit for flying creatures, she would have imagined something very much like this in size and grandeur. It could be nothing else.

"That's an impressive pit," Beryl said lightly. "Is everyone sleeping at the bottom?"

"There is a boiling pool down there, so no," Mist answered. "The pack is by the far edge, see where we are going?"

Lily tore her eyes away from the colorful pit of mystery and looked at the much more mundane forest edge around it. Sure enough, light wing forms flitted through the trees right in front of her. The forest ended abruptly, tree and grass giving way to sheer drops, and her first thought was that someone had _better_ have posted guards to make sure hatchlings didn't bumble off and fall to their deaths-

A mingled series of roars rose from the edge of the pit, and Ember was dropping to land there, and a dozen light wings crowded around, their voices mixing into an unintelligible babble that sounded like gibberish, but felt like home.

"Let her _down_ , at least!" someone cried out, and a space was cleared. Lily leaped off Ember - who, now that she thought about it, looked like a Deathgripper but wasn't being attacked by the pack - and almost landed on Pina, of all people.

The closest thing she had to a Dam nuzzled her quickly, her eyes wide and bright with happiness. "You found us!" she cried out.

"I did!" Lily barked, straining to be heard above the crowd. "You all made it!"

"Are you hurt?" Honey demanded, shoving her way through the crowd, her shrill voice cutting above the rest to make itself heard. "Copper!"

"I'm perfectly fine!" Lily assured her. She looked around for Beryl, thinking that he could aid her in roaring loud enough to silence the crowd, but he was already gone along with Ember.

"I'm fine!" she roared again, channeling her momentary dismay into a shriek loud enough to quell the ruckus for a heartbeat. "Everyone quiet down!"

In the silence that followed, she laughed lightly. "I got used to it being quiet out there," she said. "Give me a little while to readjust… and some space, too."

Those who were least personally interested in greeting her shrank back, pressing against trees or leaving entirely, and Lily was left with the people who most wanted to see her. Chief among those was a familiar female who looked far more at peace than she had the last time Lily saw her.

"Crystal," Lily greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better than when we parted," Crystal hummed. Thunder and Lightning were nowhere to be seen, but Lily had no doubts as to who had helped her best friend get over her grief. "We were all worried for you."

"I was worried for all of you," Lily responded. She saw other familiar faces, Dew and Rain and Clay, and Holly-

Holly, who was approaching, sliding through the natural gaps formed in the crowd as light wings moved. Something about the look on her face had Lily bracing for an argument and wishing she knew where Beryl was.

"Alpha!" Holly greeted formally. "It is good to see you."

"And you," Lily responded. "I'm glad you made it here, in fulfillment of the duties I entrusted to you." Her instinct for maneuvering said that she needed to remind _everyone_ that she had given Holly authority, so she did so. She didn't know what she had just flown into, or she didn't know for _sure_ , so following her instincts was the best she could do.

"It has been difficult, improvising with so many depending on me," Holly said.

"On you?" Lily asked, still doing her utmost to sound friendly, if formal.

"There was need for one of us to step up, to come here and bargain with this place's guardian," Holly explained. "She required someone to speak for the group. I was chosen."

"And I'm sure you did well with your limited experience," Lily said kindly, hiding her suspicion. They were being watched by what was probably the majority of the pack, and she had to come out of this looking like the one in the right, no matter what happened. No matter how out of practice she was at making herself look good in front of everyone. "I'll want you to give me a thorough explanation of all that's gone on, so I know what I'm working with."

"You will have that," Holly hummed, bowing her head. Some of the tension clutching at Lily's chest eased; Holly had put one paw firmly into the perception that she would be giving her stolen authority back, and she would not find it easy to withdraw.

For it _was_ stolen authority that they were struggling over, albeit with kind words and pretense instead of teeth and claws. Holly was hard to read, so Lily didn't know what her true motivations were yet, but regardless, it was clear she was not happy to give up the authority she had gathered and solidified under herself in Lily's absence.

"My thanks," Lily hummed politely.

"Welcome back, Lily," Holly said just as politely, purring innocently.

"Alpha," Lily corrected.

"Welcome back, alpha," Holly said, correcting herself without the slightest hint of reluctance. "But I thought you wanted us to call you Lily?"

"It seems this island's guardian prefers formality, so alpha seems more fitting," Lily countered with a friendly shrug of her wing shoulders. "Just so that it is clear."

"Very wise," Holly hummed. "Would you like that explanation now, or tomorrow morning?"

"Later tonight," Lily requested, fully aware that she was inconveniencing Holly. After that subtle attempt to usurp authority, Holly had it coming.

O-O-O-O-O

"And this is where the fledglings play," Liona said, leading Lily past a jumble of flat rocks that looked as if they had been dragged up from the massive pit. The marks on the trees around them implied they had been dragged, anyway. "We wanted to make them feel at home, and this way they do not try to go play in the hole."

"Very smart," Lily hummed. There were no fledglings around now, of course; most of the pack had gone back to sleep, and this seemed to be a place purely for fledgling play time. The rocks were small and worthless for anything else, so she understood why. "Who came up with the idea to bring the rocks here?"

"Dew, and Holly helped her work out the details," Liona purred. "There is another waste pit over in the forest to your left, and if you will follow me, we are almost back to the main sleeping area."

Lily trailed along behind Liona, thinking about what she had been shown. Not the fledglings' play area, though it rankled to hear that Holly had been the authority involved in helping make it.

Her pack was spread out around the hole, sleeping, eating, and socializing in the sparser forest near the edge. There were a few dozen small caves in the hills near one end of the pit, where Liona was taking her now, but the entire rim of the pit bustled with activity. The island, she was told, wasn't quite as cold near the pit, since hot air came up from it at all times, and apparently flying over it was a popular pastime.

On the other paw, there was little to no privacy. Lily hadn't been _told_ that, of course, but Liona had mentioned mated pairs working out a rotation to sneak down into the pit, and subsequently being told off by the guardian herself - through Holly - which implied there was nowhere better to go.

That was a problem on two levels, both for her as alpha and for herself as an individual hoping to meet up with Beryl on the sly. Both promised to be headaches to solve, in their own ways.

There was also the matter of water. Snow was plentiful, so it wasn't a problem with supply at the moment, but the island itself had no natural sources of fresh water meaning _all_ water had to come from snow. That was likely to cause logistical problems as the closest, cleanest snow was exhausted between storms.

Holly probably had a paw on that too, though. She had her paws in everything, and when her name didn't come up it was Aven or Cara taking charge. Necessary, maybe, but Lily fully intended to begin redistributing the duties of all three sisters. They had overstepped, and she didn't like it.

"And here we are, back at the sleeping caves!" Liona proclaimed, leading Lily past a bunch of open holes in crumbly rock that made her feel claustrophobic just looking at them. Light wings were packed inside, lying on top of each other with their noses pointed to the entrance. "They are cozy, but warm. We think they get heat from the boiling pool down at the bottom of the pit, through cracks in the ground."

"Breathing that air doesn't cause ill effects, does it?" Lily asked worriedly. Pyre had told her about something like that, once, and she knew he had been here at one time in his life, so he might have been speaking from experience gained at this very place.

"No, someone checked," Liona said. "If you want to sleep here, I think Pina's cave has some space open, or you could sleep in the same cave as me and Cedar and a couple of others."

"Or?" Lily said, sensing there was another option.

"Well, you could go find the dark wings and their big snow cave," Liona said. "But I thought you might want to get away from Beryl?"

"Why would I want that?" Lily asked.

"Because you were travelling with him for a moon-cycle?" Liona said innocently. "But if you are not tired of him, maybe his family will let you in. I think the caves are better, personally."

"I'll probably go sleep with Pina," Lily said. It wasn't really even a choice; sleeping with Beryl's family was out of the question, and she felt a lot more comfortable sharing with Pina than Liona and Cedar.

"Sounds good…" Liona let out a long yawn. "I think I hear Cedar calling my name," she mumbled, turning toward one of the distant caves. "See you tomorrow, Lily."

"See you then," Lily purred, turning her tail on the sleeping caves. She had one more thing to do before she intended to sleep, and it was a big one.

The pit itself was huge, and the sides were sheer almost the whole way around, but there were a few walkable slopes that led down into the depths. Holly was waiting for her at the top of one such slope, her eyelids sliding down and flicking up every so often. She wasn't alone; Beryl was there too, looking much less tired. He'd slept through the afternoon, of course.

"Sorry I took so long," Lily said as she approached, meaning the apology wholeheartedly for Beryl, and somewhat less so for Holly.

"It cannot get much later," Holly mumbled. "Do you want to speak to her tonight?"

"No, I'm saving that for when I'm rested," Lily said honestly. She also fully intended to speak to the guardian without Holly being present; if she had her way, this would be the last thing Holly did with even a tangential connection to the guardian. "Give me the rundown."

"The guardian protects this place from No-scaled-not-prey and any who would betray its secrecy," Holly began. "She lets lone travellers through, or redirects them around, but big groups are different. She has trouble keeping large groups away all at once."

"No-scaled-not-prey, or our kind?" Beryl asked a heartbeat before Lily could.

"Sorry, I am tired," Holly apologized. "She has no trouble with any number of us, it is large numbers of No-scaled-not-prey who give her difficulty. Once a few of us flew out from the shore and into her range, she knew what was going on, and requested our leader. Only three of our groups were around then, and I was picked to go talk to her."

Lily nodded, urging her to continue. She would, of course, be double and triple-checking this story, but Holly would know that, and thus wouldn't lie about something so easily checked.

"She recognized me as acting leader of the pack, and after I promised not to speak of this place to outsiders, and agreed to let her look through the pack's memories, she let us come to the island." Holly shrugged her wings. "The No-scaled-not-prey were everywhere those days, and I asked everyone first."

"As you should," Lily rumbled neutrally. "But why did she want your memories?"

"To make sure we were not planning anything more than we said," Holly huffed. "Which we were not. So she let us come here, and keeps the No-scaled-not-prey away. More than that, she would not tell me. She was waiting for you."

"Or for the pack to decide I wasn't coming," Lily growled, unwilling to leave it at that. "So they could make you alpha."

"We hoped you would come, but the guardian was less than sure," Holly said sincerely. Or, Lily thought she was sincere; she couldn't be sure. Holly was surprisingly hard to interpret, more now than before. "That was a possibility."

"Which is fair, it's not like the pack can sit here forever," Beryl said. "You don't know what she wants the alpha for?"

"No, I do not," Holly rumbled. "That is pretty much it."

"You can go," Lily said, waving her tail dismissively. "Thank you for your help."

Holly wasted no time leaping into the air and flying for the sleeping caves; judging by her lopsided flapping, she really _was_ tired.

"I was talking to my family," Beryl said as they watched Holly fly away. "They say she did a good job leading in your stead."

"It's not how well she did, it's how she gathered power to herself and then didn't want to give it up," Lily said quietly. "That's not something I can ignore."

"She probably didn't mean any harm by it," Beryl said.

"No," Lily agreed, not really meaning it, "but I want to keep an eye on her, just in case."

"Maybe you could ask the guardian," Beryl suggested. "Get a report from the person who dug through her mind."

Lily let out a surprised laugh and turned to face him. "That's a good idea. Thanks."

"You going to talk to her now?" Beryl asked, nodding down at the path. "I can't say I like the look of that slope, it might be dangerous to walk down in the dark."

"I could make it, but I think I'm going to have to wait until morning," Lily admitted. "A night's sleep might help me guess what she wants to talk to me about."

"Right. Good plan." Beryl tapped his tailfins against the stone under his paws. "So…"

"So," Lily said, looking around. They were as close to alone as they were going to get for the foreseeable future, which was to say not very. They wouldn't be overheard, but they were standing in the open, in plain sight of any number of spying eyes. At least that was enough to talk about it. "Us?"

"I remember you saying you want to just go back to before," Beryl murmured, looking at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "But that doesn't feel right."

"I'd rather not," Lily admitted. "When you have some time to yourself, try and find us a good meeting place."

"Sounds like a plan," he said. "But… why do we need to be a secret, again?"

"Because the pack isn't ready for anything like that, especially when I'm doing it with a male outsider," Lily huffed.

"As opposed to a female insider?" Beryl rumbled curiously.

"I mean both of those things make it more difficult," Lily snorted. "When things aren't all unstable and changing under our paws, maybe I can work something out."

"You can," Beryl said confidently. "You're really good at that sort of thing."

"Until then…" She tilted her head. "Secret place?"

"Secret meetings," Beryl hummed, shuffling his paws. "I'll start looking as soon as I can."

"Look fast," she hummed. Then she forced herself to turn and walk away, to act as if she was just ending a normal conversation with a friend. Not like she was resisting the urge to lick him, or just lead him into the forest and start the search for a secret place right now.

It was going to be hard to balance all of this, harder than she had thought, but she couldn't bear the idea of dropping Beryl for everything else, so she was just going to have to deal with it. With hiding her affection for him, and keeping Holly in her place, and leading the pack, and whatever the guardian of this place needed her for.


	63. Dedicated

Sunlight and glowing crystals didn't mix very well, and Lily's eyes were the ones suffering the resulting clash of shadow and color as she made her way down to the bottom of the pit. She was used to white and brown and black, not bright colors that would be more at home in the warm-season. Combined with the smelly hot air bubbling up from the depths, it was enough to make her nauseous.

"This place is much more enjoyable from afar," Beryl said, dramatically waving a paw in front of his face as he carefully made his way down the last stretch of jumbled stones.

"It's definitely an acquired smell," Ember rumbled, following along behind Lily. "One I would rather not acquire, truth be told."

"Same here," Lily muttered. She had no comparison for the unique stench coming off the boiling pool, and no desire to try thinking of one. If all went well, this was the only time she would be climbing down into these smelly depths.

Or maybe the second-to-last time, if she decided to take the pack down into the very same hidden world Pyre had left so long ago. She didn't know if that was going to happen, or if it was even a good idea, so she could hope this would be the only time.

Beryl leaped down onto the brown, heat-baked rocks around the boiling pool, and moments later Lily followed, Ember a single leap behind. The two dark wings flanked her protectively as she took a place by the boiling water.

She wasn't sure how she felt about that; Beryl acting protective of her could be suspicious, but Ember was doing it too, and when it came down to it, they _were_ both present to provide her with some safe precautions. Ember was both a potential threat for her to leverage, and a quick getaway route. Beryl could be a distraction, or a messenger if one was needed, or just moral support. Or all three. Both males could count as advisors or representatives of the dark wing family, if anyone else asked why she had brought them.

If the guardian asked, though, Lily would tell the truth. As far as she knew, the truth could be pulled out of her with a moment's thought, so she would lead with it and use it to her advantage as best she could. Whether she would need any of these ploys or precautions depended on why the guardian was waiting for her.

"Is there some sort of summoning ritual?" Beryl asked jokingly. "Do we need to chant a name and kill some prey to throw into the water? Shed our own blood? Spit into it?"

"Where did you even get those ideas?" Ember asked.

"Some No-scaled-not-prey we both knew," Beryl retorted smugly. "The identical ones. They spent a few days talking about sacrifices to bring someone back from an endless sleep."

"Okay, yes, that sounds like them," Ember grumbled. "But no, you just need to start talking. I think."

"Guardian of this island!" Lily barked, staring at the center of the opaque, slightly yellow-tinted water. "I am here!" She hoped she came across as impertinent and more than a little impatient, because she was both.

' _You are here,'_ the same voice she remembered from the night before said quietly. _'Finally. Alpha of the light wing pack, daughter of the last alpha. Killer of the last alpha.'_

"If you dug far enough into the memories of my pack to know that, then you also know why I had to do it," Lily growled.

' _And why you feel no remorse,'_ the voice agreed. _'It is irrelevant. Your pack has endangered something much bigger than itself, and you are responsible. No-scaled-not-prey persist in searching these waters, in threatening the secrecy, and they are here because your pack did not deal with them.'_

"Because we couldn't," Lily huffed. "Again, you should know all about it."

' _I did not rifle through the minds of everyone on this island looking for answers,'_ the voice said, sounding slightly annoyed. _'Yours, a few others who knew nothing but what you told them. And all I have seen implies your pack could have dealt with them.'_

"If I was willing to sacrifice my people for it, yes," Lily snarled.

' _Yours, or others later on. Either way, there would be sacrifice.'_

"Others aren't my concern," Lily retorted. "Maybe they're yours, but you can't blame me for not considering the interests of someone I didn't know existed, and don't owe anything to even now that I do." She noticed that Beryl and Ember weren't talking, and cast Beryl a questioning look.

"We can only hear your side of things," Beryl explained. "Sounds like it's going well," he added with a snort.

' _But the consequences of your choices are your concern,'_ the voice said sternly. _'One such consequence is that your pack may not enter the realm I guard while it is under threat.'_

"And if we didn't want to enter your realm anyway?" Lily asked. She hadn't even _begun_ to weigh that particular set of options, in part because she hoped to get a lot of clarifying information from this voice.

' _Your pack leaving would draw the No-scaled-not-prey and their thralls away, preserving secrecy. It is your choice, and a choice only the alpha of your pack could be given. To stay and aid in driving away the danger, or to leave and take it with you.'_

Lily hummed thoughtfully at that. "What," she asked after a moment of thought, "makes this so urgent for _you_? Why can't you be rid of the No-scaled-not-prey on your own?"

' _My reach is not infinite, and No-scaled-not-prey are difficult to affect permanently. I can confuse them when they come close, make them turn around or turn aside, I can wipe their memories of this island if they come close enough, but I cannot make them go away entirely, and those outside of my reach can see something is wrong.'_

She nodded to herself, understanding the difficulties inherent in that. It was a puzzle for Grimmel, one that he probably knew existed. So long as he used those under him to poke and prod at it and stayed away himself, or even just left himself reminders for when his own memory was affected, he would remain aware of it. And since he knew it was probably hiding his prey, he wouldn't give up or ignore it.

"Leaving might not even work, then," she said, speaking her mind as conclusions came to her. "Something is here, and they all know it." A dark wing sighting might bait Grimmel away, but those under him would remember, and their group could return someday. "You have to get them all at once."

' _Which will not happen on its own,'_ the voice confirmed. _'But with clever planning and the aid of scores of light wings, it could be done.'_

"When you say it could be done, do you mean wiping their memories and sending them on their way, or do you mean killing them?" Lily asked. She wouldn't be bothered by either, truth be told; all she wanted was for her pack to be left alone. But the reason behind the answer she got might tell her something important about the guardian.

' _Death is reserved for those who come here with full knowledge of what they seek. Your people may kill, but I will not aid in a slaughter.'_

"In other words," Lily snorted, "you need to keep your paws clean, but we can do the dirty work if we want," She wouldn't normally have said such a thing, not when it could be left unsaid and used as leverage, but odds were the guardian knew she had thought it. For all she knew, her every half-formed thought was as audible as the words she growled and rumbled.

' _Yes,'_ the voice said without the slightest hint of guilt. _'Death is a final, irreversible alternative. I do not deal it out unless there is no other choice, and there is a choice here.'_

"And if we drive Grimmel away, only for him to come back later?" Lily asked.

' _They would be returning to seek this island out, not investigating something they happened across,'_ the voice said coldly. _'A force would be raised from below to eradicate them, completely and utterly. But that cannot happen, because we will be sending them away with no knowledge of anything that happened here.'_

"Draw them in and wipe their minds, then," Lily conceded. "With your help, we might be able to do that."

' _I have no doubts you could do it,'_ the voice assured her. _'You, specifically. All think well of your ability to plan and maneuver.'_

"They've had plenty of examples over the seasons," Lily hummed.

' _Then it is decided. You will lead your pack in bringing all of the No-scaled-not-prey into my reach at once. Then you and your pack will go below.'_

"The first part of that sounds good, but I'm not decided on going down," Lily huffed. She blinked, realized she _hadn't_ been blinking as tears flooded her vision, and closed her eyes to the hot fumes of the pit. It was hard to focus on anything other than talking when that voice was in her mind; she hadn't totally blanked out, but neither could she have said with any confidence what had gone on around her while she spoke just now. Beryl could have started dancing around on his hind legs, and she might not have noticed.

' _It is a world free of No-scaled-not-prey,'_ the voice offered. _'Vast, endless caverns supporting a variety of life, prey and plant. All kinds can live down there, given the right place to call home.'_

"Including a big pack of light wings used to the sun and sky?" Lily asked curiously. "Because you know we're short a safe home at the moment." Hope sprung up in her chest, and she hummed thoughtfully. "Could you remove all memory of us from the No-scaled-not-prey, even our old home?" They could go back to the valley! Although killing them all would _also_ allow them to go back to the valley… But for the moment she was hearing the guardian out, not arguing about methods.

' _The older the memories, the harder it is to remove them,'_ the voice informed her. _'The further from my island they originally took place, the less likely they are to stay gone. Your valley will likely always remain in their minds, in one way or another, and may even be the last place they remember.'_

"So they might go straight back there," Lily sighed. She didn't see any reason for the guardian to lie about that, so she would take it as fact for now. "Anything else I need to know about your limitations?"

' _My limitations are mine, not for all to know,'_ the guardian growled. Lily didn't know if she was imagining the rocks under her paws vibrating, but she didn't need a physical sign to know she had put a paw in exactly the wrong place. _'Do not ask again.'_

"Understood." She shook her head, hoping to drive off a building headache. "But you promise there's a good place waiting for us down below?" If she couldn't have the valley back, she wouldn't mind having a good replacement pointed out to her. The pack needed _somewhere_ to go.

' _I promise nothing other than the opportunity to look for such a place,'_ the voice cautioned her. _'I am a guardian of an entrance and an exit, a passageway. What exists on either side is not under my control. Only who comes and who goes. Good places for your pack do exist, available for the taking, and places that would be the death of your pack also exist. I will not guide you, or tell you which is which, or intervene in conflicts, either for or against you.'_

"You're no alpha," Lily murmured. "Got it." It sounded like a risk, but then again, continuing to journey above the ground was a risk too. She wasn't about to commit to anything, but going down into this hidden world sounded like a much safer bet than continuing to wander aimlessly above the ground with Grimmel possibly still looking for her pack.

' _I am guardian of this island and all who pass through it,'_ the voice corrected her. _'I will do what I can to help you, if you help me, but that help will be restricted to what I can do here and now. The world below is vast, and I cannot sense more than a tiny portion of it on my own. You will be beyond my sight within a cycle of going down.'_

"That's comforting," Lily said, meaning it with all her heart. She was thankful there wouldn't be anyone riding in the back of her mind for the rest of her life, or however long her pack was down there. "Anything else you need to talk to me about?"

' _Come to me when you have a plan that requires my aid, or questions about what I would be willing to do,'_ the voice instructed her. _'For now, there is nothing else.'_

"Then it has been… interesting… talking with you." Lily blinked twice, but her eyes were slow about clearing up and focusing on anything but the air above the boiling pool. "Why is it so hard to talk to you?"

' _Immense strength may crush a pebble all too easily,'_ the voice said cryptically. _'Especially strength trained to only certain purposes for longer than you could comprehend. There are side effects.'_

"That's a nice way to put it," Lily said politely. Her eyes were done readjusting, and both Beryl and Ember were waiting for her at the base of the path up… She didn't remember when they had moved from her side, but she _hoped_ they had only moved once they heard her side of the conversation winding down.

There was no response, and she took that to mean that the voice, or possibly the body it came from, was gone. Or ignoring her. Or out of sight.

"How did it go?" Ember asked, falling in behind her as she leaped up the first of the couple dozen small boulders making up the bottom of the path.

"We talked about a lot of things," Lily said absently. "I don't know what we're going to be doing yet." She also didn't know if she could count on his family to participate, which was an issue that had only just now come to mind. "Ember."

"Yes?" Ember asked. "I'm ready to take you back up."

"That would be appreciated," she hummed, glad he had reminded her. "But I was going to ask you something. What does your family intend to do now?"

"I don't really have one answer for that," Ember said slowly. "There are reasons for some of us to want to stay, but we don't know what staying with your pack would entail. War, more journeying? Staying on this island? Going back to the valley?"

"I'm not sure yet," Lily admitted, "but right now, I'm leaning toward helping this guardian be rid of Grimmel, and then looking for somewhere to call our own. That might mean going down into this underground realm, since we're here and it's apparently No-scaled-not-prey-proof."

"I would like to see that place, if only to know what it's like," Beryl said thoughtfully. "It seems like a waste to come all the way out here and not take a look around."

"Don't tempt my curiosity," Ember said lightly. "So long as we can come back up to the surface, I'd like that too… I'll see what the others think."

"Let me know if you decide on a course of action," Lily requested. "And when we get out of this pit, drop me off at the sleeping caverns." She needed to get a few more explanations from certain light wings, and one would almost certainly be sleeping late after leading the night's scouts...

O-O-O-O-O

"What do you _mean_ , a whole group has not shown up yet?" Lily demanded. "I thought everyone was here except for half of Mist's group?" She was sure Ember had said all but one group had arrived… Or maybe he had _meant_ that one group was still absent, and hadn't counted Mist's partially-returned group as absent since some of them had made it...

Cara shrugged her wings as if it wasn't a big deal. "Flare's group has not arrived yet. They are probably just moving slowly."

"Or dead, or captives of the No-scaled-not-prey," Lily growled. There was almost no chance Flare was travelling slowly of his own accord, and to travel so slowly that _she_ beat him to this place was downright ridiculous.

Cara scowled at a scraggly, snow-covered mass of seaweed as they passed it, and Lily heard the distinct sound of a tail smacking the snow off of something a moment later. "Ember says the No-scaled-not-prey did not have any captives as of half a moon-cycle ago. If you trust him."

"I do, to an extent," Lily said carefully. They were currently alone, circling the island's shores, and if she recalled correctly Cara had seen something of Ember's abilities before they left the valley… She had left that situation for Beryl to handle. "Do you not?"

"He refuses to tell anyone how he does it," Cara grumbled, doing exactly as Lily had hoped she would and elaborating on the situation without being asked. "Beryl told me not to talk about what he can do because you wanted it kept secret, and now when anyone asks he says something vague about us having camouflage, and him having his own special ability. But that makes no sense because none of the other dark wings can do anything like it."

"He told _me_ ," Lily said. Of course, that wasn't really true; she had been told in bits and pieces by Beryl, Pearl, and Ember. But Cara didn't need to know, especially if she was _already_ suspicious of Ember. Especially when knowledge given to her might work its way back to Holly. Leverage with the dark wings was not something Holly needed to have. "I am the only one who needs to know. His explanation is not _wrong_ , it just leaves some things out."

"And I do not like things being left out when it comes to how useful someone might be in a fight," Cara growled.

"Assume he is exactly as you have seen, and you know all you need to know about how he can perform in a fight," Lily said. "Practically speaking, you know all you need to." If only because Cara didn't need to know _anything_ about Ember to strategize; Lily had no intention of pulling him into any future fights. She had already been warned against such manipulation.

"Yes, alpha," Cara grumbled. "You wanted to know about the No-scaled-not-prey?"

"Give me a summary of how they've approached this island and how they've been turned back," Lily requested. Her view of the horizon was unmarred by No-scaled-not-prey ships at present - and it was a _huge_ relief to know that there was no chance of being spotted or ambushed on this particular shore, thanks to the guardian. That didn't tell her much about what had been going on, though.

"I can only speak for what happened after I arrived," Cara huffed. "I think I got here about the same time as the bulk of their forces, though. First, three big ships came and went in a circle around the island."

"Not landing or attacking," Lily guessed. They would have gotten close enough for the guardian to affect them, and then presumably sailed on with a big blank spot in their memory instead of whenever they had looked at the island… Or something like that. She was going to have to go back, or send someone back, with questions about _exactly_ how the No-scaled-not-prey could be redirected. Hopefully the guardian would answer them.

"Holly had us all stay back in the forest, but I was sure they had seen some of my scouts," Cara recalled, sounding as if she was straining to remember exactly what had happened. "They did not act like they had seen, though. They went around and left without any trouble. Later, a single Deathgripper came around, but something happened midair, and it threw the rider off."

"What happened to the Deathgripper afterward?" Lily asked curiously. She didn't know how many were under Grimmel's control, but between the fights at the valley and the ones she and Beryl had killed, he had to be running low. Sending out only a single scout sounded like he was trying to conserve them. She could use that.

"I do not know," Cara admitted. "Holly said it was fine, that we did not need to worry about it. After that, they only came in ships. Every few days, at least one sails toward the island. Sometimes they turn and go a different way, others they circle around. We have not attacked any, in case they still do not know we are here."

"That's good, I can use that," Lily hummed. Grimmel knew _something_ was here, but he had no clue what… and if he was being cautious enough to only send a tiny fraction of his force at a time, she wouldn't accomplish anything fast by picking off those he did send.

"Does this mean we get to sink them, rip them apart, and flame the remains?" Cara asked hopefully. "Because I am entirely ready to do that. All this hiding and running makes me _mad_ , and once we kill them all we can go home."

"We're going to handle them, but it's not going to involve killing them all… or going back to the valley." Lily didn't want to start an argument, so she left it at that. "But it will involve some maneuvering and probably some fighting."

"I would like that," Cara said simply. "I am itching to rip _someone_ apart." She tossed her head, shortened ear nubs sticking out stubbornly, a visible reminder of where at least some of her desire to fight stemmed from. "Holly keeps saying we need to be smart about it, and Aven keeps telling her we should not fight at all, and I am outnumbered."

"There's only one number that matters now, and it's one," Lily said. "Me. When I have a need for you, I'll let you know. Until then, keep the patrols going, and don't engage."

A low, resonant roar sounded from somewhere behind them, and Cara turned around just to scowl at the trees. "Can I fight _her_ in the meantime?"

"'Her' being… Storm?" Lily guessed, recalling Storm's abrasive attitude, roaring lessons with Root, and insistence on annoying his neighbors.

"Yes, her," Cara confirmed. "She is insufferable. I do not know how Root stands her, even if she did teach him to see again. And that just makes _him_ annoying."

"So he's done it?" Lily asked. She hoped he had, with Flare and Whirl missing he probably needed a win. Being able to see with his ears definitely counted as such.

"Ask him yourself," Cara snorted. "I am going to fly high enough that I cannot hear them." She spread her wings and crouched, her eyes on the sky.

"I wish you luck in that," Lily offered.

"Thanks, Lily," Cara snorted rudely.

"Alpha," Lily growled.

"Sorry. Alpha." Cara grumbled something unintelligible and launched into the air.

Lily had intended to stick around and watch the waves while she pondered the situation - or nap in the warm sunlight, since she didn't have to worry about being seen now - but Cara's departure left a bad taste in her mouth. Literally as well as figuratively; she had kicked up some sand that found its way onto Lily's tongue.

Another sonorous roar echoed from the forest nearby, and Lily found herself following it. Checking up on Root and Storm seemed like a good use of her time, especially as Root was probably going to be in need of some consoling. She was alpha, she was supposed to be there for him.

If he even wanted her around; she was responsible for splitting the pack into groups, and therefore for Flare's group not making it. Or just not having arrived yet, there was no way to know what had happened to them. Lily had the sinking feeling that any answer she was likely to get was a bad one, but that could just be cynicism taking over. They _could_ be fine.

It was with thoughts of careful consolation and serious discussion that she shoved through a stand of thorns and leafless bushes, and beheld the source of the roaring.

For a long moment, Lily had the urge to look away and give the tangled pair the privacy they should have known better than to expect so close to the rest of the pack. Then she realized that, despite appearances, they weren't mating like she had thought.

Root roaring in Storm's face and smacking a paw under her chin in an attempt to knock her off of him was a big hint that she had misinterpreted the situation, and Storm leaping back to swing her tail at him was another.

Root let out a barking roar that terminated in a cough, then rolled to his side and narrowly avoided the tail, which Lily could tell now had been swung somewhat slowly. The same could be said for Storm's lunging pounce that followed it up, though Root wasn't quick enough to react to _that_ , and ended up on his back again, shoving Storm away and roaring yet again.

"Faster!" Storm barked, stamping down to pin his tail. Her claws weren't out, but from the way Root reacted, yelping and yanking it out from under her, she wasn't holding back anything else. "No noises you cannot _use_!"

"I know!" Root scrambled onto his paws and away from her, putting a tree between them. "Break!"

Storm growled, then shook herself and nodded. "Okay, break. But why?"

Root roared again, long and loud with the same sonorous quality Lily had noticed before, then turned to face her. His flat eyelids rose, and he tilted his head, acting as if he could see her. Because he could.

"I see you've figured it out," Lily purred. "That's great!"

"It is not as good as I make it seem," Root huffed, though his ears belied his apparent solemn attitude, rising straight like a fledgling who had just done something particularly impressive and was expecting praise. "But… yes, I have the basics figured out."

"And keep in mind," Storm volunteered, "the basics are all anyone else knows. He knows more than I do now."

"What about Ember?" Lily asked curiously.

"More than him, too," Storm replied.

"All I am doing is trying to roar faster," Root objected, ducking his head. "It is not that big a deal."

"It is something my brother does not know how to do, and he has had decades to figure it out, so I say it is a big deal," Storm snorted. "So, alpha, any news on the late light wings?" She gave Lily a serious look entirely at odds with her jovial tone.

"You know as much as I do," Lily said. "And your family has my thanks for looking after Root until they return."

"I do not need looking after," Root grumbled.

"He does not," Storm agreed. "I just like keeping him around to annoy Spark."

"Spark is impossible to annoy," Root snorted.

"Which is why it is a challenge worth taking on," Storm retorted. "Now, if the glorious alpha is done checking up on us, we can go back to beating you up, and she can go back to whatever it is she does all day when Beryl is not around to stare at."

"She says while staring at a male," Lily retorted mildly, letting Storm's accusation provoke nothing more than amusement. It couldn't have been more than a baseless jab; she had not even _seen_ Storm since the valley, so Storm could know nothing about her and Beryl… and she _had_ been staring at Root throughout the conversation, slyly enough that she probably hadn't thought Lily would notice.

"I was wondering whether his tail would bruise where I stamped on it," Storm said innocently. Root pulled his tail in and turned away from both of them, seemingly embarrassed… Though he had a look she recognized from season-cycles of dealing with her pack's older fledglings when they were interested in each other but unsure how to show it...

Lily eyed the two of them, wondering whether her initial impression was closer to correct than she had thought. They had clearly only grown closer over the last moon-cycle, and Whirl wasn't around to speak ill of Storm…

Storm silently nodded toward Root, then herself, and shook her hindquarters suggestively, a massively inappropriate look on her face. Then Root began another of his seeing roars, and she turned the last shake into a quick hop-step that looked almost intentional, closing the distance between them with a roar of her own.

The two clashed, and Lily felt like she was intruding on something once again, though the way they fought was more likely to produce bruises and scratches than eggs, mostly innocent. Mostly.

Lily resolved to keep an eye on _that_ potential development; she didn't think anything big had happened between them yet, that wasn't the impression she had gotten from Storm's taunt, but that might not remain true for much longer. So long as Root felt good about it, she didn't _object_ to the pairing, but given the circumstances, it was definitely something she needed to watch.

Along with everything else. She hoped she would have time for such small, benign things. Beryl came to mind, maybe because she was now so used to spending time with him. She didn't like the distance between them at all... But being alpha seemed to carry more responsibility than ever now, with no time to spare for anything else.

O-O-O-O-O

Dusk found Lily sitting and listening to a myriad of petty complaints. The nice view her current spot afforded of the pit, gleaming in the dying light, wasn't nearly enough to make up for what was assaulting her ears.

"... And I still think you should punish her," Diora finished petulantly. Some of the light wings waiting for their turn actually sighed in relief, though all endeavored to look innocent when the obnoxious female turned to glare at them.

"Let me be sure I have understood everything you've brought up," Lily said slowly. Her voice-induced headache from the morning had disappeared, but Diora was well on her way to giving her another. "You do not like that Silva was not in your group for the journey. You are unhappy that Silva refuses to sleep in your sleeping cavern, and instead sleeps with the dark wings. You think Holly is either in league with Pearl, or under some sort of threat, and did not take your side because of that. And you still want me to punish Pearl for stealing Silva."

"Yes, it is an affront to all that is right," Diora growled seriously. Lily would have laughed if she could have gotten away with it; after a whole moon-cycle, this was the best Diora could come up with to bring against Pearl, presumably with little else to do but think. It was reassuring, if nothing else, that Diora was so genuinely ineffective at more than petty grudge-carrying.

"Let's go through these one by one," Lily said. "Silva went with the dark wings while Pearl led her own group, so it doesn't seem likely that was Pearl's plan, if there was a plan at all. Silva is an adult, and fully capable of choosing where she sleeps. Holly never had any authority to intervene on your behalf to begin with. Silva has already said she went with Pearl of her own free will all those season-cycles ago."

"Yes, but…" Diora trailed off, her eyes wide. "Holly had no authority?"

"None over any aside from her group, regardless of what responsibilities she might have taken on out of necessity," Lily said carefully. There was a delicate balance between implying Holly had taken authority she wasn't meant to have, and implying Lily herself was too weak to _prevent_ Holly from usurping her. Keeping to that balance left her defending Holly's actions more than she would have liked, but it had to be done. So long as she didn't have anything clearly wrong to condemn her with, she wouldn't act as if she did.

"I did not know that," Diora huffed. "It makes more sense why she did not intervene, now… And Pearl was so _eager_ to let her take charge, I guess she knew that was the case. I am sorry for wasting your time, alpha."

Lily blinked as Diora walked away, amazed that the usually persistent female had given up so easily. But she wasn't the last one with complaints, and the next three light wings were already stepping forward, jostling for the spot right in front of her.

"Lily, we have an issue with the sleeping caves," the sole male of the trio said quickly as he planted himself firmly in the middle. "Every night, _someone_ sneaks out of ours and comes back smelling like fish. The smell keeps getting worse, and today I found a rotten fish stuck in a crack at the back of the cave, stinking the whole place up."

"I know it was you," the female on his right hissed to the female on his left, glaring over his head.

"It was _you_ ," the other female hissed back. "I do not eat after dusk."

"And the issue you are bringing to me is that they are both at each others' throats about it?" Lily guessed. "You got the rotten fish out?"

"Yes, it has been dealt with," the male said. "Thankfully. The stench was being carried by the hot air, and sleeping in it was nauseating."

Which meant he just wanted her to stop the two females from fighting. Lily growled loudly enough that all three of them flinched, and glared at each of the females in turn. "Whichever of you didn't do it, just let it go. Whichever of you _did_ do it, keep your fish outside the sleeping cave." Which they would do anyway, unless they were _trying_ to cause problems, which Lily doubted. She wasn't even sure why they were fighting over it, if they both _knew_ who was at fault...

"And you," she added, looking at the male, "sleep with your tail in the way of the back of the cave, or something. Just in case _neither_ of them did it. If it happens again, tell me." She didn't have the time or inclination to dig around and find out whether any of these three had enemies who might try and cause problems for them, but it was possible.

"Yes, alpha," the male said thankfully, backing away. The females followed him.

Lily wished she could trust Holly enough to send her in to investigate the incident more thoroughly; she would have been perfect for that sort of thing. But giving her authority wasn't an option now, not after she had gone so far to take it on her own.

The last light wing waiting for her flicked his tail and nodded to her, showing far less respect than she was used to. Then again, Thunder wasn't one of hers, not really. "Ember sent me to tell you the dark wings are going to be talking about what we are doing, and he says you might want to be there."

"If I'm invited, definitely," Lily said, rising from her spot by the pit. "You can lead me there." She wasn't entirely sure where the dark wings had set up, aside from the knowledge that they were in the forest somewhat far from the caves.

"It is over this way," Thunder said, leading her into the forest. "Everyone is waiting, but Beryl told them you were probably busy, so they expected to wait."

"Which I was," Lily agreed. "Do they want me to just watch, or am I going to be asked to explain what my pack is doing?" She was all but committed to helping the guardian draw Grimmel's forces in, since that didn't seem to have any downsides, but she was still unclear on what would come after… and nobody in her pack knew even that much.

She didn't plan on announcing anything, either. This was the sort of decision that would go over better if it trickled down like something that wasn't a big deal; standing up in front of everyone and making a spectacle of it would open her up to being questioned.

"Nobody told me," Thunder said casually. "But I think Beryl just wants you around so he does not have to be the one explaining whatever we decide."

"Possibly," Lily hummed. "What do you want to do?"

"Stay with Crystal," Thunder said without hesitation. "And Storm. Storm will want to stay around for now, so that works. There are too many reasons to stay with your pack for us to want to leave."

"I had guessed as much," Lily agreed. She caught sight of a snowy white dome ahead, and a group of dark and light wings arrayed in front of it.

"We are here!" Thunder barked, announcing her to the entire group in case none of them had noticed already. He promptly left her side to go sit on Lightning's tail, off to the left of the main group. Crystal, sitting next to Lightning, laughed and helped her shove him off.

"We're glad you could join us," Pearl hummed from the other side of the gathering, Thaw on one side of her and Ember on the other.

"I hope I can shed some light on anything you may be unclear about," Lily said diplomatically. Beryl had an open space next to him, but she didn't think that would convey the innocent appearance they were cultivating, so she instead chose to settle down next to Silva, and by extension Herb and Thorn. Storm was seated next to Spark right across from her, pawing at a hard ball of snow with an expression of abject boredom.

Spark purred brightly at her, his face the perfect embodiment of innocence, and Lily purred back. Now that she thought about it, if Beryl ever needed to act innocent, he had a perfect role model to copy.

"Now that everyone is together," Ember said with a nod to Beryl, "and our friends in the light wing pack have their leader back," he transferred his gaze to Lily, "it seems like it's time to discuss what we're doing here."

"Bringing Thunder and Lightning to meet their other Dam," Spark chuffed.

"Not _just_ that, not anymore," Storm snorted. "Silva is here to tolerate her Dam until she feels good about leaving and never thinking about her again, Pearl is here to work out her issues with said Dam, I am teaching Root things, and he is staying with us until his parents return. _And_ Thunder and Lightning and me and Crystal." She kicked her little ball of snow, knocking it out into the open space between all of them. "There are a lot of little reasons."

Silva shifted uncomfortably, but didn't object to Storm's somewhat colorful description of her actions. Pearl, on the other paw, growled at Storm. " _I_ am not the one with issues," she said.

"I have issues with the one who Sired me, that does not mean I was in the wrong," Storm snorted dismissively. "And I still think you should beat her bloody and be done with it."

"I'd rather you not assault my people," Lily interjected. "And I do not think that would resolve anything." It would give Diora a somewhat legitimate reason to hate Pearl, but she didn't need one of those.

"Exact word choice aside," Ember said loudly, "Storm has hit upon most of the reasons we have for wanting to remain with this light wing pack. But we are coming up to a turning point in this odd journey, and it seemed prudent to make sure we are _all_ on the same page." Lily didn't know what his last word meant, but judging by the nods from around the circle, she was the only one. If it was one of his made-up words, it had long since slipped into this group's common vocabulary. Beryl might even have used it before; she could easily have forgotten one odd word.

"That is where I come in, I think," Lily said. "You want to know what my pack is going to do now."

"Whether there will be a minor war fought here, whether you intend to ask us to help fight it, whether your pack intends to go down into this hidden world afterward, and whether we're welcome to tag along," Ember summarized. "Yes. We have questions."

"Which I can answer, though I would ask you all to keep quiet about my plans," Lily said. "I have the general idea but not the specifics, not yet, and I don't want word of what I intend to spread before I _do_ know the specifics."

"I think we can all agree to try and not spread rumors," Pearl said. "Thaw?"

"Nobody I play with cares about that stuff anyway," Thaw rumbled. His voice was still startlingly deep for a fledgling his age, though Lily thought he had grown into it a bit since she had last seen him.

"I can keep a secret," Beryl said, leaving unsaid that it would just be one more on top of the pile. The rest of the dark wings - and light wings, even Crystal, which reminded Lily that she badly wanted to catch up with her best friend - agreed without incident. Even Storm seemed to consider it a reasonable request.

"The guardian of this place wants my pack's help in bringing _all_ of the No-scaled-not-prey to the island at once so their memories can be altered," Lily revealed. "I'm pretty sure that's a better plan than leaving them to investigate this place like they have been, and I think it can be done, so that's what we're going to do first. Then we're going to head down into this underground world and find somewhere to settle down, somewhere safe."

"Nope, that is a terrible plan," Storm said immediately.

"Is this you being obnoxious, or do you have a reason for saying that?" Beryl asked dryly.

"They are hunting dark wings," Storm retorted. "Draw them in, sure, but crush them here, do not mess with their minds and send them back out into the world! We are rare enough without some crazy No-scaled-not-prey chasing rumors of us."

"She has a point," Herb murmured.

"And I assume she also has a reason for choosing not to kill them," Ember added. "And that would be… what?"

Lily thought back to her conversation with the guardian, trying to recall the logic that had led her to agreeing that catch-and-release was a better plan. She remembered asking about it, she remembered being told that the guardian did not kill unless necessary, and that her people could but it wouldn't be smart…

She _didn't_ remember thinking about whether it would be easier to draw them in and kill them. It was like she had just taken the guardian's words for granted and continued onward without thinking… and not thinking was _not_ how she usually operated. Not on her own.

"I haven't fully considered the actual plan for that, as I said," she huffed, hiding her sudden confusion and suspicion. She was not _sure_ that her thought process had been waylaid; the tunnel-vision effect of just talking to the guardian might have addled her thinking enough on its own, though no conscious effort of the guardian, or she might simply have not thought about it, no interference necessary.

But it seemed pretty convenient for the guardian that she had agreed with the guardian's own moral code without any argument at all.

"Well, when you do, think about us," Storm growled. "Since we stuck our necks out to help you, you should be willing to bite off a few hundred mass-murdering heads in return."

"I'm going to make sure we deal with them in a way that ensures they're not a threat going forward, if at all possible," Lily promised. "But whatever the plan ends up being, it will be mine. I have no right to order any of you to fight, or help in any way, but if you join the fight, I _will_ have the right to make sure you don't mess things up. A single sighting of you in the wrong place or at the wrong time could ruin everything."

"Seeing Storm does tend to ruin things," Lightning mused.

"If we choose to pitch in, rest assured we'll consult with you as to where we can be most helpful," Ember rumbled. "And as for going down into this underground world… So long as we can come back _up_ , I think I want to tag along and see what's there."

The dark wings all rumbled or nodded their agreement; it seemed they were all curious. Lily understood that, especially since they wouldn't have much trouble leaving if the underground wasn't to their liking. They had a safe home to go back to. It was her pack that was seeking somewhere to stay permanently.

"I would be glad to have you all along," she agreed. They brought with them experience in the world, one very powerful protector, people many of her closest friends would be sad to see go… and Beryl, who she didn't even want to _think_ about losing now, or anytime soon. Even though it could eventually happen, his family was not bound to her pack in any permanent way…

Lily knew it was primarily concern over Beryl that had her speaking, but it was also in the best interest of her pack, so she didn't stop herself. "Have any of you given thought to joining my pack on a more permanent basis?"

Nobody immediately responded, and she knew she needed to explain herself before Storm rallied and mocked her incessantly, so she continued. "Half of you have ties to my pack already, in one way or another, and many of you will want to look for mates." She looked to Spark, then Thunder and Lightning, then Storm - who stared impassively at her, giving away nothing - and finally to Silva. "It doesn't sound like you've had any luck elsewhere, so it seems you're inevitably going to end up with even more ties to my pack. It only makes sense."

"It might make sense," Ember rumbled, "but no, we have not considered anything like that." It wasn't an outright refusal, but Lily knew better than to take it as a tentative yes. Ember did _not_ sound enthusiastic.

"If I was part of your pack, would all the females stop following me around?" Spark asked. "Or _most_ of them, at least? The ones old enough to be the Dam of my Sire ten generations back?"

"If they're still bothering you I'll make them stop," Lily said grimly. "Part of the pack or not." She couldn't exactly blame herself for not noticing that was still going on; she had only reunited with her people a day ago, and hadn't seen Spark since then. But she _could_ add it to the ever-growing list of things she needed to deal with.

"I think Spark could do a little more to discourage those he isn't interested in," Ember said carefully, eyeing his son. "An authority figure forbidding things while the forbidden one seems interested might just make it worse."

"We are not talking about Spark's many stalkers," Storm snorted. "And I am not all that impressed with your pack, Lily. I would rather take the pawful of light wings who do not frustrate me too much with _us_ , not join the whole group."

"I'm not so sure about joining the pack while Diora is around trying to cause problems," Pearl huffed. "And honestly, even without that… I _like_ living with a smaller group, people I know and care about."

"But your children are going to want mates," Lily said, glancing at Thaw, who stared back at her with an unreadable look. "And they will probably come to my pack to look for them, because we exist and they know where to find us." She avoided looking at Beryl, who had yet to weigh in on any of what had been said. Even if he _did_ join her pack, it would not solve any of the problems inherent in taking him as a mate, but it would at least keep him around until she got the pack to a place where she could begin tackling those issues.

"That's a while away from becoming an issue," Ember said firmly. "And to be entirely honest, I don't think _any_ of us would feel comfortable joining a pack that is currently searching for a home. It may sound selfish, because it _is_ selfish, but I don't intend to join my family to an uncertain cause when we have a perfectly good home waiting for us. Tag along and help out so long as we can leave at any time, yes, but nothing more."

"Well said," Thorn murmured. "Your pack may be… _nice_ … but it is not stable enough."

"No, it may not be," Lily conceded. She _wished_ she could feel insulted, and she greatly wished she hadn't brought this issue up at all. The truth was, her pack _wasn't_ stable, especially not in comparison to them. Between Diora, their current lack of a home, the No-scaled-not-prey trying to kill them, and the attempted usurpation of her own authority she had just put down a day ago, her pack could hardly be _less_ stable while still counting as a unified pack. She shouldn't have brought it up.

But she _had_ brought it up and couldn't take it back, so she forced a calm purr from her chest and shook her head. "Just know that it is an open offer, for any or all of you. Especially those who came from this pack to begin with, or have family here. You," she said, looking at Thunder and Lightning in particular, will always be welcome."

"And maybe someday we will take you up on that," Lightning said. "But for right now… We are going to maybe help out in the fighting, then follow you down underground to see the sights?"

"Is anyone opposed to that?" Ember asked. "Objections?"

"If we decide that the underground is boring and want to go home, and Root's parents have not shown up, I am taking him with us," Storm said briskly. "And Crystal."

"Are you promising to abduct members of my pack?" Lily asked, glaring at Storm. She had the feeling that she was being taunted, not seriously challenged, that was how Storm operated-

"For a visit, of course," Storm said breezily, waving a wing as if it had been implied and Lily was just too dense to notice, though it definitely had not been.

"I would like to visit," Crystal said tentatively.

"We'll cross that water when we get to it," Lily huffed. "My pack would be happy to have you all along, so long as you stick to the rules we have already been operating under."

"Then it sounds like we're all in agreement," Ember chuffed. "Thank you for your time, Lily."

"Thanks for inviting me," Lily huffed, rising to her paws. She felt bad, the entire somewhat positive mood spoiled by her proposition and its rejection, and wanted nothing more than to go do something else and forget about her gaffe. Crystal could wait; she was already going somewhere with Thunder, Lightning, and Storm, so she wouldn't have time to talk anyway.

A black-scaled form stepped in front of her. "If you have a little while longer," Beryl rumbled, "I wanted to ask you about some of the specifics of what you spoke with the guardian about. Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure, I have time," Lily agreed. It wasn't like she had light wings lined up waiting for her to arbitrate their petty disagreements; she had already done that. And she had a few nagging questions in the back of her mind about mind-affecting dragons and the specifics of what they could do, so he could answer those for her in return.

They made their way out, away from the group and the big snow dome that they were calling home for the moment, out into the dark woods. They weren't totally alone, she could still hear voices in the distance, but it was close enough to solitude that she was able to relax.

"What did you want to know about the guardian?" she asked.

"Nothing," Beryl huffed. "Sorry I didn't say anything about joining the pack. I didn't know what you wanted me to say, so I kept silent to avoid putting my paw in my mouth."

"I wish I had put my paw in my mouth," Lily huffed, irritated with herself all over again. "Then my stupid question would have been too muffled to be heard."

"Not quite what that expression means," Beryl chuckled. He walked closer to her, close enough to brush up alongside her, and she leaned in, savoring the momentary contact for all it was worth. "It was not a _bad_ question, it just… wasn't a good time. And my family likes our freedom. Anything less than a great deal is going to be hard to appreciate."

"Your family has the luxury of options, so of course they don't leap at the chance to join my mess of a pack," Lily sighed. She reluctantly pulled away from Beryl, belatedly remembering that they could be under observation by some random light wing at any time. "Any progress on finding a private place?"

"I'm beginning to _make_ one, actually," Beryl said quietly. "Digging it out. It'll be small, but big enough for two, and impossible to notice unless you walk right on top of it."

"That's great," Lily purred. "Really great." Her heart was speeding up just thinking about it, and though she still wasn't anywhere near the mood to want to jump him _right now_ , she appreciated that it would be possible soon. Difficult, but possible.

A high-pitched yelp rose from the forest off to their left, and Lily stopped walking. A small body crashed through the undergrowth nearby, giggling all the way, and moments later two light wings ran into view, chasing after the noises.

"You get back here before that berry juice stains!" one of the chasing light wings shrieked, leaping out in front of Lily and Beryl. A loud, mocking giggle rose from somewhere off to the right, and the light wing leaped after it. The other followed behind, running far more sedately.

"Hello, Lily, Beryl," Dew panted as she crossed in front of them. "Goodbye, Lily, Beryl."

Beryl's head turned as he watched the chase. "Maybe I will figure out a way to _completely_ hide the thing I am digging out. Someone stepping on it might not be so unlikely."

"That would be a good idea," Lily agreed, thankful she had pulled away from him well before they had been seen. "In the meantime, want to help me figure out what we'll be doing with Grimmel's forces?"

"I'd like that," Beryl purred. "I have a few ideas. Stop me if these make no sense…"


	64. Innovative

A deep thrumming noise vibrated through the sand under Lily's paws, persistent and constantly changing, drawing her attention every time it switched, never settling into a discernable pattern long enough to be adjusted to. She wasn't even the one it was aimed at, and it still distracted her. She could only imagine how it would feel to be on the receiving end, with the mental interference it entailed.

The guardian had not sent any mental warnings of No-scaled-not-prey ships approaching, but the thrumming and what it meant was all the warning anyone really needed. Lily hadn't spoken to her - the voice came across as feminine, though more so in retrospect than it had at the time, as confusing as that was - since their first conversation, but at the moment she didn't need the guardian to do anything other than what she already did whenever No-scaled-not-prey came near.

Her fledglings were the ones enacting the first part of her plan to lure Grimmel's entire pack in. The guardian would have a part to play later on, but for this first phase it was all up to Lily's people to take advantage of the already in-play mental effects.

Though Lily stood on the shore and could clearly see the No-scaled-not-prey ship in the distance, one of the smaller, wooden ones, she had no way of seeing the dozen camouflaged light wings flying out to it. She could only guess where they might be, and wait for the explosions to start.

Until then, she had nothing to do but stand and stare. She contemplated digging deeper into the sand and maybe flaming her paws for warmth, but decided against it. Her people were going into battle, however one-sided, and she would not cater to her own comfort while she watched. If she could fly, she would be right there with them. Maybe not fighting, but definitely circling above. Cara and the backup group would be doing that, waiting in case they were needed, and she could have joined them.

"Is that a ship out there?" Spark ran up beside her, entirely unaware of how badly he had startled her, and squinted at the horizon. "The thrumming means there _has_ to be a ship somewhere, but is that the only one?"

"That's it," Lily confirmed. "What brings you out here?" Most of her pack preferred to stay hidden when the entire island was vibrating like it was now. Knowing they were safe in theory was one thing, but testing and relying on that safety by showing oneself on the shores for no real reason was apparently quite another. For once, Lily found she agreed with her pack's group instinct on something.

"I was going to get a lot of seaweed," Spark explained. "Thaw wants it for something he and some other fledglings are making, and I can carry the most in one trip." He made no move to go down to the tideline and actually get the seaweed, though. "Is it just going to turn around like all the others?"

"Yes and no," Lily hummed. "It'll turn around like the others, but I've decided that we should leave a few marks for it to bring back."

A distant explosion rocked the ship, barely audible over the ever-present humming, and she nodded knowingly. "We want to draw Grimmel and _all_ of his people in. The first step is to make sure he suspects that we are the reason all of his ships keep getting confused. Scorch marks and injuries will do that." Also possibly deaths, but she was leaving that up to those on the ship, since she still wasn't sure what level of resistance would be left under the guardian's mental interference. A slaughter would be counterproductive, but so would limiting her people by ordering them to not kill any of the No-scaled-not-prey no matter what.

"Burning things does leave a mark," Spark agreed. "But what if they do not care? Or leave to get reinforcements, _then_ come back?"

"He'll care," Lily huffed. If Grimmel was still in charge he would be all the more fanatic about hunting Beryl down, and possibly her too since she had hurt him. If he was dead, from what she knew of the No-scaled-not-prey pack in question, the next alpha would be bound by custom to hunt her anyway.

But she _didn't_ have such an easy answer for Spark's other concern. "As for Grimmel retreating and coming back with more support..." she rumbled, thinking it through. "They would leave to do so. We would be allowed to go down into the underground, and it wouldn't be our problem anymore. Then they would come back, and I think the guardian would have them obliterated. She said she would do that if anyone came around seeking her island specifically. So it would not end up being a problem."

"Oh, that is good," Spark hummed.

"But it does mean we have to be exceedingly careful not to do too much damage before Grimmel sends _everything_ ," Lily continued. "Thank you for mentioning that, Spark. I hadn't considered it." Mostly because of the aforementioned fanaticism and the enemy's overwhelming firepower, but still. It _was_ possible if she misstepped, and a misstep was more likely if she didn't know it would be a problem.

"You are welcome," Spark said. Another explosion rocked the ship, strong enough that Lily suspected several of her fledglings had fired at the same target and at the same time. That would certainly leave a mark.

"Spark!" An older light wing fledgling bolted out from the forest, startling Lily yet again. "You said you were getting the seaweed!"

"I am!" Spark barked back, running to the tideline. "Help me get enough that I do not have to come back for more!" He and the fledgling began digging in the surf, working their way down the shore and away from Lily, collecting seaweed for...

Lily realized that she had never asked _why_ Thaw and the fledglings he was playing with wanted seaweed, but she didn't care enough to catch up to them and ask. Not when she could see smoldering fires dotting the side of the ship, bright and visible even at a distance-

And two Deathgrippers flying into the air, their wings flapping sluggishly. A small blast struck one on the back out of nowhere, likely coming from Cara's reserve light wings, but the Deathgripper didn't respond. Neither appeared to care about the chaos they were leaving behind, flying straight for the center of the island. A blob of shimmering air trailed them all the way.

Lily craned her neck to stare up at the Deathgrippers as they passed directly overhead. She knew that they had to be entirely under the guardian's influence, but it was still chilling to see them so easily approaching where her pack lived…

The pack _needed_ somewhere safe to live. She was liking the idea of going below ground more and more. Searching the empty wilderness for a defensible position would be dangerous, and doing the same below ground would presumably be less so. Even the valley would be less safe; No-scaled-not-prey had found it once, meaning other groups could do the same of their own accord.

A blur thumped down in front of her. "The guardian says those two will cause no trouble," Cara reported in a bitingly annoyed tone of voice. "I wanted to send some of mine to follow them anyway, but the guardian said no."

"Just now?" Lily asked.

"Right after I fired on them," Cara confirmed with a growl. "I do not like not knowing where they will go. We still do not know where the first one ended up."

"Unless they come back to cause trouble for us, it's not a problem," Lily assured her. "And I don't see that happening." The guardian had issues with affecting No-scaled-not-prey, not dragons, and seemed almost arbitrarily powerful when it came to the latter. Whatever she was doing with the Deathgrippers - and Lily _did_ mean to ask next time she went down to the boiling pool - it would be controlled. And if the guardian _wanted_ to hurt her pack, she didn't need a few Deathgrippers to do it.

"I guess," Cara huffed, obviously not convinced in the slightest. "Other than that, the attack group did as you ordered."

"I'll wait for Mist's report on that one," Lily replied. She had sent Mist out to lead the attack partially because she wanted Mist to feel trusted, just in case her failure in leading her group on the journey was still getting her down. Having Cara give her report for her wouldn't help with that at all.

"It should not have _been_ Mist," Cara all but growled. "I want to lead the next assault, not sit back and wait for things to _maybe_ go wrong. I did not even get to fight!"

"I held you back for a reason," Lily growled, fixing the blurry silhouette of Cara with a stern stare. She was sure Cara wouldn't have openly argued like this before Holly seized power, and that validated her decision to reign in their responsibilities… But Cara didn't need to know the _real_ reason she had been pulled away from leading, she would only pretend to correct herself and then tell Holly.

"Which was?" Cara demanded. "You said Mist was the better fit for this, and I could not agree _less_."

"She was, though," Lily shot back. "Her role was not one of _just_ fighting, she was directing everything, assessing how impaired the No-scaled-not-prey are, where best to mark the ship, how much to do without ruining it beyond repair. You were flying above, keeping an eye on the situation, and in doing so giving _all_ of your attention to the possible danger. I needed someone who would not _only_ fight to lead that first group, and Mist fit that better than you did. Both of you got the roles you were most suited for." All of which was true; she wouldn't have put them where they were only on the basis of who she trusted more. That was just one of the reasons.

"But-" Cara began.

Lily lost her patience and shot a tiny blast into the snow between them, startling the other female into silence. "No. You heard the reasoning, and you know it's good. You want fighting, you'll almost certainly get it, but if you can't keep yourself in check, I don't want you leading _anything_. Is that clear?"

"It is, it is," Cara barked, both physically and verbally backing up. "I understand. I do not like it, but I understand. Sorry, alpha." She sounded genuinely surprised by Lily's anger.

"I'm glad you understand it," Lily huffed, regretting the blast. A sharp bark would have done the same with less violent undertones… but then again, it had gotten Cara's attention in a way that a simple bark might not have. "Go find someone to wrestle with if you so crave a fight."

"I will see if Aven wants to… or maybe someone who can actually challenge me." Cara leaped into the air, scattering snow as she left.

Lily did her best to watch the departing blur, but she lost track of the other light wing the moment she passed in front of the sun.

"I may have overdone that," she huffed to herself. Short patience with baseless whining or not, suspicion of Holly and her sisters or not, she needed to keep her temper under control. She was probably out of practice with _that_ , too, which would explain her inability to do as much this time. This persistent thrumming in her head wasn't helping either.

Feeling far less confident in herself than she would have liked, Lily looked back to the ship… Which was turning around, receding over the horizon ever so slowly. It would take with it many signs of light wings, and by extension a confirmation and challenge to Grimmel. Hopefully, one he could not ignore.

The moment the No-scaled-not-prey were out of the guardian's range was marked by a cessation in the endless thrumming that Lily had never quite managed to tune out. The absence was downright calming, letting her listen to the waves and nothing else.

The end of the guardian's efforts also meant the No-scaled-not-prey would return to their normal mental state, so it was no surprise that Lily soon caught sight of Mist's group flying back. Part of what made this safe enough to attempt was that the No-scaled-not-prey were rendered stupid and possibly defenseless when they got close to the island, and nobody wanted to tangle with them after that wore off.

"The attack was a complete success," Mist began before even touching down, coming in to glide around Lily in a tight circle. She skidded through the snow upon actually landing, and her camouflage faded away in ripples, going entirely when she rolled onto her back for a moment before springing up.

"Smart," Lily praised.

"Rolling in the snow to get cold and drive the camouflage away?" Mist asked. "Thanks, but Holly came up with it."

"Still," Lily managed, though mention of yet another sign of Holly's influence had soured her mood somewhat. "Very clever. When you say complete success…" she tilted her head questioningly.

"The No-scaled-not-prey were barely able to walk in a straight line," Mist reported. "Swinging their false claws was almost impossible, and some even hurt themselves trying. The only injury any of mine took was from stepping on a claw one had dropped."

"That's very good," Lily hummed. She had hoped the guardian's influence would result in something like that, though she had planned for something more akin to mild confusion or tunnel vision like she had felt in talking to the guardian. Having confirmation that the effect was this debilitating made her a lot more confident in the rest of her plan being doable without losses.

"Since they were so helpless, we did not kill any on purpose," Mist continued. "One or two might have died from being knocked out of the way, it was impossible to tell, and I think one fell off the ship right at the start. Two Deathgrippers were below, you probably saw them, the guardian handled that."

"And the damage?" Lily asked.

"Blast holes through every piece of wood that looked like it would get in the way in a real fight," Mist purred. "A big one to every fiddly contraption like Beryl described for me. All of the swinging wooden parts that block entrances and exits were smashed or blasted. We started a few small fires, none too big, like you said."

"Perfect," Lily purred, "absolutely perfect." She couldn't have asked for a better start to all of this. Grimmel and his Deathgrippers and his ships might have held all the advantages back at the valley, but here she had the absolutely unfair tricks on her side. If she played it right, he would never know _how_ unfair until it was too late, and afterward he still wouldn't know…

Either because he couldn't remember, or because he was dead. She still wasn't sure about that. The plan worked either way, so she had a little more time to think it over before she was forced to choose one way or the other. She was leaning toward killing them all, because then the valley would be safe again, but on the other paw they _had_ found the valley, and others could too… She hadn't finished deliberating yet, and she wasn't going to make a choice now.

"Go celebrate," she told Mist. "Enjoy the victory. It's been a while since our pack had one like this." They might as well enjoy it; she had too many things left to do to spend any time basking in the glow of a successful ploy.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily watched a tiny hatchling roll around in a pool of mud, regret and fondness mixing in her chest until she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be feeling. "What's her name?"

"We have not decided on one yet," Clay said quietly. "So much has been going on…"

"And her glint has not come in yet," his mate added. "I am a firm believer in waiting until we get a hint before giving any name." She nipped at her infant daughter's tail and pulled her away from the center of the mud puddle, keeping her in the shallowest part.

Lily was reminded of Gold, whose name was about as blunt a reference to his glint as was possible. She wondered how he would have responded to Spark, who was actually gold all over. "What do you think her glint will be?" she asked, choosing not to remind either of Gold's parents of their dead son.

"Red," Clay said confidently. "If I am going to blindly guess about something so unpredictable, I will make it my favorite color."

"All colors are good," his mate hummed, eyeing her daughter speculatively. "I think there might be some brown there."

"Or maybe that is just mud," Clay chuffed. "Alpha, if you would like to stay and play with her you can, but she is probably going to be taking a nap soon, and she cannot do that while muddy…"

"I'd rather come some other time, when she's fully awake," Lily said. "And I'm sorry I didn't find the time to come meet her sooner." She had somehow failed to ever even _see_ Clay and his mate's egg, even though they'd had it before even leaving the valley. It could have been taken as a testament to how busy she was, but she saw it as a failure on her part. She should have made time. Somehow.

"You are the busiest light wing in the pack, by far," Clay's mate assured her. "We understand."

Clay nodded in agreement, then leaned down to pick his daughter up by her scruff. She dangled limply, mud dripping off her from everywhere. He grinned toothlessly, then departed.

"I was hoping," his mate said, watching them go, "that we could name her at our new home. Wherever that will be."

"That might not be possible," Lily sighed, hearing the question for what it really was, a not-so-subtle inquiry as to her plans for the future. "But we'll be here for a little while longer. Maybe name her after something here that matches her glint?" She had no idea how long it would take to end Grimmel, or where they'd be going afterward, so that seemed like a much more sensible idea to her.

"If she has a purple or red glint, we would have to call her Crystal, because those are the only purple or red things around here," was the somewhat amused response from Clay's mate. "And that name is taken by the light wing behind you."

"Is it?" Lily asked, waving her tail around to feel for someone behind her. "Well, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. We can call her 'Old Crystal'."

"Only if we call you Old Lily," Crystal snorted from somewhere close behind her.

"That would make me Ancient, and I am not sure how I feel about that," Clay's mate laughed. "See you soon, alpha."

Lily turned to Crystal as Clay's mate took to the sky. Her friend looked… good, great compared to how she had been when leaving the valley. Her stance was open and alert, and her face untroubled. Lily wasn't stupid enough to assume that meant she was over losing her Sire, that wasn't something one got over, but she was coping. Healing.

"How do you feel about a hatchling stealing your name?" Lily asked lightly.

"As if," Crystal snorted. "She will end up Red, or Yellow, or Grey, or whatever color, like Gold. She was just asking about when we are going to find a new home without saying it outright."

"She was," Lily conceded with a laugh. "How have you been?"

"I should be asking you," Crystal retorted. "You are the one who had to _walk_ all that way and then pick up leading the pack again the moment you set paw on this island, with only Beryl for company. How was it?"

"Tiring," Lily said honestly. "Walking all day isn't fun." Mating at night was _very_ fun, but also tiring.

"Walk some more?" Crystal requested. "It's the only way to get any privacy around here." She nodded toward the trio of light wings lurking within hearing distance. It didn't seem like they were listening, but Lily entirely understood the sentiment. It just wasn't the same, talking where people could hear, and therefore having to watch one's words.

"I'm not tired of walking _now,_ " Lily clarified. "But I don't want to talk about me. My trip was absolutely boring, nothing happened outside of escaping Grimmel at the start. How did yours go?"

"Pearl has a knack for keeping people from fighting over little things," Crystal said as they walked. "And when she cannot, Lightning knocks heads together until everyone is mad at her and not each other. It sounds hectic, and it is, but it works."

"And you?" Lily pressed.

"I was not in a good place when we left," Crystal admitted, glancing over at her. "You knew that, of course. Lightning helped take my mind off of it, and Pearl helped me cope when I was thinking about it."

"It's not easy," Lily sighed, thinking of Pyre.

"No, it really is not, but I am dealing with it better than Dam," Crystal sighed. "I guess time will help her, if I cannot."

"Don't stop trying," Lily advised.

"Oh, I will not, it just does not seem to be doing any good." Crystal shook her head. "I do not want to talk about that. Have you seen Root recently?"

"Yes, and he's heard me, in both senses of the word," Lily replied. "He seems happy. Or as happy as he can be, given the circumstances."

"I would almost say too happy," Crystal said in a low voice. "I am sure he misses his parents, do not get me wrong, but Whirl was… _is_ … overbearing. It might be doing him some good, just being away from her. I just think he would like it if he knew she was okay."

"Possibly," Lily said noncommittally. "Keep an eye on that for me, would you? When Whirl gets here," if she returned at all, if she wasn't captured or dead, "I want to know how that affects him." It wasn't her place… but it _was_ something she would want to keep track of anyway, and she just didn't have the time. Crystal probably did.

"It will mean more time around Storm, but I will live," Crystal sighed dramatically. "Anything else you need me to do?"

"One more thing, yes," Lily said, thinking of something. "I'm going to go talk to the guardian today."

"Want me to come along?" Crystal asked. "I have not talked to her. If the guardian is female, I heard Holly saying so, but somebody else said they could not tell, and it is just a voice."

"She is definitely female, it's just hard to tell when you're actually talking to her," Lily confirmed. "It's weird, like everything else about her. But I didn't want you coming along. Actually, I don't want you anywhere near. Instead, I want you to remember something."

"Yes?" Crystal asked.

"Ask me about what we're going to do once we have all the No-scaled-not-prey in our mercy," Lily instructed. "Ask how the guardian and I came to a decision. Right now, I think I am leaning toward have them all killed, and I'm going to go down there and tell her, and I can't be sure she won't do something to my mind if she doesn't like that." She had only changed her mind on what to do with the No-scaled-not-prey a short while ago, and the longer she waited, the more time the guardian had to decide what to do about her, if she would do anything.

"Oh… Would she do that?" Crystal asked.

"I don't know, but the fact remains that she probably _could_ , so I'm asking you to be my precaution," Lily explained. "If I seem _off_ , or confused, or vague, or just not thinking straight, go to Beryl and Ember immediately." She was flying blind on what would or would not work against the guardian, but having Ember alerted seemed like a good precaution. She didn't entirely trust him to know how she thought, so Crystal would serve as the go-between to ensure there was reason to get him involved. Beryl would serve as a second opinion.

"I can do that," Crystal hummed. "Maybe explain to _me_ your reasoning, so I know better what you are thinking?"

"I can do that," Lily purred. It would certainly be more pleasant than the next time she was going to have to explain her reasoning. She hadn't properly thought it through when the guardian first brought it up - either because the guardian had messed with her, or because she just hadn't thought about it, she didn't know which - and her decision had changed. She was expecting an argument, at the very least.

O-O-O-O-O

"I need to talk to you," Lily called out over the boiling pool. Said pool was glowing yellow, illuminated from below by what she thought might be more crystals, either yellow on their own, or some other color that became yellow once the light passed through the water and whatever else was there that made it stink so bad.

Silence met her declaration, and she held back a nervous shiver. She was alone this time, partially to project confidence and partially because she wanted this conversation to have no eavesdroppers, well-intentioned or not.

' _Is this about your memories?'_ the guardian asked.

"It wasn't," Lily replied, "but tell me more about my memories anyway." She didn't know exactly what the guardian meant, or even what the guardian _knew_ , and she wasn't going to let that little mistake slip by without exploiting it.

' _You have had a troubled past, and endeavor to hide from certain memories,'_ the guardian noted. _'You also know I am capable of removing memories. It seemed likely you would think to put the two together.'_

"I thought about it, but no," Lily said bluntly, shaking her head. She _had_ thought of that possibility once or twice, but it was just a terrible idea. She didn't want her head messed with in any way, and as painful as they were, she had to _have_ those memories, some were of Pyre and others were of things that _had_ happened, like it or not. To lose even the knowledge of them might harm her in ways she couldn't predict.

She shuddered, imagining what suddenly losing her worst memories of, say, _Claw_ might do. It could cloud her judgment if someone else began to act like Claw. It could make her feel guilty for ordering his death, because she might not have the visceral knowledge of how much he deserved it. It could make her sympathise with Diora more than Crystal, knowing that Crystal hated Claw, but lacking the first-paw experience to understand why.

"No," she repeated vehemently. "They hurt, I don't like them, but that doesn't mean I want them taken from me." There was too big a chance it would alter something deeply _her_ , and that she would never know the difference.

' _I will not argue that,'_ the guardian conceded. _'Now, what did you come to speak about?'_

"What's happening to the Deathgrippers?" Lily asked, electing to begin with what she hoped would be the easier topic of conversation.

' _That,'_ the mental voice sighed, _'is complicated. How much do you know of their condition?'_

"Ember said they can't talk and are basically animals," Lily said. "Or something along those lines." She didn't remember his exact words on the subject - which could be why the guardian didn't already know what she knew - but that was what she had taken away from his explanation, what she remembered now.

' _Stunted in mental growth and conditioned to obey would be a more accurate description,'_ the guardian said. _'I have taken them and brought them down into the underground realm, under my control. I am attempting to correct and fix what I can in their minds, but it is a slow, uncertain process, and unlikely to completely heal them even if all goes right.'_

"So you do have limits with our kind," Lily murmured. "Not just No-scaled-not-prey."

' _At worst, they will die as they lived, unaware that there is anything wrong,'_ the guardian said, ignoring Lily's comment. _'Or I will resolve some of their mental damage, and they will be as fledglings forever. Or nothing at all, empty minds free of violent urges but also devoid of anyone to obey. Whatever happens, it will not be worse than they are now, and they will remain either under my control, or self-sufficient enough to go into the wilderness.'_

"In which case my pack could run into them," Lily said. "Don't think I didn't notice that."

' _None can predict what might happen, but you will at least be better prepared for knowing what is possible.'_

"Well… good luck." She wasn't used to thinking of the Deathgrippers as victims, though she knew on some level that they _were_. If the guardian could somehow fix them, then that would be good. In any case, she had gotten a satisfactory answer.

' _It will rely somewhat on luck, I fear,'_ the guardian agreed. _'And the other thing?'_

"I've got a plan to bring the No-scaled-not-prey here all at once," Lily said. "You know my people have begun taunting them and attacking." She also heavily suspected that the guardian had looked into at least a few minds; if it were her, she would definitely use that ability to keep up to date on things without anyone noticing.

' _Your plan seems straightforward, and elegant in the details,'_ the guardian said warmly. _'A lure of weakness and that which they want, always escalating just enough to seem weak, but not weak to anything less than a full assault. Am I correct?'_

"That's the idea," Lily said, ignoring what could either be a hint that the guardian didn't know, or that the guardian was trying to insinuate that she didn't know. There was no point in playing a game against someone who could be cheating at any time. She was just going to account for both possibilities whenever it mattered.

And she had a more important purpose in mind for this conversation anyway. "But when they get here and are helpless," she said, "I've decided that we're going to wipe them out. Every last one of them, save for the Deathgrippers if you want to try and help them."

' _You have reasons?'_ the guardian asked.

"Yes, I thought it through," Lily huffed, resisting the urge to pace around the edge of the boiling pool. Her eyes were watering and having trouble focusing on anything again, and walking around while mentally distracted in more ways than one was just asking for an accident. She had no desire to find out what boiling water would do to her body.

' _I would like you to explain them,'_ the guardian prompted. _'I do not agree with this course of action.'_

"It's the best choice for my people," Lily said firmly. "There is nothing mind-wiping them accomplishes that killing them does not do just as well, and there are things killing them does that mind-wiping does not, unless you have been holding back about what you can really do."

' _Reasons,'_ the guardian said.

"I'm getting to that," Lily retorted. "First, let's look at how it affects secrecy. Your mind-wiped No-scaled-not-prey are going to go back to the valley, probably. Then they'll start looking for us again. They could come right back down the shore and run into this island again, and you'll be back where you started, but without my pack since we'll be long gone. Killing them ends their threat without any chance of it coming back."

' _They are one limb of a larger pack,'_ the guardian reminded her in a far too patronizing tone. _'Cut off the paw, and the rest of the body will notice. This has already happened on a smaller scale with this very pack.'_

"But mind-wipe the paw and send them back, and they're liable to force you to kill them anyway, _or_ they'll bring the rest of the body with them in the search," Lily huffed. "Like I said, killing them now does not introduce any new threats, it simply cuts out a few steps and gives a better chance of it ending here and now." She hadn't anticipated the guardian's response, but thankfully it fell to her logic without any special effort to make it fit.

"So from your perspective, killing is either just as good, or better," Lily concluded, taking the lack of immediate retort as the guardian conceding the point. "Now, let's look at it from the perspective of my pack, which is easier. Killing them renders our old home viable again. Mind-wiping them ensures our old home is never safe."

' _The paw brings the attention of the body,'_ the guardian reminded her. _'Your valley will always be a risky venture. One might say that letting it remain obviously unsafe would make leaving it behind a simpler decision.'_

Lily had considered that too; all in all, she felt better about the safety of her pack if they found a place in the underground realm. She _wanted_ to go back to the valley, but that was an emotional want, not a practical one. From a purely tactical perspective, however, opening up more options was better. There was a chance they would go down into this underground realm, not like it, and find themselves coming back up, still homeless. If Grimmel's forces were dead and gone, they could possibly reclaim the valley once more as the best of their remaining options.

"I'd rather have the valley as a potentially safe backup plan," Lily said, summarizing her thoughts on the matter. "Making it _less_ risky for the future is worth the tradeoff of abandoning it outright being a slightly harder decision. That's no tradeoff at all, really."

Again, the guardian was silent. Lily got the distinct impression that she was winning this debate, which wasn't really a surprise. She had thought about it beforepaw, for one thing, worked over all the arguments in her mind.

"And that brings us to the third viewpoint," she said. "That of the dark wings, and more broadly, of all other dragons living under the sky. This group of No-scaled-not-prey kills nests, and the leader wants dark wings dead with a passion. Mind-wiping them does not stop them from going elsewhere and slaughtering. It also does not stop them from hunting my friends in the dark wing family, should they return to their home above ground. Killing them permanently removes or at least weakens their ability to leave ruin in their wake." This was the point she had not at first considered, and it was a big one.

"Well?" She waited for a few heartbeats, but there was no response. "What about that?"

' _It could be seen as a valid reason,'_ the guardian conceded, her every word reluctant. _'But that is not within my control.'_

"Well, I like the dark wings I know, so it is my concern," Lily huffed. "Especially since all the risk associated with killing them is _also_ associated with mind-wiping them. There's no additional risk between the two, just an afternoon of bloody work." She was reminded of asking for volunteers to kill Claw; she would do the same on a larger scale for this. Some of her people might be bothered by slaughtering mentally incapacitated enemies, and she wouldn't force anyone to do it-

' _It makes sense from your point of view to choose to kill, but it does not align with my morals,'_ the guardian said.

"Well, you said we could do the dirty work ourselves," Lily reminded her. "So you do what's morally right to you and mind-wipe them, and try to look away while we finish the job." That was the smart way to do it anyway, just in case one or two somehow avoided being killed.

' _I had hoped you would come to the realization that killing them all while helpless was wrong,'_ the guardian sighed.

"Sorry, that doesn't even make sense," Lily snorted. "Killing is killing, and _they_ came _here_ with the intent to slaughter us. How fair or unfair the fight is doesn't make a bit of difference. Especially since one of their many advantages is little claws that can put us to sleep. This is _exactly_ what they want to do to us, just reversed and done more efficiently."

' _The enemy stooping to low levels does not make it right to do the same,'_ the guardian said.

"I don't agree with that," Lily growled. "But even if I did, I wouldn't let it stop me. Even if I thought this was morally wrong, I would still do it. It's the _smart_ choice."

' _There, we share a common mentality,'_ the guardian sighed. _'A capacity for hypocrisy when it suits us. You will not slaughter them.'_

There had been no special force behind the guardian's last words, Lily didn't _think_ she was being controlled, but what those words meant could not be denied or misinterpreted. "You will force us to let them live," she growled.

' _In the end, it is my choice, because I am the only one with the power to enforce a decision if need be,'_ the guardian said coldly. _'If your people begin to slaughter the No-scaled-not-prey, I will stop them. Do not make me take action.'_

"You've already taken action by saying you'll do that," Lily growled. "So the whole thing about letting me choose was a farce?" She wanted to snarl and roar, but she held herself to nothing more than an angry growl. She was far too used to dealing with a being who held all the power, and those long-dormant instincts told her to back down and not provoke anything more.

' _It is not a farce to allow a fledgling to think over a problem, hoping they come to the correct answer,'_ the guardian sighed. _'Or the outcome one would prefer. I never meant to let you kill them, one way or another. It is not my way.'_

"I hope they do come back, once we've helped you mind-wipe them," Lily growled, intentionally implying she was still going to go along with the plan. As much as she hated being overruled, hated how it made her feel like she was back under Claw, this outcome wasn't _bad_ for her pack. Just sub-optimal. "It would serve you right to be forced to kill them all anyway."

' _It would not be the first time a decision made as best as possible at the time turned out to be cruel folly in retrospect,'_ the guardian admitted in a low tone. _'But this time I will stick to my morals. There will be no slaughter. The way your people have been operating up to now is sufficient. Continue with your plan, and you will be allowed into the underground realm when all is said and done.'_

"I'll do it," Lily said. "Count yourself lucky I'm used to working under tyrants who have far too much power." She didn't like it, but she could do it. Thankfully, this time she wouldn't have to overthrow the tyrant in question, just finish the task and leave their domain.

There was no response to her parting jab, so she shook herself, blinked, and generally knocked her mind back into the real world, then began the long, solitary climb out of the pit. As angry as she was, there was nothing she could do about it.

O-O-O-O-O

That night, clouds moved across the sky and unceremoniously dumped freezing water all over the island. It was not quite cold enough for the rain to be snow, though Lily wouldn't be surprised if that changed as the night went on.

The unending torrent of rain lashed at the trees in front of her, and she let her eyes drift half-shut, hoping the noise would soothe her to sleep. It was night, and she was _supposed_ to be getting good, necessary rest. Not lying awkwardly on top of Pina and Dew, squished into one of the smaller sleeping caves in the only way that kept her back from being mercilessly crushed. She longed for her cave, for space to move and shift in her sleep, to curl her tail without worrying about thumping someone hard enough to wake them.

Worry about waking or otherwise inconveniencing the others wasn't the _only_ thing keeping her awake; Pina and Dew had all but demanded she share their cave, and she had managed to get some sleep - light, less restful than she was used to, but enough - in the nights prior to this one. Nor was it the rain; she didn't like the noise, it would make someone sneaking around almost impossible to hear coming, but she could hear the staccato rhythm, and suspected she would hear it changing if someone came up to the mouth of their shallow cave, raindrops plinking off of scales instead of splashing down into wet grass and mud…

No, none of that was keeping her from sleep. She didn't know what _was_ , much to her frustration. Only that she was no closer to sleep, for all that she had lain still for what felt like half the night already. If it wasn't raining, she would have long since gotten up and gone for a walk.

If she wasn't trying to keep her relationship with Beryl a secret, she _definitely_ would have gone to him by now. She never had any trouble sleeping with him, afterward. Maybe some of the tension gripping her muscles would go away, too. And he would definitely enjoy it…

She couldn't go to him. It was cold and wet, and his family would almost certainly notice if she tried to retrieve him from their little snow cave. They didn't even have anywhere to go if she could extricate him without drawing attention, not so much as an overhang to take shelter under.

All she could do was think… about him, since she wasn't getting any sleep anyway, but nothing too interesting. The warm draft coming up from deeper in the cave would amplify any scents she put out, and the two females under her would almost certainly notice. Fantasizing, or even just reminiscing, was downright inappropriate at the moment.

Still, she found her thoughts drifting to his chest, the muscles that rippled whenever he flexed-

' _Lily.'_

The urge to shriek, bolt upright, and subsequently maul an obnoxious, mind-intruding dragon rose within her, the flames of her indignation flamed by her surprise and sudden worry about her thoughts being plucked right from her mind. None of those reactions would get her anything but a headache - the ceiling of the cave was scarcely a paw's width above her head - and startled light wings, so she drove all of that energy into slipping out into the rain, restraining herself from doing anything that would wake Pina or Dew.

"What?" she snapped in a low tone.

' _Four ships just entered my range,'_ the guardian said, her voice no less strong or clear for coming to Lily away from the boiling pool. _'Each has one light wing aboard, restrained. They meant to stop nearby for the night, and I have kept my influence back, to give no hint as to what is coming.'_

"Prisoners," Lily growled, shaking off her pointless anger and replacing it with determination. "When my forces go in, you'll hit them all with the same confusion as before?"

' _Of course,'_ the guardian said calmly.

"Then get ready," Lily said, preparing to roar and summon her people. "We're not waiting until morning."

O-O-O-O-O

The night remained miserable as Lily woke light wings, called in late-night patrols, and arranged the attack. The rain seemed determined to make her suffer every step of the way, and when everyone had finally set off to attack the ships, it was only a sense of duty, of responsibility, that kept her from returning to the warm, dry caves to escape the relentless torrent.

Said sense of duty only drove her to the edge of the trees, though. She huddled next to one, feeling miserable for more reasons than one. If she was lucky, all she would see was a few explosions, all from her own people, but she would watch for those. Alone.

' _I have begun,'_ the guardian said in her mind with no warning whatsoever.

"That's good," Lily said tonelessly, wondering why the guardian was being so talkative. She suspected that she was being more closely dealt with, after having the law laid out to her so bluntly. Watched, her thoughts monitored, probably, though the guardian would deny that.

' _I could show you what is happening,'_ the guardian offered. _'Allow you to watch through the eyes of one of your people.'_

"Not interested," Lily said firmly, only letting herself consider the benefits for a moment before squashing them with the negatives. Not only would she be letting the guardian mess with her mind, she would be letting it happen to one of her fledglings, too. Neither was acceptable. "I don't want you in my mind or the minds of mine any more than absolutely necessary."

' _It would help you plan,'_ the guardian wheedled. Lily got the distinct impression that she was being tempted. Possibly because the guardian knew she wasn't happy about being dictated to. _'Passing memories to you would be simple, barely an intrusion at all. You would simply see and hear from the perspective of another, delayed by a few heartbeats.'_

"Even if I was okay with that on my end, I'm not doing it to any of my people," Lily huffed. She couldn't deny that she _was_ tempted now; it wasn't like the guardian hadn't already messed with her mind, and it wasn't like she could resist mental intrusions later if she was stubborn now. As far as she knew, there was no tricky condition to the guardian's power, just unfair, unfettered control.

' _One of the Deathgrippers currently guarding one of the prisoners?'_ the guardian offered. _'To see the attack from the perspective of your enemy would help you adjust the details, not rely on second-mind accounts told in retrospect…'_

"Only memories passed to me, no messing with my head in any other way?" She knew she was giving in to temptation, but conceding and taking the peace offering, or consolation prize, or whatever the guardian meant it as, couldn't really _hurt_ her, not in any way she wasn't already vulnerable to just by being on this island.

' _It is not a simple matter, but fully within my abilities,'_ the guardian assured her. _'Would you like to see?'_

Lily squinted out at the torrential downpour. She couldn't even see the ships from where she stood, though the flashes of shots would be visible… and mostly worthless compared to what she was being offered. "Okay, let me see," she conceded with a huff.

She had been expecting some sort of change in her vision, like her eyes were suddenly elsewhere. What she got instead was altogether different, and so subtle she didn't even notice it for a few heartbeats. It was only when she tried to think back that it hit her.

She remembered standing by a tree, in the rain, talking to the guardian. But at the same time, she remembered standing under the rain in a different place, the claws she didn't have digging into wooden planks, dull aches on her neck but nowhere else, a No-scaled-not-prey in front of her, small fires blazing…

It was like thinking back to something _she_ had done, experienced, lived through and now remembered. She was still standing in the forest, still aware, just like she would be had the guardian never done anything for her, but she was remembering something that was happening now, or as close to now as to make no difference.

The memory didn't end there, but she couldn't remember what happened next, not at any speed faster than life actually moved, which made sense; her memory wasn't hers, it wasn't over, there was no end to recall yet.

Focusing on the present moment, the feelings and details, worked much better, and she found her 'memory' moving forward of its own accord. The ship rocked, rain puddled on her angular, large body, and the flames carried by No-scaled-not-prey and stuck in various places flickered fitfully.

The No-scaled-not-prey moved slowly, some stumbling to a halt and some acting as if they were walking in their sleep. In her memory, she shifted her head, moving far too fluidly, surveying all that could be seen. She wasn't concerned, wasn't… anything. She couldn't remember any emotion, any thought, though she didn't know if that was because the Deathgripper wasn't thinking, the thoughts not transferring over, the guardian not giving her that part, or even the guardian not _letting_ the Deathgripper think while it was under control. A thousand distinct possibilities came to mind, and she was almost overwhelmed by the sheer _power_ of what could be done with an ability like this.

A scrap of white scale peeking out from an array of wood and stone near the front of the ship pulled her out of her distinctly envious thoughts. There was a light wing stuck standing up near the very front of the ship, wings held down and tail trapped on the deck, wood and stone intermingled to hold things down and up and in place.

The urge came to Lily to call out, to reassure the light wing she could barely make out under all of the restraints, but it wasn't possible, and she knew so instinctively. This was a _memory_ ; she was not in control of anything, and it had already happened. She was not directing another body around like an extension of her own, she was just remembering what had already happened.

Thankfully, her trapped fledgling, whoever they were, wouldn't be trapped for much longer. There was a thump on the wood near her, one that would have had half the No-scaled-not-prey suspicious if they were fully aware, and then lots of fire. Flames and invisible claws rent the structure holding the prisoner in place, pulling it apart quickly but methodically.

Several of the No-scaled-not-prey were trying to stagger over to the obvious disturbance, but Lily felt no worry. She doubted she would have worried even if she was physically present and watching with her own eyes, but the sensation of remembering added its own distance. Things were far away and already over with, she had no ability to affect the outcome-

She remembered moving, remembered the Deathgripper shifting away from flames growing on the deck, coils of dried-out vines catching fire as more and more light wings dropped to the deck. Her - no, the Deathgripper's, for all that it felt there was no difference - wings spread, and her viewpoint was in the air, flying hard, circling around to get an aerial view of all the ships, not just the one they had started with.

It was the second time in more than five season-cycles that Lily had experienced being in the air, and she closed her _real_ eyes to focus entirely on this stolen memory. It lacked the grounding displeasure of relying on another to fly for her, but it also lacked the immediacy, the _experience_. It was just a very, very clear memory of something she hadn't done under her own power for far too long.

Even a perfectly clear memory was captivating, given her lack of enjoyable alternatives. She had to force herself to focus on what she remembered seeing, not what she felt or heard or even tasted.

The battle below, if such a one-sided affair could even be called a battle, was going without a single flaw. The ships were being damaged to make their presence known, another Deathgripper was flying away, docile and thus definitely under control, and the prisoners were being helped into the sky.

If that were all that was meant to happen, Lily might have asked the guardian to stop giving her the memories, but there was one more thing to witness, the most risky part of the next stage of her plan, and it wouldn't happen until the very end of the encounter, so she said nothing.

Fires on the ships grew and in some cases were smothered. No-scaled-not-prey tottered around, a few falling right over the sides in their debilitating disorientation. False claw throwers and other, more complicated contraptions were destroyed wherever they were found. Camouflage wore off, and white bodies reflected firelight.

A single dark wing flew over, his golden hue muted by the rainy night and lack of light to illuminate him. Spark landed on one of the ships, wandered around a bit, creeping menacingly in front of the No-scaled-not-prey, and then went to the next.

The plan, Lily reflected, was one of intimidation and deception. Grimmel had to be drawn in and wary at the same time, with the former just barely overpowering the latter. He also had to be given enough clues to come to his own conclusions about what was happening. The wrong conclusions.

The No-scaled-not-prey began acting with more purpose, their individual movements still sloppy and slow, but all aimed toward a common goal. Her fledglings all abandoned the ships, their work done, and the ships began turning around under whatever complicated way ships usually maneuvered. Lily didn't know how it worked, though these ships at least had the tall protrusions Beryl had likened to wings, giving her some glimmer of comprehension. Those without their false wings were complete mysteries to her.

The ships turned, headed back the way they had come, and she remembered flying up, high above it all. Her fledglings all assembled into a close formation, badgered into line by Cara and a few others, and Spark tentatively flew into place in front of them.

Spark had been the best choice for what would be coming next; Grimmel had never seen him, he was a dark wing, and his coloration was unique enough that it would make the intended leaps of logic easier for Grimmel and the No-scaled-not-prey to make. There was no real correlation between what one looked like and what one could do…

Faint yells rose from the ships, and the No-scaled-not-prey burst into a flurry of frantic motion, running around, smothering flames, and, Lily assumed, generally freaking out. They had left the guardian's range.

Spark fired a shot that exploded in the air, drawing attention to himself, and roared powerfully, immensely so for one who was normally so timid. The light wings behind him remained silent, flanking him in the air but not adding their voices to the noise. They weren't meant to be intimidating on their own, they were meant to imply something to all who were watching and grasping for answers.

There was no way to know right away whether the right conclusions were being leapt to in the minds of those No-scaled-not-prey, but Lily felt good about the chances. Grimmel was obsessed with dark wings in particular, and when word of confusion, scattered memories of a golden dark wing, and then a recounting of this moment all made their way to him?

Lily knew what _she_ would have thought, were she in his place and blind to her opponent's intelligence. The appearance of a new dark wing, one that _appeared_ to be in charge of the pack, one that was golden and appeared at the same time as all of the _other_ mental problems and redirections Grimmel had to be aware of… It all pointed to Spark being the cause, the source, the one who needed to be killed.

And of course, that was totally wrong in every respect.

The memory ended, though it took Lily a few long moments to notice that she had stalled on that last moment, going over it repeatedly without being able to remember what came next.

She opened her eyes and shuddered, suddenly struck by just how _powerless_ she was compared to the guardian. The ability to take memories and give them to other people _on its own_ would have been ridiculously useful in her paws - or mind, as it were - and it was just one aspect of what the guardian could do. One small, probably only rarely used aspect.

' _I will remove that memory now,'_ the guardian said. _'It is not good to have two different memories covering the same time. It likely would not do anything to you, it is just one contradiction, but you may wish to do this again next time.'_

"I probably would want to," Lily agreed carefully. The guardian had been sly, warning her and promising her more in the same statement, and she wasn't going to leap into doing this more often. Neither would she immediately say no; it was far too useful to dismiss outright. In any case, she didn't see a reason to keep this particular memory. Nothing particularly useful or important had come up, and especially nothing her fledglings could not tell her about later.

Just like that, with no further warning, it was gone. Lily remembered _thinking_ about what she had seen, or heard, or felt, she knew what she had thought, but the memory itself was gone, leaving her alone in the rain by a tree. For all she knew, she had momentarily gone insane and hallucinated the entire thing.

Though the six light wings gliding in to land on the sand, two easily and four awkwardly, was pretty good proof that she hadn't hallucinated all of it. Not to mention being on the island of a mind-manipulating guardian; Lily wasn't inclined to trust _any_ explanation of oddness that didn't take that into account, and it didn't seem likely that she would start hallucinating now, of all times.

There was no headache pounding away behind her forehead, but she felt like there really should have been. Just _not_ thinking about it all seemed like the smart move, and she had people to greet.

She stepped out into the driving rain, which had only let up a little since she had left the cave, and approached the light wings, straining to make out who was who. The two who had flown easily hadn't been prisoners, so she didn't bother trying to identify them. The one currently digging her paws into the sand for something was a lone female, and the two huddling together were a mated pair Lily knew vaguely-

The last of the four was demanding something. "Root, where is Root? He is here?"

"He's here," Lily called out. "Safely asleep, I'd imagine." Or out with Storm somewhere; that seemed like the sort of thing Storm would do, going out in her namesake in search of privacy. She hoped she wouldn't have to find them and interrupt something-

"Take me to him!" Whirl all but screeched, loping awkwardly toward her. There were welts across her face and marks on her paws that were so dark Lily could see them from a distance, but she ran anyway.

"Right away," Lily agreed, stepping aside just in case Whirl didn't feel like stopping. "Follow me." She really hoped Root was sound asleep in the ice cave, not off somewhere in the night. "Everyone follow me!" she called out, hoping to get a rundown of what her newly rescued fledglings knew while they walked.

O-O-O-O-O

"It is far, far too late for this," Storm grumbled. "And he is too old for it, too."

Lily eyed the retreating figures of Root and Whirl, the former all but supporting the latter, and very insistently guiding her away from the snow cave. "Too old to console his Dam?" she asked.

"Too old for her to cling to like he's a fledgling," Storm clarified.

"Ignore her," Thunder grumbled, shaking his wings out and splattering rain everywhere. "She is grumpy this early in the morning."

"And later in the morning," Lightning agreed. "And in the day. And at night."

"Is this morning?" Beryl asked, yawning as he spoke. "I guess there is no point going back to sleep."

"If you're not sleeping, I could use some perspective," Lily quickly suggested. "Some of the things Whirl and the others said make no sense to me."

"Let's find somewhere that's not soaking wet, and not keeping sleepy dark wings up," Beryl rumbled, walking away from everything, out toward the empty forest. "Both are bad for our health."

"Lead on," Lily murmured, following behind him. Louder, she said, "We recovered four of my pack, one from each ship. They were kept at the very front of each ship, and they all said they were being watched."

"Watched more than the normal 'keeping an eye on dangerous prisoners?'" Beryl rumbled, slowing to let her catch up. She traded the sight of rain running down his muscular form for the much more innocent-looking attraction of walking close beside him. Not too close, but closer than normal; the rain offered the perfect excuse. His wing over her back was a welcome relief, and a polite one nobody would think twice about.

"Definitely more than normal," Lily confirmed. She hadn't witnessed it for herself, the No-scaled-not-prey weren't doing it when she got a first-paw look, but all four light wings had been insistent that it was unusual. She was inclined to believe them, too. "And it was already weird that they were up at the front of the ship instead of trapped somewhere deep inside and out of sight, so I'm inclined to agree that something more was going on."

"I've got an idea of what it might be, then," Beryl huffed. "One to each ship? Restrained at the front, facing forward? Being watched while the ships search for something they can't find?"

"Yes. Is this supposed to remind me of something?" Lily asked.

"No, but it definitely reminds _me_ ," Beryl said solemnly. "I guess some ideas are pretty obvious to the right sorts of people. They were using Whirl and the others to try and find the island, on the assumption that whatever was stopping them wouldn't apply to light wings."

"Which was totally wrong," Lily hummed thoughtfully. "Why would they think that would work? For all they knew, Whirl had never even _been_ to the island. They don't even know there _is_ an island."

"It would have worked with a different kind of defense," Beryl said carefully. "It's worked before."

"But not here." She was tempted to follow up on that, since it seemed Beryl was referencing something specific, but it seemed like it bothered him. She knew how it felt to have bad memories and not want to relive them. With someone she didn't trust she would pry anyway, but this was Beryl, he would tell her if she needed to know.

"Not here, not when the guardian stops everything the moment they get close," Beryl confirmed. "Are all of the ships going to have captives, or was it just these four?"

"Whirl and the others have no idea what happened to anyone else who was captured," Lily said with a grimace. That was possibly the worst thing she had learned from them in the short walk to the rest of the pack's resting places. "Flare, the others in his group, the stragglers from Mist's group… they don't know." One of the four had been from Mist's group, so they did know both unaccounted-for groups had run afoul of Grimmel, but that was about it. Whirl didn't even remember being caught, just waking up in a cell.

"So either there were no more captives, they've been killed, or they're being held separately," Beryl said sadly. "I hope they're alive… but Grimmel doesn't seem like the type to keep prisoners longer than he has use for them."

"Depends on what the use is," Lily argued, recalling her own captivity. "Hopefully something that'll last until they take the bait and all sail into the trap." And hopefully something that wasn't 'breed servants like the Deathgrippers', because that could cause all sorts of problems before they managed to rescue anyone.

"Look, the rain is stopping," Beryl rumbled. "This might actually end up being a nice day."

Lily eyed the many, many puddles littering the forest. "Nice but wet," she said. "Maybe slippery if it gets any colder." The temperature was just at that edge between freezing and not freezing, and she was a little curious to see what it would do with all the standing water the storm had left behind. Cold seasons in the valley tended to be far too cold to have anything but snow.

"Anything else you wanted my opinion on?" Beryl asked.

"Not at the moment," Lily said. She hadn't really gotten much from Whirl and the others, and the attack itself had gone perfectly. "I guess I am going to go get a little more sleep before the sun rises…"

"I had something else in mind," Beryl rumbled, looking around. "I think this is the place… yes, there's the three trees."

Lily watched, bemused, as Beryl walked up to three thick trees. "What is this?" She knew what she hoped it was, but she wasn't about to say it in case she was wrong.

"Clever beyond belief," Beryl said proudly, jamming his paw into the dirt. He lifted _up_ , and a big chunk of ground inexplicably came with his paw.

Lily stared at the _thing_ Beryl had lifted. It was made of sticks and copious amounts of what looked like dried seaweed all tangled together, with dirt and grass and what was basically the forest floor on top of it, the sticks and seaweed forming a platform for the rest to sit on top of. Underneath was a pit… filled with water.

Beryl followed her gaze and growled. "It's not supposed to be like that," he huffed, pushing the top of the hidden hole up until it rested against the trees. "I can get it out."

"I'm more interested in how you did the top," Lily said kindly, ignoring that he was currently pawing out far too little water to make any difference. It wasn't totally full, and if she had to guess she would say there was only enough water in the bottom to go to her chest, but that only made it harder for him to get any meaningful quantity out.

"Ember has been showing Thaw how to make things with stuff you can find lying around," Beryl rumbled absently. "We can't do as much as No-scaled-not-prey can, but there are some tricks. I got a game of hiding and hunting going with Thaw and Spark and some of Thaw's friends, then got Thaw thinking about hiding places. _He_ suggested making one."

"I'm impressed," Lily purred. They were as alone as they were ever going to get, the rain having dropped to a light shower but still effectively ensuring nobody else would want to go anywhere away from their warm shelters. It wasn't enough for her to feel safe jumping him in the open, but enough for her to talk freely. "And worried that even if you did get the water out, Thaw and his friends would be playing in this tomorrow."

"Not at this rate, anyway," Beryl huffed, stepping back. "They wouldn't want to jump in what's basically a mud pit… There are better mud pits elsewhere."

Then he purred smugly, his ears shooting up to obliterate the dejected look he had been casting at the pit. "But a mud pit isn't so bad."

Lily watched as Beryl leaned down and began flaming the standing water. Wisps of steam rose the other way, obscuring his head, and she heard a bubbling noise after a few moments. She knew what he was planning now… and she liked it. A lot.

"There," he panted, pulling back. "Four shots… One warm mud pit. Good enough." He leaped in and squirmed around, and when Lily approached the edge of the disguised hole, she saw him on his back. The warm water, and presumably mud under the surface, came up to his chest. "Feel like _relaxing_?" he asked roguishly, eyeing her with undisguised interest. "We've got time, the sun won't be up for a while yet."

Lily's way of responding to his invitation was to hop into the pit, dropping down on his chest, her back paws sinking into the mud to either side of him. _He_ sank a little too, the silty water on top of the mud rising up over his chest.

But he only sank a little. Confident he wasn't going to disappear under the water, she closed her eyes with a sigh to appreciate the warmth reaching up to her flanks, the firm hindquarters she was already gently kneading with her claws, his relaxing purr filling the small space… His tail squirmed like a snake in the mud and wound around hers, slinging warm, heavy wetness all over her, and she found she didn't mind _that_ at all. But she needed to do something first, so she slipped out of his grasp. "One moment," she purred, lifting her tail to feel around above.

The stick and seaweed bottom of their cover had a distinct feel, and she managed to pull it down without so much as looking up. She had spent far too long pretending she did not desire him to look away now, too long unable to stare at him and drink in his features, to gaze into his eyes in the dim light, his strange square pupils wide as he gazed back into hers… Why were his pupils square? She traced their outline with her gaze, wondering at them, marveling at their uniqueness, at _his_ uniqueness. Her impossibly perfect male…

Lily barely noticed the now closed cover was protecting her back from the light drizzle as she slowly lowered her tail from it. She only cared that they were now as private as they could be. Also soaked and muddy, but warm enough that it was pleasant, a new sensation, giving his scales new textures for her paws and tail to thoroughly explore, and she delighted in how she could feel the contours of his muscles by slowly rubbing her paws over his slick flanks.

Beneath her was warmer still, feeding her own warmth rising in her hindquarters. This was not how she usually built up that heat - they weren't in a position to do any of _that_ \- but tonight it was already almost unbearable, now that it had been promised, and she touched her nose to his and growled needily as she pressed herself against him. He growled a vehement agreement, and his hips shifted under her…

There wasn't much room in their little hidden pit, but it was more than enough for their purposes. Beryl moved slowly, and Lily matched his speed, savoring what they had been forced to avoid for the last few days, letting her thoughts and cares all fall away in favor of the moment… The perfect, uncomplicated moment.


	65. Irreplaceable

Lily panted hoarsely, coming down from the blissful height of enjoyment that was being with Beryl. There was sunlight shining through the cracks in the lid of their little hiding place, and she knew they had spent far too long together, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Not when spending the night with Beryl had meant waking up on top of him, nudging him awake, and indulging once more before anything else…

"Best way to start any day," she purred.

His response was to moan huskily, gradually relaxing the paws wrapped around her neck and the one hooked over the base of her tail. His heavy breaths played over her shoulder, though when he leaned back to look up at her, his eyes were bright and alert, for all that he had been sound asleep not that long ago. She felt as energetic as he looked; there was no better way to wake up quickly, either.

"If I had my way, we'd be here all day, too," she said, half serious. She would love for her most pressing concern to be finding out whether she could reliably make his back legs kick by rubbing her stomach on his, as she had discovered earlier.

"Someday," Beryl hummed wistfully, still panting. "But maybe in a dry hole when that day comes. I think my scales are getting soggy."

"Want me to get up?" Lily asked.

"No, but you probably should," he said ruefully, then leaned up to nuzzle her. "Check to make sure nobody is around."

"How romantic," Lily snorted, even as she was pushing herself up to lift the cover a bit and stick her head out. She had to stand on him to do it, but he probably didn't mind.

The forest, bathed in the light of early morning, was empty as far as she could tell. She hopped up and out of the pit, then dangled her tail for Beryl to pull himself up with if he needed it. A moment later, they were both out.

"If anyone asks, we were discussing tactics all night," she told him as he shook himself off. It was a struggle, putting herself back into the 'alpha' mindset, but she forced herself to think that way. They needed a cover, which she had just given him, and…

"And maybe also encourage your brother to abandon this hideout and make another, better one," she added, smelling their lingering scents coming from the hole. That wasn't going to go away any time soon.

"I'm going to go wash myself off in the ocean, and bring some seaweed back to overpower the smell," Beryl explained. "And yeah, definitely getting them to make another. I don't want my little brother playing in there."

"See you later?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Whenever I get the slightest excuse," Beryl promised, nuzzling her briefly before darting away. His entire backside was covered in mud, a fact made all the more obvious when he was facing away from her.

She wasn't exactly spotless, either, and was currently flaunting their activities for anyone who happened to get downwind. She looked down at her muddy paws and sighed. She would have to go to the ocean too, at a different spot along the shoreline to avoid being seen with him. Getting caught washing off would definitely lead to questions she would rather not answer…

But all the subterfuge in the world wouldn't make last night _not_ worth it. Even if it bit into her time as alpha. He was worth it.

O-O-O-O-O

It was four days before Grimmel's next attempted attack. Four days of constant, unending conflict resolution, conversation, and occasional spying, not to mention wondering whether her thoughts were being read or compromised by the unseen presence protecting them all. All leading to nothing of interest, of course; life was mostly uneventful for the light wings under her rule, and she had no way of knowing if the guardian was tampering with her mind.

Lily was surprised by just how _simple_ baiting Grimmel was in comparison to everything else she had to do as alpha. All she had to do was give orders, sit back, and watch as mostly-incapacitated No-scaled-not-prey saw what she wanted them to see. One mind against another, with no pretenses about what was at stake or who was in the right.

This time, Grimmel had sent a much larger contingent of ships; ten in all, three of them the ominous, stone-plated, smoke-belching kind. All were ready for a fight, or so she assumed. A small, clandestine force had failed, so he was seeing if an assault would yield different results.

In truth, it didn't matter how many ships he sent; the guardian may have said that No-scaled-not-prey were harder to affect, but that seemed to be a problem of fine control, not the basic way that left them stumbling around in a haze.

But Grimmel couldn't be allowed to guess that, not when it might dissuade him. Lily watched from the shore as the ships came closer than ever before without slowing or turning away. No light wing force had gone out to stop them yet; Cara was waiting for her signal, and the one who would provide that signal was beside Lily, waiting in turn for her word.

"Fly up and roar at them from a safe distance, like last time?" Spark asked.

Lily was sure she had told him the plan at least twice before now, but she answered without letting even a hint of irritation into her tone. "Yes. Then falter in the air a bit, make it look like you're tired. Come fly back to me and land on the shore, and your part will be done for the day."

"Just checking," Spark hummed. "Aven was telling me she does not know your plan, and I asked around and nobody does, so I wondered if you had changed it."

"No, I'm just telling the people who need to know." That group was small, only Cara, Mist, the dark wings, and a few others. She wasn't getting a big group of advisors like back in the valley, and she _certainly_ wasn't opening her planning sessions to the entire pack. They were safe, and she was handling the issue. That was all they needed to know. They couldn't complain and second-guess her master plan if they didn't know there was one.

' _The No-scaled-not-prey are all well within my range, and can see the island more clearly than any ever have,'_ the guardian said flatly, as always neglecting to give any warning before speaking. _'This is a risk.'_

"Spark, go," Lily said, waving a paw at the distant ships. Once the dark wing had taken off, she let an annoyed growl out. "If you were not willing to take this risk you wouldn't be doing it. Second-guessing me serves no purpose but to make me feel as though I am pushing you into things, and we both know you cannot be pushed into anything." She would _not_ be made the receiving end of any sort of guilt trip. If anything, she was going to do her best to turn that on the guardian. One of them had gone back on her word and threatened to mind-control the other, and it wasn't _her_.

' _It was an observation made for your benefit, to impress upon you my willingness to cooperate,'_ the guardian retorted.

"To soothe my hurt feelings after you made your will clear," Lily said sarcastically, kicking a small spray of sand out in front of her. "Don't worry, I've not forgotten which of us has all the power here."

' _I am nothing like the ones you have killed,'_ the guardian all but spat. If a mental voice could spit, that was. Lily wouldn't put it past the guardian to actually give her a memory of someone spitting if she wanted to, so she supposed she hadn't pushed her _too_ far… yet. Getting a genuinely angry reaction was something, though.

"No, they never possessed even a fragment of your power," Lily said dismissively, leaving unsaid that such power was the only thing separating the guardian from the likes of Claw and Ivy.

A single Deathgripper rose from the deck of one of the smoking ships, flying hurriedly out toward Spark. Spark slowed, apparently judging himself close enough to the oncoming fleet, and dropped into a slow glide forward.

Lily could only see his wings and tail from where she stood, so the first she knew of his roar was when she heard it, long and loud, rising and falling in a way she was almost certain was meant to imitate the guardian's signature noise. She hadn't told him to do that, but she liked the authenticity it added. His subsequent stumble midair was also convincing, though to her it looked a little too easy, too quickly recovered from.

' _My cue,'_ the guardian said, and the thrumming noise that accompanied her efforts began, rising from nothing all around Lily. It bothered her that she couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, but she knew better than to complain. Some things just weren't worth bringing up, and petty annoyance stemming from unsatisfied curiosity definitely counted as such.

Of more interest was the first barrage of light wing blasts coming from the empty air all around the ships, and the lone Deathgripper currently bucking its rider off. Lily almost felt sorry for that particular No-scaled-not-prey; they would be facing a long fall, their mind addled but not totally disabled, and at the end an impact just as deadly as falling on solid land.

Then she thought about what that No-scaled-not-prey and its brethren did to her people, and to any others they decided to attack, and she didn't feel sorry anymore. Even the Deathgripper currently bucking it off deserved more of her sympathy; at least said dragon was a mentally stunted servant, not an independant, willing participant in what Grimmel did.

Thought of Grimmel forcing Deathgrippers to serve him reminded her of something far more important. "Were there any light wing captives aboard?" she asked the empty air around her.

' _None this time,'_ the guardian replied.

"Pity," Lily huffed. She had plans for that, of course, it would have been stupid to assume Grimmel would send all of his captives in after the last four had been liberated without doing anything useful. But having every light wing still unaccounted for stuffed away in some dank trap at the bottom of one of the ships currently being assaulted would have been a huge weight off her shoulders. They were the last real concern, aside from her overall plan for Grimmel's forces… and the guardian's ultimatum about not killing, though that was not a problem so much as a frustration to be tolerated.

She turned away from the spectacle, and by extension Spark, who was getting close, and began walking back to the pit and her people. There was more to be done… Always more to be done. All she could hope was that the results of her next ploy wouldn't take too much time, so that she could sneak away with Beryl again soon.

O-O-O-O-O

"There's no overall plan yet, I'm dealing with them as they come," Lily said, lying so blatantly she almost expected to be called out, even though she was talking to a fledgling barely old enough to understand her. "Everyone will be safe." At least _that_ was true.

"But why?" the fledgling asked, his bright green eyes gazing up at her hopefully.

"Why will we be safe? Because everyone is brave and the guardian helps make the bad people stupid." Lily purred reassuringly. "Don't worry. Go play, listen to your Dam and Sire, and everything will be fine."

"Yes, alpha," the little male chirped, scampering away before she could correct him. Not that she felt the need to; back when she had taken over, she had avoided being called alpha because of the extremely negative connotations Claw had left the title with. Those had faded with time, or at least her dislike for the title had. She still hated Claw himself, but being called alpha was dissociated enough that it didn't bother her anymore.

In fact, being called alpha was _reassuring_ , now that she thought about it. It meant whoever was speaking was acknowledging her authority. That was why she insisted Holly and her sisters not call her anything else for the time being, to reinforce what she was to them.

Thought of Holly had her looking up from her place by the edge of the pit, but the other female was still absent. Not knowing where she was felt like an itch on her back, right under the scar where she couldn't scratch. She could be doing _anything_.

"You look like you want to bite someone," Crystal observed from nearby. Most of the pack was out enjoying the late afternoon sun either by the pit or the shore, and she was with Thunder and Lightning on a patch of grass that had somehow gone unclaimed until they arrived.

"I'd settle for having an eye on them," Lily said truthfully. "But barring that, I wouldn't _mind_ biting them."

"Is it Storm?" Crystal asked. "Her and Root's roaring woke me early today. I am almost certain she _tries_ to aggravate everyone whenever possible."

"That's just how she works," Lily said, feeling fairly confident in her assessment. Storm's reputation seemed mostly self-inflicted; she probably _could_ be less obnoxious if she cared enough to try.

"Yes, and I refuse to fall for it… but if a chance to annoy her back comes along, I plan to take it," Crystal said firmly.

"We could make that chance for you," Lightning offered slyly.

"It would be easy," Thunder agreed. "But it will get you into a running battle of wits, and that might not end so well."

"I can hold my own," Crystal snorted, apparently unbothered by the implications of her getting into any sort of fight with the female who had raised her children. Lily didn't think said children minded, so it was probably fine, but she definitely would have been more careful about that, were she in Crystal's place.

"You bet you can," Lightning rumbled sleepily. "We should make it fair… Thunder, go help Storm be annoying."

"You do it," Thunder shot back, rolling onto his back and letting out an obviously fake snore. "I am sleeping."

"No taking sides before there are sides to take," Crystal snorted.

"Probably best… we might need to all help Storm drive Whirl off soon…" Lightning looked over at her brother and copied him.

"Where _is_ Whirl?" Crystal asked, looking over at Lily. "I have not seen her all day."

"Scouting," Lily said simply. Whirl had all but demanded to be one of those sent out to look for the missing light wings, a group that of course included her mate. Lily had complied… by sending her with the group that was going to sit in the forest and wait to intercept anyone looking for the initial meeting point, like she and Beryl had been. She hadn't wanted Whirl anywhere near the _real_ scouting mission…

Who would hopefully be returning any time now. Given the time between Grimmel's attempted incursions, and how each one seemed to know something had happened to the last, they couldn't be that far away. Not for a flying light wing, anyway. She had sent them out to follow the latest repulsed attempt at an attack, camouflaged and wary. They would be fine. More so since they didn't have a worried, somewhat frantic Dam along looking for her mate.

"Not stuck on her darling overgrown hatchling who could not possibly have anything better to do than be coddled?" Thunder asked sarcastically. "Or so I hear."

"Apparently not," Lily said firmly. She wasn't about to laugh at mockery of one of her fledglings… even if it was somewhat amusing. Whirl could definitely stand to hang back and let her son breathe a little on a day-to-day basis.

Three light wings flew overhead, one roaring loudly, and Lily looked up, even though she knew they weren't the scouts she was waiting for. They had come from the wrong direction and weren't camouflaged-

But the larger patch of blurs passing in front of the sun was another matter entirely. Lily knew it was pure chance she had seen them, but she was still pleased with herself. She stood and shook herself, ignoring her back's constant aching in favor of ensuring she was fully awake. The sun did wonders for counteracting the chill of the season when one was sitting next to a huge pit emanating hot air to aid it.

Said hot air ruffled her tailfins as the camouflaged light wings dropped down, landing in front of her. "Lily, we are back," one of them barked.

"She knows that," Cara snorted from somewhere else in the group. There was a moment of shuffling noises, unseen paws moving to accommodate someone pushing their way up to the front of the group, if Lily had to guess.

"We have some good news and some bad," Cara said bluntly, her voice closer than before. "The good is that all the ships seem ready to move, and all are there. We think."

"The count is the same as it was before," added another voice that Lily was surprised to hear. She kept her surprise to herself, of course, and resolved to follow up on it after Cara's report.

"There were no traps or holding places on the shore where they have set up," Cara continued. "Nothing there at all, actually. Some trees were knocked down, but otherwise they were not leaving their ships."

"Which means that any prisoners they have will be on the ships, not left behind," Lily reasoned. It wasn't the outcome she had _hoped_ for; hypothetically, any light wing stuck in the ships would be fine once said ships were brought close to the island, but getting any other prisoners free proactively would have felt better. Safer.

"If anyone is left," Cara huffed.

"You did well," Lily hummed, choosing to ignore that particular bit of pessimism. Not that she disagreed; it was possible the rest of her fledglings were dead. It was also possible they were captives, though, and she could do something about that, so she was going to assume that was the case. "Go rest. I'll have need of you all soon enough. Except you, Silva."

"Yes, Lily?" Silva asked. The others departed, some walking away and others flying, leaving her.

"I don't remember you being one of those I sent out," Lily said calmly.

"I wanted something to do, and Cara said I could come along if I listened to her," Silva explained, not sounding at all guilty. "I thought since she was in charge, it was okay."

"It was," Lily conceded. She had cut back on Cara's responsibilities and by extension her authority, but picking who went with her on an important scouting mission was still allowed. "I am just surprised she chose to take you along at all, given how dangerous it could have been."

"I can handle myself," Silva huffed. "And some _real_ danger would have been a welcome change of pace."

"I didn't think you were the sort to chase danger," Lily hummed. She highly doubted Silva _was_ a thrill-seeker; there would have been signs of it before now.

"When I am fed up with trying to talk someone around and just want to claw at something, maybe," Silva said stubbornly.

"Diora?" Lily asked knowingly.

"Diora," Silva conceded. It sounded as if she had sat down. "Every conversation with her is the same thing. First it starts all nice, then it goes to pointing out what I have 'missed', then trying to get me to side with her against someone I care about, then acting all hurt and backtracking when I point it out… we cannot ever talk without it going that way! Every single time, she brings it back around to Pearl!"

"That sounds very frustrating," Lily hummed, looking around furtively. Aside from Crystal and her children, nobody was within easy hearing distance. She wasn't likely to get a better situation if she took Silva for a walk, what with the fledglings running around in the forest, so she didn't bother.

"It _is_ , it really is," Silva growled. "I cannot even talk with Pearl about it, because she will be so smug about how she _told_ me it would be this way. She was right, but I do not need it rubbed in my face."

Lily doubted Pearl would actually do that, but Silva obviously wanted to vent, not be contradicted, so she didn't object.

"And it is not just that Diora is trying to make me hate Pearl, or Herb or Thorn, or everyone I know," Silva continued angrily. "She _never_ admits anything is her fault. Not even something as tiny and unimportant as dropping a fish. Everything is the fault of someone else… probably Pearl. She _actually_ managed to turn her tripping on a stone into a talk about how Pearl was a terrible daughter."

"I totally get how you feel," Lily murmured. "Keep in mind, I've been dealing with her for as long as you've been alive."

"But she is not _your_ Dam," Silva said.

"Mine tried to kill me," Lily said bluntly. "It could be worse."

"It could, I get that," Silva conceded. It sounded as if she had already known about that, which was interesting given it had happened _after_ Pearl left, meaning one of Lily's fledglings had shared the story at some point…

"I think I am done with her," Silva continued. "If we leave, or if we stick with your pack, I do not want to deal with her anymore. Do you think you could make that happen?"

Lily squinted at the blurry form in front of her. She hadn't expected _that_. "After all this time, you want to give up?" she asked.

"After all this time, I am entirely certain there is no reason to keep trying," Silva countered. "I am not an idiot, I know I am just a way to hurt Pearl in her eyes. It is not like I do not have a perfectly good set of parents already."

"You do have that," Lily agreed. "I can tell Diora to not bother you, so long as you make it clear to her, personally, that you feel that way." That way, everyone would see what was going on, and Diora wouldn't be able to spin it in her favor.

"Thanks," Silva sighed. "Any advice on how to apologize to Pearl without getting told I should have listened?"

"Yes," Lily hummed. "Don't assume she's going to say that. Just go to her and tell her what you told me." Unless her friend had changed even more than it seemed, she wouldn't gloat, or anything like that. Pearl just wasn't that sort of person.

"Maybe you are right," Silva mumbled.

"You will not know until you try her advice," Crystal called out lazily.

"You were not supposed to be listening!" Silva barked.

"You know us, we are _always_ listening," Thunder retorted.

"And now I want to break something even more," Silva huffed. "Thank you, Lily. For listening. I did not mean to take up your time ranting about my problems."

"It was no problem," Lily hummed. It really hadn't been a problem; she would rather hear about Silva's issues now than when they all came to a head and started causing _real_ issues for the rest of the pack. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen now.

"Still, thank you anyway." The shimmering blur that was Silva departed, leaving Lily alone with-

"Alpha?" a light wing called out. "Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment," Lily replied, noticing that at least three other light wings were lingering nearby, waiting for her to be available. "What's on your mind?" She hadn't _planned_ to spend the rest of the day solving menial little problems her people brought to her, but it looked like that was what she would be doing. It was better than sitting around and waiting for Grimmel to make his next move, at least. Not _nearly_ as good as sneaking off with Beryl, though...

"Once we can leave-" he began, only to stop and wait until he was closer. "Once we can leave," he repeated, "once the No-scaled-not-prey are gone, are we going back to the valley?"

It wasn't the first time Lily had been asked something along those lines, but it _was_ the first time she felt comfortable giving a real answer. "No, it wouldn't be safe," she said gently. "We're going to find a new home, somewhere just as good, where the No-scaled-not-prey can't go."

"The place under the pit?" the male asked, gesturing a wing at the massive sinkhole.

"Yes, actually," Lily hummed.

"Holly told us all about it when we first got here," the male said, nodding his head. "That sounds like a good idea, if we cannot go back to the valley."

"It makes sense," Lily agreed, fighting to keep her happy, reassuring purr from turning into an annoyed snarl. Holly, _again_. Even if she had been helpful this time, inadvertently preparing the pack for the real plan, it had probably been self-serving when she'd actually done it. If Lily hadn't shown up in time, Holly had probably planned to take everyone underground with herself as alpha.

"Can I tell my mate?" the male asked. "Or is this a secret?"

Lily wanted to say that she certainly wouldn't be telling the male any major secret if she wanted it kept that way, but she knew that was just her annoyance at Holly redirecting itself. "You can tell anyone who asks," she said. "Spread the word, actually. There's no reason for people to wonder what we're doing next." The end of this stay on the guardian's island was drawing near, after all.

O-O-O-O-O

Clouds filled the sky, providing a grim grey backdrop to the approaching ships. Light wings lined the shore, dozens of them, all of those willing and able to fight, or fly as distractions.

Lily paced in front of them, meeting the eyes of each one as she walked. They were separated into groups of three, one leader and two followers. Every three groups had another leader to coordinate them. Then there were the dark wings, who were grouped up in a much less organized clump further down the shore. Beryl was talking to them; she'd found the time to pull him aside and give him the rundown of what she meant to say, and he was going to pass the word along. It wouldn't do to look like she was trying to claim authority over them.

Three more light wings, their camouflage already wearing off, landed nearby and rolled in a lingering pile of snow to drive it away completely. Aven and her two companions then ran up to Lily, panting heavily. "The missing ship is back where they were all waiting, it does not look like it is coming."

"Right, thank you Aven," Lily said curtly. "Tell the dark wings and then join the line." She was glad to know the whereabouts of the one ship that hadn't come with all the others, but that _did_ make all of this a little harder. She would have liked to have Ember, Herb, and Thorn along for the real fight, but they had already volunteered to deal with the missing ship if it showed itself. She trusted them to be able to handle themselves, Ember especially, outside of the guardian's influence.

"Yes, alpha," Aven barked. She darted away to pass on the message, and Lily continued her pacing. She met Crystal's eyes and purred at her, then moved on to Whirl, who looked unhappy, and then Pina, who was calm. The only people not present were either too young to be flying with the rest, or parents staying back. Lily had absolutely no intention of any of her people dying or even getting hurt today, but she would be a fool not to prepare for the worst anyway.

Aven's trio joined the line, and Beryl flicked his tail in Lily's direction, acknowledging that he had gotten the message. Lily nodded to him, then took a few steps back so she could look at everyone at once.

"You all likely know that we have been helping the guardian drive off the No-scaled-not-prey when they came close to the island," she announced. All eyes were already on her, so she continued without her usual wait for attention. "This wasn't necessary for safety, the guardian had it covered, we were doing it to let them know we're here, and that little probing attacks won't be enough."

Not that she had _told_ most of these light wings anything of the sort; the vast majority of her fledglings didn't know what she had been planning, they just followed orders. It was easier that way, now that everyone was used to being split into groups and put under someone's command. Less confusion and second-guessing everything. But most of them had probably worked out as much by now.

"We were up there, every attack up until this one, telling them a story, a lie," she continued, pacing once more, unable to stand still. "We were showing them that we were here, that we were responsible, that we were not strong enough to kill them, that a golden dark wing was in charge, responsible for the confusion."

There were a few laughs from her fledglings at that; everyone liked Spark, but he was the furthest thing from the powerful leader Lily was making him out to be.

"The more ships they sent, the longer the guardian waited before stopping them," Lily explained, "making it look like Spark was strong, but not strong enough. That enough force could break his defense and get to us."

"That is the story we have been telling them," she concluded. "And it is, of course, utterly false. None of it is true, but they believe it, or something close enough to it for our purposes. According to our scouts, those ships out there right now? That's _all_ of them. Exactly what we've been waiting for."

"They will come into the range of the guardian, expecting a fight." She shook her head, as if in dismay over how stupid the No-scaled-not-prey were. "We're going to lure them all close to the island, as close as we can. Take no risks, listen to those I've put above you, and pretend the Deathgrippers are dangerous. Their riders still are. Put up a fight, draw them close, act like you're defending the island." None of that was strictly necessary if all went well, but Lily was not about to depend on Grimmel swallowing the bait without noticing anything. They had to play out the charade he expected.

"What _are_ we doing?" Crystal asked, though she knew very well.

"Getting them close enough that the guardian can affect them all at once," Lily answered. "Bringing them onto the shores, just barely," because the guardian had said she would do her best work once they were on solid ground, "so the guardian can make them forget this island. Then we'll let them leave, and they won't come back."

' _There will be no slaughtering the No-scaled-not-prey, just bringing them in, ensuring all are brought to the shore, and then sending them away,'_ the guardian interjected.

"We're just here to be bait, and then to guide the two-legged idiots off the ships and back onto them again," Lily summarized, not quite sure whether her people could hear the guardian or whether the admonishment had been meant for her alone, given a lack of reaction. "Everyone understand?"

"Why do they need to be on the shore?" Aven asked curiously.

"So the guardian can do whatever it is she does with as little effort as possible," Lily replied. "I don't get it, and I don't really need to. She's given me her requirements to make this work, and I'm telling you what I know." She didn't hide the annoyance in her tone; her fledglings were more than welcome to know that she wasn't happy about having terms dictated to her.

"And what I know," she continued, "is that this isn't going to be a fight, or a slaughter, or anything like that. This is going to be a trick, a bloodless trick. I don't want to see a single one of you hurt. They think they're coming here for some big battle, but really they're coming here to be dealt with, the way you or I would deal with a fish that we're intent on eating. It's not going to be anything resembling a fair fight."

A ragged cheer went up at that declaration, and she let slip a proud purr. She was happy with that little inspirational speech; it had the right tone for all of this. None of this was going to be fair in the slightest; they had the biggest mental paw in existence, as far as she knew, and they were about to watch it squash their enemies, then help it clean up the mess. Metaphorically, of course; there wouldn't be an actual squashing. Even if she would have preferred one.

O-O-O-O-O

What felt like a short time later, but was actually about half the day, the complicated deceit Lily had designed was put into play. She stood on the shore, her eyes closed, and resisted the urge to lean on Beryl, who was there beside her.

"Describe it?" the _other_ male near her requested. "Or can the guardian let me see as well?"

' _It is no strain to let all three of you see, should you wish it,'_ the guardian hummed. _'I am not doing much else.'_

"That's why I stayed back," Beryl rumbled, casting Lily a knowing look, since Root wouldn't be able to see it. "If you can, let me see with whoever has the best view of it all at any given time."

' _And relay any of your comments to whoever you wish, yes, you have said,'_ the guardian said. _'This is not how I usually do things.'_

"Well, of course not," Lily said coldly. "You're used to being the one who calls the shots." She would have to be, having so much power and a duty to make her use it constantly. Acting as a mental go-between was probably a new experience.

"It makes sense, though," Root said quietly. "Being able to coordinate from afar, to see what is going on and pass messages instantly, that is a big deal. Since you cannot interfere immediately _anyway_ …"

' _You will get to see, and if there are adjustments that need to be made, I will pass the message along,'_ the guardian said with what Lily assumed was a mental sigh.

Lily held in a snort; she hadn't even _known_ Root had asked the guardian about passing messages until shortly after Storm had brought him to the shore, but she appreciated it, if only because it seemed to annoy the guardian. She didn't _anticipate_ needing to give any last-moment commands as the battle commenced, but it was a useful safeguard. Anything to make this even less fair for Grimmel.

' _You will be seeing things in a moment,'_ the guardian mentally huffed. _'Remember, there is a delay.'_

"Show me Storm's point of view," Root requested, settling down in the sand. His sightless face was pointed out to sea, slightly to the left of the approaching fleet.

Lily began to remember things that weren't happening, and knew it had begun. She hadn't requested any particular view from the guardian, but she knew she was remembering one of her attacking fledglings, flying in loose formation with two other camouflaged shapes. The wind in her warm scales was nostalgic, but she was used to the captivating quality of the memories now, and set those feelings aside easily enough.

The ships were approaching in two waves, moving along the water in ways reminiscent of how light wings flew together, at least to Lily. Two of the smoke-belching ones led the first wave's charge, a few more lingering behind, moving slower to match the wooden ships. Deathgrippers flew above the ships, waiting to engage in the air above their territory, floating and mobile though it was.

Lily didn't see the moment each Deathgripper passed into the guardian's range and was immediately taken over, and she didn't see the effects, though she knew it had to have happened by now. They continued to circle, their riders oblivious to the fact that their mounts were no longer on their side… and no longer under the control of their own simple, brutal minds. It would have been satisfying if she didn't know the same could be done to her on a whim.

Whether or not anyone aside from her fledglings knew it, the Deathgrippers were no longer anything more than a distraction.

"Any captives in the ships?" Beryl asked, his voice startling Lily. She was used to remembering things she had never experienced, but doing so while someone else was next to her was new.

' _None in the ships moving forward,'_ the guardian reported. _'Those hanging back are still outside my range. They need to be drawn in.'_

"Already planned for that," Lily murmured, remembering - in the real sense, recalling something she had actually done - her contingency plans for if some of the ships held back. The guardian wouldn't do much of anything until they were _all_ within range, and her people would do their best to bait the reluctant ones forward. There was no need to have the guardian convey additional instructions.

Lily had anticipated being immensely nervous, but to her surprise she was nothing of the sort, not even as the dark wings roared their defiance, drawing the attention of any No-scaled-not-prey who had somehow not noticed them until now. She wasn't nervous. This wasn't something to be nervous about.

Spark, a flash of gold even without the sun to reflect off his scales, roared loudly, multiple times. Nothing happened, of course, and that was the point. He drooped mid-air, acting as if he might fall then and there, then turned around. Lily recalled shifting up so that Spark wouldn't fly right into her as he retreated, his every movement _screeching_ failure for all to see.

Lily was yet again impressed by how good Spark was at playing his part, and she was going to tell him as much once this was over. She couldn't have asked for a better performance.

The golden dark wing who seemed to be responsible for the confusion had roared, failed to do anything, and then retreated. She had a pretty good idea of what that would do for the enemy's morale, and thus their willingness to push forward. It likely wouldn't be enough on its own, but as one more push in the right direction, it was perfect.

She remembered her camouflage wearing off, the warmth permeating her scales fading away. The same was happening to others all around her; they were flying high, in the middle of the cold season. Camouflage didn't last long at all under those conditions.

The Deathgrippers all moved, abandoning their places above the ships to engage, now that they could see an enemy. Lily noticed that some of the riders were flailing around, clearly distressed. They weren't expecting their mounts to take initiative.

Light wings to either side of her peeled off, groups of three engaging each of the Deathgrippers, flying around and picking off the riders with ease. Meanwhile, Lily's light wing bent into a dive, the wind whistling around her, and quickly cut the distance between herself and one of the lead vessels in half, pulling out just out of range of their rocks and nets and whatever else they were sending up.

There was more, memory of swooping down and firing and pulling up again, not doing much damage because of the distance and because she wasn't trying. Lily did her best to ignore it for a moment, looking out at the distant fight in real time. "Beryl, how's it going?" she asked.

' _Are you done observing?'_ the guardian asked.

"No, keep it going, just taking a break," Lily muttered. "Beryl?" she said again, poking him with her wing.

"That's-" Beryl barked, blinking rapidly. "That's something," he continued in a more normal tone of voice. "You want to know how it's going?"

"Yes, I do." She could have asked the guardian to show her the same thing she was showing Beryl, but there wasn't much point to that. Beryl was more than capable of telling her the important parts.

"Everything is going exactly as planned," Beryl said. "Nobody is getting close enough to be attacked from the ships, everyone is doing superficial damage and acting like they're trying to keep the ships away from the island, the Deathgrippers are faking it and losing like intended… I think the ships in the back are pulling anchor, they might be within range soon if they decide to move forward."

"They are, Storm can see them moving," Root chimed in. "Pulling up the heavy things and spreading the big wings, I mean. I think that means they are moving, but she is not staying in one place long enough for me to be sure."

"Does Storm know you're borrowing her memories?" Beryl asked dubiously.

"Just what she senses, it is not that bad," Root rumbled. "Besides, she can _see_. She would not mind."

' _The first of the backup group has entered my range,'_ the guardian announced.

Lily felt a rush of excitement. Just like that, the dangerous part of their plan was almost over. She went back to remembering the fight, forced her way past all of the time she had missed while talking to Beryl, and got to the current moment, or what passed for the current moment, just as a Deathgripper swiped at her head.

She remembered ducking and flying away, not bothering to engage the mind-controlled dragon, which was good. She got a quick look at the two lines of ships, then remembered flipping around to focus on one of the smaller ones in front.

The No-scaled-not-prey were enthusiastic about firing the moment she came anywhere close to being within reach. She dove and dodged just as enthusiastically, clearly not all that concerned with actually _doing_ anything to them. Just drawing their attention was enough.

In what felt like no time at all, she felt the memories cease. _'They are all within reach,'_ the guardian said. _'It is over.'_

"I was not done watching," Root grumbled.

"But I guess we know what's going to happen next," Beryl said, leaning toward Lily. "I really expected something to go wrong."

"I didn't," Lily murmured, looking out at the approaching ships and flashes of white flying around them. "This was never meant to be up to chance." The hard part was over, just like that.

O-O-O-O-O

Airlifting hundreds of No-scaled-not-prey, all of which were confused and slow but definitely still _trying_ to be hostile, was not a simple task. Herding them off their ships once they reached the island was the plan, but it relied on the ships actually making it there without any intelligent direction… Which, in retrospect, had been a mistake. A small one, but still a mistake.

Thankfully, Lily didn't have to figure out a solution. Beryl had come up with one almost as soon as they realized that the ships weren't going to go anywhere without intelligent No-scaled-not-prey keeping them working.

"Grab them by the shoulders, here and here," Beryl said, instructing a dozen light wings. The No-scaled-not-prey he was demonstrating with tried to swat at his paws, flailing with its grubby, blunt claws, and failed to so much as draw his attention. "They usually have false scales around here, so yank them around a little to make sure they're not going to slip the moment you pick them up."

Being shaken around made the already slow No-scaled-not-prey even slower and more confused.

"Then just take off!" he said, matching words with action and departing with the No-scaled-not-prey. The dozen light wings took off with him, following him out to one of the smaller ships. Another group passed them going the other way, each bearing their own unwilling passengers; he had given the same demonstration three times now, showing as many light wings as he felt comfortable while they tried it for themselves.

"Anywhere over here," Crystal called out, flying in front of the incoming group and leading them down to the shore. "Down, hold on to them, do not let them run off…"

Lily eyed the collection of light wings and clumsily flailing No-scaled-not-prey, watching for any issues. There were none, and each of the captives slumped in turn, their flat little faces going slack as the guardian reached out to them.

"Okay, that is all of them," Crystal said once the last one had fallen asleep. "Now put them over here, and go get more from the _same ship_." She was a veritable flurry of motion, directing the group of light wings as if their lives depended on getting it exactly right.

Another group flew in, and Holly was up in front of them, leading them off to another part of the shore. Several of the incoming group had no captives, and when Holly saw that, she waved her tail at Cara, who took off with three others to search the ship they had come from. The guardian could tell them whether there was anyone still on board… but the guardian wasn't able to say if there was anything non-living that they would want to see.

"Ember is back!" a female crowed. Lily turned around and saw Ember flying in from over the island. He made straight for her, dropping down with a muted thump.

"We sank the ship," he said bluntly. "But only after checking. There were no prisoners there."

"We've not found anyone either," Lily sighed. She hated what that probably meant, but she wasn't going to accept the outcome until someone found proof. Grimmel didn't seem like the kind of person to just throw away potential advantages, but at the same time she definitely thought him capable of slaughtering his prisoners if he didn't _see_ any reason to keep them alive… He certainly hadn't cared that much about keeping her alive when he had her captive.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ember said, bowing his head for a moment. Then he looked over at the activity on the shore beyond them both. "What's going on here?"

"We forgot the No-scaled-not-prey couldn't keep their ships going while tripping over their own paws," Lily explained. "It's under control."

"You're clearing them out, bringing them here, ship by ship…" Ember trailed off for a moment, observing the activity. Lily turned to look, and saw Beryl leading his group back, directing them to another patch of shore.

"Making sure to completely clear each ship, and then putting all of them back where you got them," Ember finished. "And then what?"

"Then, once they're all unable to remember any of this, the guardian goes back to just the normal amount of meddling, and they sail away without really thinking about any of it," Lily said. "Once they're out of range, it'll wear off, and they'll have no idea what happened."

"Clever, especially the organization involved," Ember said.

"Beryl's work, mostly," Lily admitted, hiding her pride and appreciation for him under a pretense of mild amusement. "He jumped in the moment we realized something needed to be done."

"He does that sometimes," Ember rumbled. "But other than that, this whole thing worked exactly according to plan?"

"Yes, it did," Lily confirmed.

"I'm not sure I believe that," Ember said solemnly.

"Well, I'm not lying to you, so…" She shrugged her wings, ignoring the pain in her back as was her habit, and gave him an unimpressed look. She didn't know what he was getting at, but he was either going to let it go or tell her.

"I mean…" He shrugged his wings right back at her. "Doesn't this seem too easy?"

"We tricked them into walking into a massive, unbeatable trap the size of an island plus a chunk of ocean," Lily said dryly. "I don't think any of this was _easy_ , our plan was just that good."

"It doesn't feel like it's over, is what I'm saying," Ember huffed. "I have no explanation for why I feel that way, I just do."

"You feel that way because it's _not_ over, it's just over for _us,_ " Lily guessed. "Because we're sending them back out into the world." He was right, if that was what he meant; it wasn't over. Someone else would be stuck dealing with this massive collection of ships and homicidal No-scaled-not-prey. Not the Deathgrippers, the guardian was keeping those, but everything else was just being sent away, not dealt with permanently.

"Yes, that's what it is," Ember agreed. "Probably. I still think I'm going to fly around and watch over everything for a while, though. Just in case something does go wrong."

"Be my guest," Lily said. "I'm going to-"

"Alpha, we found something!" Cara all but dropped out of the sky, landing so hard that sand sprayed away from her in all directions. "Something bad."

"Bad as in dangerous right now?" Lily demanded.

"No," Cara whined, shaking her head. "Bad as in… we are not sure, but we might have found Flare and the others."

"You're not sure?" she asked, her heart sinking like a stone. That _couldn't_ be good.

"You have to see it," Cara said quietly. "Can you have the guardian bring you out on a Deathgripper?"

"I can handle that," Ember offered.

"Yes, I'm coming, thank you Ember," Lily said. She had to see… if only to be sure.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily dug her claws into the wet wood of the ship, doing her best to ignore the constant movement. She didn't remember whether she had noticed or even _cared_ about the ground moving under her the last time she had been on one of these things, but she definitely noticed now.

The ship was empty and silent, being one of the first cleared of No-scaled-not-prey. It looked… strange, missing all of the moving parts and danger that it was supposed to have. Like an empty cave with drawings on the wall-

"Down here," Cara said, knocking a loose piece of wood aside and revealing a dark passageway down into the ship. She slipped into the opening, the tight wooden walls barely far apart enough to fit her, and Lily made herself follow, though part of her wanted to turn around and ask Ember to take her back to shore.

The smell of blood filled the air as Cara knocked another loose piece of wood aside at the bottom of the little passageway. She stepped out into a slightly more open space, then turned to look back. "Here," she said quietly, before moving to clear the way.

Lily squeezed past her, ignoring the unpleasant sensation of wood on her scales, and tried to make sense of what lay in the small chamber beyond her.

The room itself was familiar; it was just like the first place she had awoken after being taken captive, a long passage with bars, meant to hold prisoners and Deathgrippers. It wasn't currently holding anyone, of course. Instead, each separate space held folded white _things_ , flat and square, and pieces of-

Lily turned away before the image could be burned into her mind, but it was probably too late. The folded white things were scales but not just scales, skin too, and Pearl had told her about how Gold had died, and why. She knew what she had been brought to see, though she wasn't surprised Cara didn't entirely understand. She hadn't heard about Gold.

"How many?" she asked, her voice rough as she strained to keep her composure.

"If this is them… all of them." Cara growled, but it was a sickly, unsteady sound Lily knew was barely covering a whine. "Is it?"

"Has to be," Lily said. The scent of blood in the air was far too strong for her to smell anything else, let alone the usually subtle scents of a light wing, so she couldn't be sure… But there weren't any _other_ light wings around.

"It is not some sort of trick?" Cara asked. "White scales made with the white mud they used on the Deathgrippers?"

"It's not a trick, they have no reason to trick us," Lily sighed, turning to climb back up and out of the ship. She felt like the walls were slowly closing in around her. Even in what was supposed to be a bloodless victory, she had lost people. Flare, the rest of Mist's group, the rest of _Flare's_ group… all dead. Gone before she could do anything, captured and slaughtered, possibly before she even found out they were captives from Whirl.

"Let's just go," she huffed, addressing Ember as she pushed her way out of the wooden passage. The swinging bit of wood had swung closed again, so she shoved it out of the way, then sank her claws into it and tore it off entirely.

Ember said nothing, possibly because he could tell Lily didn't want to talk, and instead just tilted to one side to let her climb on. He was in the air before Cara even made it out of the ship.

"Even when we win, we lose," Lily muttered to herself. "Some of us lose." She was glad they would be going somewhere free from No-scaled-not-prey after this; she was sick of dealing with them, sick of _thinking_ about them. They could go be someone else's problem.

"Lily," Cara called out, catching up to them as they flew back toward the island. "Do you want me to tell Whirl, or…"

"If you feel up to it, you do it," Lily said brusquely. "Tell everyone who was missing a family member."

"I do not know who else-" Cara began.

"Ask Holly," Lily interrupted. She was sure Holly would know, if only because she always stuck her nose where it didn't belong. "Do it now."

"On it, alpha!" Cara barked, pushing ahead. She didn't have to fly very hard to do so; Ember wasn't all that fast in his Deathgripper form with her on his back. Soon it was just the two of them, flying and riding in silence.

A group of light wings passed them, several looking at Lily curiously as they went. They were going for more No-scaled-not-prey, and as Lily looked back, she saw they were headed for one of the big smoke-belching ships. Moving all of the No-scaled-not-prey individually was slow, but they were making progress.

Ember set down right by the tideline and immediately shifted back to his normal self once Lily got off. "I'm going to go check on Pearl and Thaw," he said before taking off again.

"You do that," Lily muttered, looking around for Beryl. She felt like talking to him, seeing him. He would help take her mind off the people who had relied on her and died for it-

Her gaze passed over the latest group of No-scaled-not-prey being held in place, but a shock of white fur drew her attention.

It was Grimmel, without the faintest shadow of a doubt. She stalked closer, eyeing the one who had hunted her and Beryl so fanatically.

He looked worse than the last time she had seen him; one of his limbs, the one that usually held a false claw of some sort, ended in a collection of complicated little bits that definitely was not normal. His eyes looked crazed even as he blinked repeatedly and swayed in place, held by Aven, of all people.

Lily turned to the side, keeping him in her peripheral vision. She made a point of studying the sand in front of her and _not_ thinking about Grimmel. Instead, she was thinking about that one ship with the separated body parts of her fledglings.

Destroying that ship wasn't what she was _supposed_ to do; the idea was to make as little an impact as possible, so the No-scaled-not-prey had a harder time realizing anything had happened. Something as obvious as destroying a ship would be noticed. Not remembered, but noticed. But she _wanted_ to destroy the ship.

She inhaled, contemplating blasting the sand to work out some of her anger. A blast began building up in the back of her throat and down in her chest.

She wanted to make sure that said ship never helped hunt her kind down again, or dark wings. Especially dark wings. The rest of the ships could and probably would go after dark wings if the chance presented itself, but that particular ship was fanatic about it. Destroying that ship would be useful, even if she couldn't destroy them all-

Before she could think any more about it, she whirled and spat out the shot she had been preparing, firing right toward Aven. Her body clenched and froze a heartbeat later, and she couldn't move, but it was too late.

Aven reeled back with a yelp as she was splattered with gore, and the light wings all around her shrieked, leaped away, and generally freaked out at the sudden explosion in their midst. Some of the No-scaled-not-prey they had been holding fell, others stumbled away. None of that mattered.

What mattered was the bloody, scorched splatter of meat and shiny things and wood that had been Grimmel. The lower half of his body was still there, but the upper half, the part Lily had aimed for in that brief moment, was totally gone.

She couldn't move, but she felt a vicious purr building up in her chest all the same, a feeling of immense satisfaction.

' _I said no killing,'_ the guardian growled at her. _'I said it, you agreed, and now you've done this…'_

Lily felt her neck and head loosen, which in itself was a disorienting sensation she would be freaking out about if she didn't have bigger things to worry about. "I did, and I'm still going to hold to that," she said as calmly as she could manage. "Carry on, everyone! Sorry about that!"

Aven stared at her, eyes wide. The rest of the light wings in her group were staring too.

"Keep moving," Lily said. "I was just getting rid of their leader."

"I thought we were not supposed to kill them?" Aven asked plaintively, breathing in short huffs and trembling from nose to tail. Her left ear was twitching, shaking off something unidentifiable that had landed on it, and she looked as if she was about to howl and flee as fast as she could run, or break down whining.

"That was the one that had a thing about hunting down dark wings," Lily said, explaining herself both for Aven and for the guardian still immobilising her from the neck down. She had taken her chance - barely thinking about it except under the guise of thinking about the ship, in case the guardian was looking at her thoughts - and now she had to hope that it wouldn't ruin everything.

"And the rest of them?" Aven asked in a quiet voice.

"Keep doing what you're doing," Lily told her. "I promise not to attack any of the rest."

' _You break your word,'_ the guardian growled.

"You said my people could kill in self-defense while this was going on," Lily muttered. "That one specifically would never have stopped hunting Beryl and I. I took his paw and the last thing he'll remember would involve my pack at the valley, he would put two and two together. It was self-defense, and only a single death at that. You've killed more today just counting the riders you helped throw off the Deathgrippers."

' _What pretty words you use to justify yourself,'_ the guardian growled. Despite her words, Lily was suddenly able to move again. _'No more. Give me no more reasons to say you have proved false.'_

"We're pretty much done here," Lily huffed. "I don't plan on it."

She waited for a while, watching as Aven went to the ocean and frantically rolled in the shallows, and the rest of the group caught their wayward No-scaled-not-prey and got on with the task at paw. The No-scaled-not-prey went limp just like before, and Lily assumed that meant the guardian was still participating.

"What just happened?" Beryl asked, coming up behind her. _He_ knew to shuffle a bit, enough to make noise and alert her to his presence well in advance, so she had known he was coming. "I heard a blast, but then everyone just kept going like nothing happened."

"I saw Grimmel and decided to make an exception to the general policy of not killing these worthless sacks of flesh," Lily said a little more viciously than she had intended. "We found Flare and the others. What was left of them."

"I see…" Beryl murmured, coming up beside her. He didn't touch her, they were under far too many eyes to do anything like that, but his presence was reassuring anyway. "Thanks for that. Is the guardian going to throw a fit about it?"

"She's not happy with me, but that's all," she said. "For now."

O-O-O-O-O

A long time later, well into the night, the ships were a series of oblong blots on the horizon, or had been when Lily finally turned away from the shore and headed back to the center of the island. Confused, leaderless blots with missing memories. That might not be enough to stop them from coming back, once they chose a new leader and tried to work out what had happened.

Lily was intent on _not_ being around if they did come back. She had fulfilled her end of the deal, if an ultimatum could even be considered a deal, and now she was going to move on before the guardian could decide to spite her and take it back.

"Fledglings, with your parents, stay on the ground, don't get too close to the edge," Holly was barking from somewhere nearby, trying to instill order in the chaos of the entire pack preparing to move on. Lily hadn't told her to do that, and didn't like that she was doing it… but there were more important things to deal with, and Holly wasn't the only one attempting to organize things, just the only one Lily hadn't asked to do so.

An argument broke out between four light wings nearby, but Mist leaped in - literally leaped, startling them into silence for a brief moment - and broke it up before Lily could even think about intervening.

Two dark wings pushed out of the milling crowd, orange and black. Lily beckoned to them, and they joined her on one of the boulders overlooking the pit.

"Any guesses as to how we're going to go down?" Beryl asked, stepping up beside her. "I think the big hole is a misdirection. There will be some tiny, nondescript cave somewhere on this island that actually leads down to this underground world."

"I think there will be some hole in the side of the pit that reveals itself," Ember rumbled. "But guessing is not why we're here."

"We're here to ask for the way to be opened, and to make sure everyone can go down," Lily huffed. The first part was likely, but both she and Ember had reason to wonder whether the guardian would let them through. Ember because of what he was, and her because of what she had done. The guardian had said nothing to her after their initial confrontation over it, but silence was not exactly acceptance. If she was going to be refused, it would be now.

And if she was refused, she wasn't sending _anyone_ down. They would just keep travelling, searching for somewhere new to live. They didn't _need_ to go down, it was just a somewhat more promising place to explore, being inherently free of the danger that had driven her pack to seek a new home in the first place.

If the guardian refused Ember, on the other paw… She didn't know what would happen then. Members of his family might come along anyway, for a time, or they might all refuse.

Thinking about what _might_ happen wasn't going to bring her any closer to finding out what the situation actually was, so she shook herself, tried to clear her mind of everything but her determination, and leaned out over the pit.

"The No-scaled-not-prey have been drawn in and dealt with," she proclaimed. The clamor of her fledglings behind her died away somewhat, though some people still spoke. Not everyone cared to see her making a speech, not when they probably wouldn't hear whatever response she got.

"It was said that we would all be allowed down into the realm you protect once this was so," she all but roared. "Where is the way down?"

' _You do not fear that your impulsive treachery would invalidate our deal?'_ the guardian asked coldly.

"I killed one No-scaled-not-prey," Lily muttered under her breath. "My people killed more in self-defense on any of the attacks you aided. It was proactive self-defense."

' _I'm sure you don't really believe that,'_ the guardian growled, the ground rumbling with her as she spoke. _'But I am not about to punish the many for the act of one. You all may pass.'_

"No tricks, no special conditions, no things we would want to know now, rather than when they come back to bite us?" Beryl demanded, cluing Lily in to the fact that he could hear the guardian too. Judging by the complete silence behind her, _everyone_ could. That was… potentially inconvenient.

' _Nothing major, young alpha-to-be,'_ the guardian promised. _'Any who live close to my range may be called on to defend this island, but you all seem unlikely to linger. Be wary of the deepest depths, for they harbor much that is dangerous, and be aware that there are other guardians, other places to enter and leave. I will not help you once you leave, and I will not hinder you. Not even your Sire who is so dangerous.'_

"And we appreciate that," Ember rumbled. "My family may very well come back this way at some point. Will we receive passage back to the surface if we do?"

' _So long as you and your son harbor no thoughts of violating the secrecy of my realm, you will be allowed to go,'_ the guardian assured him.

Lily let out a hidden sigh of relief. No danger of Beryl's family deciding to remain above, then. They would continue travelling with her pack. That was one potential headache, or maybe heartache, done away with before it could happen.

' _Any other questions?'_ the guardian asked, her voice clear and kind. Lily didn't think said voice had ever sounded so approachable and welcoming for _her_.

"Where are we going?" someone called out. Lily thought it was Aven, but she wasn't sure.

' _Down,'_ the guardian rumbled. The entire island was shaking again, more than before-

Lily stumbled backward, away from the edge of the pit, before the shaking could knock her off balance. Rocks were tumbling down inside, dropping into the boiling pool. It felt like an earthquake, or what Pyre had described one as being like, and she had to wonder whether he knew what it was like because he had been here, felt this same thing.

It wasn't just the little rocks dropping off, either. She could see the far side of the interior of the pit, and the actual _walls_ of the depression were shifting, sliding along, rocks that shouldn't have been connected moving together without breaking, cracks forming at angles but otherwise nothing shattering.

"Scales," Beryl breathed, just as the stone Lily was watching slid away completely, revealing a hollow depression in the side of the pit, one big enough to fit her entire pack, draped in deep shadows.

Something was rising from the center of the pit, dripping boiling water, a pillar of stone growing out of the ground. It stank so badly Lily could smell it from where she stood when the wind changed, and she resisted the urge to step back again. Something was bothering her, entirely apart from the sheer impossibility of what she was witnessing, a bit of confusion that wasn't resolving itself.

The pillar, maybe a quarter the diameter of the pit it was rising from, rose to level with her, with the ground, and kept going. It was slowly turning, chunks dropping off-

A slab of granite thicker than Lily's body dropped off, and underneath was a pale, cracked stone. That stone flicked to the side, moving of its own accord, and a milky white eye bigger than her entire body stared right at her. Blood veins large enough to see in uncomfortable detail crossed the corners of the elliptical eye like draped spiderwebs, giving it a very unsettling look entirely independent of its size.

' _The way is open,'_ the guardian in front of her growled, the ground shaking as the massive dragon reared upright in the pit.

Lily leaned forward, daring to look down. The guardian's body was straight and bore no wings, no limbs of any kind that she could see, like an enormous snake. Rocks crumbled with every twitch, and the boiling pool itself was entirely gone, making way for the massive body to stand out of it.

She glanced back up at the very top of the guardian, and with a moment's search, spotted her nostrils. They flared, letting out air so hot she could see it shimmering; not smoke, just pure heat.

The guardian had stopped once roughly level with Lily and the ground, and now stood motionless, save for the white eye twitching every so often. Where its body had once lay hidden, a sloping path wound down the interior of the pit for a ways, and then disappeared, leading into the rock at a steep slope that looked walkable, if barely. The way down.

"There will be food and water down there, right?" Ember asked, seemingly nonplussed by the spectacle in front of him.

' _Enough so long as your people do not linger,'_ the guardian confirmed. There was no visual sign of her talking, even though Lily could now see her head.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Beryl asked.

"Nothing." Lily turned to face her pack. Everyone was staring in her direction, looks of pure awe and a little bit of intimidation on their faces. If she ignored what was behind her, she could pretend they were looking at her like that.

"Scouts forward first, don't get lost and don't go too far," she called out. "Parents with fledglings, you'll go next. Cara, your group will walk in front of them, for protection. Everyone who isn't a fighter, scout, or guard, help keep the fledglings in line." She was thankful everyone was already more or less on board with the idea of going underground to find a new home; it might have been a nightmare, trying to explain everything _now_.

Light wings flew ahead, and others began the walk, sorting themselves out with ample help from those Lily had appointed - and Holly. She glared at the other female when her back was turned, suspicion fueling her anger. Holly still needed watching.

But not right now. Lily stalked up to the edge of the pit once more, looking out at the revealed pathway the scouts were landing on. She wondered whether they would have issues scouting ahead on paw, usually their endurance was tested in flight-

She blinked, and they were gone, the last one's tail flicking out of sight as they pressed forward. "I guess I don't need to worry," she rumbled to herself.

The guardian looked down at her, a pale white eye staring sightlessly in her direction. She felt it on her back as she turned to go join her fledglings. Beryl was there, Thaw by his side, and he beckoned for her to walk by them. All was well, they were going to find a safe home, and then…

And then, she would deal with Holly, and find a way to make sure Beryl could stay with her pack, and a way to make it safe to be with him openly, without undermining herself…

Grimmel might have been gone - and she was glad she had taken that chance instead of bowing to the whim of the guardian - but there was still far too much for her to do.

**End of Book 2**

_**Author's Note:** _ **Thanks to my beta reader for somehow getting through this whole chapter in under 16 hours. No thanks to me, who had so much trouble writing this that I didn't get it finished until yesterday evening. Tune in next week for the beginning of the third and final part of this story!**


	66. Busy

_**Usurpation of the Darkness** _

**Book 3**

Lily wasn't used to feeling small, but with every step, faintly echoing, she was acutely aware that she was walking through what had been the guardian's resting place. The circular, winding tunnel was more than five light wings across, and so long that all of her fledglings could have walked single file and not covered the length of it all at once.

Ahead of her, a fledgling broke away from his parents to lean over the edge of the path and look down. His Sire was quick to pull him back, and the parents around them held their own children more tightly, carrying or shepherding them down the path with great care. Falling off would be no real danger for most of them, but nobody wanted to be the one to disturb the guardian, or interrupt the journey just as it began. There was an air of awe and silence that hung over them like a heavy cloud.

Lily was pretty sure none of her people had really thought about what they were doing, where they were going. She would have expected a lot more questions if they had; none of them knew anything about the realm they were entering, except that it was under the earth, and thus lacking a sky. The idea made her back itch, and she couldn't even fly.

Nobody was complaining, not at the moment. She knew better than to think that meant there would be no complaints at all, but everyone was probably waiting to see what they were walking into.

Lily wished she knew. She hadn't been able to go with the scouts. Beryl was with them, and Mist, so she trusted they would be thorough, but she wished she could be there herself.

A light wing flew in from the outside, having come back from further along the path. Crystal landed and caught up to Lily. "I have the first report from the short-range scouts," she said. "Want to hear it?"

"No, I'd like to remain oblivious," Lily said with a snort.

"The tunnel goes down into the ground," Crystal reported with an amused huff. "Right after you get down to where the bottom of the pit would be, there isa blocked-off passage with a massive tail in it, which is the other end of the guardian."

"So long as nobody messes with the tail, that's fine," Lily hummed thoughtfully. That passage would be no good anyway; it would just lead back up to the boiling pool, or what had been the boiling pool, which the guardian had come head-first out of to open the way.

"Past that, there are a few crystals to light the way, and the tunnel gets a lot less smooth," Crystal continued. "There are little vents, but only one main way. It just keeps going, down and down. Beryl and Mist kept going, but the short-range scouts turned around, so that is as far as I know."

"Sounds good," Lily said. "You going back down to look further ahead?"

"No, I will stick with you for a bit," Crystal said. They continued forward in silence for a short while.

"I am going to miss the sky," Crystal eventually admitted. "But other dragons live down here. They must have something just as good."

"Probably," Lily agreed. They were getting close to the point where the path delved entirely into the ground; she could see it ahead, an ominous full circle of rock where before they had walked with one side open to the air. As her fledglings passed into the opening, most flinched or took one last look at the sky.

"I _hope_ they have something just as good," Crystal muttered when it was their turn to go into the tunnel.

"Just think of it as an extended cold-season with lots of clouds," Lily advised, covering her own unease with the advice she was doing her best to follow herself. "We don't see the sun often then, either."

"And most of us do not like that," Crystal remarked. "But at least there is light…"

Lily nodded in agreement. The orange glow further down the tunnel was a huge relief, even if it wasn't the sun. "Your namesakes will be everywhere, I bet."

"I was named after the pretty little crystals you get on some rocks, not these massive things," Crystal snorted. "Though these _are_ way more useful."

"They are, at that," Lily agreed, eyeing the orange crystal as it came into sight. It was just like the ones on the inside of the pit, but lodged in the side of the tunnel, partially opaque and glowing from within, somehow. The tunnel was bathed in orange light for a ways, fading to green as another crystal further down took over.

The light was helpful; her fledglings could have navigated the ever-descending slope in darkness, but the light threw every uneven slope and unexpected ledge into stark relief, making them obvious to all.

The tunnel itself, as they descended, remained perfectly sized for the guardian's body, slanting downward at an angle that had Lily anticipating many sore muscles in the future, but not so steep as to be impossible to walk. Flying, on the other paw, was a terrible idea. Not impossible, a careful light wing could probably manage it if they stuck almost entirely to gliding, but far too dangerous to be worth it. One false move would send a flying light wing into the ceiling or the walls, and a moment of inattention might very well do the same.

Lily walked for a time; she didn't know how long, given the total lack of anything to judge by. Not that long; none of the light wings around her had begun to complain or ask for a break yet. It was hard to judge progress, lacking any knowledge at all about how long the tunnel would be, what was at the other end, or how fast they were moving. But one particular landmark caught her attention.

The change was two-fold. The tunnel past a certain point became far more rugged and steep, turning into more of a vertical descent than a walk, and just by where the change occurred, there was an angular chunk of rock jutting out into the path. Or, it _looked_ like a chunk of rock. Lily knew better; this had to be the guardian's tail.

She took the chance to examine it closely as she and Crystal walked around it. It appeared to be actual stone, riddled with cracks and broken into chunks that all held together in a way that would seem somewhat odd if she didn't know there was something other than stone at the center, out of sight.

"Are these scales that look like rocks," she murmured, brushing her tailfins along the rough surface, "or rocks stuck to scales? Or scales made of rock?"

"They all would look the same," Crystal said lightly. "Maybe if you ask louder, the guardian will answer."

"I'm not really hoping for an answer," Lily said quickly, pulling away from the rock. "It doesn't matter." She stopped at the edge of the new section of tunnel, looking _down_.

It reminded her, now that she stood at the top of the rugged tunnel into the ground, of walking down the mountainside, along Pyre's path. So much so that she wondered if he had gotten the idea to make his path from travelling up this very passage. The path sloped so steeply down that one could leap forward and fall far enough to hurt themself, and her people had already found the path of least resistance, a winding path that cut back and forth as it descended, looking very much like it had been made on purpose to aid those passing through.

"I cannot see the bottom," Crystal observed, leaning out over one of the many ledges.

"Let's just hope there _is_ a bottom," Lily replied. She could imagine this steep descent going on forever… It wasn't a pleasant thought. But she had been promised a place her people could actually live in, and this wasn't it, so there had to be more once they got down far enough.

O-O-O-O-O

"My paws hurt," a fledgling whined.

"Then you can ride on me for a bit," her Sire said, slipping his tail under her and tumbling her onto his back. The move was more than a little sloppy, and Lily suspected he was just as tired as his fledgling. Everyone had been walking, with occasional breaks, for far longer than they were used to. There was water aplenty, dripping and pooling everywhere, but no end in sight.

And more importantly, no _food_ in sight. Lily pawed at a chest-deep pool of water, enjoying the chill. Wherever the water was coming from - it could be heard everywhere, but there was no obvious source - it was cold. It was not, however, hiding anything edible.

"I am hungry," the same fledgling complained.

"I am too," her Sire admitted. "We should be getting food soon… I hope."

Lily avoided his gaze, slipping behind Crystal before he could see her. She didn't have an answer for that, and saying she didn't know would just demoralize him. Better he couldn't find her.

"We do need food," Crystal murmured. "Surely there is some down here somewhere?"

"There had better be," Lily said grimly. The sounds of trickling water everywhere were taunting; usually, water meant fish. Not here, though.

The light wings around her and Crystal were walking again, leaving them behind, so she shook herself and followed along. She wasn't at the back of the pack, somewhere closer to the middle, but it wouldn't take long to end up trailing behind everyone. That wasn't where she wanted to be at all.

A light wing soared overhead, flying in the wrong direction, and Lily instinctively ducked.

"Alpha! Lily!" the flying light wing cried out.

"Here!" Lily barked, wondering what Whirl wanted.

"We need you at the front of the pack, it is urgent," Whirl said, landing gracelessly nearby. It looked like she had narrowly avoided planting her face in a rock, actually, though Lily wasn't sure how close a call it had been.

"Danger?" Lily asked, breaking into a run. Her paws hurt, but not nearly as badly as they had back when she was travelling with Beryl. She could deal with it.

"They found… a side cave…" Whirl panted, running beside her. The light wings ahead of them had noticed the disturbance and were moving out of the way, many calling out worried questions as she passed.

"Occupied, food or threat?" she barked.

"Both," Whirl gasped. "You will see." She dropped behind, unable to keep up. Lily felt a brief rush of pride; she wasn't in great shape, and she couldn't fly, but she _could_ outrun at least one of her fledglings. Possibly two, if Crystal had tried to keep up with her, as she was nowhere to be seen now. All of that walking and running with Beryl had made her stronger.

Beryl. She slowed to a walk as she saw him, along with Ember, Cara, and a few others, crowded around an opening in the tunnel wall. He didn't look all that worried, so she took her cue from him and approached with a casual rumble. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"Pretty sure this is where the guardian keeps the Deathgrippers she took from Grimmel," Beryl said quietly, pushing Cara with his wing until she stepped aside to let Lily see. Lily slid between them, savoring the contact on one side and ignoring it on the other.

Through the irregular archway was a wide cave with stone teeth everywhere, growing from the top and bottom at random. Water was dripping from most of the ones pointing down, and puddles speckled the floor of the cave, constantly rippling. There were only a few grey crystals in the corners of the vast expanse, most of the open area shrouded in darkness, and red mushrooms were growing _everywhere_ , some wider across than her paw, and others tiny and densely packed enough that they formed a uniform covering over the stone.

On its own, she wouldn't have been that interested in the new scenery, except to make sure it didn't lead to anywhere more interesting. But there were familiar red and black shapes lurking in the darkness. Some weren't moving, but others were roaming around, not looking in her direction. They didn't act at all as they had in Grimmel's ship, or at any other time she had seen them.

As she watched, one leaned down and ran its face along the ground, scraping and mashing a bunch of the red mushrooms. Then it tilted its head back and swallowed.

"I'm thinking they're either eating them for food, or to keep them docile," Ember said quietly. "Can't say either way, not without knowing whether it's the guardian keeping them so quiet."

"We have to find out," Beryl rumbled. "Everyone is hungry, and I haven't seen any other sources of food."

"Quiet!" Cara hissed. "One almost looked over here!"

As she spoke, the Deathgripper that had been eating looked up, straight at them. Its eyes were wide and unfocused, and nothing happened. It didn't react at all.

' _You have found the resting point,'_ the guardian said. Lily jumped in surprise despite herself. _'They will not harm you. The red mushrooms are a suitable food for any who are hungry, and grow throughout the realm. Not all mushrooms are safe, but these are. Take as many as you need, but be sure to leave some to grow.'_

"Are mushrooms the _only_ edible thing down here?" Beryl asked.

' _No, but you have not gone far enough to find anything else,'_ the guardian responded. _'This is still my domain, and none live in my domain. This cave is solely for those passing through.'_

"Right, got it," Beryl said, stepping out into the cave and leaning down to sniff a mushroom. "Doesn't smell like anything…"

Lily watched as he snapped up the bulbous cap of one mushroom and swallowed it. "Doesn't really taste like anything, either," he reported. "Not terrible, but not something I would eat if I had options."

"Good enough," Cara declared. "I am going to go tell everyone there is food here."

"And tell them we'll be sleeping out here, in the tunnel," Lily added, choosing to allow Cara's initiative rather than shut it down… though she was tempted to tell her off. Now wasn't the time. "Now's as good a time as any to break for the night."

"It was night when we came down here," Beryl said. "And we walked for a while… I can't tell whether it's night or day now."

"I think those concepts aren't going to mean much down here," Ember rumbled, stepping out into the cave.

Lily was tempted to join them in trying the mushrooms, but she turned away. First, she would make sure everyone knew what was going on. And to that end…

Whirl was right behind her, obviously waiting for something, panting heavily. "It's all fine, and the mushrooms are food," Lily explained. "We're stopping here for the night."

"Alpha," Whirl said, her ears flicking in agitation, "who did you send out scouting?"

"Who did I send?" Lily asked. "I didn't _send_ people so much as ask for volunteers. I think Beryl and Ember went, I know Crystal went at least once… Why?"

"Root went out," Whirl huffed. "Could you give him some sort of task that does not involve going away from the pack? It is not safe, especially for him. He cannot _do_ things like that."

"If he's doing it, maybe he considers himself capable?" Lily asked diplomatically. He had to be able to do it, if he was still out scouting now, so it wasn't a question of whether he _could_ , it was a question of whether he should. She was inclined to think that Whirl was probably leaning too far toward the 'keep Root safe and close' side of things, given she always did that.

"He is blind and helpless, and I want him close by," Whirl said vehemently. "And I want that bad influence female away from him, too, but he does not listen to me when I say so. Can you do something about it?"

"I can talk to him," Lily offered. She wasn't about to promise anything more, not without hearing both sides. Especially not when she suspected she was going to end up supporting Root.

"Thank you," Whirl sighed. "I hate to go to the alpha, but he just does not listen anymore. Not since..." She wilted, crouching low and hiding her face behind a paw in a way Lily would have thought was overly dramatic for most light wings.

"Flare," Lily said quietly, walking over to put a wing over Whirl. Her back ached, those same four points protesting as her skin stretched tight, and she ignored it. "I miss him too. He was a good person, and I'm sure he was a great mate."

"He was," Whirl moaned. "I miss him so much…"

"Maybe a good night's sleep and a full stomach will help you feel a little better," Lily offered.

"Maybe," Whirl huffed, pulling out from under her wing to look at the mushroom cave, and the steady stream of light wings entering it. "You will talk to Root?"

"I will," Lily assured her. "As soon as he gets back."

O-O-O-O-O

It was night - or day, Lily had no way of knowing, and the crystals never changed in how much light they put out - and the pack was settling down to sleep after filling their bellies with mushrooms. The sounds of scales scraping on stone, deep breathing, and Dams soothing their fledglings to sleep in a strange new environment echoed throughout the area.

No noise came from the passage downward, which Lily would have taken for a good sign if not for one small thing.

"You're sure Root hasn't come back through here?" she asked.

"Storm did, and she said Root would come back when he felt like it," the female in charge of watching the path down replied. "He is just down a short way, you should be able to call to him from here."

"You've seen him recently?" Lily pressed.

"Storm only came back a little while ago, and she had just seen him," the guard offered.

"Come with me," Lily huffed, picking her way down the rocky slope. Her legs ached after what felt like a whole day of walking downhill, but she wasn't content to just _assume_ Root was fine. His only method of sight involved making noise, a lot of it, and she didn't hear any roaring. That was enough to worry her.

Descending alone, Lily found, was somewhat eerie, nothing like travelling with the entire pack had been. Her companion was silent and a step behind her, so it felt like she was entirely on her own. The light of the crystals felt dimmer, with nothing but other crystals and dark stone to reflect it. The trickle of unseen water was far more ominous with no voices or even breathing to drown it out.

A white shape leaped out from behind a rock further down, and Lily heaved a sigh of relief as she recognized Root. He was fine, and as she watched, he hopped off a thin ledge and landed nimbly on a crystal… All without seeing anything.

"You can go back to guarding the entrance," Lily said, glancing back at the guard. "We'll be up soon."

"Yes, alpha," the guard chirped, quickly retreating.

"She left fast," Root observed a moment later, his sightless face turning toward her. _Directly_ toward her; it was as if he could really see her, though the depressions where his eyes had been put paid to that.

Lily considered it somewhat unnerving that she'd had to _look_ to be sure he didn't have his eyes back. "How are you doing?" she asked carefully.

"Amazing," he said happily, leaping up to her level without a care in the world. "Totally amazing. Did you know, seeing with sound works with _echoes_ , and there is nothing but echoes in here!"

"That does not hinder you?" she asked. She was seeing that it didn't in the way he moved, of course, but she wanted his explanation.

"The opposite," he chuffed. "I can be _sure_ I know where everything is, and with quieter noises than I could ever get away with outside. Just talking is enough for me to get an impression of what is around me. _Breathing_ loudly is enough to get by on."

"So it is not just easier to see, it's less obtrusive," she said knowingly. Of course, he would like it that he no longer needed to roar or bark just to see. Storm might have been working on him, but he still cared enough to not want to annoy the people around him.

"Yes and no." He hopped backward and down to a lower ledge, landing easily with all four paws at different angles, and his tail propped up to provide a fifth source of balance. "I do not have to worry about what might be above me, or whether I am being watched from afar, or… anything."

"You can probably see more clearly than me," she said.

"I can see behind my head," he snorted. "And every little pebble lodged in a crack in the wall, and what is _behind_ those cracks. There is flowing water."

"I hadn't guessed," she drawled, flicking her ears sarcastically. The noises of water nearby had never stopped for a moment.

"Did you know that there are three little streams, all following cracks that stretch out beyond what I can hear?" Root asked. "Far beyond, but for a while they go parallel to this tunnel. And the paths they follow seem too neat to be natural, though I do not know what could have made them intentionally."

Lily suppressed a shiver. "That makes me nervous, and I'm not even sure why," she admitted. Maybe it was the idea of some unknown kind of dragon working around her, close by but hidden, watching and working toward their own ends… Though that was silly; they weren't even out of the guardian's range yet. There was only the one potentially nefarious presence to contend with.

"It is weird," Root chuffed. "But I am guessing you came down for reasons other than listening to me talk about what is behind these rocky walls?"

"I did, at that," she admitted. "Everyone's getting some rest. It's a little nerve-wracking to have one light wing hanging around out of sight of everyone else."

"I did not mean to be out here that long," Root conceded, leaping back up to her with ease. "It is easy to lose track of time when I do not have someone by my side every moment of every day."

"Try to bring a friend next time, at the very least," she advised.

"Storm and I spent all day scouting ahead, and she gets _really_ grumpy if she does not get enough sleep," Root said, shaking his head. "And my Dam would never approve of half the things I can do now."

"Such as scouting," Lily said carefully.

"Did Storm and I do a bad job?" Root asked, fixing her with what would have been a stare if he had eyes to do so with. His face was pointed at her, anyway. "We went further than anyone else, and we got back in good time."

"I have no reasons to complain," she replied truthfully. With what Root had just told her about how he could see - hear, whatever he called it, she didn't know enough to be sure which word applied better - he was probably the best light wing for the job. His trick of hearing through cracks too small to see through could have uncovered any number of potential issues, like dangerously thin overhangs, or hidden chambers harboring dangerous lurking creatures…

"No, I definitely want you and Storm out scouting as often as you feel comfortable with," she said with a shudder. "I'll handle your Dam if she really starts complaining, but you might want to reassure her before that becomes necessary."

"Thanks for taking my side," Root murmured, his head lowered. "She… I do not want to sound horribly callous, but she is not taking… it… well. At all. I miss him, I do, but it makes me want to step up and make him proud, not hang around and whine and do absolutely nothing."

"Like I said, you should talk to her," Lily repeated. "Help her understand that. You're an adult, and if it gets bad enough I'll interfere, but you shouldn't need me to do that."

"Storm was just saying something like that earlier," Root said with a grimace. "Something along the lines of 'I will bite her if she insults me, but it is up to you to make her stop stamping on your tail whenever you try to do anything.' But she said it with more growling."

"Sounds like her," Lily laughed. "So you'll do it?"

"Tomorrow," he said. "Or… whatever counts as tomorrow now. Hard to say."

"Before you and Storm go out exploring again," Lily suggested. "But after everyone gets a good night's sleep."

"Just in case she whines about me being in danger loud enough to wake everyone up," Root huffed. "Right." He began the short walk back to the section of tunnel everyone was resting in, and Lily followed him. She hoped that was the end of their issues, or at least the end of her personal involvement, but it seemed unlikely. Her work as alpha was never over, not even when it came to helping her fledglings get along.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily had long since given up trying not to think about how many mountains of stone were above her head, even as she spent what felt like another entire day travelling as much downward as forward. She walked at the front of the pack, waiting for word from her scouts as they returned, and gazed first-paw down the endless tunnel stretching out in front of her. Pearl was beside her, waiting for Ember and the others to come back, and she made for good company. And potentially a good source of information.

"How long would it take me to fly to the horizon?" Pearl hummed. "Interesting question. Am I going all-out, or flying normally?"

"Flying normally," Lily responded. She didn't actually want to know about that specific amount of time, but it was an important part of the thing she did want.

"Probably a fifth of a day?" Pearl said doubtfully. "It's hard to guess at that, and I can't just fly to the horizon to check now. And how would I know when I reached the horizon?"

"Not sure," Lily admitted. "Do you know how long it would take you to walk to the horizon?" That was what she actually wanted to know.

"No, never done it," Pearl said simply. "Longer than it would take to fly there, and then you have to tell me what I'm walking over to do it. Crossing a mountain on paw would take longer than running through an endless field. Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out how far down we've gone," she admitted. "And how far we'll have to go to leave the guardian's range." Said range was 'to the horizon' when on the island, and she knew the guardian was physically on the surface, so it seemed reasonable that the range was the same no matter which direction one travelled away from the dragon herself. But that was about as far as she could reason without information she didn't have, like walking times and directions.

"I'm sure she'll tell us when we get to the edge," Pearl said brightly. "But I guess that would not help you figure out how far we have gone, just that we've made it."

"We're walking at an angle, too, and it's not even the same angle for the whole stretch of tunnel," Lily added. "There's no real way to know how deep we are."

"So long as the ceiling doesn't give way with us under it, I don't think it matters," Pearl said.

"Probably not." She spotted a flash of white coming up to meet them, and then a golden figure behind them. "Looks like… Spark and Holly?"

"Interesting matchup," Pearl murmured. "Holly wanted to work with him. Maybe she likes him."

"Everyone likes him," Lily said neutrally, hiding her unease. Holly probably had a reason for requesting Spark, and she doubted it was an innocent one like that. Though she didn't see what else Spark had to offer. He wouldn't be able to help her gain influence over the pack. Not directly, at least…

Now that she was thinking about it, Spark _could_ be useful for any number of indirect plays for power. He was a connection to Ember, coveted by most of the pack's unmated females, and trusted by pretty much everyone he knew. So long as he could be convinced he was doing something good, he could help in pretty much any scheme she could think of. As a morally-upstanding backup, or bait, or a proxy to propose ideas, or something else entirely.

"Pretty much," Pearl laughed. "He makes friends easily."

"Possibly a little _too_ easily," Lily muttered. "Some of those people might not really be his friends, they might just want something from him."

"Not Holly," Pearl retorted, unaware that Lily hadn't meant to speak loudly enough for her to hear. "I don't know her that well, but she seems very straightforward about what she wants. If she wanted something from him, she would have asked."

"Perhaps," Lily said, hiding her suspicion. Holly was _not_ straightforward, not even close, which either meant Pearl didn't know her well at all, or was deliberately trying to downplay Holly's skill at manipulation. The former was far more likely than the latter, but the latter was still _possible_. Some of the same uses Holly could have for Spark applied just as well to Pearl, though she appeared to be less gullible.

"We found something other than boring tunnels!" Spark barked as they approached. "Everyone else is exploring, we came back to tell you. It is not far!"

"There is a massive open area," Holly added, carefully landing in front of them. Spark overshot and landed somewhere behind Lily. "It has huge crystals and mushrooms of all kinds and many different plants. There are dozens of different tunnels leading out of it."

"A crossroads?" Pearl asked.

"A what?" Holly replied, squinting at Pearl.

"No-scaled-not-prey term," Pearl explained. "A place where many paths cross. Roads are intentionally made paths."

Lily committed the new word to memory; it seemed like it would be useful, given they had come across what was almost certainly an intentionally-cut path once already. The word was a quick mash-up of the rumble for 'path' and part of the noise for 'made', which made sense.

"That sounds right," Holly agreed. "Nobody is there, it is empty, so it is probably safe. We did not see anything dangerous."

"Good, since we've got nowhere else to go," Pearl said thoughtfully. "You know, I bet that big cave is the edge of the guardian's influence."

"Whatever it is, I want all of the paths out of it checked by the time the pack gets there," Lily said sternly. "Tell Mist she's in charge of that."

Holly tilted her head. " _I_ could do that," she offered. "Mist was going down one of the smaller paths, last I saw her."

"Find someone else to do it," Lily huffed. "I want you guarding any suspicious exits you find, with Cara." It would be easier to keep the both of them from influencing others if they were stuck on guard duty together.

"That seems like a waste of my talents," Holly said carefully.

"But you'll do it anyway," Lily retorted.

"Yes, alpha," Holly grumbled.

"Pearl, mind going to check on the parents with fledglings, letting them know what to expect?" Lily asked, turning to her friend. She caught an odd look on Pearl's face as she turned, but it was gone by the time she was speaking.

"Sure, I can do that," she agreed. "Big cave, probably plenty of places for fledglings to hide or get lost in, keep them in sight at all times just to be safe."

"Exactly," Lily hummed. "Thanks."

Pearl left, following Holly – taking to the air to do it, though Lily would have thought she'd run – and Lily found herself alone, the closest light wing a few dozen paces behind her. That didn't bother her; a few moments of quiet solitude would be-

"Alpha!" someone barked.

She snorted at her own naivety. There was no way she was going to get any solitude any time soon, let alone while she was in full view of at least a dozen of her people, and the rest knew exactly where she was. At _best_ , she wouldn't find somewhere to be alone until they got to the big cave.

O-O-O-O-O

Water fell from the ceiling like a rainstorm concentrated into one pond-sized deluge, a waterfall coming from above and disappearing into a pool that was _far_ too small for the volume pouring into it. Lily assumed there was some sort of underwater tunnel beneath it, which in turn made her wonder whether the waterfall had been _created_ , because it seemed far too coincidental for there to be identical holes in the ceiling and floor of a massive cave-

None of which really mattered, but thinking about one small part of the awe-inspiring expanse in front of her made it easier to accept as _real_. If someone had ever tried to describe it to her all at once, she would have started laughing halfway through and dismissed them as telling stories.

The cave was so large that she couldn't make out the far side without squinting. The crystals that lit it, rising out of the ground like tiny mountains at random, were so bright she couldn't look directly at them, and so large that she felt like a gnat in comparison. The entire place was illuminated in various shades of blue, green, and yellow, creating an 'underwater' feel that made the waterfall seem even more out of place.

She stepped out onto the ground, her paws crushing little mushrooms and what looked like grass but was a few shades too blue to possibly be the grass she knew, all interspersed with weeds three times taller than anything else, reaching up to her face and ticking her nose when she walked into them. There were little bugs buzzing around, mostly ignoring her, just flitting between the stems as she disturbed them.

She heard various noises of surprise and awe from behind her, and completely ignored them. They'd been told what was and was not safe to do here, and she had people watching for trouble. She just wanted to drink in the scene… and then go get an actual drink from the waterfall's tiny pool, assuming it wasn't salt water. She could imagine there being a tiny hole at the bottom of the ocean, far above, and the waterfall coming from there. It was a disturbing thought, driving home yet again just how much was between her and the sun, but at least it made sense.

Beryl was flying toward her, looking entirely at home in the massive open space of the cave, and she broke into a brisk walk to try and meet him halfway. The ground was mushy under her paws, everything easily trampled and loudly broken, which she supposed meant it would be hard to sneak up on anyone on paw.

"This place is certainly a sight," Beryl said as he landed. "I've never seen _anything_ like it. The closest thing was probably the inside of a mountain of ice, but that had a whole different feeling. Far brighter and colder."

"Is there anything I'm not seeing from here?" Lily asked, resisting the urge to touch him. She hoped he was about to tell her about a nice little hidden spot… though she didn't have time for that, not unless they were going to spend the night here.

"Nope, it's all the same on the other side of the crystals," he said, flicking his tail at one of the larger blue ones. "There are a bunch of tunnels and cracks and such all throughout the walls, though. Some of them are like the one we just came from, others seem way more natural and might not go anywhere, and others still have signs of dragons passing through at some point. Claw marks, scratches, that sort of thing."

"Any recent signs?" she asked. They had yet to meet a resident of this underground world that wasn't being controlled by the guardian. She would feel a lot more comfortable getting answers from some random passerby if that was an option.

"No, none recent," he said. "And there aren't any of those red mushrooms here, either, so I'm not surprised. This place is nice, but I don't think it can support us for any length of time."

' _As intended,'_ the guardian announced. Lily did _not_ flinch, she thought she was getting a feel for when the guardian liked to interrupt, and had been expecting it at some point soon. They had to be close to the edge of her territory, after all.

"You don't want people lingering at the entrance to the world, right," she said. "Where do we go to find somewhere we _can_ live?" She distinctly recalled the guardian saying she wouldn't give help like that, but asking again couldn't hurt.

' _I will not say where to go,'_ the guardian growled. _'But I can say that the leftmost tunnel in relation to where you entered leads to less heavily-occupied caves. Most of the other passageways lead to nothing but occupied territory.'_

"That's helpful, thanks." She meant it; knowing where not to go was vital. If said 'occupied territory' wasn't occupied by friendly people, leading her pack there would be a disaster. Much better to go where there were less people.

' _As a general rule, the lesser-traveled paths either lead to unclaimed places, or to territory held by those who do not want to be found,'_ the guardian said. _'You know of the red mushrooms, but be aware that there are underground seas with fish, similar to what you are used to. Settling along the shore of one of those has its own dangers, but you will likely consider it worth the risk.'_

"Again, great to know, thanks." She didn't know why the guardian had decided to forgive her and give good advice, but she would take it. "Anything that will kill us if we don't know about it?"

' _I have already told you that more danger lurks the deeper you go,'_ the guardian said slowly. Lily got the feeling she was choosing her words carefully. _'Danger in many forms, living and not. Some caves do not already have occupants for very good reasons, and others are only occupied because those within them are too feared to go anywhere else. Do not seek out the most isolated corner in existence, because you will find something far more dangerous than you has likely already claimed it.'_

"Well, that's not unnerving at all," Beryl said.

' _That is not my concern. This cave, as some have guessed, is the limit of my range. I do not control or care about what happens beyond this point. Once you leave, I will not know what you do, and I will not be able to intervene.'_

Lily specifically did _not_ think about how she considered that a very good thing. Instead, she nodded in understanding. "Thank you for the information. We may have had our differences, but I would not part on bad terms."

' _Pretty words, hiding your hatred for those who have power over you,'_ the guardian said coldly. _'I do not know what will become of you. I hope never to have reason to find out.'_

"Same," Lily shot back. That was the sort of attitude she had expected from the start. It was almost comforting to finally see it; she wasn't wondering what had changed, anymore.

There was silence – aside from the shrieking of a fledgling who had leaped off a crystal and was flying around like a crazy person – and Lily met Beryl's gaze.

"So, left," he said. "Want me to find out which path is the right one?"

"No," she said impulsively, "not the right one, the left one."

He stared at her for a moment, then snorted and nodded wildly. "Right, right, I'll find the right one."

"Left!" she barked, smacking him with her tail. He tried to catch it under his back paw, but she was too quick. "Or you'll wish I'd left you behind! Has this trip left you with no thoughts in your head?"

"That's not right," he retorted.

"Left _is_ not right," she shot back. "You're right."

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"I'm out of ideas," he admitted.

She let out a long, barking laugh. It was stupid and she really hoped nobody had overheard, but stupid and silly was exactly what she had needed. "Any chance you could delegate that task and then help _me_ find somewhere away from the crowds?"

"I'll do my best," he said with a grin.

O-O-O-O-O

The leftmost passage turned out to be almost identical to the tunnel that had taken them from the surface to where they currently were, just flat and going in a different direction. After seeing the big cave and its wildlife, she couldn't help but see the tunnel as cramped and boring.

Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as long as the first tunnel, and the other end was interesting, if not nearly as magnificent. The greenish-grey moss that carpeted the long, narrow cave the tunnel let into was soft and pleasant, and Lily could see all sorts of nooks and crannies for her people to sleep in, since it was already that time again. None hidden enough to be private in, though, which was a shame since Beryl hadn't managed to find anywhere good enough in the last cave.

But when it came to the more essential needs, this cave had her people covered. She could see a trio of small, brown, scruffy-looking prey animals grazing on the moss. They wouldn't be enough for even a fraction of her people, but she highly doubted that there were only three around. There was a bend in the cave that meant she couldn't see the whole thing at once, and she was sure there would be more around said bend.

Her people, her fledglings, filed out into the cave and, for the most part, flopped down wherever they pleased. They were all hungry, but most of them probably didn't even know how to catch prey. Which, now that she thought about it, was a horrible blind spot she was going to have Beryl get rid of the moment he had some spare time to teach.

But for the moment, while everybody else settled down to sleep, Ember, Beryl, and half a dozen others went out to hunt for the pack. Lily, for her part, waited for them to return. Her back was acting up for no apparent reason, and she was exhausted. Hungry, but also tired. It was an annoying combination.

The three prey Lily could see hadn't minded Beryl and the other hunters flying over to check the rest of the cave, and they didn't seem to care about the scores of light wings settling down nearby… but the sole light wing she saw creeping toward them on paw was surely going to catch their attention. She didn't particularly care if those three were scared off, so she said nothing, just watched from her perch atop a deep purple crystal.

The light wing was Aven, and her approach was beyond cautious, creeping across the moss as if a single blink would send the prey fleeing for their lives. She was acting as if they wouldn't see her if she moved slowly enough, but for some reason she hadn't thought to actually make herself invisible, so she was an obvious white mass slowly drifting in their direction every time none were looking her way.

Lily had assumed that the prey _did_ see Aven and just didn't care, so she was a little surprised when one finally looked in Aven's direction at the wrong moment, saw movement, and shrieked so loudly a dozen light wings looked up from the other end of the cavern. All three of the creatures fled, hopping like mad, and Aven didn't give chase.

Aven didn't do anything at all. She crouched there, motionless… or maybe she was quivering, it was hard to tell from a distance. When she did eventually turn around, Lily had no trouble seeing that she wasn't happy. Far from it.

On the one paw, it was Aven, one of the three females Lily considered most likely to try and steal some of her authority; or all of it, if Holly had her way. On the other, she was still Lily's fledgling, one of the pack, and if she would offer counsel to someone like Diora then she wouldn't refuse it for someone like Aven.

She stood, shook herself off, winced at the pain in her back and now in her paws, and intercepted Aven on the way back to the pack.

"Sneaking up on prey isn't easy," she said conversationally, falling into step with the other female. "I think I did about as well my first time."

"With Beryl?" Aven asked tonelessly. "I was not trying to hunt them."

"Sneaking up on them works the same regardless of what you want to do once you get close," Lily said. Aven was avoiding looking her in the eye, staring down at the moss instead, and almost seemed to be shying away from her. "Want me to give you a few tips?"

"I will wait and get them from someone else if it is all the same to you, alpha," Aven murmured.

"I'm sure Ember would be glad to help you," she said, shamelessly directing Aven away from spending time with Beryl. "Is there something else on your mind, though? You seem unhappy."

"It is nothing," Aven huffed, walking faster. They were almost to the rest of the pack, and Lily spotted Holly and Cara waiting for her. She stopped short of going right up to them and let Aven go on ahead. Something was definitely bothering Aven, and she wasn't sure what. She didn't want to leave it unresolved.

Holly engaged Aven in conversation almost immediately, smacking her tail beside her and inviting her sister to sit, but Cara stood, glared in Lily's general direction, and kept glaring until Lily jerked her head to the side and indicated that she wanted to talk to her.

"What?" Cara said grumpily, coming over to stand in front of her. "We are tired and you have a dozen other light wings to ask favors of."

"I'm worried for Aven," Lily said just as bluntly, ignoring the rudeness for the moment. There would be time later to make sure Cara knew it wasn't acceptable to talk like that. "She seems stressed, and I don't know why."

"Oh, do you not?" Cara asked sarcastically. "You know, maybe it is because she is missing that No-scaled-not-prey she tried to make friends with back in the valley. Or maybe it is something else."

"I would think something else, since she wasn't like this before we came down here," Lily said seriously. "Have you taken her to see Honey and Copper?"

"I _know_ what is bothering her," Cara growled. "You killed a No-scaled-not-prey right in front of her. She wanted to make _friends_ with one, she never hurt one, and then she had the blood and guts of one splattered all over her. I do not care that you killed it, good riddance, but you did it right in front of her with no warning. She is having nightmares and not sleeping well, and it is your fault. Does that explain why she does not seem happy?" Her last sentence was accompanied by a low snarl, and she turned tail on Lily immediately after she ground out the last word.

"Oh," Lily said as Cara departed. She didn't know what else _to_ say; it made perfect sense now that she'd had it explained to her – and she shouldn't have needed it explained, really, she should have seen it – but that didn't mean she knew what to do about it. An apology would probably be a good start, and maybe something suitably happy and non-violent for Aven to do, ideally a responsibility that wouldn't give her any authority, but would make her happy…

It was something to think about, and at the moment she had nothing to do but think. She moved to sit down on an open patch of moss between two single females and tried to relax. To think about what to do with Aven, and her sisters, and the pack as a whole, and where they would be going, and _Beryl_ …

By the time the hunters returned with food, she was so deep in thought that she almost didn't notice. Coming down into the underground world had gotten rid of one of her problems, but it certainly hadn't done anything to solve the rest of them, and it was adding more than its fair share of new problems to the mix. Not the least of which was finding a new home, given they'd not had any indication of a single suitable place yet.


	67. Central

Sleep had not come easily for Lily. She didn't like the never-changing light of the cave they were in, or the moss underpaw; the two feelings combined were uncomfortably like sleeping in the middle of a field in broad daylight, something she couldn't help but feel was extremely dangerous. That was, of course, ridiculous, but it wasn't her conscious objections that made her feel like she had gotten a fitful nap instead of a full night's sleep, it was the way she kept waking up-

"Lily?" Mist got right up in her face and stared. "Lily."

"You were talking about what lies ahead," Lily said quickly. "I was thinking. Give me the description again." She wasn't even lying; she _had_ been thinking about the caves past this particularly unpleasant one. Going off on a mental tangent about sleeping conditions, maybe, but that was important too. A substantial number of her fledglings were wandering around with drooping ears, dragging tails, or other indications of fitful sleep. She wasn't the only one.

"A long stretch of narrow caves with tunnels between them, spreading out like a spider's web," Mist said patiently. "We stuck to the leftmost tunnel at every branch, just in case, and going that way leads out into more massive caves with nothing but rock and connections to other places. They are very dark. Past that, there are dozens of ways to go, and we could not explore them all if we had a moon-cycle. Every new cave gives at least three different directions to explore."

"What about elevation?" she asked. "Do any of these paths go down?" She was wary of running afoul of the nameless horrors the guardian had warned her about. Staying as high up as possible was a sensible precaution. It might not be an _efficient_ way to search for a new home, not if every newcomer to this realm had the same idea, but that problem could be dealt with if it came up.

"They all do to some extent," Mist said, thoughtfully tapping her tail on the ground and staring off at the empty air somewhere next to Lily as she thought. "Some more than others. There were a few holes in the spider web caves that go straight down with no bottom that could be seen… And they were too narrow to fly in."

Lily shuddered, understanding all too well what that meant. She was going to have to be exceedingly careful with arranging the pack for this next part of the trip; a deep hole with no way back up was a nightmare she would just as soon not lose anyone to. "Beyond that, though?" she pressed, hoping for less horrifying news.

"Everything slopes down, but not by much," Mist said. "Some paths go back up again, but never for long. None of it will be hard to walk. I cannot promise anything for the places beyond the first dark cave, though. We stopped keeping track of little details and just tried to get a sense of how many ways out there were."

"And you didn't find any signs of life?" Lily asked.

"None," Mist confirmed. "Nobody is around, and there are no signs of anyone passing through. But we did not have time to explore more than a tiny bit of the spiderweb."

Lily heard someone coming up behind her, a distinct set of squishes as paws pressed down on moss, and turned enough to see that it was Pearl. "We're almost ready to go," she said to the other female.

"I was going to ask if you wanted any more of the prey," Pearl said lightly.

"I've eaten," Lily replied, turning back to Mist. "Go tell Pina and Dew what you told me about vertical holes and spider webs in rock, then either scout more or take a break and walk with the pack, whichever you feel you can do." Normally, she would expect Mist to want to rest, but that wasn't an option. The pack was going to be moving, so it was either walk with everyone else, or walk ahead and explore. If Mist felt the latter was better, she wouldn't stop her.

"Got it," Mist said, leaving in a hurry. _She_ didn't look tired, though she'd been out scouting while everyone else slept. Lily envied her energy.

"Spiders?" Pearl asked curiously. "Are we talking little ones that make good prey for hatchlings, or big ones that might prey on hatchlings?"

Lily turned and stared at her. "Should I be worried about that?" she asked. "Have you seen spiders that big?" She barely ever _thought_ about spiders, they were tiny things not big enough to be interesting, but the idea of one so big it could be a threat was inherently unsettling. All of those legs and eyes…

"No, but you never know," Pearl said thoughtfully. "What were you talking about?"

"Caves that are complicated and interconnected enough to resemble a web," Lily said with a badly hidden sigh of relief. She _knew_ it was badly hidden, but she was too tired to care. Her energy would be better saved for deceiving people who needed deceiving.

O-O-O-O-O

The path went up, then down, then up again, and split in every direction consistently enough that Lily had long since internalized the rhythm.

"Up, left, down, right, down, up," she muttered as they passed yet another passage that consisted of a small hole in the wall with a slope so steep following it upward would be more like climbing a tree than walking.

"Ten, twelve, fourteen," the young light wing behind her recited, counting their steps. It was another pattern, another thing that made Lily _certain_ that the tight, winding passages were not natural. She couldn't get Pearl's off-paw comment out of her mind now, and hadn't been able to since realizing that nothing about the tunnels was random.

"...Thirty," said light wing concluded as they turned onto a new path headed to the left. "Two, four…"

Spark, who was walking in front of her, twitched as a piece of particularly brittle stone crunched under his weight, his golden tail flicking nervously. It lacked the excessive caution that characterized Beryl's tail, the odd lack of scars on one side and battle-worn streaks on the other, but it was still a tail. Proof that there was someone in front of her, someone who would see any danger before she did and maybe be able to do something about it.

Knowing that Ember was in front of Spark, somewhere ahead in the twisting tunnels, was even more of a relief. She wasn't comfortable with Ember, but it was a _great_ relief to know that he was leading the way. Any massive spiders - _stone-eating_ spiders, to be able to make this place - that came at him would hopefully find they had made a terrible mistake… and then he would know everything they knew. It was morbid and strange, but _useful_ , and she hadn't had to ask for him to be in front. He had volunteered.

Beryl, on the other paw, was one of the scouts, and was somewhere beyond this terrible place, out in bigger and less ominous caves. She wished she was with him. No, she didn't, she wished they were _all_ with him. It would do no good to leave her people behind.

"I just had a thought," Spark said quietly, looking back at her. "Do you think this is why there are no dragons around here?"

"Because whatever made this killed them all?" the light wing behind Lily asked fearfully, her voice tight with tension.

"Because this is scary and I do not think I would want to live right next to it," Spark explained. "Not that. Hopefully."

"Depends on whether whatever made this is still around," Lily ventured, slowing to look into the next passageway, which was right where it was supposed to be. It consisted of exactly what Mist had described, a brief widening in the path to accommodate a deep, seemingly bottomless hole. There was nothing visible in its depths, just as there had been nothing in any of the holes before it. That didn't stop her from checking every single one.

Checking the holes was something she could do, a rare commodity in their current situation. She couldn't coordinate with others, she couldn't give new orders if something came up… If some horrible creature came rushing out of a passage behind them, it would be the rear guards who fought it off. If the same happened in the middle of the spread-out line they had formed to venture through the tight passageways… There was nothing she could do. She couldn't even walk up and down the line itself; the cave was so tight there was no room to pass anyone.

"Hey…" Spark rumbled quietly. "How do we know we are not going in circles?"

"We're headed down," Lily said confidently. This, at least, she could answer. "Consistently. By the time we get back to where we were, we're too low to connect to the same path. So we're not going in circles."

"It is a spiral," the female behind her added. "One I wish would end soon."

Lily saw a bit of movement from the light wing in front of Spark, and heard murmuring from the person in front of them. It wasn't urgent, and Spark's tail began to sway more happily. "I'm betting you're about to get your wish," she said quietly, hiding her immense relief.

O-O-O-O-O

The exit to the horrible maze of tunnels was just as disconcerting as the actual web, if only by coincidence. More so for Lily than most.

The path she had been walking on suddenly flaring out to reveal a massive cave that they were coming down through the top of wasn't exactly a welcome sight to someone who couldn't fly, after all. There was more green moss down on the floor of the cave, though it would do her no good if she fell all the way to it, and a pond that was too far away to act as a soft landing. No path carved into the side of the cave, no sloping crystal to slide down, nothing.

Nothing but a familiar dark wing hanging back and letting light wings squeeze over him to drop into the open space. Spark stepped on his brother's back and leaped off without a word, and then it was Lily's turn.

"Want a ride down?" Beryl asked casually.

"Assuming you mean Ember, yes," she said quickly. She didn't want to hold up the line.

"Well," Beryl mused as a familiar Deathgripper flew into view, gliding beneath the hole, "there was this time we moved someone by grabbing their paws and tail…"

"I'll take the easy ride," Lily snorted. "Ember, I'm coming down!" He was gliding in circles, passing under the hole as often and as slowly as possible. She waited the half-dozen heartbeats it took for him to come back around, then hopped forward.

She fell for a timeless instant of terror and elation, and then hit his back, landing awkwardly to avoid hurting herself on the various sharp and spiky bits along the middle ridge. After that, it was an easy, if quick, descent to the ground.

The cave was dark, the only source of light coming from a few of the far walls, and even then not directly, just a few glowing holes. There were no crystals in the cave itself, but Lily suspected the light was coming from crystals further down the various paths. It wasn't even _close_ to enough to illuminate the truly vast open space. She was familiar with the dark caverns back at the valley, able to see its short distances in the sheer darkness with ease, but this giant void was unnerving; she as if felt anything could be creeping up on her from anywhere.

Ember touched down on bare rock, and Lily stepped off. He shifted back immediately, his blue fire casting light all around them in a neat circle, fading out at the edges. "Nothing worth staying for here," he remarked.

Lily made a show of looking around the vast, empty space. "I don't know, there's something to be said for it," she said dryly. "At least it's dark enough to get some sleep."

"If anyone sleeps in this, they need to get a new sense of self-preservation," Beryl grumbled, flying down to land beside them. "I'm going to go help figure out which of the ways out of here leads to somewhere bright and warm and _not_ extremely creepy."

"A noble goal," Ember agreed. "I'm going to keep watch." He nodded toward where the pack was gathering, all grouped together. "Hopefully there _is_ somewhere better to go."

O-O-O-O-O

"I wish there was some dirt in here," Lily grumbled to herself, eyeing the dozen scouts who had all returned at once. Anything to make marks in, really. The scattered reports she had gotten as the various tunnels were explored were hard to hold straight in her head. "What did you find?"

"We went down the dark tunnel that is set near the top of the far wall," Cara said quickly. "We all went there because it opens out into another big cave like this one almost immediately, and there are many more paths out of there. We split into twos to investigate each of _those_ paths."

"What did you and Aven find?" Lily asked, guessing who Cara had chosen to be partnered with. She was rewarded with a confused look from Aven.

"How did you know?" Aven asked quietly.

"It was an easy guess," Lily dismissed, shaking her head.

"We found a source of water," Cara said loudly. "The tunnel leads right to an underground _sea_ so big we could not see the far side. There is no shore to speak of, and we came out high above it, so nobody could _walk_ there, but there are fish!"

"That's good," Lily said, voicing the relief she was sure everyone shared. "Is the water salty or fresh?"

"Fresh," Cara said with a smug purr. "It is great."

"But there's nowhere to live near it," Lily asked knowingly. "Is there?" Cara would have led with that if she found such a place.

"No," Cara admitted, her smugness dropping away. "And there were fish bones in the tunnel right before it let out, meaning someone has been fishing and eating there, and is either not big enough to eat their fish whole, or just very picky."

"We found signs of life as well," Mist interjected. "A _lot_ more than that. We followed a path to a smaller cave with plenty of light, and there was a waste pit dug into the rock. It had been used recently. Some of the tunnels leading out of that cave had scratch marks, a lot of them, like many dragons passed through recently. And there were a few scorch marks."

"I see," Lily said carefully. "We may not want to go that way now, but it is certainly good to know about." She hoped that wouldn't be a cause of trouble; there being a waste pit but no signs of continued occupation implied that said cave was a passing-through point, a place to rest when travelling. Or that the occupants had only recently left.

"We followed a gash in the stone, not like the tunnels we've been going through," Beryl said respectfully once it was clear Lily had no follow-up questions for Mist. "There were bugs and mushrooms, so it seemed we might find more life if we went that way."

"It is like a ravine with a top," Spark added. "And the bugs are very annoying."

"But at the end, there's a big cave," Beryl said. "Larger than the valley, brightly lit from above, with only a few ways out. It might not be suitable for living in, but it's much better than where we are now, and apparently there is food and water not _that_ far away."

"We found the underground sea too," another of the scouts said. "Ours had a nice shoreline of rock and sand, but the cave ceiling slopes down not that far out, so it is not big enough to fish from."

"Slopes down?" Lily asked. She was struggling to picture what he meant.

"The water stays on the same level, but the roof comes down until it is in the water," he clarified. "So there is probably a lot more, but we cannot go any further, and the fish probably do not swim into reach all that often."

"You found more than us," a female huffed. "We explored _three_ tunnels, all going the same way, and they all were dead ends."

"Honestly, that reassures me more than anything else could," Lily told her. "It means we have less directions to think about." She _really_ wished she had a way to mark all of this down.

There was a moment of silence, and Lily realized that everyone had spoken. "So," she said, "that is all?"

"That is all we have had time to explore," Beryl said. "The problem is, taking into account all of the new places connecting to the caves we have found, there are _more_ paths to explore than when we started."

"Good, plenty of options," Lily said.

"Lily, if we try to explore this whole place before moving on, we will be waiting in this cavern for season-cycles," Cara objected.

"Alpha," Lily corrected absently, her mind on other things. Such as there being no way to explore _everywhere_ before her pack needed somewhere to stay, at least temporarily. For the moment, she had to prioritize finding somewhere good enough for longer than a short rest break.

"We need a place to stay for however long we need," she reasoned aloud, "and we need a source of food and water. Beryl, you say the place you and Spark found has neither of those?"

"Not directly, but it has paths to other places that might," Beryl explained. "And there were some red mushrooms, maybe enough for a few days."

"That settles it," she decided. "Right now, we'll go there. In the meantime, the next set of scouts will keep exploring." They didn't have a permanent home, but the cave Beryl had found would mean a little more food to keep them going. Water would be a problem, was already a problem, but she could send people out to the underwater… lake, really, since it was fresh water.

It was something aside from the ominous dark they were currently sitting in, and moving made her people feel like they were making progress. They would go immediately.

O-O-O-O-O

The ravine that Beryl and Spark had described was just as they had said. It was narrow and cramped, and dark enough to be ominously shadowed in every direction in a way that pure darkness couldn't match. Grey and pale yellow crystals lurked in corners and behind fallen rocks, sparse and dim even when they were in the open. Mushrooms were everywhere, some of them red and some other colors entirely. Worst of all, the bugs were just as annoying as Spark had said, large enough to make her flinch whenever one buzzed at her eyes or past her ears.

As they walked, Beryl made his way back to walk behind her. "Thankfully, the bugs don't come out into the next cave," he said as a way of starting the conversation. "No idea why, though."

"It's big and bright," Lily guessed. "Maybe they like the dark."

"Maybe," he said. "On another topic, I've noticed something. Less people seem to be coming to you and complaining about things. I have not seen a line of people with requests since we came down here."

Lily glanced behind her, saw that Dew and Pina were busy smacking bugs out of the air with their tails, and lowered her voice. "What do you mean by that?" If Beryl had noticed Holly trying to act like she was in charge…

"Nothing bad," Beryl assured her. "I think it just means there are less problems since everyone is focused on getting to wherever we are going. There's something to do, and not much to fight about."

"If that is why, it will end the moment we find somewhere livable," she said. She would still prefer that over her first guess, though. At least a renewed stream of complaints coming to her meant everyone saw her as the one to resolve them.

"That could be a while," Beryl remarked. "Or this place ahead of us could be it. What do you want out of a new home?"

"Safety and space," she said immediately. "Space for moving around, for flying, for living. Safety from enemies, from intrusions of any kind, and from starving or dying of thirst."

"Quite the list of requirements," he said in a teasing tone. "I notice nothing there about bugs."

"Oh, I want them slaughtered to the last gnat," she shot back, flicking her ears at a four-winged pest that was trying to land on her head. "But that would be a bonus."

"They could act as a deterrent," he offered. "If this was the only way into your new home, nobody would ever want to come visit."

"Maybe," she snorted. It was an unusual defence, but a defense nonetheless. Though she'd want something more solid than annoying bugs if whatever had made those tunnels came calling...

"This place could be easily defended, and not just by bugs," Beryl mused, apparently thinking along similar lines. "One guard could watch this passage, and a small group could hold it against ten times their number. Or we could just block it up."

"This rock does not seem loose, and I have yet to see boulders," Lily countered. "How would we block it?"

"I don't know how strong the crystals all over the place are," Beryl said in way of an answer. "We might be able to break and shape them to plug this passage. A wall, and one that we could see through, too. Then we could stick small pebbles and dirt up over our side, to make it look like the crystal is set against a solid wall, so nobody would bother trying to get through."

"That is a really good idea," she hummed. "I might need you to do it at some point."

"Assuming we can break the crystals at all," he clarified. "It might not be doable… But we can talk about this later. I recognize that mushroom." He nodded to a big, bulbous cap with white spots that drooped over their heads, growing out from the wall at an angle. "We're almost there."

Sure enough, the ravine took a sharp turn, and as she came around, she saw that it abruptly ended, terminating in the wall of an immense cave, the one Beryl had told her of.

From where she was, walking out into the open, it looked amazing. Some sort of grass-equivalent that was only a slightly odd shade of blue-green compared to normal grass covered most of the cave's floor and a good portion of the walls. The massive open area spread out into the distance and ended at a gradual, sloping wall composed entirely of colorful, light-giving crystals. The few large mushrooms rising like miniature trees in the darker corners of the cavern even cast faint but long shadows.

Other shadows were cast by a series of bowl-like depressions in some parts of the wall. There was a sound akin to moving water, amplified by a series of echoes, and it sounded like there was flowing water in the depressions, though she couldn't see it from where she stood.

"I thought you said there was no water?" she asked, looking over at Beryl.

The look on his face made her worried. "There _wasn't_ any," he said firmly. "You can hear it from here, I'm _sure_ we would have noticed. We didn't go too far in or stay very long, but-"

The sound of water died away, seemingly of its own accord.

"Okay…" Beryl looked as if he wanted nothing more than to fly over and investigate, but he remained by her side. "That's going to need some looking into."

"Definitely." She set off toward the wall with the potential source of fresh water. "Everyone, take a rest break! We'll be staying here for a little while." She didn't expect her people to refrain from exploring such a light and appealing cave, not after huddling around nervously in the last two, but nobody was going to go too far.

"I saw five major exits to this cave when we were last here," Beryl said as they walked. "There's one up there," he continued, looking off to the side.

Lily turned and saw that there was indeed a small opening set about halfway up the huge walls of the cavern. It might be reachable on paw, assuming she was crazy enough to try climbing a sheer rock face, but other than that it was totally inaccessible to anyone without flight… which was really just her.

"Then there is the bright path, over in the far wall." He looked right at the base of the wall made entirely of crystal. She couldn't see an opening, not with all of the light and colors dazzling her eyes, but she trusted that there was one.

"That makes three, counting the way we came in," she said. "What of the other two?"

"Larger, though not that large, and set in either wall," he concluded, waving to the left and right sides of the cavern.

"And up there?" Lily gestured to the irregular roof of the cavern. There were dark irregularities on the sloping ceiling, which seemed highest where they had come out, and lowest where it met the crystal wall. "I see holes."

"That might be a sixth exit, you are right," he agreed. "Also, you cannot see it from here, but the roof rises again near the far wall. It is almost like a lump in the middle, hanging down, but everything here seems stable."

"I certainly hope it is," she murmured, remembering just how much rock was above them. Somehow, with everything else that was going on, she had managed to forget it. Until now.

"Let's see this disappearing river," she huffed, stepping up onto the chest-high ledge of crystal that jutted out from the base of the wall. It was an appealing blue in color, but she cared more about what lay inset in the stone beyond it.

There was a straight furrow in the stone, one that was still wet. A little trickle of water still ran along its length, originating from a head-sized hole in the stone to one side, and terminating in another hole off to the other side. She could hear distant water, like waves on the shore…

"Tides, maybe," Beryl said, pawing at the trickle of wetness. "Nothing says underground oceans would not have them too. Whenever it is high tide, this stream flows, and whenever it is not, it ceases. That's really interesting."

"If this is coming from the underground lake…" Lily turned to look in the direction the water was coming from. She found herself staring at the crystal wall. "Didn't you say there was a tunnel going into those crystals?"

"I'll go find out where that leads," Beryl offered. "You set things up here."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily blinked heavily, aware that she was depriving herself of sleep. The bright, nearly blinding crystals that surrounded her were not helping her growing headache, either, but from what Beryl had said on returning from this particular path, what lay on the other end was worth being tired.

Even if she had to go with Cara, because Beryl had been pulled into something by Storm and Root. She would have taken Pina or Dew, but they were busy, and the same could be said for Pearl… Everyone was busy except for the people she was trying to keep from doing anything important. So really, Cara being available when few others were was her own fault.

The path through the crystals was jagged and twisting, moving between different colors and in different directions far too often. It had a steep upward slope, and wasn't big enough to fly in, both of which would be annoying, given what it led to.

"Looks like we are coming to the end," Cara observed. Her statement was ended with a huge yawn, and she let her tail drag on the smooth crystals for a bit before remembering to hold it up again. "After this, I will find someone else to scout in my place. I have been up for… too long. How are we going to tell when it is night and when it is day down here?"

Lily held back a scathing comment about how Cara was only thinking of that _now_ , and considered the question. "We won't," she said. "Everyone will just have to sleep when they are tired."

"That sounds nice," Cara huffed. "I am tired _now_ , though."

"Some of us will have to make sacrifices," Lily said coldly. Then they were emerging from the crystals, out onto a rocky ledge, and she had something else to think about. Such as the endless empty space in front of her, or the light breeze on her face, or the swishing water lapping against the stone...

Or the star-speckled night sky that had somehow come to be down in the water.

There really was an ocean's worth of water in this underground lake. It was so deep she could not see the bottom, but she could see the many-colored crystals dotted across what had to be the bed of the subterranean ocean, crystals that gave off light and made what might have been a nightmare of dark water a faintly-lit wonder.

"There are fish, see?" Cara exclaimed, looking down. "You can see them against the light from below. There are plenty, and this place seems to go on forever."

Forever… Lily shivered. "Yes. But are these fish catchable?"

"I will get some." Cara leaped out into the open space above the water and dove down to skim it, looking into it. She made several passes before speaking, her voice carrying clearly. "It is disorienting at first, but once you get used to the light coming from the wrong direction…"

She fired into the water, and after a moment skimmed it, coming up with several dead fish, kinds Lily did not recognize. "When it comes to food, this is great," she said, her voice muffled, "But safety..."

She trailed off, stretching and stilling her wings to glide slowly on the breeze, and Lily looked where she was looking. The stone ledge she was standing on ran parallel to the watery depths, and continued onward out of sight. It led somewhere, and the places where it would have naturally ended were gouged out of the rock, implying that at some point, _something_ had decided that a walkable path was worth making.

"I want guards here," she said as Cara landed. "That was made by someone, even if they are long gone now. A few of the scouts."

"You are using us for a lot of things right now," Cara said, dropping the fish. "We are tired. That might have to wait until everyone has rested and we can set up a rotating watch."

"I am leaning heavily on you," Lily agreed, taking one of the fish and swallowing it. The food felt good in her empty stomach, but also left her feeling far sleepier than she would have liked. "Once we know what is around us, your scouts may get all the rest they need. But that comes first."

"It does, I will find someone who can stand guard," Cara reluctantly agreed. "But it will not be me. I still feel as if I am sleepwalking."

"Agreed. Now, we should head back." Lily took a step toward the way back to their cavern.

A haunting cry echoed from behind her, long and low, almost mournful. She whirled, looking down into the water, and Cara did the same almost in unison.

There was nothing new to be seen. Not that they could see much, just the blurred lights and the tiny shapes flitting in front of them-

A whole group of lights winked out in sequence, as if something was passing in front of them from left to right. Something massive.

Lily took three very quick steps back from the edge. "Those who fish here must fish in pairs, with one always watching the water." She didn't know what that was, but it was big. There had been big things in the oceans, and those never caused trouble, so there was not necessarily any reason to be alarmed, but she was not taking chances.

"Definitely," Cara growled.

Another sound echoed out from the depths, another a mournful cry in the distance. Lily shivered. She didn't want to know what was making those noises. So long as it stayed away, she wouldn't have to.

Then she heard a far more familiar and far more alarming sound, a distant roar of aggression and rage. More followed, all coming from the main cavern.

From her pack. Lily forgot all about the unknowns of the water as she darted back up the path to the rest of her people, hating that something bad had happened almost as soon as she let down her guard. She should have been there, not looking into water and being spooked by noises!

They rushed up the short passage that connected the main cave with the underground lake, ran out into the open, and saw a commotion on the other side of the cave, around one of the passages she had sent scouts into. Light wings were moving and roaring and firing in at the passage entrance, which meant enemies were invading the valley-

No, not the valley, their cavern. Lily shook her head as she ran, trying to clear it. This was not the valley, and she needed to be thinking straight to handle this.

Cara dove forward above her, crossing the distance in moments and dropping right into the fray, lending her weight. Beryl and Ember were already there, along with Pearl and Storm, and even Thaw, for some reason-

No, Lily could see why Thaw was there. Fledglings and hatchlings were being thrown and carried out of the fight, most utterly terrified, but a few sporting wounds and bawling piteously.

A few fledglings must have slipped away from their minders and gone exploring, or those in charge of them had seen no harm in letting them play close to the tunnel. Either way, they had found something that did not like them. This was the result. All in the short time Lily had been gone.

She tried to run faster, but she was tired, and her back was hurting too much to ignore, those four points of pain jabbing at her with every bound. It took her precious moments, far too many of them, to make it to the fight.

To make matters even more frustrating, by the time she reached the skirmish, it was over, and Holly was the one in charge. The enemy dragons were retreating, and everyone was listening as Holly and Cara barked out orders.

Good orders. To form a defensive line in front of the tunnel exit; to see to the fledglings, and to make sure no parents of any fledglings involved were stuck guarding the tunnel. To make sure all the fledglings were accounted for.

Lily hated how conflicted she felt. There were good orders in place, ones she would have given, and she had not been able to make it there in time to give them. She wanted to roar at Holly and Cara, to override them and give her own set of orders, better ones, but there were no better ones, and to do that would just make her look bad.

She settled for making sure she knew what had happened. "Report," she barked at Holly, wanting to visually reestablish the chain of command. Holly was still under her.

"I woke up to screeching," Holly explained, panting. "the fledglings were all running out of the tunnel with larger dragons after them. We all jumped into the fray and tried to extricate the fledglings. They fled just before you got here… We do not know why they attacked-"

"And they definitely were not talking to us," Mist added from her position in the defensive line. "I tried, none would do anything but snarl and growl insults."

"So they were intelligent?" Lily asked.

"Definitely, but they were also enraged." Holly shrugged her wings. "There were three different kinds of dragon here. Beryl would probably know what they were."

"Where is he?" Lily spun in a tight circle, trying to locate him. Or any of the dark wings, really. She could see Storm and Root, side by side in the defensive line, looking no worse for wear, but none of the other dark wings were around. Hadn't they been embroiled in the fight just a second ago?

"Something with Thaw," Holly offered. "He was there, and he fought to defend the fledglings he was with. He did not look all that hurt, but something happened and once Ember jumped in they all fled…"

Lily nodded; she had a good idea of why the enemy had retreated. Ember had killed, and in the process scared off the attackers, because the way he killed and sometimes turned his opponents to ash would unnerve anyone.

She shook her head and tried to think of whether she needed to do anything _immediately_. The way was being watched, the injured fledglings were being tended, and if any of her people were missing she did not know about it. "Did we lose anyone in the fight?" she asked.

"Yes, we lost a female. Her body is down in the tunnel a ways. She jumped into the midst of them to buy the rest of us time to get to the fledglings." Holly sighed, looking down sadly.

"And we might have to assume the two scouts I sent down that very tunnel are not going to come back," Cara added solemnly. "I hope they do, but I am not going to count on it. We lost at least three to those dragons."

"It will not happen again," Lily snarled. "Cara, I am putting you in charge of defending this passage. Nothing gets by."

"Yes, alpha!" Cara barked, and Lily was reminded that she had meant to keep Cara and her sisters from any sort of authority… but it was too late to go back on the decision now, not without looking weak.

"I need Beryl to see if we can block this passage," she snarled, turning away from Cara. "Can someone give me an idea of where Beryl went?"

"He and Thaw went over there," Aven said sullenly, nodding toward one of the few big mushrooms, in the far corner of the cave. Sure enough, Beryl and his family were clustered around the mushroom.

Lily nodded wordlessly and ran across the cavern, her mind focused on the task at paw. She needed to get Ember and Beryl working on blocking the passage, and then she needed to see someone about arranging guards on all the other paths, and send some people to fish for everyone...

"Beryl, I need you and Ember over at the defenses," she called out as she got close.

Beryl lifted up on his hind legs to look at her from the far side of the huddle. "In a little while. This is important."

"Is Thaw okay?" she asked.

"He is not hurt," was the short, obviously incomplete reply.

"Then what is the matter? You are needed now." She didn't have patience for this, and while she knew he was holding something back, she didn't have the time to coax it out of him… especially not in front of the rest of his family.

"Lily, I said in a little while," Beryl growled. "Now please, if you are going to stay, be silent and do not intervene."

"She is not staying." Ember lifted his head to stare at Lily. "This is a family matter. Leave us."

"Ember, if we make her go she will just nose around until she finds out what we were doing," Beryl sighed. "Let her stay, it will make things easier. And she is not going to say or do _anything_ , right?"

Lily glared at him. "If that is the trade for being let in on what is going on, fine." She walked over to stand behind Beryl, and got a good look at who was in the center of attention.

Thaw was huddled between his Sire and Dam, under their wings, shuddering silently with his face hidden against Pearl's side. He was in distress, clearly, but not hurt from what little Lily could see.

Nobody spoke for a long while. Lily grew impatient despite herself, but she didn't let it show. Whatever was going on, she was well aware that only Beryl's endorsement - and she had to wonder what Ember and the others thought about how easily Beryl would bring her into something like this - was allowing her to be present.

Eventually, Pearl spoke. "Thaw, it is fine. You did well."

"You protected those who could not protect themselves," Beryl agreed. "Any of us would have done the same."

"And if you do not speak, we cannot be sure you are going to be okay," Ember rumbled. "Thaw, remember what I told you."

"Never kill if there is another way," Thaw huffed, his deep voice cracking and strained. "There was no other way, Sire, he was lunging for a little female who was not fast enough, and nobody else could do anything."

"I know. I saw. And you did well. I meant the other part." Ember's voice was soft.

"To… To listen to you and do as you said afterward, to not hide it or feel ashamed, but…" Thaw shivered, looking up at Ember. "Sire, something is wrong. I feel strange."

"You know what I am, son. Now we get to know what you are." Ember lightly pawed at Thaw's side. "I am not ashamed, because I know it was not my choice to be this way. All that matters is what I do with it. You will not be ashamed of this. You had even less choice than I did."

"I am sure it is scary," Pearl murmured, caressing his head with the tip of her nose, "but you must push aside the fear and find out what has changed. Then you will not have to be so afraid."

"So, son?" Ember asked kindly.

"I know I have to see," Thaw whined. "But am I like you?"

"We don't know," Ember admitted. "What do you feel?"

"I don't feel anything in my head," Thaw replied, seeming to know what he was supposed to be focusing on. "I remember the shape of the one I… I killed… but there is nothing more."

"Try to concentrate on that form," Ember coached. "Do not try too hard. I think you may be missing the vital part of this ability that means anything, in which case-"

Thaw began to shimmer, and Ember and Pearl backed up. Lily stared, utterly fascinated, as the fledgling began to disappear, tiny clear flames dancing across his body, so very clear that she could barely see them. Then, when Thaw was translucent but still visible, an in-between state Lily was entirely sure no light wing could ever accomplish, his shape began to twist and expand, like he was suddenly made of dirt and being pushed and pulled by some giant paw.

Everyone backed up as Thaw continued to expand, still a translucent shape just barely on fire. It was a slow process, which just served to highlight how very unnatural it was.

Then the fires flickered out, and Thaw faded back into view. At least, Lily was pretty sure it was Thaw. He had two heads on long necks, and two tails, along with a much larger and flatter body. He was also still colored the same as before, and looked distinctly odd, white mixing with blue-green just like before, but covering a far larger body.

Both heads wobbled on their long necks, and turned to look at each other. Two hisses of shock exploded from them, and then the flames and translucence returned, slowly molding Thaw back into his normal self. He stood on shaky legs, looking like he might collapse. "I am still me," he gasped, closing his eyes and trembling.

"What did you feel?" Ember asked urgently.

"I did not have any new memories," Thaw said faintly, so quiet Lily could barely hear him. "And it was so strange to have two minds… two heads. It felt like I had split myself into two partial people, and those two people didn't really know how to talk to each other."

"I don't think you do what I do, then," Ember said slowly.

"I think he only takes on the shape," Beryl proposed. "You saw, he still looked like Thaw in coloration. There are no memories. The shape is all he got."

"And he does not have a void, not like I do." Ember shrugged his wings. "Thaw, do you just think of the form and it happens?"

"No, I think of it and push it into this odd little spot in my mind." Thaw sounded less horribly afraid now, but still not at all comfortable. "It is not a void, but it is dark, and I do not know what it is."

"Does it matter?" Pearl asked. "You are still fine. Nothing bad has happened, and all of the horrible parts of what happened to Ember are not happening to you. What you have is too… diluted, I think. Weak."

"Weak is a good thing," Ember asserted. "But it does matter. We do not know if he can safely rid himself of this form."

"Do not try!" Spark blurted out, reminding everyone that he was there too. "It looks like he does not switch forms, I saw his injury on the dragon he turned into. He just changes what he _is._ There is only one body for Thaw."

"That is what I was thinking," Thaw agreed, twisting to look at a shallow gash on his side, not even deep enough to draw blood. "Since I still had _this_ hurt… I do not think killing myself would end well for me."

"Do not try, ever," Pearl growled. "Your Sire is the exception to that. You have a very different… talent."

"A very good one, too," Ember purred happily, rubbing his face against Pearl's head. "This is really just a talent. No stolen memories, and no stolen bodies. Just a way to change shape."

Pearl purred right back at him, drawing Thaw close with her wing and breaking the little circle they had held around him. "That is a great relief. Do not make a habit of taking new shapes, Thaw, and you have nothing more to worry about."

"I will not," Thaw promised, his voice muffled. "This is really a good thing?"

"We suspected you had taken something from being my offspring," Ember rumbled, "but it looks like you got all of the good and none of the bad. What you got was weak enough to not have any of the bad parts."

"It is _great_ ," Spark said eagerly. "Really great."

"I guess," Thaw said, his ears perking up. "It is not as bad as it could have been…"

Lily backed away, seeing that the serious, mind-shattering revelations were done, and feeling more than a little uncomfortable spectating such a personal moment.

Beryl also stepped away, shaking his head. "We got so very lucky. None of us knew what might happen. For all we knew, it would go wrong and destroy him the moment he checked."

"Then why did Ember have him check?" Lily asked quietly, not wanting to be overheard. "If it was so dangerous."

"Because the way all of this works, it would happen eventually no matter what," Beryl whispered back. "There is no avoiding it. He might have triggered it without meaning to at some point. Maybe it would activate itself. Even if he never checked, when he eventually died of age or something else, it would be there, waiting for him. Or, that was how it would have worked for Ember."

"But he's not like Ember?" she asked.

"Not in the way that matters," Beryl assured her. "And since you saw, you are not going to ask about it or press for more information?"

"I would have been subtle about finding out what happened," she huffed. "You basically told them I would do more harm than good if I wasn't let in on the secret right away. I wouldn't have."

"I said what I thought," he retorted. "That you would find out anyway. Anything else I might have implied was just that, an implication. What were you originally coming over to ask me about?"

"I… Blocking the passage," she said, remembering her initial purpose. "I want you and Ember to figure out whether you can block that passage. Whoever was attacking, I want them to never be able to come that way again."

"It was a mix of different dragons," he said, looking back at his family. They had moved away, toward the intermittent stream. "Two-heads, those with flaming bodies, and the little smelly ones we ran into in the forest."

"They're here?" she growled. "Really?"

"Not the same ones we met, but their kind," he explained. "I think. It _could_ be the same ones, but that would make no sense. How would they have gotten down here before us, and why would they be attacking?"

"You're right, they're not the same people…" She shook her head and growled again, louder this time. "But they've killed at least three of mine. I want their way into our cave blocked, and if they come back, I want them dead."

"Ember and I can look into that first part," Beryl agreed. "But are we staying here?"

Lily noticed that he had said we, and took comfort in that. She didn't expect him to leave now, but it was good to hear confirmation of her assumption. "Water, food, space, and if we can block up the dangerous passages, safety. This place is worth fighting for, at least until our scouts can find somewhere better." At the very least, this cave was far more defensible than the valley had been. And Beryl would make it better still.

She could protect her pack here.


	68. Unsettled

**_Author's Note:_ My apologies for the week off; it wasn't strictly intended, but if any week was going to be beyond my ability to handle life and writing, it would have been that one... anyway, here's a chapter!**

Lily growled quietly and flicked her tail against the ground, annoyed with herself. It was understandable that she couldn't sleep in more than fits and starts, her pack had been _attacked_ not that long ago, and she was in a new environment, the closest it got to dark was a light twilight on the opposite side of the cave to the all-crystal wall. It was _understandable_ to not be sleeping well, she wouldn't blame any of her people for having the same problem.

But she _needed_ sleep, and not being able to get enough was frustrating. She stubbornly held her eyelids closed and refused to abandon the grassy spot she had chosen in the middle of the cavern. Even though she really wanted to. She might have been trying to sleep, but she had set almost half the pack to various tasks in the meantime, and checking up on those would be less frustrating…

No. She needed rest. Beryl and Ember were working on blocking the passageway, there was nothing she could contribute there. Root, Storm, and a few others were examining every nook and cranny of the cave, ensuring there were no hidden ways in or out. She couldn't do anything to speed that up; Root on his own could have done it, the others with him were mostly for protection, just in case. She would be of no use overseeing the various guards, not when they already knew what to do, and the scouts were long gone, double-checking where the paths they _did_ know about led. Except for the one they had been attacked from.

Everyone else was trying to sleep, and she should be doing the same. No matter how little success she was having at that deceptively difficult task. She wanted someone to throw a wing over her head on the off chance that it was the ambient light bothering her, but that would mean getting up and waking Pina, or Crystal, or someone else who was getting their own well-needed rest. They probably wouldn't mind, but she would know she had given up… Seeking help was its own form of failure. No self-respecting alpha needed help sleeping. It would hurt her image.

O-O-O-O-O

Some time later - she had no idea how long she had intermittently dozed, just that it wasn't long enough to feel at all rested - the scouts returned. Or, she thought as she heeded the announcing roars and shook the lingering lethargy off herself, those who had traveled furthest were back. The others had come in at some point earlier, but they liked to wait until they could all give her their reports at once, so long as it wasn't urgent. Thus, not being woken until now was probably a good sign, since it meant nobody had seen anything worth waking her for…

Or they hadn't bothered coming to her. She squinted at the distant gathering of light wings by the ravine passage, trying to make out any errant glints. Cara wasn't present, and neither was Holly, but Aven _was_ in the group. Not taking reports, just there talking, but that did not mean she was innocent.

"Aven, are you rested?" Lily called out as she approached, forcing her tone to neutrality lest she let slip a growl that betrayed her lack of trust.

Aven turned to look at her, a distant, unhappy expression crossing her face. "Yes, why?" she responded curtly. Lily was reminded that she had killed a No-scaled-not-prey right under Aven's paws, and that Aven wasn't happy about it, and that someone had needed to point that out to her… She didn't remember who had done so, though.

"I'll want to speak to you after this," Lily said vaguely, pushing the thought aside before she could waste time trying to recall who had told her. She would make it up to Aven soon, in a way that didn't give her sisters anything to use in their power grabs. Something subtle, if she could manage that, as tired as she was. But later. "First, let's hear what's outside."

"There are six paths out of this cave, alpha," Cedar barked eagerly, though he looked tired, his wings and tail drooping every so often before snapping back to attention when he noticed. "One leads to the underground lake you have already seen. The ledge goes on for longer than I could fly and be back in time, and leads nowhere but further out over the water."

"So we should guard that way, but it wouldn't be a short flight to reach us?" Lily asked. "Did you hear or see anything suspicious?"

Cedar shuddered dramatically. "Strange echoing sounds in the distance," he said. "And once, a massive grey shape broke the water in the distance. I was too far to see what it was, only that it was big."

"Thanks for inspiring my next moon-cycle of nightmares," one of the other scouts muttered. "I do not like big fish."

"Concerning, but not an immediate threat," Lily said firmly, hoping to quash any paranoia before it could get going; her pack had one lurking set of enemies already, they didn't need to be distracted by worries of an entirely different sort. "Thank you. Go get some rest, and all of you remember that fishing is only to be done close to the ledge, and in pairs."

"Yes, alpha," Cedar huffed, bowing his head and taking off.

"You," Lily said, gesturing with a wing at a female she couldn't remember the name of - which was a kick to the gut, bringing to mind the last female whose name she had learned too late.

"I went back the way we came," the female said chirpily, nodding as she spoke. "Still nothing there, still dark, still far too many ways for me to explore. Still a lot of little bugs. No change there."

"Good," Lily said, resolving to figure out a way to ask her name without making it obvious that she didn't know it. "That's good. What of the other paths?"

"Mine was a dead end," Clay offered. "It went a short way, turning and twisting every direction, then ended abruptly. Sort of like a boulder had been rolled into it, like Ember and Beryl were talking about before I left."

"Did it look intentionally blocked, or like something had caved in?" Lily asked. She didn't know which would be worse; that tunnel was directly opposite the one the attack had come from, so it being blocked by intelligent design might mean she had enemies on both sides. But if it had been blocked in a natural occurrence, that meant _none_ of the tunnels they had come through had been at all safe; any of them could collapse at any time. So far, she'd been hoping there was something about this underground realm that stopped that from happening, not that they were just lucky. Luck tended to run out.

"I could not tell," Clay responded, clearing up nothing and making her feel she had gotten the worst of both possibilities, at least in terms of things to worry about. "There were no claw marks on this side, but I obviously could not see the other side, if there even is one now."

"Which would mean that, if someone did block it, they did it from the other side," Lily reasoned. "And I think we have an idea what they might have been blocking off…" Not that she was confident enough about that guess to act on it. "We're not going to try and excavate the tunnel, that's for sure. It can stay blocked." One less passage to worry about.

"That was what I was hoping," Clay agreed. "Now, if you do not need me for anything else…" He looked over at the cluster of parents and fledglings near the intermittent stream.

"Go," Lily said, waving her tail in that direction. "What of the other passages?" she asked the remaining two scouts.

"Mine leads to another dark cave," one of them said quickly. "I think it is a different one from the place we have already been, and there are no holes in the ceiling. Plenty of other tunnels out, though, and some pits in the middle that do not look like they have a bottom." He shuddered.

"I got a dead end like Clay," the other added. "But mine was _definitely_ a cave-in, there was rubble everywhere and some of the stone cracked when I stood on it. I could hear running water near the end, and I got out before anything else could collapse."

"Okay, right," Lily muttered, resisting the urge to ask why he hadn't told her that _very helpful_ information when she was trying to figure out whether Clay's potential cave-in was natural or not. Having a point of reference would have been great. "We'll have to see if Ember and Beryl can block that one off too, then. Or at least figure out where the water is." If it was running under the end of the tunnel, it might be better to keep the tunnel available as a secret supply of water in case something happened to their access to the underground lake, but if it was _above_ the cave-in, blocking off the tunnel could be the only thing stopping their temporary home from being flooded…

She would get Root to look at it. "You two can go," she said, dismissing the remaining scouts. "Good work," she added as an afterthought, turning to Aven. "Thoughts?"

"We have traded No-scaled-not-prey for a whole host of other dangers we cannot talk to at all," Aven said neutrally, avoiding meeting her gaze. "I am not sure I like it down here."

That was a lot more honest than Lily had expected, but she went with it. "At least one is capable of speaking," she said. "What do you think of that?"

"I think that killing two of ours is not a good start to anything," Aven growled.

"Two?" Lily demanded, hoping that Aven was mistaken. She had only been told of one, there had only been one body, surely-

"You did not know?" Aven asked, her eyes wide as she finally met Lily's gaze. "One of the younger fledglings is missing, and has been since the attack. We do not _know_ what happened to him, but…"

"Who?" Lily asked hoarsely.

"His name is Spruce, like the tree," Aven said sadly. "Or… was. If he was hiding in our cave, Root would have noticed him when he was checking everything over, and there were guards at all the other exits, so he did not leave any other way. The ones who attacked us did not sound like they were taking captives." She whined softly. "I do not think I want to be the one to negotiate with them, if you need someone to do it. I did no good last time, and last time the one I was trying to talk to had not killed a fledgling unprovoked."

Lily's nascent plan to put Aven in charge of inter-pack relations with the attackers - not that she expected a lot of actual negotiation, but one never knew - had just gone up in flames, and she didn't have the heart to try and salvage it. "If there's any negotiating to be done with those _creatures_ ," she snarled, "it will be over a mound of their corpses."

Aven snorted and looked away. "I do not like that, but I do not _dislike_ it either. So long as we are not killing _their_ young."

"There are lines that shouldn't be crossed," Lily assured her, sensing an opportunity. She considered walking over and putting a wing over Aven, or otherwise initiating contact, but the twinging in her back and pent-up anger would probably make her seem more frustrated than caring or apologetic. "It's been brought to my attention that killing a certain No-scaled-not-prey right in front of you was one of them."

Aven shrunk in on herself at that, looking haunted. "I do not want to talk about that," she muttered.

"Not even to hear why I did what I did, or why it was necessary?" Lily asked. She wouldn't offer an apology for her actions, she hadn't been wrong to _do_ it, but she could apologize for Aven being the one to suffer the aftereffects. That was pure bad luck, not really anyone's fault, but she could take the blame in a way that Aven - or more likely, her sisters - couldn't use to their advantage.

"Maybe some other time," Aven said, looking up. "It looks like Root is coming to report, I have things to do…" She muttered a few more obvious excuses, and Lily nodded, letting her flee without any objection. She would have to come back around to Aven later.

Just as she would have to seek out Spruce's parents later and find out why they hadn't come to her, why she _didn't know_ that one of her fledglings, this time an _actual_ fledgling, had gone missing. She already suspected the answer, she had been trying to rest and Holly was so _helpful_ whenever she wasn't watching, but she had to get it from them… and she had to reconsider sending scouts down that passageway despite the danger. If the fledgling was hiding just out of sight, too scared to come out…

The thump of a light wing landing heavily behind her was a welcome distraction, and as she spun around she _tried_ to push her unhappiness away, to hide it behind the same neutral expression she used so often. Her continued tiredness didn't help.

"We have completed our inspection of the cavern, alpha!" Root barked seriously. The way he was staring a little too high and too far to the right diminished his attempt at seriousness somewhat, but Lily didn't mind that. Though she did wonder why he couldn't 'see' her well enough to know where to point his head.

"Anything except the passages we already knew about?" she asked. Storm was gliding in behind Root, having just broken off with a few light wings, and would be with them in moments, with plenty of time to give her own observations.

"You do not have to worry about the river," Root began, reminding Lily that she already had a secondary source of fresh water in the cavern. She didn't know why she hadn't remembered that; it was probably the exhaustion slowing her down. "I do not know where it comes from or where it goes, but the paths it takes are too small for anything to come through them."

"Any secret passages?" Lily asked.

"One," Root confirmed with a light tone of voice that implied he wasn't worried at all. "It-"

"Did Root tell you about the awesome thing we found yet?" Storm demanded, dropping down right beside Root. She hadn't made even the slightest sound of warning, but Root didn't even flinch. Lily suspected he had _somehow_ heard her coming, even though he had been talking… or he was used to her and expected her to do things like that, hearing ahead or not.

"There is a whole cave system up there," Storm explained, rearing back on her hind legs to point her whole body at the downward bulge of the ceiling. "Big enough for lots of us to live in. I have claimed a section for my family."

"There is a way up on paw if you want to take a look at some point," Root added. "That was the secret passage I was going to tell you about. It starts in the wall and circles up to the caves."

"These caves are totally isolated from anywhere else?" Lily asked.

"There are no connections that go anywhere other than this cavern," Root confirmed. "I heard it clearly. Plenty of space and little chambers, though, and the rock sounds like it has been ground smooth by something. Not like those horrible tunnels we went through to get here, by something smaller."

"But still bigger than us," Storm snorted. "Gone now, though, leaving a lot of nice sleeping places behind. A dozen of which are mine."

"This cavern is under my authority, and I'm not about to agree to that," Lily said sternly. The one thing this cave currently lacked was privacy, and she was _not_ about to let Storm lay claim to a massive collection of private places. Even if she personally didn't mind - which she definitely did, Storm had no right to do that - it would cause problems with her pack.

"I was the first one to set paw in there, so I get a say in who claims them," Storm said confidently.

"If we were using that method of determination, I am sure Root was the first to _discover_ them," Lily shot back with an unimpressed stare. "It does not matter, though. Those caves will be allotted to mated pairs and those with children first, and then given out based on need. The needs of my pack come before any foolishly selfish claim you could make." She expected a bad reaction to that, but Storm wouldn't do anything violent, so it would be relegated to harsh words-

Storm snorted and shrugged her wings. "Worth a shot," she huffed. "How about I lay claim to three of the chambers, not a dozen? One for my children and me, one for Ember and Pearl and their children." She tilted her head hopefully and thumped Root with her tail. "Anything to add?"

"I do not feel like jumping into your haggling," Root said serenely. "Especially when you have no power to bargain with."

"I will show you power," Storm grumbled. "So?"

"I'm not making any decisions until I see these caves and take a count of those who need privacy the most," Lily huffed. That was yet another thing for her to do, and one that would not be quick if she had to walk all the way up there. "When I do, your family will be considered, and I will not let you trying to jump ahead and stake a claim negatively affect my decision."

"You are no fun at all," Storm huffed. "Fine. Other than that, we found nothing of any interest at all. Happy?"

"With Root's work, yes," Lily said, looking to Root. "Thank you, and thank you for putting up with your less than helpful assistant." She very carefully did not look at Storm, hoping she was judging the other female's mood correctly-

"I resent that remark," Storm snorted. "Come on, Root. I want to see if you can see underwater with the right roar."

"I already said I do not want to disturb any deep sea monsters by roaring at them," Root grumbled good-naturedly as he flared his wings. "And we already know I cannot."

"Never say never, we have not tried sticking your head in the water while you roar," Storm offered. She leaped into the air, and Root followed with an indignant noise that made Lily laugh despite herself. She could imagine Storm doing it, too, though in her imagination Root wouldn't just sit there and let his head be dunked, he'd put up a fight…

They reminded her of Beryl for some reason, and not just because Storm was related to him. She had the urge to go see Beryl, to do something with him. Luckily, she already had the perfect excuse.

O-O-O-O-O

Beryl, Ember, and Thaw, the latter looking much better, though still withdrawn, were busy pacing along the length of the all-crystal wall that made up the back of the cave, the wall that illuminated what Lily had mentally dubbed as the 'light' side of the cave. Unlike in the valley, the bright light spilling out from the many colorful rocks was unusual, so instead of a place named for how it was always dark, this was a place named for light…

She shook herself as they noticed her, trying to drive off the tired haze over her thoughts. It wasn't fair, she had _tried_ to sleep, and now was time to be awake and do things.

All three of the males had their backs to her, staring up at the patchwork array of crystals. Ember leaped up onto an orange-red one that was sticking out from the rest, though there was barely room for him to stand on it, and noticed her in the process.

"How are things going?" she called out, closing the distance.

"We've got ideas," Beryl said, nodding in her direction. Calm, collected, respectful… exactly what she wanted when it came to keeping up appearances, but she wished she didn't need that.

"The stone of this cave is strong and brittle," Ember added from his perch. "Can't break it without shattering it, and that's not easy. We could make a pile of little pieces, but that wouldn't stop anyone looking to get through."

"But these crystals are good," Thaw said, dragging a paw down the flat side of a red crystal.

"We _think_ they break neatly," Beryl corrected. "We were about to test it, Lily, so you might want to stand back. Thaw, you too."

Lily obligingly backed up a few dozen paces, then a few more when Thaw joined her and kept going without slowing in the slightest. She didn't know exactly what they were planning, but she was thankful the pack was resting on the other side of the cave. If they were going to break a piece of crystal off, it would probably be loud.

Beryl took a place down below the crystal Ember was perched on, looking up at where it jutted out from the others. He and Ember exchanged a few words too quiet for her to make out, and then a few more…

She looked over at Thaw. "How likely is this to work?" she asked curiously, more to give him a chance to speak than out of any certainty that he would have an answer. He was still a fledgling, after all, though Beryl had said Ember had taught him some things.

"Sire can break anything," Thaw said confidently. "The question is whether it will break in a useful way."

"Useful?" she prompted.

"Some things shatter, some things bend, and some break along lines or surfaces," Thaw murmured, his deep voice sounding preoccupied as he watched his brother and Sire. "If it breaks along a good surface, we can shove it into the tunnel and fill in the gaps around it. That way, it will block the way and let us see out so they cannot catch us unaware."

"That would be great," Lily hummed, imagining it. The crystals weren't easy to see through, but a thin shard of one set up in the right way might be. Even seeing movement and nothing more would be good enough to give warning, and it was not _easy_ to break, so possibly a lot of warning.

Ember began dragging his claws along the intersection between his crystal and the rest, and Beryl's lithe and muscular form was reaching up to do the same from the bottom, though the crystal was thicker than both of them combined. They couldn't possibly be making any real progress on cutting the piece off. "What are they doing?" she asked.

"Telling it how they want it to break, along what surface," Thaw said without hesitation. "If there are several surfaces for it to break along, making it weak along the one we want will make it more likely to go that way. Like digging a ditch to direct water."

"I'm impressed," Lily said, looking over at him again. "How do you know all this?" She already knew, or at least suspected, the answer. It was Ember and No-scaled-not-prey things, No-scaled-not-prey knowledge.

"Sire," Thaw purred. "He is good at understanding things even for a No-scaled-not-prey. I do not have the paws for doing what he does, but I like it anyway…"

Lily was reminded of the brief moments earlier that day in which Thaw might not have had useful paws, but _did_ have two heads, and what that apparently meant. If he killed a No-scaled-not-prey, he might have the paws he was lacking, among other things. It was odd that such a thing was now an option for him.

"It looks like they are ready to try and break it," Thaw hummed. Beryl and Ember were taking off, flying away from the crystal and doubling back. There wasn't room for a real diving shot, but they flew in fast, two bolts lancing out in unison. A duo of near-simultaneous impacts exploded into being, one on top of the crystal and one below it…

Nothing happened. Lily could hear a few startled roars from the distant pack. She would have felt bad about waking people if she wasn't more concerned with protecting them. When Beryl and Ember turned again for another run, she didn't object. If their fire alone wasn't enough, she would conscript a dozen others and see if mass shots could-

The next duo of shots didn't break it, but Ember and Beryl weren't stopping at one. Six bolts shot out in groups of two, slamming into the crystal again and again, and the crystal _popped_ with a noise more akin to ice breaking than stone. Lily reflexively closed her eyes the moment she saw little shards shooting out from where the last blasts had hit.

She opened them again when the chunk of crystal, split into two irregular pieces, hit the ground. The pieces were each roughly the size of Beryl, longer than they were tall, and true to what Thaw had said, the points of breaking were strangely flat, angled planes.

"Success!" Beryl roared, dropping down to land on one of the chunks of crystal.

"We did it!" Thaw roared right back at him, running over to paw at crystals. Lily followed at a more sedate pace, though she was scarcely less excited. It had worked, and even she could see how to take the two chunks of crystal and block a tunnel with them. It was doable.

"Now for the boring part," Ember said as he returned to the ground. "Who wants to push a big rock all the way over to the tunnel?"

Beryl and Thaw looked at each other, then at Ember. "Why don't you go challenge Storm to a game of strength," Beryl suggested. "You against her. With these crystals."

"She is busy shoving Root's head underwater," Lily said.

"Okay, not her," Beryl said with a snort. "Lily, do you need help with anything?"

"Anything that will get you away from pushing a crystal?" Lily asked. "Well, someone needs to get around to digging a new waste pit…" She wasn't even joking, now that she thought about it. That did need to be done, and soon. As soon as she was done here, in fact. If she didn't quickly get one set up, her people would take the decision of _where_ it should be out of her paws by designating a space, and that would be something everyone regretted if it happened to be in a bad spot.

"I really need to get that started," she huffed after a moment. "No joke. You three do what you need, recruit anyone who is willing to help." She was going to go recruit her own group of light wings for the waste pit project. She could spend time with Beryl later.

"I'll stick to pushing crystals," Beryl barked in mock horror, leaping off his perch to lean into the big chunk of orange rock and shove. "Thaw, help me!"

Lily left them to their work, her mind on waste and how much she didn't want to have anything to do with it.

O-O-O-O-O

"Purely voluntary," she clarified as most of the light wings listening to her recoiled in disgust. "And there will not be any waste in it yet. I am just asking for help digging a suitable pit." She didn't see why she had to clarify that, but people heard 'waste' and immediately thought they were being asked to deal with it, whether or not that was the case.

"And you are asking us… why?" a female asked. She had both wings out, covering two fledglings on either side.

Lily looked around the circle of Dams, fledglings, hatchlings, and the occasional Sire. "Everyone else is busy," she said. She left unsaid that everyone needed to pitch in, and that this was a task anyone could do, while scouting or guarding wasn't something all could partake in as the need arose. They could even bring their older children along; digging was _fun_ for them.

"I, for one, feel like getting my paws dirty," Dew volunteered, standing up. Pina was a heartbeat behind her in volunteering, and then there was a small outbreak of purring and cheering from the fledglings who were awake enough to be listening…

By the time Lily had everything sorted out and the volunteers separated from the others, she had a sizable group ready to help and awaiting only a location to start digging.

A location she hadn't quite decided on yet. She wished she could fly, or at least survey their cave from above. Bereft of that advantage, she had to settle for turning in a slow circle and thinking hard about the necessary properties of a good waste pit.

It needed to be out of the way, _very_ out of the way of any prevalent breezes blowing into the cave, and it needed to be somewhere easily accessible. The latter requirement didn't really apply in this case, as anywhere they could dig was a short walk or a shorter flight away from any other part of the cave. Keeping it out of the way, on the other paw, ruled out putting it anywhere away from the edges of the cave, and meant keeping it from the various paths in and out…

"We'll go this way," she decided, turning to face the far corner of the vaguely rectangular cave. It was out of the way, bordered on the crystal wall, and could host a good-sized waste pit without being obvious. The ground sloped down into said corner, which was good for a tiny shred of privacy… Not really, but there was no privacy to be found anywhere, so that wasn't a consideration either.

Her group of volunteers, oblivious to her thoughts and second-guesses, followed her over to the corner. She staked out a spot as close to the sloping stone and crystal walls as possible without directly abutting them, so as to avoid hitting stone before they got sufficiently deep. Then came the task of scratching out lines in the grass and dirt so the fledglings knew where to dig, and then they were off.

Lily had meant to sit back and let her people do the work, but she found herself enjoying the mildly difficult task of pawing out loose dirt and snapping weak grass roots. She moved around the excavation area, clearing out the top layer of soil wherever she went, and keeping an eye on the fledglings. All was well, they were making good progress-

"I found a rock," one of the fledglings announced. Crystal moved over to help, or maybe just to watch, and there was silence for a moment as everyone continued to dig.

"Lily," Crystal barked urgently. "Come look at this."

Lily looked up - along with half of those digging, and the rest were listening intently, no matter what Crystal had hoped to keep between just them - and made her way to Crystal, wondering what was the matter. She looked down into the chest-deep hole the fledgling had been digging on his own, and stuck a paw down, brushing dirt off of something.

Crystal had uncovered a skull. Old, elongated, and partially shattered, it was stuck in the dirt as if it had a right to be there. She pawed at it tentatively, rolling the largest pieces to the side and revealing a glint of what Lily assumed was the top of a spine.

"That's… disturbing…" Lily said slowly, eyeing the dirt-stained objects. The skull they had once formed was old and certainly not from anything like a light wing, far too narrow and pointy.

"Lily," another light wing called out from the other side of the dig site, "are you two looking at bones of some sort? Because I just found some of those."

That was the beginning of a very unnerving discovery; as they continued to dig, searching for answers now, more and more bones were unearthed. They looked to be the old remains of several unknown dragons, and, ominously enough, a single light or possibly dark wing. Not all of the skulls were broken like the first to be uncovered, but there were other injuries, other cracks, breaks, and scorches exhibited by the scores of bones unearthed.

"Maybe we should pick somewhere else," one of the diggers suggested quietly once a sixth skull was unearthed, implying there was even more beneath it. The dirt was deep where they stood, which Lily might otherwise have considered a good thing. Now she wondered what else it might hide.

"Definitely," Lily agreed. She had no desire to disturb that kind of thing just to put in a waste pit. There were plenty of other places for such a thing. They quickly hid the skeletons under the dirt they had removed, and moved on to another place. She would have to remember to warn the rest of the pack not to dig in that particular spot, though it was unlikely anyone would. It was one small patch of upturned dirt in a massive cave, pure luck they had stumbled across it in the first place.

"Over here," she said after a short moment of contemplation, leading her group of volunteers across the cave, to the other side. The spot she had chosen this time wasn't quite so good, a little too close to the dangerous tunnel for her comfort, but that was a temporary issue, and it was far from the site of the bones. The tunnel guards eyed her group curiously as they set to work.

"This is better," Pina remarked, digging into the top layer of soil in the new designated waste pit location. "We have bad luck, to dig right on... "

She trailed off, and Lily looked over to see her pawing at something hard jutting out not a paw's height from where the grass had been.

"Pina?" Lily was hoping this was not what she was guessing.

"Very bad luck, Lily," Pina growled, pulling up a thin and long bone from the ground, one that looked far fresher than the specimens they had unearthed on the other end of the cave. "Or this is not so uncommon in our new home."

O-O-O-O-O

In the end, Lily sent her digging crew back to the first waste pit site, reasoning that if they were going to disturb burial sites no matter where they dug, they might as well dig out the best location. And she had sent them, not led them, because while digging was probably more _enjoyable_ than spreading the news of what they had found, it wasn't nearly as important.

"So pass along the word that digging might unearth some bones, but it's not a big deal," she said to Liona. "I don't think there'll be much digging anyway, but better forewarned than scared if a fledgling decides to show off the weird white rocks she or he found."

"I can tell people," Liona agreed, "but why me?"

Lily almost said that she had chosen Liona because if _she_ wasn't worried, nobody else would be, but she caught herself just in time and yawned instead; she _was_ tired, very tired. "Because you're someone I haven't asked to do something yet," she sighed. "Thanks for the help."

"Sure, you are welcome," Liona hummed. "Anything else?"

"No, just spread the word." Lily left her lying on a shallow ledge, and made her way through the spread-out crowd of light wings.

The cave was big, but most of her pack had elected to rest, eat, and otherwise hang around a small portion of it, near the middle and the ravine, avoiding the tunnels leading to danger and the ocean. Lily suspected the pack, as a whole, was motivated more by one person laying down there, and then their family sleeping near them, and some sort of chain reaction along those lines, more than any actual logic. Whatever the reason, her people were all pretty close together when they weren't doing something, and she found herself stepping over tails and other outstretched limbs despite the abundance of space the cave afforded.

Having informed Liona, she was momentarily out of important things to do. The work on the tunnel entrance was going, if slowly, but standing around watching Ember and Thaw packing sand around a hunk of crystal and flaming it wasn't all that productive. Them doing it _was_ , but her supervising when she didn't know anything about blocking tunnels… no, not a good use of time.

She might have gone to comfort the parents of Spruce, if she knew who they were. Not knowing bothered her quite a bit, but not as much as asking someone would. What was worse, she couldn't see any obviously grieving parents around, so she couldn't just figure it out herself. Not quickly.

Which left her with asking someone in a way that didn't leave them thinking she was looking for names at all, while giving her what she needed. It was an obvious, simple thing for her to do, and she didn't know why she was spending so much time thinking about it…

She spotted a particular light wing ahead of her, and decided that she could kill two No-scaled-not-prey with one blast. "Honey!" she called out.

"Lily, I will be right with you!" Honey barked back, before turning back to the male she was talking to. She waved a wing at the crystal wall, and the male flew off.

"What do you need, alpha?" Honey asked quickly. Everything about her seemed harried, from the way she was moving to how she spoke. Her normal bubbly attitude was entirely flat and she sounded as tired as Lily felt.

"To know whether you have found any plants that aid sleep, and to check whether Spruce's parents have come to you for anything," Lily said quickly. If Honey could give her either of those, she would be happy.

"No plants of any kind," Honey sighed. "Not in this cave. Others, maybe, but we cannot go anywhere to find them. And I do not know who Spruce is."

"I'll tell the scouts to keep an eye out for plants," Lily promised. "Spruce is the fledgling who went missing during the attack." She would never admit it, but finding out that Honey hadn't known his name either made her feel slightly better.

"Oh, yes, his Dam came by," Honey sighed. "She was not in a good state of mind, and asking for things I could not give, like a plant to make her not worry. Copper talked to her, and then Holly came over and helped her calm down more. I think she is okay now, her friends have been keeping her company. But she insists on guarding the tunnel, just in case." She gestured with a wing toward the tunnel, and Lily winced. Watching the blockage of the last hope that her fledgling was alive couldn't be good for that female's state of mind.

"Thank you for helping with that," she said. "How have you been, since we came down here? Aside from the lack of plants."

Honey shook her head and pulled her tail in to avoid the light wing walking right behind her. "Stressful," she said. "And it will be even more so if more fighting breaks out before I have my paws in a pile of pain-killing plants."

"I know," Lily assured her. "I don't want it to come to that, though. That's what Ember and the others are working on."

"If they want to hurt us, they will find a way, blocked tunnel or not," Honey said quietly. The barking of an argument nearby nearly drowned her out. "But I would like to think that will work."

"I would like to think so too," Lily huffed.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily lay on her stomach, eyes closed, and dozed. She woke every time anyone came too close to her, the pure exhaustion she was feeling not enough to outweigh her paranoia, but between those interruptions, she got some actual, genuine rest. It seemed she just hadn't been tired enough before to counteract the stress of sleeping in a strange, bright place she knew wasn't totally safe.

"Lily, I was sent to tell you something!" a familiar voice barked, dragging her from her slumber. She reacted quickly, shoving down a flash of instinctive dislike and blinking her eyes open enough to see the male in front of her.

Cloud. She blinked again, surprised. She couldn't even _remember_ the last time he had approached her in his usual fashion, though apparently it hadn't been long enough to let her dislike of him fade out of memory.

"And instead of telling me, you told me you were sent to tell me?" she grumbled, staggering to her paws. She would not converse with him while lying down, that was just asking for him to mistakenly think she was comfortable around him.

"I wanted to wake you first," he said irreverently. "The blockade is done! Ember sent me to get you to inspect it so he knows you are happy with it."

"Too many words for 'Ember wants you at the tunnel," Lily admonished him.

"I guess," Cloud said flippantly, turning tail on her and running back toward the tunnel entrance. She started after him, walking quickly until common sense caught up to irritation and slowed her down to a more reasonable pace. Really, she shouldn't even have been irritated in the first place; him leaving her alone was a good outcome.

"Wait, no," she muttered as she walked. "Not good." She had only tolerated him in the first place because he was attracted to power, and so long as he was going after her, she could take it as a sign that he saw no other rising sources of power. Him not going after her was a bad thing…

Though it wasn't like his lack of interest was the first warning sign of Holly's ambitions; she already knew about that. If he was interested in Holly now, he was useless as an oblivious danger detector. Meaning she could ignore him.

She felt good about not having to put up with him anymore, even though she already hadn't been for the last few moon-cycles. It was the principle of the thing, she supposed.

A crowd of light wings had grown up around the tunnel entrance, but the average light wing wasn't nearly tall enough to block Lily's view of the top part of the opening. Especially not when it had been widened, and a giant orange-red pair of crystals jammed inside.

The light wings nearest her moved aside to let her pass, and she nodded to them as she took advantage of their politeness. One had an angry, lost look on her face, making her easily identifiable as Spruce's Dam. Lily offered her in particular a sympathetic look, only to get a glare that she didn't let bother her.

"So?" Ember asked from his place right in front of the crystal. "It won't hold against a determined attack forever, but it'll stop them from coming back without warning."

Lily tried to stare through the murky orange depths, and could barely make out the tunnel behind. Movement, she supposed, would be more obvious. Exactly as she had hoped. The crystals themselves were pretty firmly wedged in the opening from what she could see, and the cracks had been filled with gravel and sand, and melted into a sort of glass...

"Would attacks on these fillings do better than striking the crystals directly?" she asked, knocking her paw against one of the hard, sludgy masses. It _felt_ as solid as the crystal, but she knew glass was fragile.

"Yes, but only to give small openings," Ember explained. "Aside from gas attacks, those will be worthless. They are too small for even small dragons to get through."

"Gas?" someone called out.

"The two-headed ones make explosive gas, it's nothing to worry about so long as you don't let it explode inside you," Ember said dismissively. "And so long as they don't get creative with it, but I've never seen that happen."

"But you can imagine things to do with explosive gas, which is why you mention it," Lily guessed.

"I could, definitely," he said with a purr. "Filling the tunnel with a lot and lighting it to try and force the crystal out, or trying to pop open a filling without being noticed and setting something up… but nothing that helps them if there are light wings watching through the crystal."

"You've done great work," Lily declared with a confident purr. "Thank you for helping us protect ourselves." She didn't know about the rest of her pack, but _she_ certainly felt much better with this blockade in place. Better, and more able to focus on the internal threats that menaced her pack, not just the external ones. And on just _living_ here in this cave, instead of holding out and worrying. "And I hate to ask, but once you've rested… we could do with a few more blockades on some of the other passages."


	69. Fatigued

Lily looked down through a jagged, irregular hole in the ground and saw her new domain laid out below her. Ahead, there was the wall of crystals, with a hole in it that led to the underground lake. To her left and far below, the embedded stream and the tunnel that was a dead end. Behind her, more tunnels and the ravine that they had come in through. To her right at the bottom of the cave, the now-blocked tunnel with its guards. The cave floor itself was still blue-green and mostly untouched, her people only spreading out now that they felt safe. There were no private places or obvious delineations of territory, so families resorted to gathering in groups and flaming the grass in small spaces to mark where they slept.

All of which was well and good, but a view from above wasn't why she had come up here. She could have asked Ember for a favor if she just wanted that.

"You say it fell out the moment someone stepped on it?" she asked quietly, looking down at the distant cave floor, eyeing one thing in particular. Directly below her was a chunk of crystal, broken by the impact into four strangely cubic pieces. She hoped Ember could use said pieces for something; there were only so many crystals in this cave, and while they were in no danger of running out any time soon, she considered them a limited resource.

"Yes, and Storm almost fell with it," Root said. "I have never heard such a surprised yelp from her." He didn't sound all that worried about his… potential mate? Friend? Teacher? Lily didn't know how _he_ saw his relationship with her. "It is a good thing nobody was below at the time."

"A very good thing, and later I'm going to want someone to go through these caves and stomp on every crystal someone might stand on." If one could fall, others could too. She hadn't seen many crystals set in the floor so far, maybe one or two, but those would need to be proven safe. She intended to let families with small and not-so-small fledglings live up here, after all.

"I will not be the one doing that," Root huffed. "I can see a lot of things, but the difference between a crystal and normal rock is subtle. Anyone with eyes would have a much easier time."

"You've done far more than enough already," she assured him. "Checking the entire cave for openings, exploring this small cave system, fighting for the pack…"

"That last one was very short," Root said, looking away even though Lily knew that movement did nothing for him. "And frightening."

"Get Storm to add fighting to the list of things she is teaching you, if it's not there already," she advised. On top of every other useful thing Root could do, a fighter who could see around corners and didn't necessarily need line of sight might be _crucial_ someday. Root was quickly turning into one of her most important fledglings, possibly the very most important one that was definitely under her control.

For the moment. Depending on how he and Storm progressed, he might not be hers for that much longer. That bothered her more than she expected; she didn't resent the dark wings for potentially poaching one of hers, but she did dread the day they left, and them taking Root made that day even less palatable.

"She says we might start wrestling practice soon," he said obliviously. Or maybe it was her hearing the dirty interpretation, and Storm had actually meant it the way he was taking it.

"That's nice." Lily turned away from the hole and stifled a yawn. "I think I'm done up here." She had toured the winding complex of caves already; it wasn't exactly _private_ , not when any hidden corner was all of three steps away from another tunnel, but it at least provided the illusion of solitude. She would figure out who was getting it… later.

"You sound really tired," Root remarked as he led her back toward the way down. "When did you last sleep?"

"How would I know?" Lily asked in return. "It is not like there is a way to keep track of day and night down here." A thought occurred to her. "How do you do it normally?"

"Feeling the sun on my back, being told everyone is going to sleep," Root huffed. "Now, though, I just sleep when I feel like it."

"So you _can_ sleep," Lily murmured. She hoped that the pure exhaustion dragging her down would be enough to get her some actual rest.

"You cannot?" he asked with a questioning warble.

"No, just so much to do and so little time to do it in," she lied. He didn't need to know about how she had barely managed to doze since reaching this particular cave; it was a product of her wariness and the danger the now-blocked tunnel had posed, nothing more.

"You could spend some time testing out one of these caves," Root suggested. "Is it the alpha's duty to make sure they are nice and comfortable to sleep in? You do not have to delegate that."

"Funny," Lily chuckled. "But I meant real duties, not excuses to laze around."

"Real duties like what?" Root pressed. He turned a corner, and suddenly they were headed down. Lily was glad she had him as a guide; she would have spent a lot more time wandering around aimlessly, trying to find the way out. There was no indication that this particular turn led to the exit.

"Hearing what the latest scout reports say about our surroundings, checking in with Ember on how blocking the other tunnels is going, making sure anyone who goes fishing is going in pairs like I said they should, going around and checking for other problems I have not noticed yet…"

"What about Holly and Cara?" Root asked. "Holly can do some of that, and Cara can do the rest. I thought they _were_ doing those things."

"Some things I just need to do myself," Lily huffed. She wasn't going to get into her suspicions with anyone except maybe Beryl. Voicing them would give Holly and her sisters power, of a sort, the power of being recognized as a legitimate threat to her authority.

"If you say so," Root warbled. "What is next? Anything else you need me to do?"

"No, nothing for you," Lily said. She couldn't think of anything else she needed him to do, and having him rest and relax was probably a better idea in the long term. Not everyone could push themselves the way she did.

Of course, by that same measure, she should probably go lie down and try to sleep again… Soon. Not quite yet. She wanted to spend some time with Beryl first, both to catch up with him and to hopefully relieve some stress.

O-O-O-O-O

Beryl was off fishing with his brother. Lily felt irrationally angered about that. She knew it was irrational, so she didn't act on it.

"Lily, my Dam says I cannot go play with the bugs!" a female fledgling called out, skidding to a stop in the grass in front of her.

Just like that, she had something to do while she waited for him to get back. If there was one benefit - or downside, usually downside - to being alpha, it was that she was never bored.

"The bugs over there?" Lily asked, looking back at the bug-filled crack in the wall. It was the only land-based exit she hadn't had Ember close off; her people needed a way out into the wider world, after all, and an inhospitable chokepoint was the best option she had for that. Nobody would get through without a lot of death, and so far it didn't seem like the dragons who had attacked before knew about that way in…

"Yes, they are fun to swat," the female answered, unaware of the somewhat violent tangent Lily had mentally gone off on.

"And your Dam said no," she said, looking around. One particular female was watching her, but she knew Diora didn't have any fledglings nowadays, so she had no idea who this particular fledgling belonged to.

"She does not let me do anything," the female grumbled.

"In this case, she's right," Lily hummed, crouching down to look at the female without looking down on her. Most fledglings didn't like that. "Those bugs are not very good prey anyway. Maybe have your Dam play hunting prey with you instead."

"Why are the bugs bad prey?" the female asked, her ears falling.

"They're small, annoying, and might follow you back into the cave and get everywhere," Lily said, speaking as if she was offering her some great insight. "Bugs in your fish, bugs where you sleep, bugs in your ears when you least expect it… Do not anger the bugs." Of course, none of that would actually happen - unless she really didn't understand how intelligent and driven the average insect was, which seemed unlikely - but it was a good enough reason for a little one who didn't know better.

The female squeaked and nervously glanced over her shoulder. "That does not sound very fun…"

"Which is why your Dam makes a much better target," Lily assured her. "Go play with her."

"What about you?" The fledgling gave her a hopeful look.

"I make a terrible target," Lily laughed, trying not to think about how much it would hurt to have a fledgling who probably weighed half as much as she did landing on her back. "Go hunt your Dam before she wonders where you went."

"Okay!" the fledgling scampered off, moving to the nearest group of light wings and crouching in a vain attempt to hide behind one of them. He noticed, but she didn't notice him looking down at her as she crawled through the grass-

"So impolite," Diora purred from right behind Lily.

"To sneak up on someone and try to startle them?" Lily drawled, for once thankful that she was so tired she hadn't reacted at all to the scare. "Yes, it is quite impolite. How nice of you to get a head start on apologizing."

"I meant the fledgling, bothering you like that," Diora said, completely ignoring Lily's less-than-subtle attempt to make her apologize. "But it is to be expected, what with Holly spending so much time around them recently."

"Why is that?" Lily asked, mostly to get to what Diora really wanted. It would wrap around to Pearl somehow, so Diora might as well get to that part. Not that she would say as much; there was sarcastically chastising the other female for her rudeness, and then there was pointing out her more fundamental issues to her face. The latter would cause way too much trouble.

"It is just that since you have had Holly not doing important things," Diora murmured, "she has gone around organizing playtimes for the fledglings. She and Cara and Aven."

"This sounds like something I should be thankful for," Lily pointed out, wondering how Diora knew she was keeping Holly and her sisters from positions of authority. It wasn't _supposed_ to be obvious enough that people would notice.

"I would not consider those three the best to influence young minds, is all," Diora hummed. "And Pearl has joined in too… Holly trusts her."

"There's no reason for her not to trust Pearl," Lily said, holding in a tired sigh. She was holding in a lot of emotions and reactions recently, come to think of it, but that was only because everyone was so predictable and aggravating. "But you think differently?"

"I just think it is suspicious that a female who has very thoroughly made herself not of our pack is influencing those who want to lead our pack in the future," Diora said with a low growl. "And those females are in turn spending a lot of time with fledglings who will like them better than you when they grow up."

"That's certainly a long-term plot," Lily mused, pretending to take Diora seriously. This was obviously an indirect strike at Pearl, and the supposed plot of garnering authority by playing with fledglings was, on the surface, ludicrous.

Though it _would_ be quite an advantage to have a good rapport with an entire generation of light wings once they came of age. She had as much with those her own age, more or less, and several of them had proved crucial to undermining Claw; Crystal and Mist especially.

Diora was pointing it out to get at Pearl, but that didn't mean the observation she had made was wrong, aside from the obvious leap of reasoning to include Pearl. "I'll look into it," Lily said, for once meaning it without reservation. "Is this happening now?"

"No, they do it when you are not around," Diora said smugly. "They were playing with the fledglings while you were off with Root, for instance, and stopped when you got back."

"I see." Again, she would verify that for herself, but it was valuable information, if true. A thought occurred to her.

"And since you have brought this to my attention," she hummed, leaning toward Diora. "Keep an eye on Holly, would you? If she is colluding with Pearl on something, I would like some advance warning." She doubted Pearl had anything to do with it, but Diora already had her biases, and those biases would keep her attention on the task at paw.

"Yes, alpha," Diora said eagerly. "I can do that. I will tell no one."

"See that you don't." For once, Diora would be making herself useful. Under her constant hatred of Pearl, she could collect and convey valuable information on Holly's machinations… and if the annoying female with an obvious grudge was seen complaining to the alpha in the future, well, Holly would probably just laugh and ignore it. Lily certainly hadn't ever listened to Diora before.

O-O-O-O-O

The trickle of the stream, stopping and starting again at seemingly regular intervals, was Lily's new favorite sound, both soothing and capable of giving her a sense of time passing. She lay on the grass nearest the flowing water set into the wall, out of the way of anyone coming to get a drink but close enough to hear it, and let her heavy eyelids drift closed. She was _exhausted,_ mentally and physically, and no longer needed to worry about bloodthirsty enemies storming in at any moment. Sleep should come with no difficulties whatsoever.

Should, she realized as she lay motionless and listened to the stream, did not mean _would_. It was there, tantalizing and entirely out of her reach for no apparent reason. She was so tired, she had been up doing things and walking around for so long that her paws ached despite a moon-cycle of walking to toughen her up. She had seen others sleep multiple times since her last failed attempt at it, and even then she had _dozed_. Now she couldn't even do that.

The stream stopped and started twice while she waited for something that clearly wasn't going to happen. She spent some of the time resolutely not thinking about anything, some of it thinking about nothing in particular, and the rest resenting her own inability to sleep. At some point in the middle she might have dozed off for a few moments once or twice, but that was as close as she got. Her sleeping problem was getting worse, and she had no idea why.

The bark of alarm and thump of someone landing nearby was a welcome excuse to give up, one she seized with both paws. By the time she saw Cara, who was opening her mouth to speak, she was already up-

Up, and the cave was spinning around her. A few deep breaths helped her steady herself. "What is it now?" she demanded.

"The water," Cara blurted out, gesturing back the way she had come. She hitched her wings up to fly, then realized she couldn't be followed and instead broke into a trot. Lily followed.

"And?" Lily asked irritably. "Run and talk."

"Aven and I were fishing, something huge came up out of the water." Cara huffed as they ran, sounding far more casual than the encounter she was describing should merit. "But it is all fine. She is friendly, and Aven is speaking to her right now."

It took Lily a little while to process all of that; she knew she was thinking more slowly than normal, another consequence of her blasted inability to sleep, and she spent the time to be sure she was thinking clearly. She definitely wasn't at her best at the moment, and this was important. She couldn't let her weakness show, or worse, let it influence her decisions.

They reached the tunnel through the crystal wall, and Lily shoved forward to ensure she went in first. Cara followed behind her without acknowledging the rather blatant move-

"It is fine, Aven is in no danger," Cara huffed from behind her. "There is no need to rush."

"I'm not rushing because I'm worried for her," Lily shot back. If anything, she was rushing because she was worried _about_ Aven, worried about what she might say or do. She wasn't a bad fit for being the first point of contact, but Lily had intended to keep her away from such duties for the time being, both for Aven's sake and for her own. This was just one more way the three sisters might be able to claw back some authority they weren't supposed to have.

Then Lily emerged from the crystal tunnel and saw both Aven and the sea dragon, and thoughts of power fled her mind as awe and more than a little bit of fear pushed their way in.

The sea dragon was large, though not as huge as the guardian had been. It was resting its thick and flat head on the ledge, trailing thin tendrils off to either side, and staring at her and Cara with wide, pale eyes. Its scales were mottled black and blue, perfectly suited for blending in with the dark water it had come from… which meant Lily couldn't see anything of its body beyond the stout neck connecting the head to the water, and the distinct lack of underwater lights in a wide area behind where the neck terminated.

Aven was standing before it, her posture suggesting she was speaking to a friend, not talking to a massive creature who could probably bite her in half with one good lung and snap.

"New light wings," the sea dragon crooned, her voice decidedly delicate and feminine despite her appearance. "Who are these?"

Aven turned and nodded politely to her sister and Lily. "My other sister and the alpha."

The sea dragon inhaled for a long time, its flat nose twitching sensitively. "Both sisters, though. Half-sisters. Why do you not call the alpha a sister too?"

Lily briefly wondered whether someone who could breathe underwater could also smell underwater, and if so how that translated to smelling in the air. Regardless, it was a fair question; she, Holly, Aven, and Cara were _technically_ the same when it came to how they related to each other. Different Dams, same Sire. But by that measure, Lily was also just as closely related to Thunder, Lightning, and a couple dozen other light wings.

"We just… are not close like that?" Aven said. "It is complicated. But the alpha is here now, so you can ask your questions!" She waved a wing at Lily.

"I like you better," the sea dragon complained. "But fine. Alpha of these light wings, do you all plan to stay and fish this area?"

"What of it?" Lily replied, not sure what the sea dragon wanted to hear.

"My people care for this sea," was the reply. "It takes effort to ensure the fish populations match the consumption. We are happy to ensure you get all the food you need, but we need to know you will be staying here before we adjust our husbandry methods to accomodate you."

"You are saying you _raise_ the fish?" Lily asked, unsure of what 'husbandry' meant. Unlike Ember's made-up words, it wasn't composed of understandable bits.

"Yes. We have done so for a long, long time. We are good at it, and it is necessary in this closed sea." The female sea dragon gurgled happily. "It is fun, and we get to eat them once they grow old. So, do you wish us to begin driving schools here and raising more in the area?"

"Yes," Lily decided. It was not a hard question to answer. "What do we owe you in return?"

"Oh, nothing," was the answer. "Just tell us if your pack decides to leave and stop eating these fish we are bringing over, so that we know to scale back. It is a delicate balance. And of course we do not want to be fired upon or feared. We will be in the area more often than not."

"I have no issues with you doing as you do best," Lily said diplomatically. She didn't consider the waters her territory anyway, and having a neutral third party occupying them was far more palatable than worrying about what else might be down there…

"How many other packs do you help like this?" Aven asked curiously.

"How many? Right now, seven." The sea dragon laughed, splashing something behind her. A massive frill was visible for a moment before sinking back down out of sight. "The other two near here, some mixed packs, and a group of Fear-mongers a long swim from here."

"Fear-mongers?" Such a foreboding name for an entire type of dragons was ominous in the extreme, even more so if the name was more than simple boasting. That was a _reputation_ , enforced and acknowledged by anyone speaking of them.

"Oh, yes, they are usually horrible," the sea dragon said casually. "They do not hunt my kind, since they cannot swim, but they tend to eat anyone they can catch in their traps." She grimaced, the expression odd on the unfamiliarly-shaped face. Lily noticed that she had said _people_ , not _prey._ "They are more like your kind than mine, but very different from either, especially the wings and fangs and fog."

"And this pack is how far away from us?" Lily demanded. "If someone who would eat my people lives nearby, I want to know." They sounded a lot like Deathgrippers, ones that weren't stunted by No-scaled-not-prey rearing methods, but mention of some sort of fog made her think that wasn't right.

"That is what their kind _usually_ does,'" the sea dragon said hastily. "The pack my people keep fed do not do that, which is why they need our fish. Some of them are even fun to talk to. Usually, Fear-mongers do not live together at all. But they are a long, long way from here by water. I do not know how close they might be if you cannot swim."

"Good to know," Lily murmured. She didn't like the sound of them at all, peaceful nature or not. They _usually_ lived by killing people, not prey, so that meant they had to be very, very good at killing. She didn't want to meet them at all.

"You know a lot about these waters, though," she said, changing the subject. "Do you know where this ledge leads?" She paced out onto the ledge that her scouts hadn't yet found the end of."

"Yes, it leads to a very distinctive cavern with blooming white flowers, but nobody ever goes there. It is also very far away, and the ledge crosses a part of the ocean where no fish will go, so it is a hard journey to make for your kind." The sea dragon huffed loudly. "The water out there is hot and tastes bad, and I think it is not good to swim through. There is probably a good reason our elders keep us away from it."

Ominous, but Lily was beginning to see that every other thing about this realm was ominous or worrying in one way or another. "Thank you for the information," she purred. "I would like to talk to you at length about these other packs, just to get an idea of who is around us-"

"No, not you." The sea dragon interrupted. She slid her massive head forward and nudged Aven. "I like this one better. You are tired and angry, even if not at me."

Lily really didn't have the motivation to argue that, though she did wonder how the sea dragon had picked up on that. She'd _thought_ she was hiding it well enough. "Well, I have to speak to her for a moment, but you can keep talking to her after," she offered.

"Be quick," the sea dragon requested. Lily was getting the impression that she was younger, a young adult or maybe even an older fledgling. She had no way of knowing, of course, but the attitude and the way she talked made it seem likely. Or all sea dragons were that flippant and occasionally rude.

"What is it, Lily?" Aven asked, following her back a little way into the crystal tunnel. Cara stayed behind without needing to be told.

"First, why does she like you so much?" Lily asked bluntly. If her tiredness was showing so obviously that a complete stranger picked up on it, she wasn't going to bother hiding it anymore. She didn't have the patience for subtlety right now.

"Oh, when she came up out of the water, I was so startled I blurted out the first thing I could think of that would not get me killed," Aven explained sheepishly. "I complimented her looks. I think she is a little lonely, so that got her to like me pretty much instantly."

"That's good… That she likes you, not that she's lonely. Talk to her about whatever you want, but be sure to work in questions about the packs around us. Numbers, locations, dispositions, feuds, whatever might be useful." She wanted to ask herself, but that just seemed like a way to mess things up.

"I can do that," Aven agreed.

"Then do it," Lily said shortly. She turned and made her way back to the main cave. It wasn't that she _trusted_ Aven to report back to her with everything she learned, but staying to listen would publicly display her distrust, and eavesdropping out of sight might do the same if someone - Holly - wondered where she had been while Aven was talking to the sea dragon, noticed she hadn't come back into the cave, and put the two together to deduce what she had done.

A dozen concerned light wings met her at the mouth of the tunnel, a dozen questions assaulting her ears and blending into incoherent noise.

"Quiet!" she barked, and they all stopped talking. "Everything is fine. We have a non-hostile visitor, someone who lives in the water and means us no harm. I've dealt with it."

"Well, that is a relief," Cedar hummed. "Can we go see them, or have they left already?"

"Don't go out there, you would interrupt Aven," Lily growled. "Just… leave it alone."

Some of them left at that, apparently satisfied, but far too many, more than half the group, remained. She didn't like the number of worried looks pointed her way, and made an effort to calm down.

"Alpha," Honey said from the back of the crowd, "could you come help Copper and I with sorting some of the plants he brought back?"

"Yes, thank you for bringing that to my attention," she said, hope flooding into her. Copper had gone out looking, and she _thought_ she had asked him - or maybe Honey - to grab anything they recognized as aiding sleep, or inducing it as a side effect. "Take me to them."

O-O-O-O-O

Lily eyed the neatly separated pile of plant matter, doing her best to pierce through the fog of exhaustion in her mind and dig up some old memories. She hadn't put her plant-recognizing skills to the test in season-cycles, not like this. The only plant she had looked at recently was the blue-green bush that prevented eggs, and that was more than a moon-cycle ago, now.

Said bush was _not_ one of the things spread out before her, sadly. Not that she would have needed it for anything; she had never got around to figuring out how to introduce it to the pack, and it wasn't like she needed it for herself.

She shook her head and blinked a few times, her eyesight blurry and unfocused for some reason. It went away, slowly but surely, and left her even more hopeful that something Copper had found would be useful for her current problem.

"Tell me where you got them," she rumbled, pawing the first little pile, one composed of a vine with tawny brown leaves jutting out like spikes, angular and stiff. The leaves seemed naturally brown, not dead and fading, and while she had never seen one, thinking of what it looked like reminded her of an old hot-season day and a story from Pyre, one long forgotten in the general haze of those days…

"I pulled this one from the bug path," Copper said. "It grows deep in the cracks, out of sight in most places. The bugs do not eat it. I did not recognize it from your teachings, but I took some anyway."

"I'll come back to this one," she decided, moving on to the next pile. A few pawfuls of grey-green moss were scrunched up into little balls, a thin, dusty sort of dirt attached to the undersides in some places. They smelled of oily fish, and she _did_ recognize them. "This one is cave moss, the smell gives it away. Good for convincing hatchlings that some things shouldn't be eaten no matter how interesting they smell." There hadn't been any back in the valley's caves, but Pyre had gone out searching and found some long ago, so she knew what it was.

"Not so useful," Copper huffed. "Too bad. It grows in several of the caves I flew through, so it would not have been hard to get more of."

"What about these?" Honey asked, moving forward to nose at the third little pile. "I have a good feeling about these."

Lily laughed a little in spite of herself. "What does your good feeling say, exactly?" she asked, looking at the one pile of plants she had no trouble at all recognizing. The little black blotches on thin limbs made them look like tiny diseased trees.

"They are for pain relief, right?" Honey asked. "I remember you telling us about them… Good for mild pains, no nausea, no sleepiness, just pure pain relief. Especially good for headaches?"

"That's exactly right," she praised. "This is a great find. Especially as we didn't have any around the valley." They were not _strong_ as pain relief plants went, but they were one of the few kinds without any downsides. As far as she knew, they could not even be dangerous in large quantities; overuse would just cease giving an effect at all, possibly permanently if one _really_ overdosed. A bit like the egg-prevention bush if one traded infertility for immunity to the effect…

"There were not that many, they grow in complete darkness near flowing water," Copper remarked. "Which is why they are wet."

"Were they submerged, or sticking out of the water like trees?" Lily asked, curious. She had never seen them in their natural habitat, after all. She assumed they were like roots, spreading out in the water.

"Submerged, but right by the edges, not deep," Copper confirmed. "I was thinking we might get some to grow here in our stream, but it might not work since ours does not flow all the time."

"No harm in trying," Lily assured him. "This was a good find."

"What about this last one?" Honey asked.

"Well…" Lily kicked a few of the bulbous yellow mushrooms out of the pile. They were damp, vibrantly colored, and small enough that Copper had probably brought them in by carrying them all in his mouth, hence the dampness. "You grabbed these because they looked like the edible mushrooms I told you about, right?"

"Yes… They are not the ones you taught us to look for?" Copper asked.

"No, definitely not," Lily told him. "These are all yellow, the ones I told you about are white on the underside." She had no idea what these were or what they did, and mushrooms could be _dangerous_. "Get rid of these, I don't know what they are. They might be poisonous. You should probably throw up too, just in case you swallowed one."

"I made sure not to," Copper rumbled. "But I will do that anyway. I have not felt any ill effects yet, but it might be slow-acting."

"As a general rule, don't carry mushrooms or things with sap in your mouth, in case you get the wrong thing by accident like this," Lily huffed. "You are probably okay, but it was a risk."

"Risks are bad," Honey said solemnly.

"I will not do it again," Copper huffed. "What of the vines?"

Lily looked back to the vines she hadn't been able to identify. She squinted at them. Moved over to smell them, though they smelled like nothing at all. Tentatively licked one, and tasted sour sap that she took great care to spit out, just in case.

"Get rid of them too," she eventually decided with a sigh. "I have no idea what they are. Were there any other plants in the caves you checked?"

"I would have to go further to find more," Copper rumbled.

"Take at least two scouts and do that," Lily said. "Your highest priority is finding something to aid sleep." It was selfish, but she was beyond caring. "Go as soon as you can."

"That would be now," Copper said, brushing past Honey with a purr and an intimate flick of his tail that made Lily think of Beryl.

Beryl, who she had last heard was out fishing, and had not seen since, even though she had been out at the underground lake.

"Maybe take Beryl with you," she suggested. "Do you know where he is?"

"He flew up to those caves just before you went running off to the lake," Honey offered. "Are the dark wings staying up there? I want a little cave of my own if anyone can have one."

"I'll be assigning them soon, you might get one," Lily said. She was probably going to let Honey and Copper have a side-cave of their own if they were mates. If they weren't, that would be extremely awkward…

She couldn't remember whether they had made it official yet. She growled at herself and strained to recall whether they had told her they were mates, or whether they had told someone else in her presence, but nothing came to mind. She didn't remember a denial of such either, or a clarification, and she couldn't be sure. What was more, she _knew_ she should know; she had kept an eye on them, because she knew them and liked that they were slowly getting together, and wanted to keep current on how they were doing. It didn't make sense that she wouldn't know, which meant she couldn't remember, which was probably the fault of her exhaustion.

"Go now, get him and search," she said. "Right away."

"On it," Copper said, leaping into the air. Lily turned to watch him flap his way up to the subtle hole in the side of the cavern roof's bowed middle. He was getting Beryl, and they were going to go search out plants…

She growled at herself again when she realized that meant she wouldn't be able to seek Beryl out and spend some time with him like she had wanted to. That was stupid of her. Sending Copper to get him, that was, not wanting to spend time with him. She really didn't feel like herself right now.

But life went on whether or not she was up to dealing with it. "I'm going to take one of these," she told Honey, using her claws to pick one of the little spotted-tree-plants away from the others.

"Are you hurting?" Honey asked, circling around to stand in front of her and likely looking her over as she moved. There was a distinct change in her demeanor as she went from 'learning from the alpha' to 'checking over a potential patient' that Lily was extremely proud of, even when the latter mentality was being turned on her.

"Just my back, and I'm good at ignoring it, but I think it'll get worse soon," she said. Her back was aching, it always did, but she was guessing that at some point her sleep deprivation was going to mean she wasn't able to ignore it as easily as she usually did. And if not, maybe less pain meant it would be easier to relax… It was a futile hope, but there was no harm to it, so she would try anyway.

"You are having trouble sleeping," Honey said, and it wasn't a question. "You want sleeping plants."

"It would be helpful," Lily admitted. "I'm not sure why it's a problem now, and I'm sure I'll _eventually_ collapse from exhaustion, but… yeah."

"Did you try soothing sounds?" Honey asked. "Covering your face so it is not so bright out? Sleeping in a confined, dark space?"

"Yes, yes, no but it won't help," Lily listed.

"Did you try sleeping with someone?" Honey continued, listing things off of some mental list with an intent look in her eye that meant Lily wasn't getting away with what she wanted until she had fully exhausted her options.

"As in next to, or on top of, or…" Lily trailed off, blinking heavily. She had almost talked her way into revealing that she had slept with Beryl, _on_ Beryl once or twice… That was something she could try if she could get him alone in a private place for long enough.

"In contact with others, I do not think it matters how so long as you are comfortable," Honey clarified.

"I think I've tried that," she said. "Any other suggestions?"

"Have you had someone put you to sleep?" Honey asked.

"What?" Lily huffed.

"Put you to sleep." Honey tilted her head. "You know, press a paw or something to the pressure point. Make you fall asleep."

"That only works on fledglings," Lily pointed out.

"No it does not," Honey retorted. "It works just fine on adults. I tried it on Copper."

Lily opened her mouth to say she was wrong. It remained open as she tried, and failed, to remember if she had ever seen it done. More to the point, if she had ever seen someone try it on an adult.

"So you did not try it," Honey concluded with a smug purr. "Want to try it now?"

"Yes, do it," Lily all but demanded. She lay down then and there, on the grass next to the various plants Copper had brought in. She didn't quite like the idea of Honey touching her for some reason, but she was so tired that she was willing to let it happen anyway, and Honey was the light wing who was _supposed_ to help people with their physical problems, so it would be rude and undermining _not_ to let her do what she was going to do…

Honey put her paw to the underside of Lily's neck, drifting down to the place where jaw met neck. "Sleep well," she said confidently, pressing down.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily woke with a start, her heart pounding though she didn't know why. She looked around, quickly assessing her situation. The plants were gone, all of them. Honey was gone too, but Lily could see a light wing ferrying plant matter across the cavern, so she thought she knew where Honey had gone.

That Honey was only now moving plants gave her an inkling as to how long - or rather, how short - her time spent asleep had been. The lingering ache, sunken deeply into her bones, reinforced the perception that she hadn't gotten a full night's sleep, or even close to one. But she felt _better_ , less tired and more back to her old self, even if it wasn't a full recovery. She could work with this.

She lifted her paw and experimentally tried to put herself back to sleep. It didn't work; she just couldn't get the right angle to press at the same place Honey had, or even close to it. Her limb didn't bend the right way and her claws came out every time she tried to force it back far enough, in some weird quirk of muscles pulling on each other. She would give herself puncture wounds if she could manage it at all, which she couldn't.

She snorted, gave up, and briefly pondered why it might be that she was physically incapable of putting herself to sleep. Not just her, if her struggles could be extended to all light wings. It seemed like a weird disability, since she could be _put_ to sleep, but not by herself… She resolved to see if a rock would work, if she ever came across a suitably-shaped rock that wouldn't hurt to fall asleep on. Until then, she would get by with asking others to do it for her.

Not right now, though. She had things to do, people to talk to.

"Alpha!" a light wing near the crystal barrier roared. "Alpha, come quick!"

Things to do, indeed.

_**Author's Note:** _ **This chapter was almost late thanks to the inspiration / distraction posed by** _**Sunless Sea** _ **. If anyone wants an 1800s-era semi-supernatural horror take on 'underground ocean', that's the game for you. It makes my take on an underground body of water look tame and safe by comparison. Great atmosphere, very unforgiving gameplay, and overall a perfectly unnerving thematic experience.**


	70. Diplomatic

The light wing who had called Lily over to the blocked tunnel was not subtle in how he did it, roaring for her from across the cavern. Heads were turning all over the place as her fledglings were woken up, startled, or just surprised by the loud roars.

By the time Lily made it to the barricade - nothing was breaking through, as far as she could tell, though the panicked roars for her certainly didn't say as much - others had already arrived. Beryl was off to the side, staring through the crystal - which was actually really confusing, since she had been sure Copper had taken him to go look for plants - and Holly was with Cara doing the same from directly in front of it.

Lily noticed Holly looking back at her as she approached, and very deliberately ignored her to go stand with Beryl. "What's the situation?" she asked.

"The tunnel out there filled with gas," Beryl explained. Lily squinted at the crystal, and sure enough there was nothing but fog to be seen on the other side. Or so she thought; the view had already been poor before any further obscuration was thrown into the mix, so she might just not be able to see anything subtle.

"Think it's an attempt to blast the passage open?" she asked. "And if it is, will it work? Should we not be standing here?"

"It won't work," Beryl said confidently. "It _would_ if they somehow blocked off the other side of the tunnel, so the explosion was forced to push out, but as-is they'll just-"

There was a flash and a muted roar from behind the crystal, and it lit up, shining brightly for a few heartbeats before returning to normal. It hadn't moved at all, and aside from a few bits of dust falling on either side of it, nothing had changed on their side.

Conversely, the other side looked scorched. Not exploded, not really blasted with much force, just scorched.

"They'll just create a big fireball that expands back toward them," Beryl said in the perfect silence that had fallen among the observers. "Kind of wish I got that out before they did it so you'd all know I knew it would work that way ahead of time."

"We believe you," Holly hummed absently, still staring through the crystal.

"You did say something about them needing to be smart with their explosives to break through," Cara added.

"But they don't seem to be smart, yet," Lily said loudly, taking back the flow of conversation with less subtlety than she would have liked. "Guards, pass on the message. If this happens again, call for reinforcements," _not_ just the alpha, though she'd leave that chastisement to someone else, "and give the crystal some distance just in case. Other than that, I'd say we're good here."

"This worked as an emergency drill, though," Beryl said. "I think you might want to set up some plans for what the average light wing should do in the event of an emergency like this. It doesn't seem like most people have the greatest instincts…" He gestured to something behind her.

She turned slowly, wondering what he meant… and saw at least half of the pack's noncombatants watching them instead of getting to shelter, or shepherding fledglings away, or otherwise doing useful things. "I see what you mean. Could you-"

"No," Beryl said bluntly, surprising her. "I'm going to go fishing, wander around for a little while, and then sleep."

She stared at him, wondering why he was being so obstinate. That wasn't like him at _all,_ let alone when they were in public.

"I'll have Spark or Herb come talk to you about emergency plans, they might have some ideas," he said in a softer tone. "But you've had me doing a lot lately, and I need a break. I sent Copper to go see if Thorn and Silva wanted to go with him looking for plants."

"That's… reasonable." He was right, she had been leaning on him for a lot of things recently, chief among them helping to block so many tunnel entrances. That was hard work, and she'd had him looking after other things too, and _then_ sent Copper to go drag him into another thing. "You're right."

"I'm dead tired," he rumbled. "And I've been sleeping regularly," he added, giving her a look that implied his words were meant to poke at her sleeping, or lack thereof, not his own.

"I understand," she huffed, flicking her ears in irritation. She didn't want to talk about her sleep problems in front of everyone, _especially_ Cara and Holly. "Go rest, you deserve it."

"I will," he said, giving her a soft look she interpreted as something like 'I'm not mad at you but I'm guessing you don't want me to say as much in front of everyone', which, if that was what he meant, was exactly right. She flicked her tail in a way she knew he would recognize as an acknowledgment, and turned her attention to figuring out what to do with a bunch of noncombatants who might find themselves in the middle of an attack at some point in the near future.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily was mentally prepared for a force of enemies to assault the blocked passage. She was mentally prepared for them to come through the ravine, or for them to arrive by sea. She had posted guards at all of those places, more than normal, and was ready to direct auxiliary forces wherever needed.

All of her preparation did _not_ cover what would happen if nothing happened. No further attempts were made to unblock the tunnel to their cavern, and all was quiet out beyond the buggy ravine. Further scout reports led her to believe that there wasn't any quick path from the dark caves beyond the ravine to wherever the enemy dragons lived; her scouts kept finding more massive caves with dozens of tunnels branching out of them, but they all seemed to lead in the wrong directions. Which was all well and good in her opinion; it was possible the tunnel she'd had blocked was the only way for them to come through.

She ate, drank, and passed time waiting for something to happen. Beryl was still sleeping up in the caves above, though she hadn't told him he could sleep there… She didn't mind, though it might come back to bite her if someone noticed and complained about him getting special privileges, given she'd said nobody was allowed to go up there yet.

Then a light wing ran up to her, panting and looking very out of sorts. Not one who was on guard duty, but Pina, who had no guard shifts at all. "Light wing," Pina huffed. "In the tunnel, the dead end one. Not anyone I know, does not know me or Dew."

"Not our pack?" Lily asked, dumbfounded. Of all the things she had expected to come creeping into her new territory, that _wasn't_ something she had thought of.

"No, he is asking for an alpha, come on!" Pina said. Lily was already moving, but she appreciated the enthusiasm. "He is alone, and I do not think he is dangerous."

"Just like the sea dragon," Lily muttered. It _could_ be coincidence that three different encounters were happening in such close succession, but she didn't believe it. There had to be some common inciting incident. Maybe it was just that her pack taking this cave was finally coming to the attention of those closest, or maybe something else had happened that meant others were coming to her for unrelated reasons and finding an unexpected pack blocking their route. She wasn't sure which she would prefer; both scenarios had their ups and downs.

Dew, Lily saw, was with an unremarkable-looking light wing by the entrance to the supposed dead end tunnel, and there was no outright fighting going on, but the mood was not light by any stretch of the imagination. Pina might not think the newcomer was dangerous, but there was clearly some other source of tension.

Lily slowed to a regal walk once she saw that the foreigner was watching her. She needed to make a very strong impression, and darting to the scene would paint her as flighty or possibly overzealous… or worried. She was worried, but he would not be allowed to know that. Also, acting like something was amiss would alert the rest of her pack that something was going on, and she didn't want that. So far, nobody had noticed anything except Pina running to her.

"What is this?" Lily asked, stopping by Dew. Pina brushed up against Dew and stood close to her on her other side, creating a united front facing the newcomer, though she didn't seem to feel threatened by him. "And who is this?"

"My name is Sandstone," the male announced calmly. His voice was wry, but curious and not all that threatening, unusually high for a male. "And you all are?"

"I am Lily, alpha of my pack," Lily replied firmly. "These are two of my people. Why are you here?"

"Why are _you_ here?" Sandstone retorted. "And where did you come from? I know of no other light wing packs… and I see a dark wing off in the distance." He leaned to the side to look past Lily, his eyes growing wider. "That is very rare, indeed. They are an introverted, secretive breed. If there are dark wing packs, we know of none to be found."

"The dark wing is also under my command," Lily hedged, not entirely sure which dark wing Sandstone was seeing and unwilling to look back and find out. "You never answered my question."

"You never answered mine, and I am here specifically for answers." His eyes and ears fell, and his voice dropped a little, approaching something near normal. "An explanation. The Noxious Fumes pack taunted us last cycle with something very soul-crushing, and we wished to find out what the purpose of their obvious lies was. Now I see that they may have been mocking us with the truth."

"Tell me what they said," Lily growled, her heart growing heavy. She could think of one thing, one _person_ , another pack might taunt light wings with that would be described as soul-crushing. One fledgling hers had lost.

"That we moved on the neutral ground in defiance of our cease-flames," Sandstone replied solemnly. "That they will forgive the transgression if we retreat, because we provided them with ample amusement. That they would give the entertainment back now that it was no more fun." He lowered his head. "I now believe he was once one of yours, because my pack is not missing a fledgling, but if you are a kind alpha, you will not tell his parents what state he was returned in."

Pina inhaled quietly, visibly bracing herself. Dew looked away, her eyes closed. Lily gritted her teeth.

"I do not wish to speak of it," Sandstone said gravely. "The body was barely recognizable as a light wing. The Noxious Fumes pack is known for its cruelty."

Lily held her stoic expression with much difficulty. The young one they had all thought dead had survived only to be captured, tortured, and executed. That was on her head, and it was possibly the most horrible thing on her conscience thus far. She had brought her people here; this death was partially her fault, and her doing.

"Did you send him off, at least?" Dew asked quietly.

"Yes, we did, though we did not know him. Fledglings are the children of all, in spirit. All the Dams of our pack gathered to do it." Sandstone shook his head. "What they did is absolutely deplorable."

"In that we are agreed." Lily had already added the nameless group who had killed her people to her list of enemies, but now there was a name to go with them. The Noxious Fumes pack.

"And they are making noises about going back to war…" Sandstone continued carefully. "Do you understand where you have settled? This is contested ground long fought over."

"We figured that out pretty quickly." Lily knew she needed far more answers than she was going to get here. "You are a scout, correct?"

"Yes. I was sent to investigate." Sandstone shrugged his wings. "Alpha did not know what to think about their lies. He will want to speak to you. I am not a leader, but even I know there is much to be discussed. Your pack disrupts the balance here."

"If I go with you to meet this alpha, can I be guaranteed safe conduct?" She would rather risk herself than anyone else.

"I must ask the alpha about that," he said. "You wish to go to him?"

"I wish to learn about my pack's new neighbors," she said diplomatically, "because unless you can provide a better place to settle, we are not leaving. We have already blocked the tunnel the Noxious Fumes pack used to attack us."

"Have you?" Sandstone asked, his ears lifting a little. That is impressive in such a short time. You could very well hold out here for a long, long time with that sealed. Allow me to go ask my alpha, but I am sure he will invite you and guarantee safety. I will return in one cycle, more or less."

"Someone will be stationed here to wait for your return," Lily replied formally.

"Good to know." Sandstone nodded respectfully to her, and then to Pina and Dew. "And I apologize to both of you. This really is a passage, it just only opens from our side. You may not wish to consider it private in the future."

"Our mistake," Pina said quietly.

"And mine, for not checking first," Sandstone admitted. "I wish you both happiness together." With that, he disappeared down the tunnel.

Lily resisted the urge to follow and watch to see how he opened and closed the pathway; all that was on the other side would soon be laid bare to her, which was one of the reasons she was willing to go to them, instead of making them come to her.

"So there are other light wings down here," Dew said slowly. "Lily, Spruce's parents… What do we tell them?"

"You?" Lily asked. "Nothing. I will tell them. But not everything, they do not need to know the details. Just that the Noxious Fumes pack brought in their fledgling's body. I will say nothing of torture. I expect the both of you to keep that quiet."

"We will." Pina sighed and shook her whole body. "That was quite the shock."

"It was," Dew agreed. She looked over at Lily, her ears and wings drooping, but with a firmness to her gaze. "Sleep. You look tired." Dew pointed with her tail toward where Lily had last slept, by the stream. "Go. We will tell the pack what has occurred, you do not need to be there for every announcement."

In a way, Lily appreciated the obvious Dam-esque slant to the advice she was being given, but she purred, nodded agreeably, and left to completely ignore it in favor of thinking. She went to lay down by the stream, of course, Pina and Dew could see her doing that and might follow up if she was visibly doing something other than sleeping, but she didn't even try to sleep once she had closed her eyes. There was too much to think about.

O-O-O-O-O

One of the most important things, Lily decided while she lay, there was that she was going to approach this encounter _very_ carefully, pre-planning as much as she possibly could.

 _The_ most important thing, in some ways, was choosing who to take with her. She left that for last, which was now as she suspected a 'night' had gone by, and would need to get up and do something soon.

Beryl was the obvious choice that immediately sprang to mind, but she needed to consider what image she wanted to project.

Most importantly, she did not want her people to be pitied or looked down upon. Past that, she needed her choices to project intelligence, strength, and a willingness to work together, but not to be taken advantage of. Beryl covered dangerous, and represented his family. Ember would be another good choice, but if she brought the head of his family along, it might be assumed that he was the real power, not her. He had a presence about him and absolutely no experience at deferring to her, while Beryl had the presence but also plenty of practice letting her take the lead without any overshadowing.

She could bring Pearl instead of Ember. Pearl was not one of hers, but she was strong, visibly distinct with her scarred chest, and capable of speaking for herself and her family without claiming to lead it.

Aside from Pearl and Beryl, she would need people from her own pack. She mentally ruled out Holly and Cara, but Aven was harder. This was Aven's preferred field, as Cara's was conflict and Holly's was leadership. Lily didn't want to bring any of the three, but Aven was the obvious choice, so obvious that to _not_ bring her would make it obvious she was trying to keep the three sisters out of power.

Beryl, Pearl, possibly Aven… Those were good choices, but she wanted another. Someone intelligent, which ruled out a lot of her pack, a male to even out her escort.

Root came to mind. He was no longer helpless, and if he could fight and fly, he could join her group. It was not going to be dangerous, and treating him as any other independent adult would build her rapport with him. A substantial benefit of bringing him, in addition to appearances and impressions, was that she could rely on him to answer any difficult questions about her pack's history. He knew all, probably more than she did, and she did not want to dig up those memories again. Doing so had nearly destroyed her last time.

With Root and assuming she took Aven, she had four people to bring along. Four was a good number; more would seem threatening or cowardly, depending on who was brought, and less would make her pack seem weak or untrusting.

Lily rose from her resting place in the strange grass and made her way over to the shaded side of the valley, stopping only to eat and relieve herself at the waste pit first. Most of her pack was asleep right now, a coincidence that spoke of them all getting onto the same sleep cycle by chance. That was good, because somehow making them all do so intentionally had slipped her mind.

Aven was first to be found, because she and her sisters always slept side by side. Lily noticed with disdain that Cloud was nearby. He was still chasing Holly, it seemed, meaning he still saw her as an up-and-coming power in this pack. When he dropped Holly, Lily would know she had succeeded in neutralizing her new rival.

Lily prodded Aven awake. "I need you," she hissed, trying to not wake any of the other light wings around her.

"You need us?" Aven asked quietly, yawning tiredly.

"Just you." Lily motioned for Aven to step away so they could talk more freely. "Come on."

Once they were away, Aven grew more alert. "This is about the other light wing pack, right? I was hoping you would want me to go with you."

Pina and Dew had spread the news well, it seemed. "You will be deferring to me, acting more as my assistant than as a negotiator in your own right. Not like how it was with the sea dragon."

"I thought I did pretty well with her," Aven muttered. "Better than you…"

Lily gave that remark all the cold silence it deserved.

"But yes," Aven continued after a moment of awkward silence, "I am happy to go. I think you should bring Holly, too."

"I am bringing a balanced delegation, and Holly is not part of it," Lily rumbled. "The others are Beryl, Root, and Pearl."

"Two from the dark wing family, two from our pack. Two male, two female. Two who know battle and two who know peace… you really thought that through." Aven purred happily. "I can go get the others for you."

"You do that," Lily agreed. Aven took off, and as Lily crossed the cave, first to the makeshift fish pile for one last snack in case they would be walking for a long time, then to the tunnel entrance, she saw Aven flying back and forth overhead, and her chosen four making their way there… And others, too, people she hadn't asked to attend. Storm, Ember, Spark, and Crystal were also there by the time she arrived, along with the four she had chosen.

Lily nodded politely to them all, then got down to telling some of them to leave. "I am only taking the four I specifically requested. More may be seen as threatening."

Ember nodded right back at her. "Spark and I are just here to see Pearl and Beryl off."

"And I am here to go with you," Storm growled. "I want to check out this other pack."

"I want to be there in case Root needs help," Crystal added. "Lily, surely six are no more threatening than four? Or five, if you must."

Lily shook her head. "Root, do you need Crystal's help? Or Storm's?"

"I _need_ no help, but it is nice that she wants to offer it," he hedged awkwardly. "Crystal, I really do not _need_ you along, but I would be fine with you coming anyway."

"I need to be very specific with who I bring," Lily concluded. "Crystal will stay here, and so will Storm."

"You cannot make me," Storm growled.

"I very well can," Lily retorted. "You live here, under my authority. Defy me and I will force you to leave. Something tells me you won't like that."

"No, I would not." Storm shook her head. "But you are not pushing me around. I am going."

"Storm!" Root huffed. "If you keep arguing you will just make her mad to no avail. Drop it, please."

Storm turned her glare to him. "Make me."

"I will if you do not see reason," he growled. "This is stupid. I am sure there will be plenty of times to go see the other pack later, and you cannot find anything there that is not also here. They are just another group of light wings."

"I cannot find anything there that I would not find here?" Storm growled. Then she relaxed, so sudden in her change of mood that Lily knew it couldn't be real. "You are right. But we are going to have a _long_ discussion about this when you return." Her voice was threatening now.

"We will," Root agreed calmly. "Of course, first I will need to apologize to my Dam for leaving without telling her. You can talk to me after her attempted lecture." Storm shot him an appalled glare, which Lily interpreted as her being insulted that he would compare the two of them. She thought said comparison was masterfully done, if he had done it with the intention of getting her to back off, but of course Storm wouldn't appreciate it.

"You did not tell her?" Crystal exclaimed.

"She would be here begging Lily to either not take me or take her too, and Lily would say no to both. I saved her some frustration." Root shrugged his wings. "It is easier to tell her afterward. Or not at all, but I am not going to do that."

That seemed to drop the entire group into an awkward silence. They spread out a bit, Beryl and Pearl speaking with Spark and Ember, while Root, Crystal, and Storm sat in silence. Aven stood off to the side, probably feeling out of place, while Lily lingered by the tunnel entrance.

The one nobody was watching. She had forgotten to actually set a guard there, despite intending to do so. That could not happen again. Her grip on her pack was tenuous enough without giving Holly such obvious opportunities to step in and usurp her. If Holly had spoken to someone and arranged a guard, she would have been hard-pressed to spin it as anything but someone making up for her own shortcomings. Only Holly not pressing the advantage had saved her from that headache.

Time passed. Lily realized that she had no idea what 'a cycle' meant in terms of how long Sandstone might be gone. Her assumption of it being about a day might be way off. She really hoped he would be returning soon; it would be mildly embarrassing to have to tell everyone to disperse and come back later.

Thankfully, the telltale sound of a rock shifting from down the tunnel came sooner rather than later. A familiar face emerged from the tunnel shortly after. "I am to guide you and any of your followers who will be joining us," Sandstone announced. "You are all guaranteed safety in our territory, and will be allowed to leave at any time."

"Good." Lily knew her four chosen delegates were assembling behind her. "We are ready to go."

"If you will follow me, it is down this tunnel," Sandstone said, turning to lead them into the passage. "It will not be an overly long walk, but we could fly there if-"

"Flying is out of the question," Lily interrupted as she followed. "Some of us are grounded."

"Grounded…" Sandstone looked back at her retinue, looking past her to stare at someone else. "I see."

"And I do not," Root barked humorously, "but she does not mean me. I can fly if needed."

Lily huffed, and sped up her walk just enough to force Sandstone to look ahead instead of behind. "It is inconsequential."

"That it is." Sandstone slipped into a crack on the left side of what had been a solid wall at the end of the tunnel, and she followed. The other side of the passage was no more interesting, leading off into the darkness with the occasional small crystal to light the way.

They walked for a short while, and Lily tried to get a sense of how far they were going. It was very hard to tell, especially as this tunnel was not entirely straight. She had a good sense of space and direction, but this entire world beneath the ground seemed designed to confuse.

Sandstone stopped just in front of a sharp turn in the tunnel. "My alpha wishes to speak to you on neutral ground… but you and your people are living where we usually consider to be the neutral ground. So he and his advisors are here, in the next section of the tunnel. I hope you do not mind not seeing our home itself immediately, but you understand that some precautions must be taken."

"I do." She would have done much the same were the positions reversed. "Lead me to him."

"He is here." Sandstone slipped around the corner. "Alpha, I have brought them."

"Good," a deep voice called back. "Well?"

Lily knew this was it. Another first impression, one she couldn't botch like she had with the sea dragon. She focused, breathed out, ignored the pain she lived with, and stepped around the corner.

The alpha was a large male with a green tint and red eyes, which was quite the contrast, made even more obvious in the green light of the crystal he was standing on. He had a few small scars, but nothing substantial. Three male light wings stood behind him, Sandstone having joined two others she didn't know.

Lily could hear her group filing into place behind her, probably mirroring the other light wings as best they could.

In the very least, if it somehow came to violence, her side definitely had the advantage in numbers, and in both Pearl and Beryl, who were both entirely capable of combat against other light wings. She couldn't be sure, but the other alpha's advisors didn't have the look of capable warriors. They looked more like she and most of her pack had before Beryl came.

Lily nodded her head ever so slightly, showing respect, but not all that much. "You are an alpha."

"And so are you." The male tilted his head, looking over her party. "I have never seen such a diverse group. A dark wing, a blind light wing, a female light wing with a massive scar, and a female who seems more excited than nervous." His voice was light. "I am Rose, alpha of the Twisted Corridor pack."

Rose? Lily didn't find the decidedly feminine name all that funny, even applied to a male as it was, but the fact that it was also the name of a flower did tickle her sense of humor. "And I am Lily, alpha of my pack." Her pack didn't have a name, now that she thought about it. It had never needed one.

"Lily." Rose gestured back to his three subjects with his tail. "You know Sandstone, one of my scouts. The male on my left is my senior advisor of war, Quartz, and the male to my right that of peace, Obsidian."

"I left my advisor of war behind," Lily quipped, "but I suppose Aven is the closest I have to an advisor of peace." She flicked her tail in Aven's direction, and Aven purred.

"And who are these others?" Rose rumbled. "I have never seen a dark wing before, so I would be pleased to meet one."

"I am Beryl," Beryl supplied. "This is Pearl, my Sire's mate."

"And I am Root, the keeper of our history," Root declared, his flat eyelids pulled up for no apparent reason.

"Keeper of history… a history I would very much like to know. Why has your pack settled here, Lily?" Rose growled lightly. "It is a good place you chose, but the neighbors leave a lot to be desired."

"Lead us to a better place, and we will gladly move," Lily countered. "But not before. We came here to escape a far worse danger, one that could have wiped my entire pack out."

"And will it follow you?" Rose asked warily.

"Only if it can somehow get past the guardian on the surface, which it cannot," Lily growled back. "We do not lightly forsake the surface."

"From the surface… Lily, who were your Sire and Dam?" Rose asked curiously. "My pack sent a group of light wings to spread onto the surface many cycles ago."

"And that group suffered many misfortunes," Lily replied calmly, having more than suspected as much the moment she learned of another light wing pack. "The greatest of which was the ascension and rule of a male named Claw. I am the one who took over when he proved himself greatly unfit to live, let alone rule."

"So that secondary pack was not so successful," Rose mused. "But you count a bad leader as worse than the threat that could have annihilated the whole pack?"

"Yes." She definitely did. "My pack was weak and spineless when I was hatched, and Claw took full advantage of their blind acceptance. Of the five of us here, three suffered horrible things under him. The other two were either not present or far too young to be a target at the time. But we want no pity from you, so that is all I will say." She huffed and resettled her wings to visually signal that she was done talking about this.

"Pity is not the same thing as understanding," Rose said calmly. "I can guess at those things. Your back, Root's eyes, and either Pearl or Beryl's scars."

"Yes and no." She was going to have to explain, because he was not going to let up. "Claw was an abusive, lustful creature with no inhibitions. Many of his worst acts left no visible marks. But he is dead now, and that is the past." If he kept pushing, she was going to have to be blunt.

"We shall talk of the present and future, then," Rose agreed, finally getting the hint, "but as you have brought your keeper of history, I must assume you are willing to share that history in the meantime. Could he explain to one of my advisors? I do not need to hear it personally, there is likely far too much for me to handle while also dealing with you."

"I will explain," Root agreed, not even waiting for Lily to respond. "But will we do that talking here?"

"No. You are our descendants come home from the great unknown, battered but defiant. I harbor no distrust, and keeping the meeting here would be the mark of exactly that. Walk with us, and we will host you in our home caverns."

Lily accepted his offer by way of walking up to him, and then beside him as the entire group moved. She could hear Root speaking quietly to the two advisors Rose had brought behind them.

"I am amazed a blind dragon can function so normally," Rose said quietly to her. "Is he really-"

"He is an honored member of our pack," Lily interrupted. "His is not a position given of pity. He worked for season-cycles on end to piece together the whole story from many different viewpoints, and did such a good job I would rather have him tell our history than tell it myself." For many reasons, but if she could explain her reluctance to speak as admiration for Root, all the better.

"I see. And what was your role in that history?" Rose asked. "I would like to know who I am dealing with, and that seems like an important part of what makes you who you are."

"My role?" She narrowed her eyes and tried to think of the most appalling, _short_ explanation she could give that would make him drop that line of questioning. "Daughter of the alpha. Unwilling mate of the alpha. Rebel against the alpha. Alpha, now, because there is no better dragon for the job. My pack is my life, and I have willingly sacrificed much to protect them."

"Daughter… mate… I see." Rose shuddered. "Things went very badly out there."

"Very, very badly, but we were fine in the end. Then we gained the ire of a force capable of destroying us, and I made the choice to flee instead of die." She would not be scorned for that, either.

"I will get the details later," Rose agreed. "This seems to be a subject of much personal pain."

She stifled the impulse to laugh; she _didn't_ want to talk about any of this, but he kept pushing and pushing. Of course it was obvious, in the same way that the shrieking of one with open wounds dunked in the ocean would be obvious. Irritation of wounds tended to be that.

"It is past," she said for what felt like the tenth time. "Tell me of the Noxious Fumes pack. I wish to know who killed my people and tortured a fledgling."

"They are a group of two-heads, four-heads, self-burners, smelly ones, and no-wings who eat eggs," Rose explained. "They are called the Noxious Fumes pack because their uniting trait is the use of explosive gas, mucus, spit, or other such foul things, all of which stink to some degree. We have been at war on and off again for hundreds of hundreds of cycles."

"Not hundreds _and_ hundreds?" One was large, but the other was absolutely immense. If a cycle was something like a day, hundreds and hundreds was a few season-cycles, while hundreds of hundreds was much, much longer.

"hundreds of hundreds," Rose confirmed. "The last real fight with them occurred a while back, before we sent the founders of your pack out. We have had peace for most of my lifetime, but that peace may now be at an end. You settled in the middle, in the place both packs want. The deal was that neither of us would try to take that cavern."

"And now I have." Lily shrugged her wing shoulders. "It is a defensible place. The only route open to them is a death trap. I am not worried."

"They will not just attack you." Rose huffed. "My people will pay the price for your return. They will never believe two packs of light wings living side by side are not really one pack of light wings. I do not believe it myself."

Lily tensed, still walking alongside him. "Try to take my pack and learn why I lead. Kill me, and learn just how badly you have misstepped." Some of that was hot air, but she would dissuade him here and now.

"I did not mean like that," he hastily explained, sounding suitably intimidated under his facade of calmness. "Aside from fending off little sneak attacks, I do not know war. I was thinking we merge our packs in a less aggressive way. It only makes sense."

"To you, maybe." She didn't like where this was headed. "I am not stepping down to follow you, and I do not _want_ to lead your people." The latter option was ridiculous, she had enough people to care for as it was. More responsibility would just open her up to being overthrown by any and everyone, especially because a whole other pack would of course come with dissenters who desired power.

"I was thinking neither," Rose suggested. "Do you have a mate? I would have thought you would bring him, if so. I have none, myself."

Now she saw his angle… and she didn't even have to think about it. Being Rose's mate, even if only for the political alliance, would carry all of the same issues publicly accepting Beryl as a mate did, and came with none of the benefits. "I will not take you as a mate."

"Even to benefit your people?" Rose asked carefully. "Oh, we are here. Let us put this aside for a few moments so that I can show you around."

As if on cue, Rose stepped out around another sharp corner, and when Lily followed, she saw…

She didn't know what she saw. Her eyes were confused, and the jumble of moving light wings among the odd rock formations did her no favors. It took her a long moment to make sense of the chaos, and looking both up and down was required to fully understand.

Lily now understood why Rose and his pack would want her pack's cavern. Where her pack's cavern was open and wide, this one was vertical, tall and deep, with more of those unnatural passages burrowed into the walls of the immense cavern. Light wings glided from wall to wall, walked the sloped paths, and appeared from deeper tunnels.

Pyre had once dug up an anthill and sighed, telling her that there was only one way to actually see an ant's world. Living as one. Now Lily understood why he had wished to see such a thing. This was exactly what she would have envisioned an ant's colony to look like.

"The lower levels are for food and water," Rose said loudly, for the benefit of everyone she had brought, all of whom were gawking at the sight in front of them. "The only connection between our part of the lake and yours is fully underwater. Upper levels are for socializing, playing, and raising young. There are many exits out into the wider world throughout the entire cavern, but almost all are blocked and guarded. We are mostly safe here… but our connection to the lake is vital and vulnerable. Assault will come from there, if we are attacked, and while one can only reach your connection to the lake by going underwater, ours and theirs can be flown to."

Lily leaned down, looking into the pit. "This place is… interesting," she said, ignoring his less than subtle hint about how his pack was vulnerable.

"It is home, and we have long since given up the idea of taking the cavern your pack has somehow secured," Rose agreed. "We thought it was a price to pay for peace. But now you _have_ it, and apparently have blocked the main difficulty in keeping it, the large passage that leads right to the Noxious Fumes cavern system. How did you do it? The stone we use for our blockades is not present anywhere near your cavern.

"We used crystals instead," Beryl called out from their left, also leaning down to look into the deep pit. "It was not easy."

"I believe that." Rose tossed his head to an open ledge directly across from them. "That is a private place, and I know who it belongs to. It is much more open than this ledge." He gestured to the somewhat cramped, slightly angled bit of rock they were all perched on.

"How do we get there from here?" Lily asked tentatively.

"We glide across…" Rose looked over at her. "I see. Then we may wish to stay here. There is only one walkable path out into the main areas from here, and I do not want the entire pack to know of all of this until a decision has been reached. They always react better when there is less uncertainty, and they trust my judgment."

"Here, then." Lily stepped away from the rest of the dragons on the ledge, and Rose followed her back into the tunnel. Once they were far enough that she was sure nobody would hear them, she turned back to him. "I am not going to be your mate," she said bluntly. Anything less would be seen as open to negotiation, which she was not.

"But it makes sense," he argued. "We both lead packs of light wings who are going to want to mingle once they know of each other. Outsiders will assume we are one pack even if we tell them otherwise. You and I are both unattached, and both in positions of leadership. A formal alliance will not be good enough to satisfy some of my people, but mating and continuing to lead our portions of the single pack we create just might be. Give me a reason this would not work."

"I'll give you several." Lily took a moment to arrange her thoughts. "First off, my pack has a history of following whoever they think holds power, and my predecessor killed off all of the strong-willed males for many generations. My taking _any_ mate will destabilize them, because many of my people will automatically assume that male holds power."

"And second," she said in a low voice, "just because I have no _official_ mate does not mean I am unattached." If anyone from her pack asked, she would claim it was a bluff, but it was entirely true. She had no desire to put Beryl aside just to be with this arrogant, unable-to-take-a-hint alpha.

"If your males will follow me, and we are equals, they are basically still following you, and us being mates means you have an equal say," Rose countered quietly. "Some of my females very well might go to you with their problems and requests. We will lead one pack, and that pack will be big enough to need two leaders. But…"

He shook his head angrily. "But you _are_ spoken for, it seems. I would prefer to have a true mate, not a female who claims the title while not living up to it. And we would need offspring to pass our leadership roles onto, offspring of mine, not that other male's."

Lily laughed bitterly. "You would not get that in any case. I am barren. I took that possibility away from myself a long time ago." Again, something she could claim was a lie if her people somehow overheard.

He stared at her with wide eyes. "That can be done?"

"It can with the right plant… which I have not yet seen down here. In any case, it has already been done." She met his gaze and willed him not to show any pity.

"That makes things both easier and harder at the same time," Rose murmured. "It is widely known?"

"No, and I'm keeping it that way," she warned. "Don't mess things up unless you want me to find a way to return the favor."

"Then…" Rose grimaced and lowered his voice even further, down to a whisper she could barely hear. "We could officially be mates with the public understanding that I would go to another female to continue my line. In that arrangement, you could not be faulted for doing the same with your lover, as long as you kept it discrete. How about that?"

She had to think through that for a second. Putting aside the issue of balancing power and another pack to deal with, was it acceptable?

Living always in secrecy or at least discreetly. Unable to ever show affection in public, and mated to another male to boot. It was all the bad parts of her current arrangement with Beryl, plus the added frustrations and difficulties of having an official mate she didn't care for. Not acceptable in the slightest, from a purely personal standpoint.

Besides, it was not as if this was a good idea even if she and Beryl were fine with it. The best-case scenario Rose described would not happen; Lily would be relegated to being the alpha's mate, and in truth would probably not last long as that, either. Rose would just take over and then put her aside.

"No," she growled. "My final answer is no, and will be to any proposition that involves me becoming your mate. There are too many downsides to justify it."

"It was a long shot," Rose agreed. "And an abrupt one. But I saw an opportunity to easily resolve all of this. Now all that is left are more difficult, imperfect solutions."

"Here. I have one." Lily did not trust Rose very much. He wanted their packs merged. "You publicly acknowledge me as alpha of my pack, declare our packs on friendly terms, and go about life as usual. We will contact you if we wish to have any further interactions with your people."

"That is no good at all!" Rose exclaimed, abandoning his low tone now that his apparently scandalous proposal was no longer being discussed. "We have to merge our peoples somehow, or they will do it themselves in defiance of us. There is no point in keeping separate. They will not stand for it."

"Maybe your people won't," Lily growled, "but mine trust me and know I do what is best for them. Merging with a whole other pack expands our territory, leaves us open to attack, and puts me in a bad position, one I cannot work with."

"Isolation is not best for your people!" Rose complained. "It is terrible!"

"Better than merging and losing our independence," Lily replied coldly. "At least with isolation we make our own choices."

"You are not your people," Rose grumbled. "I am sorry for trying to convince you to do something so big, so quickly. But now you are confusing personal feelings with what is best for those under your guidance. That is a bad idea."

"And you are not?" She knew what he wanted. Power over her people. He was just like Holly, or Ivy, or Claw. He wanted control.

"I did not look at you and think 'that is an amazing female that I must have for myself," Rose growled quietly. "In truth, I do not care for females much at all, and would be happy alone if it were not for the need to have a successor eventually. But your people and mine will be merged sooner or later, and mating with you was the easiest, best way to accomplish that without unrest. Personal feelings must be put aside to do what is best."

"So you are just now learning how to sacrifice for your people?" Lily snarled. "I've done it a dozen times over by now. I _am_ doing what is best for _my_ people. It just so happens what is best and how I feel personally are in complete alignment at the moment." She was only barely keeping her voice low; rage boiled inside her far stronger than it had in a very long time.

"I do not believe it best for your people." Rose turned away from her, looking back toward his territory. "Or mine. But you will not be swayed. I will do as you suggest for the time being, but please remember that I am willing to talk at any time about permanent arrangements."

"I'll remember, but I won't need to, because merging just gives my pack over to your control." She managed to barely reign in her temper, knowing this argument was over. "Feel free to take my people on a tour, or don't. I will be here, waiting for them."

"I think taking your people on a tour would just exacerbate your anger," Rose commented dryly. "We will, of course, host your retinue for as long as you wish, but something tells me that will not be long."

"We are leaving now," Lily agreed, thinking better of remaining here. These light wings were not a physical threat, but they were definitely a political one, and she needed to get Beryl and the others out of here before that threat could begin to work on them.

She left Rose behind in the tunnel, passing him with a growl, and went over to Beryl and Pearl, who were staring out into the cavern. "We are leaving now. Where is Aven?" She could see Root a short distance away, but Aven wasn't immediately visible.

"Right here," Aven called out, gliding down from somewhere above their current location. "Do we have to go so soon? I wanted to make friends!"

"I am not finished telling them of our history," Root called out from where he was huddled with one of Rose's advisors.

"Yes." Lily jerked her head in the direction of the way they had come. "We need to go now. Don't argue."

Pearl was the first to move for the exit, warbling politely to Rose as she passed him. Aven reluctantly followed, and Root trailed her out. Beryl waited by the beginning of the tunnel for her, watching her closely.

"And one more thing, Rose," Lily growled as she and Beryl passed him. "What I told you of why your proposition was untenable remains between us, or you will pay."

"It does," Rose agreed mildly. "But you should be more careful. I now know the identity, not just the existence." He nodded to Beryl. "You had no trouble letting him alone of all of them hear that."

"You assume much," Lily retorted, before turning her back on him and quickly leaving the main cavern. Beryl walked beside her.

"That did not sound friendly at all," Beryl noted worriedly. "What did he want?"

"Power over my people. The cavern we managed to take that they could never secure for themselves. Me to be his mate in order to merge our packs," she gritted angrily. "He is just another power-hungry light wing."

Beryl huffed in relief. "His mate? I am not surprised you turned him down. What made him think that would work?"

"He wanted it to work, and that was it. When I told him I was unofficially spoken for, he even had the gall to suggest he and I could still be mates in word, but not in action. All he wanted was some measure of official authority over us."

"But why? Was he not content with what he had?" To his credit, Beryl seemed as against the idea as she had been.

"He seems sure our packs merging back together will happen eventually whether or not we allow it," Lily admitted, unwilling to lie about Rose's intentions when the truth was not much better. "They will not, of course."

"Of course." Beryl did not sound so sure. "Lily, are we not coming back here? At all?"

"No. And we're going to seal this tunnel off enough that it will also be a chokepoint." She did not dare seal it entirely, because that was basically an act of war, but if they could have a passage that she could not freely pass through from her side, then she could create the same for her side.

"I do not think the pack is going to like any of that," Beryl warned. "And there is no way this can be kept secret. Word of other light wings was already spreading when we left, and they will want to meet them."

"I will deal with whoever complains," Lily growled. "They are my people, and they will see reason. Friendly or not, fraternizing with that pack will only harm us."

"If you say so." The tone of Beryl's voice said he disagreed but did not want to argue further. "Lily, did you sleep at all recently? You seem even more stressed and tired than before."

"I slept enough," she replied irritably. There was no time for sleep now; she had even more enemies than she had thought, and these newest ones were insidiously friendly. This was going to be difficult.

But she was alpha. She would do whatever was necessary to keep power, so that she could make the right choices for her pack. Even if that meant enforcing something they really didn't like. She didn't remember the last time she had needed to back up something that promised to be so wildly unpopular. She was going to have to take steps to ensure she had the clout to do it… Steps she had never taken before.

Dizziness made her head spin for a moment, totally unprompted, and she leaned on Beryl until it passed. "I know best," she huffed to herself.

_**Author's Note** _ **: It's funny, I've changed so much in the second draft leading up to this point, but the majority of this chapter in particular didn't need any plot-related adjustments. Probably because introductions to a new pack go basically the same regardless of the exact details of Lily's situation. So this chapter is mostly first-draft material with nothing but technical corrections. I wonder if it's noticeable.**

**Also, for anyone who doesn't already follow** _**No Story Stands Alone** _ **, there's another AU going on over there. This one features Gold, of all people, and was a lot of fun to write.**


	71. Reasonable

Lily knew that she wasn't going to be able to postpone dealing with the massive, unpopular _mess_ that was currently waiting in the cavern she had claimed as her territory. Or in the one she had just left, for that matter. On one side, a bunch of light wings led by someone who wanted to take her power from her and claim her pack as his own, and on the other, her pack, many of whom would resent not being allowed to interact with the other pack in any way.

She knew she needed to handle it somehow, and in a way that her enemies couldn't take advantage of. Holly _would_ jump on any resentment this fostered, which was almost predictable enough to use…

Lily was aware, in an abstract way, that she was still tired, but she didn't _feel_ tired in that moment, as a clever thought came to her. If she knew for a fact Holly would jump on resentment, then she could plan for and use that. She could even rely on it, to an extent. Holly would nudge the resentment forward, and by extension would connect herself to it, make it a part of her position, a way to gain sympathy. Not directly, not at first, but if she didn't see it as a risk, she might make the mistake of doing so.

This could be useful. Lily stepped out into the open, her eyes wandering over the valley, and blinked a few times so she could actually see it. Her vision had gone blurry for no apparent reason.

Those she had brought with her began filing out behind her, and she let out a low bark to get their attention. "Gather everyone, I will be talking to the whole pack as soon as you finish," she requested.

"Do you want to hear what we learned first?" Aven asked.

"Is it anything important?" Lily asked rhetorically. If Aven had learned anything vital, she would lie, say she hadn't, and take it to Holly. "No, don't bother," she huffed, not giving time to answer. "Don't tell anyone about what happened, either." She wouldn't normally have bothered with demanding secrecy, but just in case she could somehow prove Aven had disobeyed her… Holly and her sisters only needed to slip up once. Lily was just about done tolerating subtle little pokes at her authority. Her pack had too many exterior enemies to worry about the ones in their midst.

"That goes for all of you," she added a moment later, turning to look at them in turn. Root wasn't facing her way but he nodded, Beryl cast her a glance she couldn't immediately interpret, and Pearl had an outright scowl, though it disappeared when she saw Lily looking at her.

"Just for the moment," she added. "Until I know everything is under control and that stories of what's out there won't cause problems."

"I don't think this is the right way to go about things, but I can keep quiet for the time being," Pearl said. "It's your pack, you get to choose how your people approach this. But if someone from _my_ family was to go over and explore, what would your reaction be?"

Lily stifled a growl and managed to turn it into a considering hum, which was much less threatening. "That would definitely cause problems if my people found out about it," she said. "If you can ensure nobody knows it is happening, then I will not stop you." If only because she flat-out didn't have the authority to-

Though she didn't need the authority over them directly to stymy Pearl's plans. "And you will have to find some other way to reach them, since I cannot be seen letting _anyone_ blatantly disregard my wishes," she said apologetically. "This tunnel will be blocked and nobody will pass through. Circumvent that, and I have no issues with your family doing as they please."

"But…" Pearl turned to stare at the tunnel. She looked back to Lily, visibly stumped. "I guess that is fair?" she warbled. "I mean, I see where you are coming from."

But Pearl _also_ saw that her family was being blocked from visiting the other pack anyway, at least until they found another route that Lily wasn't going to physically barricade. Exactly as Lily had planned. Her pack would see her treating everyone the same, Pearl's family would know she wasn't trying to control them, and underneath it all she _was_ treating everyone the same because she _was_ stopping Pearl's family from visiting in a way that they couldn't complain about.

It was immature to feel smug about maneuvering around people who didn't make manipulation their way of life, but Lily felt it anyway, especially as she wasn't at her best at the moment, and had come up with the deception on the spot.

"Where do you want to address the pack?" Beryl asked, reminding her that he was still present… though he was the only one aside from Pearl; Root and Aven had left at some point. Lily didn't remember seeing them go.

"Anywhere, just get everyone into one group and ready to listen," she said. "Quickly." The faster they were, the less time she had to think of exactly what she was going to say, but that didn't really matter. She already had her response mostly thought out.

O-O-O-O-O

Light wings crowded each other for no reason, standing in tight clusters facing her. They were gathered in the center of the cavern, and many jostled for position, unable to see her directly. She had put her paw down and ensured that they were not crowding her or getting behind her, which made things worse. For them, anyway; she was entirely willing to watch them struggle to see if it meant nobody behind her and no need to be constantly walking around like on the plateau back in the valley.

Everyone, aside from those out exploring, was present. Just as she had asked for. She saw the dark wings near the back of the crowd; Thaw was standing on Ember's back, a feat that Lily suspected would soon become impossible, given Thaw wasn't that far off from his adult size. Ember could handle it, apparently, but it was probably a strain. Spark poked Pearl and said something, and Pearl shook her head vehemently, causing the entire family to start laughing-

Lily looked away from them, forcing herself to focus on what mattered. The announcement.

"Okay, listen up!" she roared. Those closest to her, only a half-dozen body-lengths away, cringed and pawed at their ears. She ignored them; it wasn't like she was _that_ loud, even when she was trying. They had all reacted at the same time, though, which made her suspicious. If Holly had set them up to try something, to make her look bad or careless or something… Nobody notable was in the front rows, aside from Cedar and Liona.

"Yes?" someone asked. A few light wings laughed.

"We have made contact with two new packs," Lily announced, jumping right to the chase. "One, dragons who live in the underground lake. They are friendly, and will be around to manage the fish so that we do not run out. If you see something, do not assume it is friendly, but do not fly away shrieking either. Use your judgment." She was loath to rely on her pack's judgment for the most part, but she had posted sentries and they could pick up the slack. Especially since telling her people to be self-sufficient would make them happy, which would lead into the other half of her announcement.

"The other pack, however, is not so easily addressed," she said solemnly. "They are light wings, like us, but they are _not_ friendly."

There was a chorus of barks of surprise. Lily had expected that, and she continued on without stopping, trusting that her people would quiet down and listen. "They act friendly, maybe some of them are harmless, but their leader wants to take this pack over. He admitted that he wants our cave for his people, and since we are not going to leave without somewhere better to go, that means he will need to take it from us."

"Are they going to attack?" someone called out worriedly. She considered that a good sign; thinking that someone was possibly hostile and violent usually precluded wondering whether meeting them was a good idea.

"I don't know," Lily said honestly. She suspected that violence wasn't going to be the chosen method of usurpation, if only because her people were so vulnerable to the more subtle ways, but it wasn't out of the question. It helped that fostering fear of the other pack strengthened her position. "We will be fortifying the path to their domain just in case. Nobody is to go out to their cavern without my permission, which will not be granted for a while in any case. There is much they could do to try and take over this pack with any opening we give."

"But they must have unmated males there!" a female cried out. "We could find mates!"

Lily hesitated, though she didn't mean to. She had hoped that nobody would think of that, though of _course_ they would.

"We could make new friends!" a fledgling added pleadingly, taking advantage of the relative silence to add his opinion.

"Are they the ones our parents left to go up to the surface?" an older male asked. "We could reconnect with our family if any are still around."

A half-dozen others began speaking, as they started thinking of the potential of another pack to interact with. "Nobody is going anywhere!" Lily roared, feeling the beginning of a nasty headache coming over her. "If anyone tries to sneak out and go to them for any reason, there will be a punishment."

An uneasy silence fell, one she hadn't entirely been expecting. She wasn't entirely sure why that had surprised them, of course if they broke a rule set by the alpha there would be consequences. Very stark ones, in this case, and not just because she was really serious about stopping _all_ contact with the other light wing pack. The punishment was going to serve another purpose, one she couldn't tell anyone about…

Someone in the crowd coughed, and she realized she hadn't said anything for an awkwardly long time. "All I will say about _what_ the punishment will be," she added in a cold voice, "is that while I have one determined, I am not going to explain it unless it is needed." Not in the least because she'd thought it up on the walk back, and probably needed to refine it before it was used.

"This is very important?" Holly asked from the middle of the crowd, her eyes wide and her voice innocent. "Because you do not usually promise retribution if we disobey."

Lily knew Holly was chipping away at her authority, but in this case it wouldn't work, because she wasn't going to backtrack, she was going to double down. "Yes, it is that important," she said firmly. "They are just as big a threat as the dragons who attacked us from the other side, and I am not going to lose anyone else. If I have to be harsh to make that happen, so be it." She wouldn't have to _be_ harsh if her people just listened when she spoke and didn't think they could second-guess her, but that wasn't going to happen. Not with Holly around.

"Step beyond the blockade I'll be having set up, and you will discover why disobedience is not worth it," Lily added with a growl. "Is that clear?"

"Very," Holly shot back, looking perturbed. Or just disgruntled; Lily was having a hard time telling, for some reason. She didn't quite know what that expression and the way her ears were flagging meant.

"Now," Lily said loudly, "I know this is not what anyone was hoping would happen if we found others of our kind." It certainly wasn't what she would have hoped for, though she hadn't thought they _would_ run into others. The guardian had told them going this way would lead them to less crowded cave systems…

At that, they hadn't come here randomly, the guardian had told them to go this way. She wondered if the guardian had intentionally directed them toward a light wing pack. It wouldn't fit the guardian's stated policy of not interfering with things down below, but the guardian was also a self-professed hypocrite, so she couldn't rule it out.

"It's not ideal," she said, dropping the line of thought for now. It wasn't like she could or would do anything about it if the guardian had set this up. "I know. If any of you want to ask me specific questions about why I'm handling it this way, now is the time."

"Can you make the other alpha not want to take over?" someone in the front row asked immediately.

"I'll be negotiating with him after we make it clear I'm serious about cutting off all contact," she said confidently. "I can't say how long it will take to send that message, but the plan isn't to block the tunnel and pretend they don't exist _forever_." If only because the pack on the _other_ side of her cavern wasn't going to disappear. But she could and would stretch out the no-contact period as far as she needed to ensure that when she did finally reopen negotiations, she had the upper paw.

"What about visiting their cave?" Aven asked from the middle of the crowd. "Even if the alpha wants to take over, he cannot do that when we go there."

"He could, on the other paw, take you, trap you, and force concessions out of me with you as leverage," Lily said neutrally. She almost hoped Aven got it into her head to let that sort of thing happen on purpose; she'd be happy to let Aven sulk in some sort of trap for as long as it took to make Rose think she was worthless. "Or seduce you to his side." Literally or figuratively, though Aven's squeak implied she took it literally.

"Why not attack them?" a male asked. "If they are going to try and take our new home anyway, we might as well." He sounded far too eager for that for Lily's peace of mind; she hoped she wasn't going to have to balance a pro-war faction on top of everything else.

"I don't think anyone wants to kill our fellow light wings just because they're greedy," Lily huffed. "So long as they don't make a hostile move on us, we won't be provoking them by doing the same. Also, we have a common enemy." She turned to face the crystal-blocked passage, reminding everyone of what lay behind it. "Fighting between us could lead to us all dying to them. It is safest for everyone to not let their schemes happen, and to not start a fight either. Staying away for a long while is the only smart option."

She didn't get any obvious approval for that declaration from the crowd; most of them looked vaguely confused, like they couldn't follow her logic, or could and weren't happy about it. She doubted her well-reasoned rebuttals would stand against Holly frustration-mongering the moment her back was turned, but appearing reasonable and pretending to hear out their concerns would put her solidly in the right when the time came to make sides and deal with Holly more permanently.

"Any more questions?" she asked the crowd. Nobody responded. Not even Holly, though now would have been the perfect time to throw in a difficult-to-answer challenge if she could think of one. Lily took her lack of interference as a sign that she didn't know what to do, or wasn't smart enough to take advantage of every opportunity given to her. Either was good.

"Thank you for your understanding," she said, though she knew they didn't really understand and weren't going to remain as accepting as they were now. That was fine; she was doing the thinking for all of them.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily hadn't wanted the passage to the other light wings totally blocked like they had with the other enemy pack. A total blockage was good for total enemies, those with whom peace wasn't an option. After being told in no uncertain terms that they had murdered a fledgling of hers-

If that was true. She had seen no body, gotten no proof. Rose could be playing her. But he had no reason to, the enemy pack had already killed her people, she already wanted them dead. He gained nothing by lying and potentially jeopardizing any alliance between them if she ever found out.

In any case, she didn't want the way to their pack to be totally impassible. That wouldn't work as bait, for one thing. Instead, she'd had Cara and a few of her guards do the grunt work of breaking and dragging a smaller piece of crystal, one large enough to block the bottom three fourths of the tunnel.

Soon, the only way through the previously wide and clear tunnel entrance was to pass by the two light wing guards standing on either side of the small opening, which was located at the top of the tunnel entrance, forcing whoever wanted to pass to climb up and down, just to make it harder for intruders to get through quickly… or for sneaky, rebellious light wings to pass through without getting caught.

Not that such was likely, not right after the passage had been blocked. She was standing guard herself to make a statement, not because she thought she'd catch someone. If Holly made her play right away she was an idiot; letting the resentment fester and grow would be a much smarter play. Especially if she was being careful about the unspecified punishment.

Nobody would try to sneak by now, but plenty of light wings were at least thinking about it. Lily caught several different light wings staring at her dubiously as she sat in front of the tunnel, clearly ready to apprehend anyone who wanted to try and cross. They didn't think she was actually going to do anything.

Well, the joke was on them if they acted on that mistaken assumption. A quick word to one of the light wings in charge of a certain something prepared the necessary circumstances to make the punishment as bad as possible, and the light wing in question didn't suspect a thing. He was just grateful to be taken off the job he had been assigned, and assumed someone else would be taking his place.

Lily put that out of her mind, and nodded to the trustworthy male light wing who had come to take her place, walking away from the tunnel after a long time spent guarding it. She was free to roam the cavern, now.

Or sleep. She considered it, and then scowled, growling to herself. No, she didn't need sleep yet. Maybe once she was absolutely certain nobody was going to challenge her resolve. Her body argued against her, but she was more than accustomed to ignoring it in order to do what needed to be done. It was easy this time, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, not unless she took the time to seek Honey out or something. Not worth it.

Especially not when the alternative was so much more useful. She walked near groups of light wings, keeping just far enough away that they wouldn't notice her, and eavesdropped.

"What do you think the alpha's punishment for sneaking off to go court some pretty females is?" a young male fledgling on the cusp of adulthood asked two similarly young males. All three had their backs to her, and the object of their attention was a little shard of crystal that they were taking turns pawing at, either as some sort of game or just because they couldn't sit still.

"Running around the entire cavern with her riding your back," one suggested, leaping to his feet and running in a circle to illustrate his point, and maybe burn off some energy. "She is not all that big, but this is a big cavern, so that could be hard."

"Nah, too easy. Lily is smart, and she seemed really ticked off." The one who had spoken looked uneasy. "Was she always this angry at everything?"

"Something is different. Probably the stress of leading you two!" the third male joked. "But seriously, it cannot be all that bad. I think."

"Are you sure enough to risk it?" the first male asked, kicking the shard of crystal into the air. It landed a short distance away. "I want to go see the females, but it might not be worth it."

"You know there are plenty of unattached females here, right?" the second one asked, before running to retrieve their plaything.

"Yes, but these are _new_ females, not ones that have been hanging around waiting for us to grow up our entire lives," the first insisted. "I want someone who sees me as the best, not just good enough."

"That sounds nice, but it is not worth the risk," the third advised, crouching to paw the shard onto his nose. He rose onto his hind legs, swaying dramatically, though the crystal was in no danger of falling off. "Something tells me embarrassing yourselves is not worth what the alpha might come up with. Besides, there is no way past those guards. We are basically trapped here."

Lily moved on, satisfied. Those three were not going to cause trouble. That was good. She wanted the punishment to fall on an adult, not a stupid fledgling making bad decisions. Maybe she should come up with an alternative if an underaged light wing was the first one to challenge her authority.

Or maybe that would be Holly's play, getting some bright-eyed fledgling to do the deed, and assuming that Lily wouldn't come down that hard on him or her because of their age. She would, though; it would do no good to punish someone less harshly because they were not an adult. She would have deserved the adult punishment if she defied the alpha at their age. The consequence was not going to change to accomodate immaturity.

The next conversation she overheard was far less casual, and didn't start as a conversation at all. She walked silently behind two females at the stream. One was leaning down to drink, but it was the other that had caught her attention. Staring at a blank stone wall and growling irritably was not normal behaviour.

Eventually, the other finished her drink, shook herself, and huffed at the growling female. "Stop it already, this is getting ridiculous. We have waited season-cycles before, and we can wait for Lily to loosen up now."

"She has only been getting tighter ever since we got here," the other growled back. "I want a mate, or at least the chance to look for one. What right does she have to deny us that?"

Lily casually stepped away from them, retreating until she was only just close enough to hear. She was confident in her stealth, and she was camouflaged - though she didn't remember when she had done that, hopefully it was after sitting on guard by the tunnel, otherwise nobody would have seen her doing that. Whenever it had happened, she was pretty sure they weren't going to glance back and see her before they vented about her, but it was best to be careful.

"If she is stopping us, then she must have a good reason," the more reasonable female warbled uncertainly. "She must… but usually she explains it. This time she is not explaining very much. There is a punishment, too. That makes me think it is even more serious than usual."

Lily almost laughed at how similarly the minds of male fledglings and adult females worked. This was pretty much the same conversation, just from a flipped perspective. If it wasn't against her desires, she would definitely find it funny, but as it was, it was a mostly harmless annoyance… until Holly exploited it, but that wasn't going to work.

"What do you think it is?" the angry female asked stubbornly, adding to the similarity.

"Something very bad," was the pragmatic response. "Lily never bluffs. You should do something other than pout about it. Have you tried getting Spark's interest lately?"

"No," the angry female huffed. "He is too immature, and his brothers are either too young or totally uninterested."

"What do you think Beryl's deal is, then?" the other asked lightly. "Maybe he does not prefer light wings? Dark scales get him hot and interested, not bright ones? I could see that."

"Maybe he does not, or maybe he is pining after one in particular," the angry one offered, sounding mollified. Apparently, gossip could take her mind off her troubles. Lily wished that worked for her. "I would almost guess Lily, though I would not understand _why_ , but they have not spent any time together since we got down here."

Lily nodded in agreement with that. Her stepping away from Beryl had been mostly thanks to circumstance, mainly that she had neither time nor a private place to be with him, but it was doing the job in taking attention off of the possibility of them being together. She missed him a little, but he could and would wait until things were settled down. Especially if random light wings were wondering about whether he was interested in her.

He could wait. She had things to do, dissent to spy on, and people to watch. Beryl and sleep could both wait.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily stalked the mostly empty corridors of the caves in the main cavern's ceiling. She still hadn't gotten around to assigning places, or even telling the pack about the availability. That was probably a good thing, really. It would be a headache on its own, and she had enough of those, not even counting the actual headache pounding behind her eyes.

Of those that knew about the caves, most were currently accounted for. She had seen all of the dark wings around the cavern, talking or sleeping, and Root had gone fishing with Storm. The person she wanted to talk to, however, had flown up here, which was perfect for her purposes. Assuming he was still around, she wasn't exactly fast in walking all the way up.

The sound of claws on stone ahead of her let her know that someone was nearby, and she turned a few corners to see Thaw peering into a side chamber, his tail swaying casually.

"Thaw," she called out. He backed up and looked over his shoulder at her. "Have a moment?"

"Do you need me for something?" he asked, joining her in the corridor.

"I do," She confirmed, resisting the urge to pace or otherwise walk around. Sometimes she felt like she needed to keep moving in order to not falter, in her movement or in her thoughts. "Thaw, you are a smart fledgling. When I was your age, I was smart too. I wanted to be treated like an adult."

"Actually, I kind of am treated like that by my Sire and Dam, and my brothers. But I'm not an adult until the end of my sixth season-cycle," Thaw asserted calmly.

"Fifth," Lily corrected absently.

"No, sixth." Thaw shook his head. "Not until I reach full size. We don't do ceremonies like your pack does. We just celebrate among ourselves."

"Well, that is not important," Lily declared, dismissing the tangent they had wandered down into. She had more important things to do. "You remember the bad dragons that attacked you and the other fledglings?"

Thaw shivered. "Yes. Are they back?"

"No. We do not know what they are planning. That is why I am coming to you." She crouched a little to be on his eye level. He was not quite as tall as an adult yet, and nowhere near as long, but he was responsible and smart enough to do this. "I need you to do something for me."

"What?" he asked.

"I saw what you can do. You can fake being one of them. I want you to go out into the caverns and find their pack. Trick them into accepting you, and find out what they are up to. Then come back."

Thaw blinked at her. "Lily, are you tired?"

She didn't understand why people kept asking her that; she hadn't slept in a while, but it wasn't like it showed. "No, I'm not, and I want you to focus," she growled. "Do this for me. For the entire pack."

"Lily, I…" Thaw hung his head. "I can't do that. Sire says I need to trust my conscience, and I do not want to spy on them. I think I would not be able to anyway."

"You're smart, you have the ability to look like them, and you can," Lily listed encouragingly. "Come on, most fledglings are raring to go on any sort of mission." To have a sense of importance and show off, that was, though she wouldn't say that to a fledgling she was trying to convince.

"I am not most fledglings." Thaw sat on his hind legs, defiantly parking himself right there. "Sire says I can say no if I don't want to do something. Dam does too."

"You are your own person, it should be your choice." He was far more than old enough to be independent. He should be as rebellious as Root was right now! "I need you to do it."

"I am my own person," Thaw repeated, a hint of doubt showing on his face. "But I don't want to do it, even if my Sire and Dam told me to. This is something Sire should do if it needs to happen. Ask him."

"I don't want him to do it, I want you to." She didn't think Ember would, but Thaw was cracking. Time to turn up the pressure. "Please?" she said, tilting her head and crouching a little to make herself look vulnerable, though nothing could be further from the truth. "I need your help, and only yours."

"Well…" Thaw said slowly, clearly considering it. "I do not know where to go. I don't have any experience with the other body. And I am scared they will catch me." He returned to all four paws and took a step back. "Lily, I cannot."

"Yes, you can," she growled softly. "Do it. I need you to. I have to know what they are doing over there, and I cannot spy on them. You can." Pity had failed, but she might be able to intimidate him into-

Thaw took another step back, fear on his face. "Lily, you are scaring me."

Lily was about to respond when a familiar bark echoed around her. "Thaw?" Beryl called out from somewhere nearby. "You up here?"

"This way!" Thaw all but yelped, turning and hurrying toward the sound of Beryl's voice. Lily followed him, inwardly growling at her horrible luck. Beryl could not have come at a worse time, she could have calmed Thaw down and reassured him if they weren't interrupted!

Beryl was near the hole in the ground that those who could fly used to come into the cave system. His eyes narrowed as he saw Lily, and how Thaw was behaving. "What's going on?"

"Lily wants me to use my power and spy on the other pack and I do not want to," Thaw said bluntly, his voice low and shaky.

"Does she?" Beryl shot her a questioning look. She nodded vehemently. With his help, Thaw could still be convinced.

For some reason, Beryl didn't pick up on her obvious cue. "Thaw," he hummed, "you can go find someone less… pushy… to talk to. Please, say nothing of this for the moment. I am going to deal with it, and Lily does _not_ need your help all that badly."

"I do!" Lily called out as Thaw made for the hole. Hopefully, he would decide to do it on his own once guilt set in. There would be guilt, of that she was sure; she needed his help and he had run away. Even if it wasn't that big a deal, his fledgling mind would make it seem bigger.

"Lily, what are you doing?" Beryl's teeth were out, and he loomed angrily, blocking her way and glaring at her with hurt, worried eyes. "This is not acceptable."

"I need his aid, I know he is smart enough to give it, and I think he will decide to," Lily said insistently. "You should not have stopped me."

"What has gotten into you?" Beryl eyed her for a long moment, looking her over. "You still look tired. When did you last sleep?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?!" Lily roared angrily. "I'm well rested!" She _felt_ well rested, so it didn't matter when she had last slept.

"Then you need to explain why you thought pressuring my brother like that was a good idea." Beryl took a step forward, looming threateningly, though that might just have been Lily's mind playing tricks on her. "I think I understand most of your recent decisions, but this one makes no sense at all. I need an explanation, at the very least."

"It's a great idea," Lily growled back, walking right up to him and batting him on the nose, making him flinch and back up a bit. She had done it to force him to stop _looming_ , but it worked well in the metaphorical sense too. "I need to know who my enemies are and what they are up to, and Thaw can help me with that."

He stared at her, expression unreadable. His voice was stern when he replied. "Lily, he is a fledgling with an ability none of us fully understand, and a totally acceptable desire to not mess with that ability for the time being. He is _not_ ready to go on some sort of spy mission. Why would you think he was?" A controlled frustration laced his voice, his posture, the way he was filling up the tunnel with slightly extended wings, a subconscious reaction.

"He is like me. I would have been able to do it at his age. At his age, I was more than capable, and he is too." She knew Thaw _could_ do it, and hopefully he would once her words began to gnaw at him. She had planted the seed, and it would grow...

"Even _if_ he was like you in the way you mean, going to him first, without asking his parents?" Beryl asked. "Or me? Even just to check whether I thought it was a good idea?"

"They would say no," Lily huffed, avoiding addressing why she hadn't asked him about it first, as she didn't have an answer for that. "He is an independent person, it's his choice. Permission could have been obtained after he agreed to it."

"That's going at it backwards," Beryl growled. "I'm _not_ okay with this, _at all_ , and that's putting it _mildly_."

"Then it's a good thing it doesn't matter whether you approve, isn't it?" she asked angrily. "I need information on those fledgling-killing monsters, and-"

"And you decided to send a fledgling to get it?" Beryl interrupted.

"Who else would I send?" she retorted. "Ember would need to kill to infiltrate them, and I don't think he would. None of my people has a chance of sneaking in and hanging around long enough to hear anything useful."

"That's another thing," Beryl said. "How did you intend on getting anyone into their territory? We can't just move the crystal. This plan is as full of holes as it is questionable morals."

"Finding someone willing to do it was the first step, figuring out how to get them in was the second," she growled. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Yes, actually," Beryl growled back. "Don't send anyone out for this. Get some rest, do something you do not have to do as alpha, relax, and think about what you're doing, because this is a terrible plan and _you should know better_. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to step back and figure it out. When you have, you can apologize to Thaw, his parents, and then my entire family."

"Maybe I will!" Lily barked. "Or maybe I am fine and you are full of hot air!" She was angry, so angry, though she didn't quite know why. Maybe it was how he was telling her to rest, when she was _fine_ , maybe it was him defying her, maybe it was how he didn't want to work with her, he was just picking apart her ideas… On second thought, she had plenty of reasons to be angry.

"I'm going to go make sure you didn't put bad ideas in Thaw's head," Beryl said angrily, looking away from her. "Just… I will see you after I fix this. I'm too mad to deal with you now, and _I_ know not to let my frustration drive me to make poor choices." He turned and dropped out into the main cavern, leaving her alone with no way to follow. After all but saying that he was going to try his best to undo the ideas she had given to Thaw, the guilt that would get him doing what she wanted-

She snarled, reared around, and blasted the nearest wall point-blank with a hasty shot. He would see her later, all right, later when she was willing to forgive him for getting on her bad side over something so unimportant.

O-O-O-O-O

Some time later, Lily stalked out of the tunnel down to the valley, still angry but more focused on doing something useful. Thaw as a potential tool hadn't panned out, so she needed to either find someone else, or work on something else. A quick glance at the various blocked tunnels told her there was no change at any of them, so her master plan had yet to advance-

"Lily!" Diora barked, flying down from somewhere. "There you are! I have been looking for you."

Lily almost growled at her, but then she remembered she had set Diora to watching Pearl and by extension Holly. She reigned in her temper and nodded to the other female. "What for?" she asked.

"Holly and Pearl were meeting in secret," Diora said smugly. "They are definitely working together on something, and it cannot be good. I was going to take you to watch, but…"

"But it's already over by now," Lily finished with a growl. Of course, arguing with Beryl had probably made the difference. Just another thing to be mad about, as if she needed more reasons. "Tell me exactly what you overheard."

"I remember most of it," Diora assured her. "Pearl flew over and asked if Holly wanted to go fishing, and Holly said yes, but when I followed them they flew out to that ledge that goes on forever and landed there."

"Which is not fishing," Lily said thoughtfully, her anger abating. Not really, though; she was still mad, it was just easier to ignore. She didn't give it much thought.

"It is not," Diora said smugly, though at the moment everything she did, every movement she made, roared smug in some way. She was in her element, giving out real dirt on Pearl to a willing ear. "They started by talking about fledglings, Thaw and some others, the play groups."

"Anything specific about Thaw?" Lily asked. It would be good to know whether Pearl had come to Holly before or after learning about her attempt at getting Thaw to be useful. Whether Thaw had run crying to her, or Beryl had told.

"No," Diora huffed, "it was just small talk. Then they got around to Pearl telling Holly that she wanted to help with the play groups more, which was obviously another way of saying she wanted into whatever Holly is planning."

"Obviously," Lily said doubtfully. She didn't entirely trust Diora's interpretation - who would, when Diora was so transparent and ineffective, it was clear she wasn't that smart - but her own analysis said much the same in this instance. The play groups Holly organized were the public link between her and Pearl, so discussing that would make for a good cover story.

"Holly said yes, she could help more," Diora continued. "Pearl said she wanted to keep Thaw out of it, since he was a little too old for what they were doing."

Which Lily assumed actually meant Pearl didn't want to involve Thaw in anything because he was too _young_ ; it was a bit confusing, but the deception wouldn't make sense if she said Thaw was too old. That was useful information.

"Then Holly asked whether Pearl had found what she needed for the new games," Diora added. "Pearl said no, but she was asking around to see if anyone knew where to find it."

"There were no specifics on what 'it' is?" Lily asked. That was too vague, especially as they already weren't saying what they really meant. Support, some sort of plant-based scheme, or even just a real innocent request thrown in to confuse would-be spies, though she didn't think Holly and Pearl would take that sort of precaution when they thought they were already alone.

"No," Diora huffed. "Once they were done talking about that, they actually went fishing. Then Holly asked Pearl about what the trip to the other pack was like. Pearl said she was not supposed to talk about it, but Holly said Aven was terrible at keeping secrets and had spilled all the details already, and she wanted a viewpoint that was not spewing love for all light wings out of every orifice-"

"Wait, stop," Lily said. "Did she actually say it like that, or are you exaggerating?" Holly was many things, but crude and dismissive of her sister's opinion wasn't normal. Unless she was putting on a front to coerce Pearl into sharing details.

"She did actually say that, but it might have been a joke," Diora admitted. "Pearl asked Holly what Aven had said about it, and Holly laughed, and they changed the subject."

"So Aven might not have actually said anything about it," Lily guessed. "Or she did, and Holly saw Pearl wasn't okay with sharing, so she played it off as a trick so as to not incriminate Aven." Complex, but entirely manageable. It implied Pearl and Holly weren't entirely on the same side, but they were clearly involved enough that Lily couldn't risk prying Pearl away. It seemed Pearl had chosen her side of this particular conflict.

By this point, Lily was already angry, so _another_ reason to rage made no difference. She would consider Pearl an enemy like Holly, and be done with it. Maybe once all of this was over she could figure out why Pearl had turned on her, or maybe not. It didn't matter now.

"I do not know about that, but they are clearly collaborating," Diora said. "See why I never liked her?"

"I see," Lily assured her. "You're doing good work, keep it up." At the very least, she could rely on Diora.


	72. Sane

Lily hunched over the waste pit, confused and sick to her stomach. She didn't know why, but the fish she had eaten a few moments ago was coming up again. Barely-digested chunks of some unknown kind of pale fish splashed down into the abnormally high pool of liquid and solid waste down in the pit. If nothing changed soon, she was going to have to tell someone to deal with that. Not yet, though. Not quite yet. There were more important things to do, and she might regret assigning someone new to that task now.

She heaved one last time, eyed the bad fish but saw nothing that could be responsible for her momentary sickness, and left the waste pit. Nobody had seen her heaving and retching, which was good. She could not afford to show a moment of weakness.

Definitely no weakness. She could feel something building, a tension in the air. Light wings were muttering in corners or in huddled groups, and she sometimes felt their eyes on her. Holly was responsible. She had to be.

Lily skulked across the cavern, ignoring the aching all over her body, and the heavy blurriness in her eyes. She needed to spy, more now than ever. She needed to know who besides Pearl was working with Holly. Some people had to be; they were getting ready to take over. Like she had so long ago.

But they would fail, because she had control. She just needed an example to drive that home. Any example would do, but ideally Holly. Watching Holly was a good idea. She leaped up onto a rocky outcropping on the side of the cave wall, one barely big enough for her to balance on-

Something crumbled, and she fell the short distance to the ground, tumbling tail over paws. Her back hit something, and her vision blacked out. When she came to, she was sprawled out on her side, cringing from the dull fire roaring under her scar.

Nobody had seen, mostly because the majority of the pack was asleep, and those who weren't were guarding things or otherwise occupied. She forced herself up, swaying unsteadily, and gritted her teeth in frustration. Finding a high place to jump from, so she could fire a short-lived blast and fall through the heat, wasn't an option. Not when another impact of any kind would further aggravate her back. She needed to be thinking clearly to deal with Holly, and hurting herself didn't help that.

Instead, she flamed a flat bit of stone and pressed her side against it. It took much longer to get her entire body hot enough that way, and her camouflage would be far less long-lived, but doing so worked without any need for leaping around.

That done, she wandered the valley. It was frustrating, not knowing where she was going, but she didn't know where Holly was and the only way to find her without asking anyone was to look around.

Her people slept in little groups, separating themselves out by family, friendship, or other ties that made them feel comfortable together. That was not new, it hadn't changed, but she was beginning to think that keeping track of which groups changed over time, and why, might be an interesting source of information. Holly would do it, and maybe Holly would be stupid enough to invite her closest supporters to sleep in her group, to look important or maybe just for protection.

She checked the three largest clusters of slumbering light wings, just in case she had missed Holly making such a blatant move, but Holly wasn't with any of them, not even the group of single Dams she had been making moved with recently. Organizing playtimes for fledglings, if her lies were to be believed.

Lily scoffed. One of the sleeping fledglings flicked an ear, but other than that her disdain for Holly went unnoticed. She moved on, checking the smaller groups. A lot of the people she knew best weren't around, a side effect of relying on them to fill the most vital roles in the pack's defense.

She hadn't seen Crystal for a long time, except to send her off on tasks. Liona and Cedar were either guarding something or scouting, she didn't remember which. Clay… He was doing something. Danda and Ash were probably guarding something too, she didn't remember seeing them around recently but they would have volunteered at some point. Storm and Root were off looking at something with sound, she was sure…

But she had no idea where the other dark wings were. Herb and Thorn were asleep together off to her left, but other than that there were no darker scales within sight. Ember, Spark, Thaw… Beryl. She didn't know where they were. Though she had a theory, a hope; Thaw might have gone off to do her bidding, and the others might be looking for him. Ideally not finding him, though if Ember caught up to him in time to offer assistance, and in the mindset to do so, she'd be thankful.

She growled to herself, thinking about the potential downsides of Ember catching up to Thaw. Or hearing about what she had Thaw do afterward, successful or not. He would be an enemy soon, of that she was abruptly sure. She had stepped into his place, his authority, and used one of his children.

Thankfully, she didn't see that as being much of a problem, provided she was careful. Thaw had gone off of his own accord, Ember would look like he was trying for power if he made any moves against her. She could rally her people and have him thrown out if he tried something. The same went for Beryl, but she wouldn't need to do that to him. He wouldn't turn on her, at worst he would be mad and try to talk to her. She trusted him, he couldn't betray her trust.

She shuddered, feeling cold just thinking about it. No, he wouldn't turn on her. Even if Holly tried to trick him, no matter what. He was smart, smarter than _Holly_. She didn't have to worry about him.

It was a heady thing, knowing she had _one_ person she could rely on. Once this whole thing with Holly was put to rest, she would have to give him more of her time. She would have a firmer position then, one that she could use to make sure she could have him, and he her, without destabilizing anything. It would work, even if she didn't see quite how yet.

The flash of a familiar rose tint, reflecting red light in a way that made Lily's eyes water, drew her attention. She quickly stalked over to the stream, which seemed to be developing into one of her pack's favorite communal places, like the pond had been.

Holly was drinking from said stream now, seemingly doing nothing more. That illusion of innocence was shattered by who else happened to already be there. Pearl was lingering nearby, digging a small hole for no reason, probably just as an excuse for why she was there, waiting for Holly.

Lily leaned forward, straining to hear the few words that passed between them.

"I would say it is a nice day, but I might be wrong, it could be night," Pearl quipped. "Who can be sure?"

"At least most of us are awake at the same time," Holly replied seriously, pawing at her face as she turned away from the stream. "We should be trying to get everyone to sleep on the same rotation."

"Can we?" Pearl huffed in annoyance. "Should we? That does not seem like something that needs to be done."

"I think it needs to be done," Holly assured her. "Soon, so as to avoid any complications. But I have got it covered, my sisters and I are working on it. One light wing at a time. Soon we will all be on the same schedule."

"Sounds good." Pearl left, walking away without a care in the world. It seemed like just an innocent conversation, but Lily heard the undertones. An update on their plot, hidden behind less incriminating words.

She hesitated as Holly turned back to the water, pawing more onto her face with a casual air. Then she dipped down to let the water wash over her neck, and Lily made her decision, turning to follow Pearl. One of them was going to go do something clandestine if their meeting was any indication, and Holly was probably giving herself an alibi. Rabble-rousing done while she was nowhere near could be denied.

Pearl meandered - or that was what she wanted it to look like, she probably already had a destination in mind - through the valley, looking around with wide eyes. Her expression and gait had changed as she walked. She had started polite and open, with wide eyes and a relaxed walk. Now, though, she looked as if she was remembering something unpleasant, her eyes narrowing as she cast her gaze around the valley, even looking directly behind herself a few times. She never noticed Lily, of course.

She was _definitely_ up to something; nobody walked around this much without getting where they were going unless they were worried about being seen or followed. A rather pointless worry in the cavern, given anyone awake could see her no matter where she went so long as they were looking in the right direction, but Pearl wasn't some skilled manipulator.

Eventually, Pearl stopped by a sleeping pair of light wings and gently nudged one with a yellow glint awake. Lily didn't recognize her right away… Another sign of a conspiracy in the making, that they were picking the most forgettable of her pack.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you know where Lily is?" Pearl asked once the female was awake enough to understand her. "I last saw her sleeping near here, and I need to talk to her."

"She slept here?" the female asked quietly. "I did not see her. I do not know where she is. Ask Pina or Dew, they would know if anyone does."

"Thank you," Pearl said brightly. "Sorry for bothering you." She wandered a short distance away before wincing. "I thought Pina had a yellow glint," she muttered to herself. "Thank goodness I didn't _call_ her Pina…"

Lily didn't believe that Pearl had made a mistake, but she _did_ believe that Pearl was making excuses to inquire about her real goal. She wanted to find the alpha and do something. Either with words, or with… more. An attack would be a bold strategy, but coming from an outsider, it could work without repercussions for Holly. It was unlikely, to say the least, but not impossible that such was the plan. Pearl could leave afterward, claim Thaw as her excuse if asked about it, and in doing so would probably bring her family with her, removing Beryl from Lily's side.

Lily crept along behind Pearl as she continued her search for Pina. Her rumination on what she was going to _do_ about all of this was cut short by an unpleasant tingling all along her body. Her camouflage was already failing.

She made a snap decision and ran for the nearest pile of tangled light wings - a bunch of older fledgling who had apparently collapsed where they stood after a long game, or something, she didn't know - and crouched behind them, letting her camouflage wear off out of sight of Pearl. Once it was gone, she stood and turned her tail toward Pearl, walking quickly for the ravine. She had no intention of-

"Lily!" Pearl called out from behind her. She walked quicker, passing the ravine's trio of guards with a knowing nod that they returned, though she could see the badly-hidden insecurity they were feeling. They thought they'd forgotten something, since they had no idea why she was going out into the bug-infested ravine, or why she acted like she was expecting them. Of course, they hadn't forgotten anything, but they didn't know that.

Once in the ravine, she moved quickly, going just far enough down the passage that she was out of sight of the entrance, then leaping to the side. The walls were lines with cracks, shallow ledges, and openings of all sizes, none leading anywhere but many large, dark, and shadowed. Not dark enough to actually hide in, but a quick reapplication of her flame made up for it. She was just a blur in a shadowed corner, one occasionally beset by flies and other pests. So long as one didn't look closely…

Pearl ran by, seeking her quarry with wide eyes and a swaying tail. "Lily," she called out as she passed by, oblivious, "wait up!"

Lily waited a few moments, then hopped down and returned to the cavern. She waited until the guards were looking the other way to pass through - something which happened far too quickly, she was going to need to lecture someone about their vigilance later - and snuck by without anyone noticing.

She contemplated having the ravine blocked up before Pearl came back, but discarded the idea as being impossible to actually _do_. Besides which, barricading the only obvious way back to the surface would make her people feel even more trapped. She was having a hard enough time keeping them under control as it was…

A skulking figure nearby caught her attention. Diora was watching the ravine with an uncertain look on her face.

Lily decided to put an end to her uncertainty, and circled around to approach her from behind. "Don't bother following," she said right in Diora's ear, eliciting a yelp. "She will be back."

"Lily!" Diora stuck a wing out and blindly flailed it around, but Lily had already retreated a few paces. "I saw Ember and Beryl and Spark go out there earlier, they might be meeting to plan against you."

"Pearl followed me," Lily said, thinking that Beryl and the other males were probably chasing Thaw. "Keep up the good work."

"I have heard Holly telling Aven and Cara that the ban on meeting the other pack will not last long," Diora reported. "Does that sound suspicious to you?"

"It does," Lily confirmed. "As always, good work." She didn't remember the last time someone had been so perfectly helpful; Diora's obsession with Pearl wasn't even getting in the way now, as she was reporting on others. She made a very good hidden set of eyes and ears.

"I also heard Pearl saying that she and her _family_ ," Diora sneered, "can go wherever they want, whenever they want."

"Is that so," Lily rumbled. It was true in a fashion, but she had already dealt with that potential problem. Holly was the main threat, not Pearl or Ember. Not yet. Once Holly was dealt with, maybe they would step up and complain. She had to be ready for that.

The cavern tilted around her, and she closed her eyes as a wave of vertigo swept through her body, making her head spin and her stomach clench up. She might have vomited if there was anything left in her stomach. It lingered, long and torturous, a nauseating counterbeat to the throbbing in her back.

By the time Lily felt up to opening her eyes again, Diora had gone. If she had said anything else before departing, Lily hadn't heard it.

It didn't matter. She exhaled until there was nothing left in her lungs, pulled in more lukewarm cavern air, and pushed herself forward. So long as she kept moving, kept control of herself, the nausea and the dizziness and the forgetfulness would all go away. She didn't need sleep…

Standing around doing nothing might be good, though. Her head was aching in time with her paws hitting the ground as she walked, and she didn't feel good at all. No sleep. She needed it, badly, but couldn't waste time just yet. Especially not when Holly had people out looking for her, like Pearl. She didn't want to be caught helpless.

She would… she would stand guard. Lend her personal presence to the light wings watching over the most dangerous blocked passageway, the one to the other light wings. That would be a good use of her time.

She headed to the mostly-blocked tunnel that none were to set foot in. There was a guard there, who greeted her happily. She ignored him.

Lily didn't know how long she stood there, silent and motionless. Her mind drifted, imagining and discarding dozens of possible plans to uproot all opposition. There was no better plan to be had than the one she had devised on the way back from the other light wings. None that was as satisfying and perfect, anyway. She would break Holly's defiance in a way that could not be rebuilt.

As if thinking of her had summoned her, Holly flew out to her, flanked by her sisters. The three of them landed in front of Lily, and by extension in front of the blockade.

"Lily!" Holly exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"Here." Lily was not going to fall for that transparent attempt at getting information out of her. This was her enemy, nothing more. "Why are you here?"

Holly gestured to her sisters with her tail. "We have been looking for you. We have a proposition."

"A very thorough one!" Aven supplied hopefully.

"A smart and clever plan that puts us in a position of power," Cara added.

"Basically," Holly continued, "we want you to go back to the other light wing pack. What were they called?"

Lily didn't remember, and Holly's attempt at a distraction would fail just as thoroughly as her attempt at getting information. "Nobody is going back there. Not even me."

"But…" Holly shook her head and rallied. "Surely of all of us, _you_ could safely go there? If you did not come back we would come and get you, and they would not kill you, because you hold the power they want to take. Killing you makes no sense, and you are more than capable of countering any other ploy they try."

Lily gritted her teeth. "Nobody is going back there."

"You just said that," Aven noted with an air of confusion.

"Because it still applies." Lily growled in denial. "We need nothing from them."

"That is the thing, Lily," Holly replied. "My sisters and I have been asking around. There are actually a lot of things we want from them."

"Everyone we talked to had at least one good idea," Aven added. "One of the big things that kept coming up was 'advice.' There are a lot of things we do not know that they probably do. What is around us, where to find certain things, who is who, how to organize things when there is no sun to keep time by, all of that and more."

"Then there are the obvious requests," Cara added. "Potential mates, friends, and possibly family members if one looks back far enough. Everybody wants to meet them for one reason or another."

"Aside from those, we could use allies, and their caverns, from what Aven tells me, have a few things ours do not, like plenty of private spaces." Holly shrugged her wings. "You said they want this cave for themselves, but we could share it and in exchange share theirs too, and everyone would benefit. They might not be approaching it with the best attitude, but that is where you come in."

"It is not happening," Lily growled.

"Please, then, tell us _why._ " Holly was faking true curiosity now, probably in an attempt to hide her frustration at being foiled. "You always explain things! It really helps us understand what you are thinking."

"You ask why?" Lily growled, pacing back and forth in front of them. "They want my power. They want to lead you, to merge our packs, to take over, and they will try. There are a dozen different ways to go about it, but all are foiled if they never get the chance." She was not going to give Rose and his people a chance to meet up with Holly, for instance, and that was just one way making contact could be terrible.

"But that is just fear!" Cara exclaimed. "Why do we do anything risky? There is a reward that outweighs the risk, in this case."

"No, there is not. And it does not matter." Lily swiped her tail through the air, cutting the argument off. "My word is final. Nobody is going over there. Ever."

Holly stared at her. "Lily, this is stupid."

So this was it, then? They were going to defy her? Lily was ready to act. She knew what she was doing, and they underestimated her, if they thought they could play the martyr. "But it is my decision. Defy me, and see what I have in store, if you feel so strongly about it."

"I think I should!" Holly declared, losing her cool. "Something is very, very wrong here, and I do not think you are thinking straight. Maybe you need someone to defy you and bring you back to reality!"

"Do it!" Lily stepped to the side. "Walk up to and over that barricade, and defy my word! We will see who is not thinking straight then!"

"And if I do?" Holly asked skeptically. "What can you possibly do to punish me? What are you prepared to do?"

"Step over and find out." Lily gestured for the guard to stand aside. He moved, if reluctantly.

Lily met Holly's eyes. They stared at each other.

Lily knew what she saw. Holly was planning, manipulative, power hungry. She always had been, and always would be. The only way to defeat her was to break her credibility, to dishonor and humiliate her to the point that nobody would even look at her without laughing under their breath, or failing that, without remembering how she had been punished.

What did Holly see? Lily knew what image she was projecting. Calm, confident, in charge, and fed up with defiance and arguing. So what if she was leaning from side to side as they stared each other down? So what if she felt sick every so often and had not eaten in a long while? So what if she could not sleep?

She was alpha, and Holly was not going to forget that. Holly was not going to defy her. Lily willed the rebellious female dragon to back down, to truly give up…

Or, if she would not truly give up right now, to make the mistake of testing her. Lily _wanted_ her to do that. She _wanted_ to finally end this, to make it abundantly clear that defiance was not allowed. That might finally let her rest. Or not, but it was something to do, something to end, vengeance to take.

"Lily, I am loyal to the alpha I know," Holly said softly. "And if defying you now is what it takes to bring her back to her senses, I am willing to do it."

"I am here, and the only thing you will gain is regret," Lily snarled.

"I think you will snap out of this," Holly declared, stepping up to the barricade and looking up at the small opening that signified defiance. "I think something is wrong with you, but not so badly wrong that you will actually do what you are planning. Whatever that is."

Then she jumped up onto and over the barricade, before swiftly returning, her eyes determined. "Please prove me right," she begged. "This is not what any good alpha would do. You used to listen to me, to everyone. What has changed?"

Lily purred maliciously, the fog in her mind growing denser as she slowly realized that it was finally time. "I know how to ensure everyone listens, now. No more arguing, no more dissent. No more undermining me. I know best."

"You will snap out of this," Holly asserted.

"You will be punished," Lily crowed triumphantly. "Finally. Do either of you want the same?" she asked tauntingly, looking at Cara and Aven.

"We stand by our sister," Cara said calmly, moving to jump.

"No, do not do it," Holly said urgently. "I am risking my safety to bring her to her senses. Do not do the same, it will do no more good. I need you two safe."

"We need you safe." Aven looked over at Lily. "She will be safe… right?"

Lily laughed scornfully. "Come and find out," she commanded. As if in a daze, all four light wings followed her. The guard seemed shocked beyond words, out of his depth. Aven and Cara were worried.

Holly was defiant. That would soon change. She was underestimating Lily. Everyone was. Lily knew what she needed to do. She had planned for this, had prepared for it. Holly had openly defied her, and there were witnesses. The guard, her sisters, and the light wings watching from afar.

None of that was in question; the _real_ question was how Holly would respond to being told she had broken the rules and needed to be punished. Lily of course had plans for any possible response, but Holly was playing right into her paws by going along with it and trying to play the martyr. Any injury she suffered would be a massive boon to her reputation and a horrible wound to Lily's...

But that meant nothing, since Holly wouldn't suffer a single scratch, physically. Lily knew far better than that; she would not be allowing her rival to be a sympathetic figure. By the end of this, nobody would ever consider Holly a leader.

"Gather the pack by the tunnel leading to the sea cavern," Lily roughly ordered Aven, Cara, and the guard. "Holly, go there and wait."

Holly, the fool that she was, cooperated with a sad croon. "What is wrong?" she asked nobody in particular as she left.

Lily followed her, walking as best she could. Her back hurt, and her paws hurt, and her head hurt. The world was spinning a little, but of course it was. She was tired, but not too tired, and she was excited. After so long spent prowling around, it was finally happening.

She was finally going to solidify the rightful ruler's place in this pack.

Holly stopped right by the entrance to the sea tunnel, looking in nervously. They were alone for a moment, though Lily could already see the pack approaching, on paw and on wing. She would have been impressed with Cara and Aven being so quick about gathering everyone if she hadn't known that half of them were probably already aware that something was going on.

"Lily, you are not thinking straight," Holly pleaded sadly. "This is not like you. You punish with scoldings and taking away privileges, or at worst labor like cleaning out the waste pit. That was good, it meant you respected your people. Why are you doing differently now? Why have you stopped listening?"

"Why do you think I have stopped doing that?" Lily growled smugly. Holly was still assuming far too much; she was making a mistake and she didn't even know it yet.

"I am thinking you will snap out of this," Holly asserted. "This is not you. You will see that."

She would not see it, because it was not true. She was the same as always; it was everyone else who had changed. They defied her, under Holly's influence. Well, that influence was about to disappear.

Light wings were gathering, crowding around. Enough were present that she could begin. She cleared her throat, wincing as the action worsened her headache, and roared powerfully. "Listen up!"

The pack quieted. The silence was one of worried anticipation.

" _Someone_ ," Lily snarled loudly, "decided my word was not law! Holly spoke to me, and when she could not convince me to go along with her scattered and ridiculous proposal, she decided to test me by going over the barricade!"

There was no notable response, just a bit of muttering. Everyone seemed shocked by that, but they all knew the other paw was going to drop, and were waiting to find out what it would be.

"I promised a specific punishment for anyone who did that," Lily growled. "I made it clear I was not going to take disobedience lightly. Now, everyone gets to find out what the punishment is." This time, anyway. She would have to up the ante if it ever happened again, though that was unlikely to occur after this.

"Holly," Lily crowed mockingly. "Did you, or did you not, break my rule?"

"I did, because you are not listening," Holly called out confidently. She still did not look scared. "Now tell us what my punishment is."

"One of two things," Lily growled. "I _could_ exile you, tell you to leave and never come back."

"I am not leaving my sisters and my pack," Holly announced firmly. "What is the other thing? Are you so far gone you want to kill me for daring to question you?"

"Not even close," Lily snorted. She had absolutely no intention of exiling Holly either, despite saying it was an option; that was just asking for trouble. If Holly had picked exile or did at any point request it, Lily would explain that it was her choice, not Holly's, and ignore her.

"So what then?" Holly demanded. "What are you going to do?"

Her composure was already cracking. Lily was glad her intended punishment was going to live up to the anticipation. "Those who defy the alpha are putting themselves above every other obedient light wing here. You think yourself special. You think yourself _higher_ than everyone else."

"No I do not!" Holly objected.

"Yes you do!" Lily barked. "So, the punishment is going to show you your proper place." She gestured to the tunnel to the sea cavern. "Not out there."

Everyone looked over at the tunnel in confusion. Lily knew what they were wondering. If not there, then why had she made them all come over to this spot? There was only one other landmark near where they were now, placed out of the way so as to avoid fumigating the entire cavern when it was cleaned. Which it had not been for a while now.

The waste pit. Lily saw heads beginning to turn and eye it, eyes widening as individual light wings who were faster than average at deduction began to wonder what she was planning that could possibly involve the waste pit.

"We are here because those who put themselves above others deserve to be put below others for a good long while," Lily announced. She didn't think the metaphor was all that accurate for Holly's actual crime, but it definitely fit the way that she was trying to usurp authority in the long-term. "Holly's punishment is that she will sit in that waste pit for a long time, and not be allowed to leave it for any reason."

Holly's face dropped into an expression of pure, absolute disgust. Lily was glad to see that whatever she had been expecting, that was not it.

"And that is not all," Lily announced, cutting over the shocked and disgusted exclamations of the crowd. "It has not been cleaned out in days, and will not be cleaned for the duration of this punishment." She had considered telling her people to keep using the waste pit in the meantime, but she doubted anyone would be comfortable with that, and giving an order that wouldn't be obeyed would tarnish her authority far worse than not making Holly's punishment as terrible as physically possible.

A single male light wing in the back of the crowd barked in surprise, clearly only now putting two and two together. He was the one she had told not to clean the waste pit even though it was his turn. He had thought nothing of it at the time.

"How long?" Holly asked, her voice wavering. She was _trying_ to look strong and collected, but she was already dreading it… And she was probably seeing her plans of brave defiance crumbling before her eyes. Just as intended.

Lily turned to look right at her. "Until I say, but definitely no less than three days and nights." If she could keep track of those… She could watch her fledglings.

Holly winced, involuntarily dropping her supposed indifference as she thought about how long that really was. "I will die of dehydration."

"If your sisters fail to help you, maybe," Lily said callously. "I think they can figure something out. They may enter and leave the pit whenever they wish." The difficult task of getting water to Holly would serve as a demoralizing side-punishment for Cara and Aven, and as a way to keep them busy.

"And you are really going to do this?" Holly whined. "Lily, this is not you. You know who you are acting like, surely. Since when was that how you wanted to rule?"

Lily purred maliciously, letting Holly's words fly right over her head. "Get in the pit. Right now. Or will you really defy me? I can think of worse, or just have more _loyal_ light wings throw you in and keep you there."

Holly closed her eyes and spoke loudly and clearly. "I accept this punishment, but protest its cruelty. Not for my own sake, but because this is not how an alpha treats her people."

She was doing as well as could be expected, but Lily didn't care. Holly was playing into her paws, because after long enough in that waste pit, she would never be able to forget her humiliation. Nobody could ever forget this, not with how long it was going to last. Holly would live, sleep, and eat down there. If she could do any of those things amid the most disgusting swamp possible.

"Go." Lily gestured to the waste pit off in the corner.

"Because I fear what you will do if I do not," Holly clarified. "Fear. Is that how you are ruling now?"

"Looks like it." She was fine with that, if it was effective. The fog in her mind made it seem so easy, compared to manipulation. So easy…

Easy. She did not see any of the dark wings or Pearl in the crowd, or Crystal, or Root. They were all there, somewhere, but she couldn't see them. Dark spots in a crowd of white, like shadows. Maybe they were there. Maybe they were not.

Holly slowly walked over to the waste pit, and after a long moment of hesitation, looked back at Lily. "This is you? This is something you will be proud of?"

"Get in." Holly's transparent pleas for mercy were stupid, and any damage they did to Lily's reputation would be negated after Holly was discredited.

"Fine." Holly jumped down, and landed with a disgusting squelch and splashing sound. There was a low moan of absolute disgust from the crowd watching it all.

Lily scanned the rocky walls nearest the waste pit and quickly located a good vantage point, atop a dark blue crystal. "I want three guards watching her at all times, and if she tries to leave, I want them to put her right back in." She scrambled up to the small perch that would allow her to look down on Holly and the waste pit.

"Lily…" someone called out. Lily couldn't put a name to the voice, but it was someone who was close to her. "Have you lost your mind?"

"This is what happens when I am defied," Lily said coldly. "End of discussion, unless someone else wants the same."

 _That_ shut everyone up, as it very well should. Lily had finally found what got the response she needed from her people. Fear of reprisal.

Fear of reprisal… she felt like she was forgetting something, something important, but the pain throughout her body helped her ignore that feeling.

She settled down, not to sleep, but to watch Holly and her humiliation. This was the end game of stymying Holly's little rebellion, and she was going to see it through. No matter how she had to end it, it would end soon.

The crowd lingered, many staring at her instead of Holly, but as the moments passed and nothing happened, they left. Where to, Lily didn't know, though she spotted many little groups talking quietly and casting frequent glances in her direction.

At first, Holly stood completely still, her eyes closed, and didn't move a muscle. When she did move, it was to groan in disgust as she waded to the side of the pit that was highest, and stretched up on her hind legs, getting all but her tail and back legs out of the waste.

That didn't last long, which was convenient as Lily would have told her to stop if it she kept it up. She dropped back down after a time, her back legs presumably giving out. In the end, she went back to standing in it and not trying to get away.

She was alone, except for Lily, who she did not speak to. Her sisters had left with the promise of finding a way to bring her water, and everyone else seemed to be avoiding the waste pit. There were guards, but they were only barely close enough to see the waste pit, and speaking among themselves in worried tones. She didn't remember assigning anyone to the task, but she was glad she apparently had.

Lily was faintly surprised nobody had tried to talk her out of this. Her speech about Lily deserving… no, it was Holly, not herself. Her speech about Holly deserving this must have struck home. Or they just did not want the same thing Holly was suffering.

Had she told them she would do the same to them if they argued with her? She couldn't remember.

More time passed. Lily did not sleep, and neither did Holly.

"Lily," Holly called up, her voice laden with held-back nausea. "Please look at what you are doing."

Lily made a show of looking around. "Punishing you according to your crime," she said happily. "Be thankful this is only old waste." She hadn't arranged for another waste pit to be dug, sadly; that would have tipped her paw before she was ready. She assumed her people were going over the lake when the need arose.

"And no less disgusting for it!" Holly closed her eyes and lifted her nose as high as possible, probably putting a cramp in her neck. "This is absolutely horrible of you to do to anyone."

"You had better hope your sisters come through," Lily commented, not listening. It was hard to listen and comprehend, for some reason, so she didn't bother. "Else you might have to drink some of this to live through it."

That did it; Holly groaned and gave in, retching violently, adding her own stomach's contents to the sickening pool she was standing in. The vomit was a different series of colors, and remained visible against the backdrop of all the other kinds of waste around her.

"You are as bad as Claw," Holly gasped, sounding absolutely destroyed. "You were supposed to be better."

Claw? Lily shook her head, trying to dig through her mind and find that name. She knew it, she definitely should know it, but there was just so much red-tinted fog, so much ignored pain and stress, no sleep…

She gave up on trying to remember. She could not concentrate on anything but the moment, her satisfaction, and how she was going to destroy Holly, how she was already doing so. "I am alpha, and you are being punished. Get used to it, because you will be in there a long time."

Holly waded over to one of the walls of the waste pit and leaned against it, closing her eyes. "You will not snap out of this. How did you lose yourself so quickly? Am I in danger of doing the same some day? We are both his daughters, there is no difference between us but our Dams, and that is a small thing."

Was she even talking to Lily anymore? Lily didn't know, and didn't care. She barely registered that Holly was speaking at all. Time would break her. All Lily had to do was watch and make sure her people did as they were supposed to.

Some time later - she knew not how long, it was impossible for her to tell - a large group of light wings approached the waste pit; not the entire pack, but close. There were no fledglings or dark wings present, for some reason, but Cara and Aven were leading the group.

"Holly, we are coming for you," Aven called out confidently. "Lily, this is too much. We want her out of there. We can come up with another punishment that is not torture."

"No, you can participate in _this_ punishment. I do not see you bringing your sister water." Lily jumped down, stumbling and almost falling over, a massive wave of nausea washing over her for a moment. Then it subsided, and she was fine.

"We come to take her out of there," Cara growled. "This is intolerable."

"I am alpha," Lily retorted. "You want this punishment over with? Too bad. It ends when I say it ends, and I you cannot take her out by force." She gestured to the three guards reluctantly standing between the pit and the small crowd.

"This is all rotten!" Cara took a step forward, snarling at Lily. "This is just a horrible way of humiliating her or driving her mad, and we will not stand for it. I do not understand why _she_ is submitting to it."

"Why?" Holly called out in a thin, tormented voice. "Because if I do not do this, now, she will do it to someone else. Better me than another!"

"Either give her water or leave," Lily growled. The reverberations made her head hurt, and she barely kept herself standing. "This is the consequence for trying to defy me."

"Last time this pack bowed to a tyrant who tortured our people, he tried to do it again! And again after that!" Cara took another step forward. "Last time, it took moon-cycles for this pack to stand in defiance. We are not that bad now!"

The crowd behind her murmured in agreement. Some of them were not enthusiastic, and others looked scared, but they stood behind Cara and Aven.

"We are not going to stop, Lily," Aven said in a low, unhappy voice. "Guards, stand aside. This is not something you should try and stop. Lily is not allowed to torture our people."

Two of the three light wings guarding the waste pit immediately joined the small crowd, and after a moment of deliberation the third did too.

Lily snarled, her mind whirling. She could not think; what was going on? What was she supposed to do here? This was not how this was supposed to work.

Holly was supposed to suffer. Cara and Aven were supposed to find some imperfect way of bringing Holly water so that she would survive. Then, once she deemed Holly sufficiently defeated, Holly was supposed to be set free. Lily would give a speech, Holly would humbly apologize because she would fear being put back in the waste pit, and there would be no more dissent. They would listen because she knew what was best for them.

That was how this should be going. She was smart and saw all the details. This should not be going wrong.

What else was there? She could not think or plan; her mind was enveloped in the red fog now. No sleep, pain, paranoia… all old friends who were guiding her now. She was sharp, intelligent, focused, and in control. This was all part of the plan. The new plan.

"Fine. Holly, get out here," Lily declared.

There was a moment of shocked silence, and then the struggle of a frantic light wing clawing her way up the side of the pit, quickly ascending and collapsing on the ground beside it, whining in relief, her entire underside and legs coated in the most vile mixture imaginable.

Lily walked over to Holly and knelt by her head. "You defied me."

"Yes, because I wanted to get you to see that something was wrong." Holly inhaled deeply, still whining. "Lily, you need help. You are not right in the head."

"Wrong." Lily forcefully shoved Holly right back over the edge, knocking her into the waste pit. "Get back up here and try again."

"Lily!" Cara barked angrily. "Stop this!"

"I am bowing to your wishes," Lily growled, watching Holly clamber back up once more, now totally covered in waste from head to tail, a disgusting, creeping wretch. "But she needs to bow to _me._ "

"If I bow," Holly spluttered, crawling over the side once more, "will you get help? Will you hand over being alpha to _anyone_ else for a while?"

"Bow to me," Lily commanded. "Now."

"If you get help…" Holly bowed her head.

Lily saw red. More manipulation. More tricks. They wanted her to give over. To be weak. To sleep. To be vulnerable. She would not do that, but still Holly tried.

What was the final solution to dissent? To end the ringleader, to end the rebellion. Lily lunged forward and slid her claws clumsily across Holly's throat, trying to kill. Trying to silence.

Holly slid back with a pained cry, just barely out of Lily's reach, and voluntarily jumped back into the waste pit to escape having her throat slit. She had been _ready_ to dodge, and escaped with a badly bleeding cut.

Lily didn't care; there were other ringleaders here. She whirled and leaped forward, forcing her tortured body to obey her, intent on eviscerating Aven and Cara, and then going back for Holly. It would be easy; even now, the weak group of dissidents scattered in the face of a real, physical threat. They weren't expecting it.

And neither was Aven. Lily pounced on her, slamming her head into the ground multiple times and sticking a pawful of claws to her neck.

Then she heard the sound of a dozen different ominous inhalations. She looked up and saw Cara, along with many other light wings, prepared to fire in an instant.

Aven was unconscious. Holly was struggling up out of the waste pit for the third time, bleeding from the neck. Cara was about to attack, but could not because Lily could slit Aven's throat at the same time.

Lily laughed in the face of it all, living in the moment. The moment in which she still held control. "Fire and she dies, and then you die."

Cara let her fire die down, but nobody else did. "You have gone mad, Lily," she growled. "Utterly mad. Let her go."

"You are all rebelling against me, and I know it's the fault of you three!" Lily shrieked. "You, Aven, Holly! Always trying to take over, to take control, to take my place. I know better! Better than you! I was suffering for this pack while you were mewling fledglings!" Her body chose that moment to give out, and she fell to land on top of Aven, her legs not responding all that well. As long as she held her claws to Aven's throat, it was fine.

"Let her go," Cara repeated. "Killing her does nothing for anyone. Aven is peaceful, she never hurt anyone."

"Killing her sends a message!" Lily knew she was right; she was always right, because her people were not smart enough to think for themselves. She had to keep control to ensure they were safe. "No defiance!"

"She is not defying you now," Holly volunteered, convulsively rubbing her body off on clean grass over to the side of the entire confrontation, several other light wings trying to stem the bleeding with their tongues despite the utter vileness that covered her. "Stop this."

"No," Lily snarled. "I am alpha!"

Several shapes pushed their way to the front of the confrontation. Dark wings and light wings, blind and seeing, all horrified. Lily could not put names to faces, but she felt the black one was on her side.

Then the black one spoke, his voice utterly terrified and heartbroken, soft but strong despite it all. "Lily, you are a danger to the pack. Let her go, _now._ "

Those words. She remembered those words, that they were important.

' _Once again, you go too far,' she had said quite clearly, her voice stern. 'You are a danger to the pack. Let her go, now.'_

Coincidence. It had to be. He had not even been there for that. She had said those words to… someone.

To Claw. Her Sire, her enemy, the real enemy, the one long dead. The one who was about to torture and kill Crystal. The one who had ruled through fear.

Lily could not think, but she knew she needed to. The black dark wing was turning on her, and she trusted him. She didn't understand why she still trusted him, but memories… Memories of moments stolen, of a male she loved, maybe. Said male was telling her now that she was a danger, that she needed to... let her victim go.

Lily looked over the crowd in a long moment of silence. They did not look defiant, rebellious, or stupid. They looked sad, scared, and horrified. Crystal was there, and so were Pina, Dew, Flare, Root, Pearl, and all of the dark wings. Thaw was looking at her as if she was a scary puzzle that had no solution, or maybe a twisted reflection. Ember… She couldn't tell what he felt about all of this. Spark looked disappointed, so deeply disappointed. Storm was angry.

She looked down, at the unconscious female below her, the one she was about to kill for… a reason she couldn't quite remember. Off to the side, Holly stood, covered in waste and still bleeding from the neck.

Lily felt a faint whisper of something she had forgotten somewhere along the way. Guilt. The red fog was dulling everything, it included. She didn't know how long it had been since she felt guilty about anything. Or the last time she had slept. Or eaten. Or relaxed. She didn't know why it had been so long.

Someone was holding her claws to Aven's throat and plotting to kill all who opposed her, but Lily didn't feel like that person was her. The one threatening and hurting and controlling… That wasn't supposed to be her.

She just wanted to stop the rebellion. Because she wanted control. Because she wanted the best for these very rebels. Including the one she had tortured and the one she was about to kill.

It was a circle. An endless circle she could not break out of. She closed her eyes, and then found she could not open them again. The dozens of eyes staring at her began to hurt, to burn into her scales, though she could not really feel them.

They wanted her gone. They were scared. She knew best. She should do this. She should stop thinking. Thinking hurt. Too much thinking would bring guilt back. She was done feeling guilt. Done caring. Caring was worthless.

Or so she wanted to think. She couldn't trust her own thoughts; if only she had realized that earlier. If he said she was a danger to the pack, she was. Exactly what she had never wanted to be.

Lily felt her claws slip from Aven's neck, and she let them fall, still unable to so much as open her eyes. She was _tired,_ but sleep still would not come. It wouldn't; she had tried desperately to get some for so long now, and it was not coming.

Her body slid to the side, and she found she could not stop herself from falling off of Aven, from giving up her position of power. Part of her wanted to fight, but the biggest part of her wanted to sleep, to rest.

There were soft thumps as many paws closed in on her. She could not find it in herself to care. Something was very, very wrong, and she might not know better now, because usually when something was wrong others turned _to_ her, not _against_ her.

Someone pushed her back, and agony flaired. She flailed with her paws, striking someone weakly, and did not stop moving. She could not sleep, so she had to keep going.

"What do we do?" A simple question not directed at her.

"This," a female sighed. There was a pressure on her neck, and she finally fell into the darkness that had kept away from her for so long… But it was too late. Far too late.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Man, I've been waiting to get to this one. Knowing that this has been coming all throughout the story, building to it slowly, seeing the speculation and unwitting predictions… It's been a long ride to get here.**

**I don't mean that to sound ominous, though. If the story ended here, it would be a dark tragedy (and quite unsatisfying to boot, I'd imagine). But it doesn't, so come back next week for things to all magically get better. Or not, as the case may be.**

**In other news, here's an interesting fact; this** _**was** _ **going to be two short chapters (like, less than 6k words as opposed to the usual 8k average), but I decided that I might as well combine them. There's only so much filler of 'Lily creeps around half-mad from sleep deprivation but doesn't do anything of consequence' one can write, after all.**

**As to where Beryl and some of the others have been throughout this insanity? There'll be a NSSA entry on it once Gold's AU is over, but for now suffice to say that they were unaware of what was going on until almost too late, and not as stupid/neglectful as they might come off here. Remember, Lily's perspective is not exactly reliable by this point.**


	73. Confused

It was the smell of old blood that scared Lily.

Not the way she felt like something large and heavy had stepped on her, or how her head was heavy and her mouth dry. Not the crippling soreness in every muscle, even her neck and ears. Not the scratchy feeling all around her eyes, like she had gone a moon-cycle without ever pawing off the eye-crust that came with sleep.

All of that was concerning, in an abstract way, but where she was lying was warm and flat and comfortable enough that she would have been happy to ignore everything and doze until she felt better. Weakness and soreness would dissipate with time, and if she was sick - the only explanation for the other little details bothering her - that too would go away.

But the acrid scent of blood wafting from somewhere nearby had no easy explanation and wouldn't go away if she ignored it. It invaded her nostrils, making her feel sick to her stomach. There was no breeze where she was, but she got the sense that it was wafting from somewhere close by. She felt as if she was dreaming, the sort of dream where the moment she opened her eyes or moved, something terrible would happen.

It was foolish, in a sense, the sort of superstition fledglings learned was just that, a superstition. But she didn't remember where she was, or how she had gotten there, and she had no explanation for her lack of knowledge. Even when she thought back, all she remembered was the hazy, rage-tinted impression of a terrible nightmare, nothing real or substantial. With her last memory something that obviously had not actually happened, it didn't seem so far-fetched that she was still dreaming.

Eventually, her dry mouth and growing headache forced her to act; she needed water. She cracked open ridiculously-crusted eyelids, and beheld…

Nothing. A rugged stone slope, leading to a stone wall, leading in turn to a stone ceiling. Wherever she was, it was dark, with only a few red crystals inlaid in the ceiling providing any light. There was no sign of the origin of the smell, though her nose was insisting it was close.

She glanced down at her paws, and saw reddish-brown crust splattered across them. The sight brought to mind no clear memories, just more half-remembered nightmares flitting about in the back of her mind. She didn't know how or why she had gotten blood on her paws.

That, more than anything, was what motivated her to stand despite the total exhaustion making her limbs feel like limp fish. She didn't know, and not knowing was _dangerous_. Someone's blood was on her, and she didn't know who, or why, or what they might have done to her after she dirtied her paws. If she had even done something herself.

There wasn't much to see, even when she turned around. She was on a slope near the bottom of a vaguely spherical cave. There was a low pool, more of a puddle, sitting at the lowest elevation. A few red crystals shed dim light on everything. Said light did _not_ illuminate any obvious ways into or out of the cave, and given the cave was barely a few dozen paces across at its widest point, that worried her.

It looked for all the world like she had just appeared in a place with no entrance or exit, completely cut off from the rest of existence. She didn't _believe_ that, not for a moment, but she wasn't even close to being at her best at the moment, and couldn't think of any other explanation besides the obvious, that there _were_ exits and she just couldn't see them.

One mouthful of stale pond water of dubious origins later, she was forcing her tortured limbs - like she had been standing for days, or running for nearly as long, though she remembered neither - to cooperate, limping around the perimeter of the cave. The walls weren't smooth at all, lines with cracks and edges, and looking closely, she could see a place where those cracks were all set back from the rest in a shape large enough to fit a light wing through, though the blockage was…

She leaned in close, almost fell forward as her legs buckled, and knocked her nose on the suspicious arrangement of rocks that looked layered, like someone had broken off a lot of thin slabs and stacked them up. It wasn't the same method of blocking passages that Ember and Beryl had used before, but she could believe it had been derived from that, adapted to use the rocks provided by the different surroundings.

That didn't reassure her at all; Beryl or Ember had locked her away, or someone else had learned from them and then done it. Put like that, she was beginning to suspect Holly had gotten the information from them by proxy and decided to off her competition…

Lily snarled at the suspicious portion of wall and backed up a few paces. That was just like Holly in theory, but in practice it seemed strangely brazen. People would wonder where she had gone, and she was flightless so there would be no easy excuse of 'we can't catch up to her' to dissuade search parties. Holly wouldn't have done it unless she had reason to believe the majority of the pack wouldn't mind their rightful alpha disappearing.

An enemy had done this, though. Of that she was sure. Holly, or Rose and his pack of light wings, or the other pack that had killed a fledgling. She remembered that… though those memories were cracked, missing some context and certain details. She didn't remember exactly what Rose had said to make her mad, but she remembered being angry at him. She remembered the walk _to_ his pack's territory, but not the walk back. It was like someone had taken a line in the sand and swished their tail through it around that point in time, blurring and erasing more and more from then on.

That pointed to a culprit, in and of itself. Rose. Something in the air, or maybe she had eaten while in his territory and didn't remember it. Maybe she had never left.

She growled to herself, and coughed as her raw throat made itself known. That was one mystery solved, at least. She could get confirmation once she broke out.

She inhaled, clenched her chest, and fired at the blockage. It didn't budge, though the explosion had been strong enough to make her reflexively back away. Tiny puffs of smoke came from a few spots on the wall, and the explosion didn't seem to have been all that effective. Aside from the smoke, there was no visible change.

She used the rest of her fire on the wall in the same manner, hoping that repeated blows would succeed what a single one had failed, but to no avail. It held solid even as she spent her last blast for the time being, mocking her inability to damage it. Whatever it was made of, it was _much_ thicker than she had assumed. It had to be, to act so much like solid stone.

Maybe it would fail against another barrage later; she didn't have any other ideas, short of throwing herself at it, and her throat felt even worse after firing over and over again… She drank from the puddle - and it really was a puddle now, she doubted it would last much longer - and lay down next to it.

Whoever had trapped her here, they obviously needed her for something. If she couldn't break out herself, she could wait until they came back for her. Assuming they didn't wait until she was nearly dead of starvation or dehydration, of course.

Waiting wasn't a _good_ plan, but she couldn't think of anything better. Her head still felt stuffed full of grass, and everything still hurt… Her anger at Holly and Rose and anyone who would do this to her was the only thing that kept her from just going back to sleep, and even that not for long.

O-O-O-O-O

Crystals scraping on rock had a peculiar sound, one that, to Lily, rang of mockery. She glared up at the movement on the ceiling, watching angrily as one of the inlaid crystals slid to the side, out of sight. Light wings were moving it, she could see their white forms through the semi-translucent stone.

She felt trapped and _tricked_ ; the wall hadn't been a way out at all, or if it was, it wasn't the one her captors used. It was stupid and irrational to hold a grudge about it in the face of literally everything else about her situation, but she held one anyway. Especially as she had just wasted her fire on said wall. She couldn't fly up to their entrance, she couldn't climb to it, and now she couldn't even fire on it to express her anger. She was reduced to waiting and watching as five light wings dropped into her little cave, one by one.

She recognized them all. Every single one of them. Cara led the way, dropping down warily and keeping her eyes on Lily at all times. Said eyes were full of hate, set in a face where teeth were on full display. Aven came next, and kept _her_ eyes on everything _but_ Lily. After her, Clay dropped down, glancing at her once and then looking nowhere in particular.

Behind _him_ came the two males she only barely recognized; she had a name for Sandstone, but the other had been present in her last clear memories, introduced as one of Rose's people, an important one.

Three people from her pack, two from Rose's pack. Three males, two females. No Holly, no Rose, nobody from the dark wings.

She didn't know what she wasn't remembering, but it seemed reasonable to assume her enemies had joined forces. Since neither was present, she could also assume this was happening more or less in secret; they had sent their trusted underlings and would be establishing alibis for themselves while whatever this was went on. Clay was the outlier, unless he had been corrupted by Holly right under her nose…

She realized that she was shaking, and that she had stood and backed up until her tail was against the wall. Neither was conducive to _any_ useful image, so she tried to force herself to calm down… It didn't work. She was _angry_ , so angry, and only her confusion stopped her from acting in some way. She was in a bad spot, but it was stupid to corner her, and the moment she saw a way out she was going to use it.

She would get out. She tore her eyes off of Cara and glared at the puddle instead, by degrees mastering herself.

When she felt balanced - not calm, certainly not that, but able to hide it well enough to speak without giving anything away - she looked up. The light wings opposite her had spread out a little, taking up half of the cave. None looked relaxed, none sat down or otherwise made themselves vulnerable. They didn't trust her.

"What is this?" she asked neutrally. She belatedly pulled her teeth back, only realizing she had them out after she had spoken.

"We have come to hear you speak," Clay said carefully. "If you can. To ask for an explanation."

"For what?" she asked. "And why am I here?"

"You know why," Cara growled.

"I do not," she denied. "In fact," she continued, resisting the urge to pace as it would bring her too close to them, "if you wanted me to speak, you would not be approaching me here, with this group. I feel _threatened_. I'm not going to cooperate until I know exactly what you're trying to get out of me, and why."

"Tell us what you think of Holly," Aven said quietly. Her jaw seemed to be injured in some way; she spoke slowly, and with great reluctance, wincing at every little movement. For some reason, Cara was glaring all the more harshly.

"What am I supposed to think, when her sisters are interrogating me in a place I cannot leave, and with light wings from a pack that has expressed a desire to see me deposed?" she asked rhetorically, hiding the white-hot anger she felt behind a dismissive shake of the head. Her claws slid out almost of their own accord, and after a moment she decided to leave them out, just in case.

"That is not an answer," said the light wing whose name she didn't know.

"Let me out of here, and maybe you'll get one," Lily shot back. "And _you_ should tell your alpha that I will not be deposed by someone so stupid he could not even avoid angering me on our first meeting."

"What do you think is going on here?" Cara demanded.

"I think something has happened to me, and I think your sister is responsible," Lily growled, seeing no reason to lie when her enemy apparently had the upper paw regardless. Holly wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for an obvious lie, and whatever she said here would surely get back to her. "I think Rose is helping her try and take over, because he is a greedy waste of space that wants our territory. I think you are all here to try and get me to say something you can report back to them, so that they can more easily discredit me with something. It won't work, I'm going to get out of here and take my pack back no matter what you try. Your best move is to let me go and hope I feel merciful!"

She ended her little rant with a snarl that should have echoed, but didn't. Aven shied away from her angry gaze, Clay stared at her with something akin to sorrow, the two light wings from the other pack were hiding their reactions, and Cara…

Cara had a viciously satisfied look that made Lily think she'd made a mistake somewhere, though she didn't know what. Her next words confirmed that.

"I think that speaks for itself?" she asked the others, her eyes still on Lily.

Aven responded by jumping up, flapping twice, and latching her front paws over the opening in the ceiling. She pulled herself up, struggling a bit with lifting her entire weight but succeeding in the end. Sandstone followed without comment.

"For what it is worth," the unnamed light wing male said, looking at her, "My alpha and my pack have no paw in any of this, except as observers beholden to neither you nor Holly. Whatever happens next, it was not our decision."

"Thus speaks the coward covering his pack's behind because he's worried his alpha picked the losing side," Lily growled dismissively. "I'll remember _this_. You want my goodwill, do something I will appreciate when I take my place back." She specifically did _not_ ask for help escaping this cave; any intimidation would be undercut by needing immediate assistance, no matter how bad a spot she might be in.

She _hoped_ she was doing the right thing; there was too much unknown for her to be sure of everything, and while falling back on angry, unfounded confidence was reassuring, it wasn't something she could necessarily back up. She was bluffing in almost every way.

The male left, leaping up and pulling himself out with an agility the others had lacked, and Cara was alone. Lily considered jumping her, but the weakened, frankly pitiable state she was in made that a losing proposition.

"I do not know what I expected, but I am still underwhelmed," Cara remarked. "You did not even try to defend yourself."

"Yes, because anything I said would change your mind," Lily huffed. She wished she knew what was on Cara's mind.

"Right," Cara growled. "But a heartfelt, grovelling apology might have made me laugh, at least."

By now, Lily was mostly certain her loss of memory was entirely intentional on someone's part, because it made all of this so much harder. Cara was her enemy, that much was certain, but what sort of enemy and why it had come to this would have been _very_ useful things to know. "Tell me what you think I need to apologize for, and I might consider it," she retorted.

Cara snarled and leaped forward. Lily tried to back up, pushing her tail up against the wall before realizing she wasn't getting anywhere, but by then it was too late to move. She met Cara's lunge head-on, her back spasmed, her muscles all gave out, and then Cara was kicking at her wings and sprawling on her back and dragging claws down her flanks and it _hurt_ -

"Cara!" Aven's voice cut through Cara's snarling and Lily's yelping and did far more than Lily's pained struggling in getting Cara to back off. "Stop that!"

"She deserved it," Cara growled, taking a few more steps back even as she _looked_ as if she'd rather be continuing the decided only-sided fight. Lily let her go, unable to do anything more than lay on her stomach, holding back a pained keen. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing how much the cuts and her back hurt.

"Still," Aven growled from up in the ceiling. "Come on."

Cara huffed something unintelligible and leaped up. She missed the opening entirely on her first try, which Lily would have laughed at under different circumstances, and had to jump again. Once she was up, the crystal was shoved back into place, lying on top of the opening. The fit wasn't perfect, now that she was looking Lily could see a few gaps around the edge…

Not that it mattered. She gingerly craned her neck to lick at her new wounds, properly looking at them for the first time in the process. Cara hadn't cut her deeply, but a half-dozen bleeding scratches on both of her flanks was agonizing even if it wasn't crippling. The pain in her back was worse, though it both had no apparent source and was slowly abating.

She wanted to stomp around and break something. She wanted to thump Cara, knock some sense into her, and then force her to explain why everything was going so wrong. She wanted to curl into a ball and whine until the pain went away. Only one of those was actually doable, and it was the worst of the three, the one that gave her no outlet for her anger, which made her even angrier.

She did it anyway, trying very hard not to feel sorry for herself. If she could just remember what had happened then she could do something more productive than brooding, but she couldn't. Every time she tried, she just brought up scattered fragments of her nightmares, and those were no help at all.

O-O-O-O-O

By the time the crystal began moving again, Lily was no longer bleeding, no longer so angry she felt like hurting someone, and hungry on top of everything else. Thirsty, too, since the puddle was now nothing more than a lot of mud at the bottom of a depression in the rock. She still had no idea where the water had come from, or how it was supposed to be replenished. That might have been a promising sign of her imprisonment being temporary by design, but she wasn't feeling that optimistic.

Then a black paw slipped around the crystal to better haul it aside, and she found that she _could_ be optimistic. "Beryl!" she called out, relief flooding her like the tide filling a little hole dug by a fledgling. He wouldn't be on the side of anyone who stuck their alpha in a little hole and refused to tell her why and attacked her, let alone when that alpha was her and the one holding her prisoner Holly.

"Lily," he grunted as he dropped down into the cave. He looked fine - and she only realized she was checking him over for injuries after she had confirmed that he didn't have any - and sounded okay, if reserved, which made sense since he was probably going behind _someone's_ back to come save her like this.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you," she exhaled. She would have gone up to nuzzle him, but there was a chance they were being watched from above, and her body was still a big, aching mass of pain, so she stayed where she was and settled for purring at him.

"How are you?" he asked bluntly. His eyes roamed over her body, though there was none of the usual playfulness - or more rarely, suggestiveness - that she was used to. He stared at the cuts on her side for a bit, before looking her in the eye.

"Hurt all over, but not in any way that matters," she said. "Despite Cara's attempts to the contrary."

"Attempts? She hurt you more than once?" Beryl asked.

"Well, not last time I saw her, but I'm having trouble remembering what's been happening recently, so I can't be sure," Lily said flippantly. She was relieved, so relieved to have someone she could count on. "Help me out, I have _no idea_ what is going on here."

"No idea." He repeated her words as if they were some inexplicable mystery.

"None," she confirmed, waving her tail at him. She was noticing that he was fairly tense, not relaxing at all, and took that to mean someone _was_ observing, someone he didn't trust… She lowered her voice. "Seriously, things start to get fuzzy around meeting the other pack, and I cannot remember _anything_ after that. I do not know what is going on." She had trouble with some things from before that, too, but 'forgetting to do something' was not even worth mentioning when compared to a complete loss of time.

"I would… like to believe that." He shook his head. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Why would I lie?" she asked, tilting her head and giving him a sad look meant to convey that she was asking, more specifically, why he thought she would lie to him. She flicked her ears upward, indicating their hypothetical observer, then shook her head. She wasn't lying for the same of whoever was listening in; in this case, the truth seemed like an effective tool to use against Holly, whatever her game was. So long as Beryl filled her in on what she was missing, she could use her previous ignorance for any number of things. Especially if he did it without letting on to the one listening in.

"Could you just tell me how you are feeling right now?" he repeated gently. "Any signs of sickness? Coughing, sneezing, anything like that."

"No?" She thought about it. "Sore throat, but the kind you get from roaring or talking way too much, not the sickness kind." Which meant she had been doing one of those things sometime recently, which was in itself a lead… Maybe that was Beryl's plan, leading questions to let her piece together what had happened herself. She could do that. "Next question?"

He looked… surprisingly uneasy at her enthusiasm, which she interpreted as a request for her to calm down so as to not give anything away. "Yes," he said, "are you still having trouble sleeping?"

"Did Honey tell you about that?" she asked with a low growl. She had thought Honey understood the need to keep afflictions private, so as to ensure light wings went to her with even the most embarrassing ailments… In fact, she was _certain_ she had beaten that into both Honey and Copper.

"Yes," he confirmed, ensuring she gave her one-time pupil a firm talking-to at some point in the future. "Is that still affecting you?"

"I have not tried to go to sleep yet," she answered. "But yes, almost certainly. It was not going away." Once she got out of this tiny cave and back to the pack, she could ask him to put her to sleep… But then she would be doing so in front of the pack, which would have its own problems. Maybe she could sleep with him here, wherever here was… It would be ironic if Holly's machinations only managed to benefit Lily in the long run.

"I see," Beryl rumbled. "And have you felt… out of control… recently? Since you woke up."

"Define out of control," she said uneasily. That touched a little close to her nightmares for comfort; her acting like a raving lunatic, acting like _Claw_ , hurting people, going too far… She didn't even like thinking about it.

"Irrationally angry, paranoid, sure that everything is a plot…" He was giving her a whole _series_ of strange looks she couldn't make heads or tails of. "Unusually sadistic, or feeling that you are right by default… Anything that is not like how you have always acted before coming down here."

"I think I could not be the one to say, since I would not know if I was being affected," she reasoned, trying to figure out what he was telling her under the guise of inquiring about her health. It might be he was telling her about Holly, telling her what sort of madness Holly was spiraling into… One that was scarily similar, in all respects, to her dream. Maybe she had witnessed Holly doing those things, and then had a nightmare about it afterward. That explanation made her feel, if not good, then at least sure of herself. Much more so than him _actually_ asking her would have.

Still, she had to answer honestly, if only because he actually seemed to care about what she was going to say. "Maybe angry?" Though Cara and the others had _definitely_ provoked her, and being shut in a small space with no way out would make anyone angry… "And you cannot really call it paranoia when everyone really is out to get me." She gestured to their current surroundings to underscore her point. "Other than that, and the memory problems, and maybe wanting to hurt Cara after she hurt me, and my well-justified confidence in my own intelligence…"

She laughed weakly. "Put like that, I guess all of those?" Not that she was _really_ any of those things… She didn't feel great, in truth she felt pretty terrible, but that would pass. A few days of rest, some sunlight, though she couldn't get _either_ of those now…

"And that does not worry you?" he asked.

"Sure, but I've got bigger problems," she huffed. She tilted her head and waved her paw impatiently. "Look at these cuts for me and tell me if they are deep, would you?"

He approached cautiously, placing his paws carefully, and she was suddenly frustrated. Not with him, with her ignorance, because she was sure there was a reason for everything he did, and it burned, not knowing. When he leaned in to look at her cuts, she hissed discreetly but a little more harshly than she had intended. "Tell me what's going on," she requested - no, demanded, what with her frustration leaking into her voice.

"I don't think you'll take it well," he said bluntly, not even bothering to lower his voice. "And I know that if you _did_ remember, but were… better now… pretending not to remember would be a great trick to garner sympathy. But if it is, I need to know about it."

"Why would you say that?" she demanded, jerking her head up frantically to remind him about their _listener_ , of course she couldn't actually tell him the truth even if her ignorance was a lie, he should have remembered-

"There's nobody there," he said. "I came alone."

"Well then what was all that about asking me how I was and in the process giving me hints so I could figure it out without you telling me?" she asked, at the same time shying away from a tentative lick on her wounds. She cared more about answers than having another layer of saliva applied.

He backed up to look her in the eye again. "I was not doing that, I was really asking," he said slowly. "You gave true answers, right?"

"Yes, but I thought… Never mind." She felt like an idiot now, but that could be ignored. Best if she moved on and didn't acknowledge it. "I _really_ don't know what happened. Things just get blurry when I try to remember what Rose was saying to me when we met, and then after that nothing, just nightmares and then waking up here."

"That's… not ideal." He shook his head. "But I guess it explains why you seem…"

"Confused?" she ventured, her heart sinking. There were so many things here that weren't fitting together with her theories, and the way he was talking, it didn't _sound_ like Holly pulling off some clever trick was all that had happened.

"No, confused is how I feel about you right now," he huffed. "I _think_ you were sick, either in body or in mind. But you did some very bad things while… like that. Things I'm not happy about. But I'm not happy with what's going on back with your pack, either."

"You're not happy with me?" she asked plaintively, feeling like she had just stepped on something that crumbled under her paws and sent her flailing, only without any of the physical disorientation.

"No," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Not at all. It might not be your fault, not entirely, and I feel a little more confident of that after talking to you just now, but… That can wait."

"There are more important things going on," she agreed, latching on to the familiar line of reasoning. "Give me the relevant details, nothing more."

"Okay." He exhaled, inhaled, exhaled again…

She watched him breathe, waiting for him to continue. Now that she was looking for it, she could see the subtle distance between them, the one that had been present since he entered the cave. It was hard to spot, because they had made a habit of pretending they were less involved than they actually were, so the only difference now was that his motivation for keeping apart and not showing affection had changed from necessity to unease and some sort of lingering resentment…

He hid it well, but she couldn't _stop_ seeing it now that her eyes had been opened.

"You went crazy, tried to send Thaw on a suicide mission, intentionally avoided Pearl when she was looking for you, completely ignored Holly and her sisters when they tried to talk to you, sentenced Holly to _stand in a waste pit_ when she tried to get you to come to her senses, and then when she actually did it because she was trying to make some stupid point that wasn't even close to worth it, you actually made her go through with it," Beryl blurted out in one long, rushed speech.

The words rattled around in her head, flitting about and refusing to settle into something coherent. She gaped at him.

"Then," he said angrily, getting worked up as he spoke, "you finally said she could get out, pushed her back in when she did, and _then_ attacked her! She would have died, and she still might, and you tried to hold Aven hostage too, and _that_ was when I finally got back and found out what was going on. I talked you down, I _think_ , it wasn't really clear, and Honey put you to sleep which she should have done _long_ before it got to that point. Everyone was freaking out, more so after it was over, and the whole pack made Holly the stand-in alpha while they tried to figure out what they were supposed to do…"

Lily didn't understand what he was saying. The memories of her nightmare were passing in front of her eyes, each one more ludicrous than the last. She felt faint.

"Then Holly started coughing, and Honey didn't know what to do to help her, either," Beryl continued, all but roaring at her, completely oblivious to her mounting horror. "She was throwing up and her wound was looking bad, so Cara and Aven took over for _her_ and decided to ask the other pack if they had any healers, which they did, but those light wings didn't know much about how to treat her either-"

"Stop!" Lily shrieked, crumpling to the ground. "Stop, please!" She couldn't take any more, it had all happened, her nightmares were real and she had actually done all of that and he was so _mad_ about it, and he had called her a danger to the pack. It was too much to process, all heaped on top of her while he ranted.

Beryl fell silent. She shuddered, trying to piece together the fragments of hazy memory into something coherent now that she knew they weren't nightmares, but her actual actions. There was a grim quality to most of them, and her actions mostly matched what he had said…

She had… overreacted. Holly had overstepped, but she had disgraced herself in front of the entire pack all on her own, especially when her actions evoked memories of Claw. She still felt somewhat justified, but she had gone about it wrong.

That was… salvageable. She had been sleep-deprived and confused, but she was better now. It was recoverable, if she did things right. She repeated that assurance in her head, over and over, until her heart stopped pounding. It could be fixed. She was fine now.

"What… what then?" she finally asked, her voice quiet and small.

"Nobody knew what to do about you," Beryl said solemnly, "so Cara decided to put you somewhere out of the way until something could be decided. The other pack mentioned this place, Ember helped block up the way out, and you were brought in. Then Aven, Cara, and a few others gathered to talk about what to do with you."

"It is not their choice, though?" Lily asked, hoping she was right. If her fate was up to Holly, Aven, and Cara, they would use it to make sure she never got a chance to come back and claim her rightful place.

"It is," Beryl said. "They came down here to find out what you had to say for yourself, and when they got back they went right back to debating it. I'm not in the group, so I'm not supposed to know what they're saying…"

"But you do anyway, because you wouldn't just sit back and let this happen," Lily said hopefully.

"I had Pearl listen in," he confirmed with a heavy sigh. "You have to understand, you scared them."

"Cara and Aven?" she asked.

"Everyone," Beryl replied. "You scared them and you reminded them of the worst parts of Claw. It was so obvious that even I knew what you looked like, and I never met him."

Lily remembered Beryl… quoting her, quoting her words to Claw so long ago. He certainly had remembered, far better than her. "I was stupid," she said vehemently. "There were other ways to deal with Holly that wouldn't make me look so bad."

Beryl gave her an uncertain look. "They're still scared. They don't want it to ever happen again. There's talk of merging the packs just to make sure-"

Lily snarled at that.

"-And there's talk of the pack not having another alpha at all, which is much more popular, though neither is so popular that anyone is taking the ideas seriously," Beryl continued. "But when it comes to you… People are scared."

"You already said that," she remarked.

"Because it's true," he huffed. "They don't want to see you again, they don't want you back as alpha… Cara and Aven and their little group are just deciding how best to make that happen, and what is just in regards to you."

"What are they planning?" she asked plaintively. This was going to be _difficult_ ; a lesser light wing would have admitted defeat after hearing all of that. Just taking back control was going to be an uphill battle, let alone keeping it and repairing her reputation and everything that came with it.

"They don't know yet," Beryl hedged. "A lot was riding on whether you were… lucid… and whether you regretted what happened, or even acted like you did."

"And?" she pressed, squinting at him. The way he was acting, he had to know what was coming.

"It looks like exile," he said bluntly. "At least. Cara was pushing for some sort of physical retribution for what you did to Holly, but she has backed off on that. Same with having you killed-"

"That was an _option_?" she barked, appalled. All else aside - and there was a lot to ignore there, but she managed it - killing the former alpha wasn't supposed to _happen_ anymore, and Holly should know that. But Holly wasn't involved, if what Beryl was telling her was accurate.

"Someone asked Rose's people how they dealt with attempted murder," Beryl said gravely. "Apparently, they have very strict rules on these things. Aven shot it down soon enough, but it was not immediately rejected. That is how badly you have scared them."

"They had better be scared," Lily grumbled, offended beyond belief. "When I get back…" She trailed off, not entirely sure how to end that threat. She would do something about her people considering killing her a potential solution to their fear.

"It does not seem likely you will ever be allowed back," Beryl huffed.

"Of course it wouldn't be allowed," Lily scoffed angrily. "That would undermine them and give me a chance to make amends. No, I've messed up _once_ , and they're going to try their hardest to make sure I never apologize, or otherwise make myself look less horrible. That doesn't mean I'm not going to go back anyway."

"Maybe," Beryl said noncommittally. "Do you remember what you said to Thaw?"

"I think so," she said, momentarily taken aback by the sudden change in topic. But it made sense, when she stopped to think about it; she was taking his assistance for granted, and he was still mad at her. Hiding it very well behind the veneer of needing to talk about more important matters, but mad nonetheless. It was good she could easily reassure him.

"What do you have to say about it?" he asked sternly.

"It was a stupid mistake that I wouldn't have made if I was in my right mind," she promptly replied. "Really. I should have asked Ember to go. I'm sorry."

He eyed her skeptically. "It does not sound like you actually are sorry," he remarked.

"Well, I am," she huffed. "It was a bad idea and a stupid one. He did not do something stupid because of me, did he?" She was pretty sure Thaw was fine, if only because Beryl's rage was more of the 'simmering' variety than the 'apoplectic' kind, but she wasn't certain.

"He went out into the caves without telling anyone," Beryl growled. "It took me, Ember, and Spark to track him down, and when we did he was seriously considering trying it. You almost sent a fledgling to what would have been his death. He doesn't even _look_ like a normal two-headed dragon when he changes!" He clawed at the rocks, glaring angrily at her.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, whining for emphasis. "I told you, it was a terrible idea that I regret! It is great that you got to him before he actually tried it." She didn't feel _that_ guilty about it, despite how she was acting, but that lack of guilt itself worried her as much as Thaw's near-miss did. She was pretty sure she should have felt something more.

"While we were tracking him down, you were doing terrible things to Holly," Beryl growled, apparently taking her apology at face value but still not appeased. "We walked right back into that _mess_ at the end. Are you sorry for that?"

"I am," she declared, "but that wasn't really me, it was something else. I am fine _now_. Can you forgive me?"

"You are saying you are sorry and that you are fine, but I don't really think either is entirely true," Beryl said stubbornly. "I know you, Lily, and something here still feels off."

"That's not my fault," Lily objected. She really wasn't sure what he was noticing that had his guard up.

"Well, it's bothering me," he said. "I'm going to go see what they've decided."

"And then you'll help me get around it?" she asked hopefully.

"We'll see," he grumbled, leaping up to the hole in the ceiling. She watched until he had completely moved the crystal back, then resorted to pacing around the sloped confines of her cave, frustrated and worried.

He was still mad at her, even though she had apologized. She had apologized, but she hadn't really felt it, even though she should have. She had been acting strange and wrong before, and in retrospect a lot of her decisions were overblown…

She went over what she remembered of her actions one more time. Cutting off Rose was a good idea, assuming he had actually expressed a desire to take over her pack like she remembered saying. Establishing some sort of deterrent to enforce the unpopular decision was a good idea, but forcing someone to stand in the waste pit was _not_. It had backfired, and she shouldn't have required hindsight to know that something so viscerally disgusting would come back to bite her.

Not that she felt bad about subjecting Holly to it; the sneaky usurper had gotten what was coming to her. Just _thinking_ about all of the evidence she'd seen of Holly plotting got her blood boiling. Diora had been a good help, and Pearl was probably in on it…

Thaw had been a tactical mistake; she had burned herself by assuming Ember would reject the idea outright without even asking. Sending Thaw into danger was also bad… But she didn't feel that bad about him going out and thinking about it.

It was that lack of guilt that she kept coming back to. She _liked_ Thaw; even if his Dam was against her, that didn't mean she had to not care about him. He was the strong and silent sort, with a deep voice that didn't totally match his body, and Beryl's little brother. She didn't want him to get hurt.

She really didn't want him hurt. It felt like she had been slapped in the heart, and the face for good measure. She would feel awful if he died doing something stupid that she had suggested, and she _was_ sorry, and she did feel terrible about even trying it. Now that she thought about it.

Something was still wrong. There was no other explanation for why she had to _remind_ herself to care about someone she really did care about.

She sprawled out on the stone, confused and worried for herself. If she wasn't better, she couldn't be sure anything she thought or felt was actually genuine. That was going to make things even harder.

But she refused to even consider giving up. Whatever the verdict, she would somehow convince Beryl to be on her side, somehow get back into the valley, and somehow make amends in a way that got her back into being alpha. She had to.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily was thirsty and tired and _very_ hungry. She hadn't eaten, she hadn't been able to sleep, and there was no more puddle to drink from. Her head was pounding harshly by the time Beryl returned, and he didn't come bearing food or good news. She knew the former by how he didn't give her any fish, and the latter by his guarded expression and posture, just like before.

"What's the verdict from the pretenders?" she asked, her mouth dry and her voice raspy.

"Exiled, and that's it," Beryl said, bowing his head. "Just so you know, it's not what I would have wanted."

"What would you have wanted?" she asked, ignoring the implications of what he had just said. She wasn't _really_ exiled, he would help her get back into the cavern and establish a pawhold so they couldn't exile her.

"You to spend some time away, as long as you needed to get better, then to be allowed back under the condition that you didn't do anything to try and take power," Beryl sighed. "But they didn't like that idea."

"Of course they didn't, it would mean they don't have someone to demonize and hold up as a reason for Holly to stay in power," she laughed bitterly. "So, what's the plan?"

"The plan…" He looked her right in the eye. "Make the best of it?"

"The real plan," she snorted.

"I don't know why you think there is a plan other than that," he objected. "They announced it to the pack. Everyone knows you're not supposed to be in the cavern, and if anyone sees you they'll call for help. The guards all know to drive you away if you show your face."

"Those are just complications, not reasons to give in," she hissed. "And why are you being so negative? I've gotten over worse obstacles in the past."

"Well, for one thing, you're assuming I want to help you take the pack back," he growled. "You still have not given me an apology I actually believe is more than just manipulation."

"The pack needs me," she argued, anger mounting. She knew she was supposed to question her every thought, but this seemed clear-cut enough that her anger was warranted. "You can't just keep me away because you're mad at me!"

"It's not me doing the keeping away, I'm just the one they sent to tell you!" he objected. "But I would keep you away anyway, if it were my decision. Whatever the actual cause, being alpha made you come _this close_ to killing someone you wanted to protect, and torturing someone else, and who knows where you would have gone next. I think you weren't in your right mind, but the fact remains that being alpha did that to you. Why do you think I want you to go back to that?"

"I _have_ to!" she barked. "You don't understand."

"I don't, you're right," he barked back. "But you can't do it anyway, so it doesn't matter!"

"I'll do it, just you wait and see," she snarled. "Where is the cavern from here?"

"It's to your left once you get out into the next cave," he growled. "But you can't get back, it's one of the blocked paths. They can only open it from the inside."

"How were _you_ getting back?" she demanded.

"They would recognize my voice and let me through," he shot back at her. "How are you going to get past that?"

"I…" A thought occurred to her. "I _won't,"_ she said victoriously. "I know another way into the valley." The sea dragon had spoken of a cave filled with white flowers at the other end of that long, walkable ledge over the underground lake. If she could circle around and find that cave, she could find a path into the cavern that nobody could block.

She didn't tell Beryl any of that. He might just try to stop her. She wasn't used to thinking of him as an enemy, another obstacle, but she would if he forced her to. He was doing so now, telling her to give up, to just lay down and die, or whatever he thought she should be doing.

"Let me out, and get out of my way," she snarled. "If you aren't going to help, then I don't need you."

"You're not thinking straight, again," he said.

"Maybe not, but at least I'm doing something other than waiting for death like you want me to," she spat. "When did you start siding with Holly and the rest of the traitors? Because the Beryl I know would never tell me to give up."

"The Lily I know wouldn't be all but attacking me, no matter how mad she was," he retorted, nodding to her claws, which were out and ready to cut if he so much as made a single move toward her. "You're doing great if you're trying to convince me you're still not in your right mind."

"Get out," she snarled, feeling utterly betrayed and angry enough to attack him, no matter how futile that might be. "Get out, let me out, and when I make it back and am alpha again, get ready to apologize for betraying me. I _trusted_ you."

Beryl leaped up and left, and Lily turned and smacked her tail against the wall, over and over again until the pain outweighed her need to roar or whine until she lost her voice entirely. She was so _mad_ , and so _sad_ , and she was _going_ to find that cave with white flowers just to spite him. When she was alpha again, he would be sorry. They would all be sorry.


	74. Conflicted

Rocks were moving in ways rocks weren't supposed to move; specifically, they were moving of their own accord. Or so it seemed, seen out of the corner of Lily's eye as she lay curled up by the patch of mud.

She was being freed; that much was apparent. Someone was pulling apart the blockade in the wall, bit by bit, in a way that would have intrigued her were she in a better mood. It _could_ be someone coming to rescue her, Crystal or Pina or even Beryl, having had a change of heart. But she didn't think it was; Beryl had told her she was being exiled, not left to rot in this tiny cave, and exile meant letting her walk free. Free to go anywhere but where she wanted to go.

She would be back, no matter what they wanted. Until then, until she proved she could not be driven away, could not be relegated to irrelevance, she had nothing to say to anyone. Not Ember, who she suspected was the one removing the blockade, _certainly_ not Beryl...

Only when the noises had stopped and a set of paws had long since walked away did she emerge into the narrow, winding tunnel that had been revealed, stepping over broken slabs of rock and dusty, crumbling mud of some sort. She saw nobody, and nobody saw her.

She knew she was going to need to get used to being alone; until she found the cave with the white flowers, she was going to be on her own. Nobody to help her, nobody to talk to. Nobody to care.

A growl wormed its way out of her as she set out into the unknown. She didn't _need_ anyone to care; she could fend for herself. Somehow. She definitely didn't need Beryl. Her righteous, totally justified anger at him was a good motivator, but other than that she didn't need anything he would offer. He had betrayed her.

She came across a split in the tunnel soon enough, one path leading to the left and one to the right and vaguely upward. If Beryl could be believed - it hurt, having to consider that, but she wasn't going to get caught out - the left passage led back to the cavern. To her pack, her home… to a blockade and guards who had probably been personally selected by Cara for the position. They would refuse to listen to her, and if she managed to get through, they would drive her off. Maybe with lethal force if they could get away with it; killing the 'crazy former alpha' during her attempt to 'attack her former pack' would legitimize Holly's authority with anyone who believed her version of events.

To her right, on the other paw, was the vast unknown. Said unknown being composed of tunnels and caves, and hemmed in by rock, did nothing to make it any less vast from her perspective.

On one side, what was expected and prepared for, a dangerous direct path toward what she wanted. On the other, a long and likely dangerous route through the unknown, to strike at her enemy's rear.

She took the path none would expect her to take. The hard path, the long path. All larger implications aside, the _uphill_ path, which her aching legs were already complaining about. It was almost comforting, feeling the burn and inconsistent weakness; she didn't enjoy it, but she knew how to deal with it. Pain and weakness of the body were her speciality, if one considered being burdened with plenty of both for more than half her life a specialty.

More than half her life… She almost didn't want that spurious thought to be accurate, but upon reflection it definitely was. She had spent as long as alpha of her pack as she had a powerless hatchling and then fledgling. Longer. Or maybe not longer, since she wasn't alpha anymore…

Everything came back to that. She snarled at nothing and nobody, and set her eyes on the furthest piece of rocky wall she could see. She was going to get to where she meant to go, and anyone who thought they would never see her again was in for a big surprise some day. Though 'surprise' was far too pleasant a word for what _some_ of them would be getting, however unexpected.

O-O-O-O-O

She had been walking for a long time, and her physical condition had not improved in the slightest, but she still found herself stopping and staring when she finally made it to something other than more winding tunnels; the sight in front of her broke through even her simmering anger with its pure 'other' quality. It was a forest, a long and apparently sloping cavern peppered with plant life, much of it tall with branches and flourishing blooms, of a sort. All of the strange foliage only barely lit by soft, glowing crystals embedded in one wall but not the others, unlike most of the caverns she had seen. Small insects buzzed around aimlessly, and it sounded like there was flowing water somewhere, but what caught her eyes were the trees.

They were not trees. They were massive, impossible-looking stalagmites. Mushrooms bloomed off of the stone spikes in every direction, somehow surviving in the oddly isolated position they had grown into, making the stone look like the trunks of trees.

She took a few steps out into the forest in wonder, only to be splashed by a large glob of cold water. She shook her head, noticing that the ceiling was leaking. Water dropped onto every inch of this massive subterranean forest, and mud coated the bottom of the cavern. It was always raining here, or so she assumed.

She didn't care. What mattered were the many exits of all varieties peppering the walls. Some led in the completely wrong direction; others were only slightly off. At least half a dozen pointed the direction she wanted to go, but she would have to cross this whole cavern on paw to get to them.

Now would have been a great time to fly. She could not reach a good portion of the possible exits while stuck to the ground, and what would usually be a few moments of flying promised to instead be a long slog through the mud and rain.

Not that she had a choice; flight had been taken from her long ago. She would have to do without, as always.

Lily quickly found the flowing water she had heard, a stream cutting through the mud, and drank her fill; it tasted gritty, but it was clean enough to live off of. Water and food were going to be constant issues, but she would manage. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten, and her stomach hurt, but the dullness that slowed her thoughts dulled that too.

The mud, as it turned out, was not uniformly deep, meaning she occasionally sank halfway to her chest where she should have only been getting her paws dirty. She trudged on anyway, pulling her legs up whenever necessary, aiming for one of the two promising passages reachable without flight. She kept time by counting the beats of her heart, at least until she began needing more time to think the number than each beat gave. Then it was just a slow, tiring journey.

She could not sleep. That was a given. So, she decided to just keep going once she made it to the tunnel. The way this cavern was arranged, she would not be able to sleep without being woken by the constantly dripping false rain, so it was a lost cause anyway.

She made it to the tunnel mouth in good time… Or, she thought so. It was impossible to tell. She shook herself off and, after a moment of deliberation, decided to leave her paws muddy. There was no point in-

O-O-O-O-O

Initially, Lily didn't know anything unusual had happened. She stood, shook half-heartedly, vaguely congratulated herself on making it across the entire cavern without stopping, and made to keep moving.

Then she noticed that her paws were clean. She stumbled to a stop not five steps into the new tunnel, staring down at the impossibility beneath her.

Maybe she had just _thought_ there was mud on her. She walked back to the tunnel entrance and spotted a quartet of tired, dragged paws still outlined in the mud. There was no way she hadn't been muddy.

She didn't remember cleaning herself off, either… or going to sleep. Sleep was not an option for her. Not without outside help.

Thinking of sleep reminded her of her naive, optimistic plan to have Beryl put her to sleep. Not that she _wanted_ to think about him. He was nowhere near here… As far as she knew.

It was possible, she supposed, that he or someone else was following her from afar, watching to make sure she didn't do something dangerous like lurk outside the blocked way back into the cavern and lie in wait for someone to ambush. If there was someone watching her, she knew how she would respond.

"Leave me alone!" she howled, receiving no response from the rainy, muddy cavern. Water dripped and splashed without interruption, and she saw no sign she had been heard. A small, dark shape moved in the corner of her eye, but when she looked it was just a bit of mushroom that had dropped to the ground, its own ponderous weight no longer supportable by its flimsy stalk.

Still, roaring at nothing had made her feel _slightly_ better, if no less paranoid. She ventured forward, into the dry tunnel. She was glad it was dry, though the air carried a thick, unpleasant scent that made her think of mushrooms and rot. Given she was _leaving_ the mushrooms, she wasn't sure why she was only now smelling them, but it wasn't interesting enough for her to backtrack and investigate. For all she knew, the rain washed the smell away when she was in the cavern with them.

Her stomach clenched as she got a particularly potent whiff of the rank air. She gagged a little, thankful her stomach was all but empty… Though that was going to be its own problem, and far worse than enduring an unknown stench. She had yet to come across anything edible, and she hadn't eaten in a while. Not since before she was exiled…

Thinking of Holly exiling her - and from the sound of it, most of the pack supporting the move - made her blood boil. They should have been grateful for everything she had done over the season-cycles, everything she had sacrificed. Them being scared thanks to her… incident… was understandable, but it felt like the mountain of good she had done was being washed away by a single drop of bad.

Between pondering the possibility of starvation, and brooding over the fickle nature of her people, she didn't think she was going to enjoy the rest of her walk. Not that enjoying it had been an option to start with; she was only out exploring because she had no choice.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily's stomach was complaining loudly enough that the stronger rumbles faintly echoed off the twisting confines of the tunnel she was still navigating. Said tunnel was far longer and less straight than any of the previous routes between larger caverns, winding around and around until she had no idea where she was going. It had also grown quite restricted as she traveled, now shrunk in diameter to the point where if she had any companions they would be forced to walk in front of or behind her, because there was no room for even two light wings to walk side by side.

Or climb, she realized, coming to a seemingly dead end only to realize, looking up, that she needed to ascend. The tunnel continued _upward_ , driven through the rock without any care for the change in angle.

It occurred to her, staring at a possibly insurmountable obstacle, that she had been assuming something rather important this entire time. Nothing said any given tunnel _had_ to go somewhere, and if it did, there was no reason to think she would be able to travel it. These were not paths that had been made to be friendly to all who traveled along them. As far as she knew, they had not been _made_ at all. Or maybe they had, but by someone who couldn't care less whether a flightless light wing was able to go wherever she wanted.

Not to say that she was giving up on this particular path. She eyed the tight tunnel, wondering if it was tight _enough_. Climbing seemed like it would be a lot easier if she could stick her wings out and not have to worry about falling. There were some good pawholds around, too…

She decided that she was going to try it, and promptly forced herself to stop thinking about it. This was the sort of thing she might overthink and subsequently reason her way out of if she lingered on it. One paw went up, then the other, then one of her back paws, and she was off the ground, as simple as that. She stuck her wings out and pushed against the rough rock behind her, steadying herself and ensuring that she wouldn't topple backward if she made a bad move.

From there, the climbing was, to put it bluntly, boring and tiring. Her limbs burned with exhaustion, trembling as she pulled herself up pawhold by pawhold. Her wings grew raw, chafing against the less than smooth rocks. On occasion, a stone ledge turned into a bunch of pebbles when she put her weight on it, but she was careful enough that it never caught her out, which was good. A fall would hurt. A lot. She didn't let herself think about it; this was the only way to go, and if she couldn't manage it, she would be stuck looking for a hidden way out or… something. For all she knew, if she couldn't make it past this ascent, she was trapped. All of the other tunnels she had seen in the rainy cavern might also be dead ends.

The only sounds were from her panting and the occasional racket kicked up when she broke a pawhold with her weight. The former was overly loud in her ears, and the latter rare enough that it always startled her. She was acutely aware of everything she heard, felt, and saw. It was _almost_ relaxing, being forced to focus fully on her next step, and nothing else.

A rock clacked against another, but the sound was unprovoked, unexpected. She froze, clinging to her current set of ledges and protruding crystal perches, and twisted around to look down. She hadn't made that sound, all four of her grips were firm.

There was nothing below her that she could see. No tumblings rocks, either. A single impact had rung out, and then nothing. Not that she _would_ see anything, if someone was following her from afar and making sure to keep out of sight...

She forced herself to look up and keep climbing, if only because she didn't have the breath to spare for another angry roar. The rest of her ascent had none of the near-peaceful tranquility of focus she had been enjoying; there was an ever-present current of anger in the back of her head, all the more so because _his_ treachery, in part, had put her in this position.

O-O-O-O-O

The top of the tunnel, as it turned out, was a long way away from where Lily had begun her climb, as the vertical slope continued far above what she had mentally flagged as the end. She scrabbled up the final small slope with a sigh of relief. If she never had to climb anything again it would be too soon. Looking back, even _trying_ had been a risky move, if not when compared to her nonexistent alternatives.

She was tempted to flop down where she stood and drift off into sleep… But she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, so she didn't bother. Restless energy seemingly from nowhere drove her forward, down the still-narrow path that had leveled out in front of her.

There was something odd about said path, she realized as she walked. She couldn't see the end. No tunnel was perfectly straight, she had _always_ been able to see the distant walls curving to one side or another to cut off her line of sight. Now, though, instead of a distant rock face she could only see a blue-black haze, one startlingly akin to the sky just after sunset. She found the strength to keep going, just a little bit further, so she could see what was up ahead. The floor of the tunnel ended up ahead, and she wanted to see what she had found.

When she did make it to the edge, she was disappointed. What lay below, a short jump down and no more, was more tunnel. Sure, it expanded massively to either side and featured more crystals, along with a large selection of stone spikes, stalagmites and stalactites everywhere, but that just made it less appealing. A sickly, sulfurous stench hit her in the face, and she coughed. The smell was back in full force, now with that sulfurous undertone, and the appealing haze of the sky wasn't real or an indication of long open distances at all; she could see smoke billowing up from a crack in the ground, spreading out to coat the top of the tunnel.

A small squeaking sound startled her; she whirled around. There was nothing behind her except a small cluster of stalagmites, and that was too small a sound to possibly be Beryl anyway. But it was clearly the noise of a living thing.

She stopped and tried to smell the air. Nothing except the medley of stench she was already ignoring. She still didn't know where the first smell had come from, at that. Rotting things could be tucked away somewhere in this cave, but that led her to wondering what said rotting things might _be_.

There was _probably_ some sort of prey in here, if the noise and the smell were any indication, but she wouldn't be able to scent it over the rank odor that permeated the place, and there would be no tracks in solid stone. Not to mention that, thanks to the closely-spaced stalagmites, there were plenty of places she wouldn't fit that a smaller animal definitely would.

There would be no hunting in this cave, that was for sure. Not that anything small enough to fit that sound would be more than a single bite anyway. She kept walking, glad that there was only one direction to go in. When there was only one option, she didn't have to regret or second-guess what she chose to do.

Much like how she was going to take back her pack, now that she thought about it. There was only one option, so she didn't have to worry about whether she _should_. She was dedicated to the pack, and had given up far too much to let it go that easily.

As she walked, Lily began to think about what she would have to do to take her pack back. It was better than thinking about how sore and tired she was; she couldn't stop here, not when there were things skittering in the dark and the air made her want to vomit.

The first, most obvious thing that came to mind when she thought of the future was that she would have to go slowly once she was in a position to interact with her people. Most of the pack wouldn't trust her enough to even hear her out, and being discovered by the more aggressive elements before building up a solid base of support could be fatal. Somehow, she would have to find somewhere hidden to lurk - despite knowing from experience that there wasn't anywhere hidden - and from there draw out individual light wings she knew well enough to be confident in turning back to her side. Crystal, Root, Pina, maybe Dew though Pina could probably handle that...

Nobody else was coming to mind as _easy_ to reassure; even Root might end up being difficult, depending on what had happened to the hero complex he had shown so long ago, and what Storm had changed about him. This wasn't going to be easy. She-

Another squeaking sound came from somewhere to her left. Lily didn't need to turn to know she wouldn't see the source; the sound had been further away this time.

She went back to thinking, but try as she might, she couldn't see an answer to the main obstacle in even _beginning_ to fix what had happened. Even her friends were going to be wary of her; the average light wing would probably flee shrieking, and even if they didn't, most would tell Holly or one of her underlings. Last time Lily had built up her reputation in the face of an alpha she wanted deposed, she had started with the alpha wronging her, Claw officially claiming her as his own despite her being his daughter. That had set her up, given her an in, a point over him. It made people subconsciously disposed to hearing her out, if only because they felt bad for her but couldn't say so.

Now, she had taken Claw's place in that regard. Holly had a hold over her, and would continue to have it, no matter what, because Lily could not erase the past, even if she could barely remember it in any coherent fashion.

There had to be a way around that, but Lily didn't know what it might be. Claiming insanity would do nothing to damage Holly's reputation, even if it recovered some of her own. Saying Holly set it all up wouldn't be believable, not without a lot of evidence she didn't have and couldn't get. Blaming outside interference would, again, not hurt Holly. Unless she claimed Holly was collaborating with the other light wing pack, but while that would work on a lesser opponent, Holly _had_ contacted them, so she would have done so in a way that none could claim was suspicious. Not even exiling or killing her would destroy her reputation, not after the last attempt.

Lily shuddered, vague memories of the waste pit and blood on her claws flashing in front of her, all tinged by a red haze of rage. Even if she could, she wouldn't try to have Holly killed. The thought made her nauseous.

Then something more immediate came to her attention, a little thing she would have ignored had she not been so desperate for a distraction. There was an odd hole in the rough stone beneath her paws, a dimple one of her claws had slipped into. It was small, so small she couldn't even fit her whole paw into it, but it seemed to go somewhere.

"Did you make these," she murmured as she stopped bent down to look, hoping the sound of her own voice would drive away some of her creeping apprehension, "or did you find them?" Small-sounding creatures, a stench that filled the air, no visible plant life, and now tiny tunnels under her paws… She didn't know what all of that meant, but she was getting a bad feeling about it. She could imagine a bunch of oversized beetles boring through stone, eating whatever was foolish enough to stop in their territory, a chamber below her paws filled with the remnants of a hundred dragons caught by the same ambushers… Or it was nothing, just a few scavengers living off of plants she couldn't see.

If it was the former, Lily wanted to get out of this area, and if it was the latter it wasn't like she would be missing out by leaving quickly. She had no desire to meet those 'prey' creatures. Her scales and skin were far less sturdy than stone, and probably a lot more nourishing.

But it - or they, probably they, with her luck there would be thousands of them - obviously didn't plan on attacking while she was alert, because it would have happened already if that were the case. It was a good thing she couldn't sleep on her own; she would be sure to make it to whatever came next without stopping.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily yawned, getting to her paws with a groan. All of this walking on already sore paws wasn't-

She snarled angrily as she realized what had happened, _again_. She had found, after reaching the end of the tunnel and doubling back to check the walls, a small crevice that led out to another of the now-familiar crystal-lined tunnels. That was all she remembered. Beryl must have snuck up on her again.

It still wasn't clear how he was managing it. She couldn't possibly be so unobservant; especially not this time, not when she suspected there were opportunistic creatures waiting to prey on her once she let her guard down. He was getting to her _despite_ her alertness.

At least he had waited until she was out of that area to make her sleep. Though the last thing she wanted to feel was _grateful_. She roared long and loud, voicing her frustration to an uncaring world. As before, there was no response, though she was sure _someone_ was stalking her.

For the time being, she couldn't do anything about him, either, for all that he was probably watching her right now. Somehow. The idea of losing him was laughable, given so far she hadn't found a single split in the path - which, now that she thought about it, was strange considering how _many_ choices there had been last time she journeyed through the underground - and thus couldn't trick him into thinking she had gone one way, while making good on her escape down some other route. He was faster than her, too, not to mention fully capable of flying.

If he wanted to follow her, she couldn't stop him. She also couldn't see him, though she hadn't tried that hard to make him reveal himself. Waiting while she faked trying to sleep might draw him in, if he was putting her to sleep, but there was no reason to try.

Lily barely even noticed her body moving, so caught up in her frustrated logic. The only way he would stop following would be if he grew bored and certain he wasn't needed, or if she somehow drove him away through words. The former she was working toward just by not _wanting_ his help with anything, but the latter… It wasn't worth it. The smart move was to continue ignoring his existence; acknowledgment might be encouragement, whatever vile things she roared into the darkness.

She needed to pretend he wasn't around. It would be easy; aside from being put to sleep, she had no solid evidence he was following at all.

Her stomach contracted, spasming erratically, and she groaned. Water wasn't a problem, but food _definitely_ was. She had to keep moving until she found something edible.

O-O-O-O-O

The latest tunnel Lily found herself traipsing through turned out to be rather short. She emerged from her narrow confines to a bright cavern with a surprisingly low roof and no apparent end in sight. There were pools of water everywhere, some deep and some shallow, all sunk into boreholes in the otherwise flat stone floor, and the sound of rushing water echoed all around her. The pools were, like the underground lake, lit from below, and there were definitely fish in them.

Which wasn't to say she could only see fish in the water, however reasonable that might have been. She stopped just short of a pile of dead fish, whole and not yet old enough to start rotting. There was nobody around to claim them, and they were placed in just the right spot to catch the eye of someone exiting the tunnel.

It was hard to ignore the obvious implication that these fish were meant for her. Either for her specifically, caught by someone who knew she was coming, or for any visitor who happened to come along.

Neither possibility made her feel at all comfortable eating the seemingly innocent gift. If it was Beryl, she wanted nothing to do with his condescending charity. She just wanted him to go away. If it wasn't Beryl, then she could think of a half-dozen nasty tricks one might play with fish eaten by an unsuspecting target, with effects ranging from embarrassment to a slow, painful death, and that was just with the plants she knew about.

But the fish _did_ seem fresh, and she could always tear it apart first to check for some of the more obvious signs it had been tampered with… Though that wasn't enough for her to be sure it was safe. She forced herself to ignore the temptation and moved over to one of the larger pools of water. What she ate would come from her own efforts, not from someone else, and would thus be free of contamination.

She stared into the pool, ignoring the soft yellow light from the crystals in favor of the fishy shadows lazily swimming around. A quick bolt of fire would have them float to the surface, and then she could…

Not get them, because she would need to fly out and pick them up. None of these fish seemed inclined to come over to the edges of the pool, and the water was still. The dead fish would just float there, out of reach, as it was too deep to wade in.

Lily sat on her hind legs and closed her eyes for a brief moment, considering the problem. She could not fly; the way of fishing she knew needed flight. She also could not swim, like Pyre had been able to, so that was also out. Learning to swim was not an option; that way led to a quick death of drowning, in all likelihood. Pyre could swim because he had no wing membrane for the water to act on.

She flexed her worthless wings experimentally, briefly considering that difference. She _could_ try and remove the membrane-

No. She shook her head, deeply unsettled by her own thoughts. That was a terrible, impractical, downright stupid idea. She definitely didn't need any more pain in her life, and doing so would just make her even more like Pyre in the worst possible way. It would be an insult to his memory, and his memory was all she had left of him.

That realization, however right it might be, did leave her with a problem. She didn't know how to feed herself. She could always take the pile of fish Beryl had left and _then_ try to figure it out…

Lily cast a longing glance over at the unsolicited but undeniably tempting offering. Five medium-sized fish, all pale and strange, but definitely edible. She could smell them from where she stood.

Then she sized up her surroundings, thinking about who had likely provided them. There were absolutely no places to hide in this cavern, save for moving further in. Unlike most of the caverns Lily had seen so far, this one was like a curved valley, turning to the right and obscuring the far side from view. Beryl would have to be over there, or behind her in the tunnel. There was nowhere he could be that would let him watch her.

But he would know. He would probably check here later, at the very least. He had time she didn't, because he could move around freely while she was asleep. She knew he would know what she did with his offering. That made her want to take it without him knowing, but there was no way for her to do that. She sighed, closed her eyes, and weighed her choices.

She could eat, and bear the implications of doing so. Of being weak, dependent, proving Beryl right when he said she should just give up and die. Or implied as much; he had never _told_ her to go die, just suggested something that meant as much.

The second option was to leave it and pretend it didn't exist. That one had obvious repercussions, and was the simplest choice… So long as she didn't end up coming back out of desperation. But coming back would still be a choice she could make later, until the fish spoiled.

The third option was to do something to actively ruin the offering of food. She could blast it apart, or relieve herself on it, or just shove it all into one of the deeper pools where she couldn't get at it. Doing so might send a message, but again, said message would be undercut if she died of starvation later.

Leaving the fish alone was the best choice, if she thought about it logically. The other two choices might have unforeseen consequences. If it was just her, she would have already decided on that. But she had to assume Beryl was watching, and she had to keep in mind that whatever the other ramifications, ruining or eating the food would be sending him a message. If she ruined it, that she didn't want any of his help, with a vehemence that might actually get through to him. She might succeed in driving him off. Or he might see it as a provocation and decide he wouldn't be moved, which was what she would have done in his place.

If she ate it, he might do nothing. Or he might show himself and try to talk her into giving up. She didn't think she could bear arguing with him in that scenario, not when thinking about him hurt and he would have a huge advantage, as she would have just shown her weakness.

Her stomach still hurt like it had been stabbed. She needed food. _Now._

She also needed to know she could fend for herself.

Lily left the pile of fish untouched, moving deeper into the cavern of pools and tauntingly unreachable food. There were shallower pools, but it seemed like all the ones shallow enough for her to paw at had nothing edible, and the shallowest pool with even a single fish was more than deep enough to drown in, while also being far enough down in the hole that she would have to leap in to get at it.

Maybe, she considered bitterly after a long search, she should not have been so hasty. Her anger was still present, but it was slowly yielding to practicality. Spiting Beryl and proving herself capable of surviving on her own did no good if she _didn't_ prove that because she died of hunger. Or was nursed back to health by him once she collapsed, a prospect which hurt her pride almost as much as contemplating death by helplessness.

Then she spotted a unique pool, one that had obviously been drained recently, the water level too low compared to all the rest. It was not large, but it was deep… or had been. She could not reach down into it, but it was narrow enough that she could look right down at the fat fish swimming in tight circles.

This was a different kind of puzzle… one she could solve. She hunched over at the edge of the small but deep pool, sticking her left paw out.

The fish darted to the bottom, far out of reach. Using her paw wasn't going to work anyway; she could not quite touch the surface of the water, let alone snag the slippery inhabitant lurking within. There weren't any sticks to use to extend her reach, either. All she had was patience, intelligence, and her less than pristine body.

Though that might be enough, if she was clever about it...

She curled to the side and dropped her tail down into the water, letting the fins drift below the surface. The water was cold, but not too cold to bear, and her tail could actually reach it, unlike the rest of her.

Then she waited. The plan was far-fetched but simple. Let the fish forget her fins weren't part of its natural environment, and swim up over them. She could move fast, and her tail was deft. Pulling the fish up wouldn't work, but she was pretty sure she could slap it right out of the water, given the right positioning.

Waiting was torture, slow and uneventful. There wasn't even a sun or moon to give her a rough idea of time passing; down here, the only sign of time was her own body slowly breaking down as she failed to provide for herself.

The fish didn't play along for a painfully long time. Eventually, after much swimming in circles at the bottom of the pool, it did begin to work its way back up.

As it swam around and investigated her fins, Lily began to wonder how it survived like this. There was absolutely nothing to eat in its deep but small hole. Maybe there _had_ been more around; the other pools had algae and smaller fish. This one was devoid of all of that.

Something had come through here and changed this pool. She was sure of that now, thinking about it. This fish was not long for the world even if she left it alone. Not that she cared; it was food, and stupid food at that.

It was drifting over her tail now, having apparently decided she was just another part of the environment. Lily mentally prepared to strike up with her tail, and adjusted for where the fish would go. This was going to work, she was going to make it work...

She pulled up, yanking her tail through the water as planned, splashing herself and a large portion of the dry stone around her.

The fish, having easily eluded her attempt with speed she had not anticipated, retreated to the bottom of the pool once more.

It took a few moments for Lily to fully understand just what had happened. She had gone for it, just as planned, and it had escaped, it was now back down at the bottom, all of that time _wasted-_

"You look mad."

Lily spun around, not recognizing the small voice at all. A tiny dragon the size of her paw jumped up and out of her reach, flying in circles around her. "I taste horrible! I taste horrible!" It proclaimed urgently.

It was a small thing, one with emerald-green scales, four legs, and a very angular body. The tail ended in an unwieldy-looking single fin, but its biggest feature were the elaborate brown horns jutting out from its head, equal in length to half of the rest of his body.

"I am sure you do," Lily agreed, "and I make it a policy not to eat things that talk." Not that she had ever been tempted before this point in time, but if it weren't for those horns and the promise of an aggravatingly frustrating chase, she might consider it now, so hungry and angry besides.

"Good, because I talk a lot," the small dragon replied, setting down. "You look hungry, so I am going to stay a safe distance away."

"Go ahead," she agreed. She didn't care if the little dragon wanted to be cautious. On the other paw, she very much did care about other choices said dragon had made. "Why are you here?"

"Why are you?" the little dragon retorted, hopping back nervously even though she hadn't moved a muscle.

"I'm trying to find my way to a cavern with white flowers," she explained, hoping against all reason that this little dragon would tell her she was on the right path. "I know it exists, I am trying to find it."

"And… you came here?" the little dragon asked skeptically. "I have never seen that, but I do not travel much, so maybe it is around."

"It is a long way away," Lily agreed reluctantly. "But I must reach it."

"Far be it from one like _me_ to stop a light wing," the little dragon squeaked. "But surely you can spare a cycle or three? A new large dragon that does not see me as prey is a nice change of pace. My friends are big, but they eat other things anyway."

"What do you want from me?" she asked. "Maybe we can make a deal." She was too hungry to resent that idea. So long as she was giving something in order to get her food, she was still providing for herself in a way.

"Food for talking?" the little dragon proposed knowingly. "One fish per cycle?"

"What is a cycle?" Lily asked shrewdly. She had a good idea, but it was best not to assume, and she planned on getting the most out of this deal.

"Time between waking and sleeping. Different packs keep different cycles, but most are about the same." The little dragon gestured with its large horns around the curve, further down the cave. "You are almost to my pack already. It is a small thing."

"Eight fish per cycle," Lily proposed. "I need far more fish than you might think." Which was true, though she expected to be bargained down to six or even four. Leading with extra to cut off later was just good negotiating.

"We have a deal!" The little dragon leaped into the air, wings beating so fast they blurred. "Just keep going forward. My pack will welcome you." He - or possibly she, the voice was too high-pitched to tell either way - darted off toward one of the smaller pools. Lily began walking...

Only to stare at the little dragon as it flew back the way it had come, carrying a fish bigger than it was. She _wished_ she wasn't so intensely envious of how easy that had been… and she wished she wasn't so gut-wrenchingly hungry either, so getting one out of two wishes fulfilled wouldn't be so bad.

Lily began to run, but slowed back down almost immediately. Getting to her destination marginally faster wasn't worth the pain. The food would be there when she arrived, and she was close anyway. She could see an odd assortment of grey stones that looked like someone had piled up a bunch of paw-sized-

No, that was a dragon. A large, lumpy, sleeping one. Two, actually, she realized as she got closer. Two lumpy, rock-colored dragons. They were resting against each other by an especially deep pool. Nearby, two fish lay on the rock.

The small dragon flew past her yet again and added to that pile. Three fish, now. She hadn't even seen the second one delivered.

Lily did not hesitate in walking right up to the pile and by extension the sleeping dragons a few steps away. She had the little dragon's word they wouldn't bother her, and if she was quiet, they wouldn't even wake up. Besides, these were dragons of a kind she had never seen before. She might as well get a chance to look at them up close. If anything went wrong, she was pretty sure she could outrun either of them.

Especially given how tiny their wings were. She eyed the stubby little appendages visible on one of the dragons. She wasn't one to criticize another dragon's ability to fly, or lack thereof, but still. It wouldn't surprise her if she was mistaking massive, ugly ears for wings and that these dragons didn't _have_ wings.

All of that became secondary as the scent of fish wafted into her nostrils for the second time since entering this specific cavern. Lily pounced on the small pile and swallowed all three fish in quick succession, then sat where they had been. Her stomach was no longer aching _quite_ so badly, but she could definitely manage as many more as the small dragon wanted to bring. Right now, she didn't care how much time she would spend here in return.

The small dragon brought another three fish quickly, and she ate them just as quickly. "Two more," she remarked. A gurgle from her stomach emphasized her declaration.

"Yes, very much worth it," the little dragon crowed.

Something about the enthusiasm for what Lily saw as a totally one-sided deal bothered her. "Why do you want me here so badly?" she asked, thinking that since the little dragon was already intimidated by her, subtlety would be more or less pointless.

"We like to hear life stories." The little dragon nodded to the two big lumps of snoring scales. "They will wake up soon, and they will want to hear all you have to say. Your back and strangeness with that other pile of fish make it seem like you have much to tell."

She didn't have it in her to be offended by that, and it _did_ explain the willingness to compromise, but she wasn't sure that was the only reason. "I suppose that makes sense," she said doubtfully.

"You will be fun," The little dragon asserted as it landed on top of one of the sleeping dragons. "But... why are you here?"

"I am going somewhere very far away, I told you that much," she remarked.

"No," the little dragon continued, "why are you _here_?"

"What do you mean? I know what direction I want to go in, and I picked the tunnel that went that way." She gestured even further down the still-curving cavern they were in. "I'm going to just keep going that way."

"That is a dead end," the little dragon deadpanned. "You will not keep going for long."

"A dead end," she repeated, hoping against hope that she wasn't being told what she thought she was. "So where is the exit to this cavern?"

"Back the way you came," was the innocent reply.

Lily held down her rising anger and whatever was under it. "You are telling me this entire path, all the way back to that cavern with the stalagmites and mushrooms, only leads here?" she asked.

"Yes, that is why we live here," the little dragon chirped. "Nobody ever comes down here. Most of the paths down in this part of the world wind up as dead ends, and food is scarce. It is safer than most places because not many want to live here."

Lily groaned miserably, seeing all of her effort getting this far wasted. She would have to go _back_ all that way just to pick another direction, assuming there even _was_ another way to go.

"I told the dark wing that too, but he seemed much less upset," the little dragon remarked thoughtfully.

The dark wing. Beryl. Lily wasn't even surprised; there had been too many hints, too many little details, even setting aside how she was mysteriously being put to sleep every so often. "He put you up to this, didn't he," she asked softly.

The little dragon didn't hear the deep anger in her voice, or maybe they did but she just couldn't tell if they were _more_ nervous. "Kind of, he told us to help you if we could. To let you stay here if you wanted. He said you would have a lot of stories."

"Where is he now?" Lily snarled.

"Right over there." The little dragon gestured frantically toward the curving horizon of the cavern, toward where she had _thought_ she would be going to continue her journey. "He can probably hear us, there really is not much left that way."

"Beryl!" Lily roared angrily, making the little dragon jolt off of its perch on one of the snoring lumps, both of which were _still_ asleep despite everything. "What do you think you're doing? Helping me? All you're doing is making me angry!"

"He really did seem worried…" the little dragon whined, fluttering back toward her, but keeping a wide berth.

"Worried because I'm not letting him talk me into giving up," she spat. "Waiting for me to fail or get lost or _need_ him. But I won't, because he's _wrong_."

"I do not think I want to be involved in any of this after all," the little dragon quavered. "Best not to get into spats between mates."

"He's not my mate," Lily gritted, "and I couldn't be happier about that." Even though she had wanted him as one, would have found a way to make it work, if only he hadn't turned on her-

She had more, half-formed plans to drive Beryl away by spitting carefully crafted lies at him to destroy any reason he might have to care about her and thus to follow her, but something inside her balked at that. Just because he had betrayed her didn't mean she would do the same, especially when she would be casting shadows on what they'd had before all of this.

"Still want to hear _my_ life story?" she asked bitterly, remembering the small spectator to her internal rage and very external displeasure. "Because if not, I have a lot of steps to retrace."

"Go, and you are welcome for the gift of fish," the small dragon said worriedly. "I wish you the best."

Lily turned her back on the part of the cavern that Beryl lurked in and walked away. She held to her anger; it was the only thing stopping her from breaking down, and she couldn't let that happen. So her plans, her journey, had just suffered a major setback. So she had confirmation Beryl was following her, unwilling to let his previous insults lie, ready to rub it in the moment she showed weakness. Or worse, sure she _was_ weak, sure she would need his help sooner rather than later.

"So what?" she snarled under her breath, ignoring a small part of her that wanted to sit down, whine until her voice gave out, and then maybe throw a tantrum afterward. Just like she ignored the pain in her back and the scrapes on her wings and the soreness in her paws. Just like she ignored the emotional pain of everything that had happened, just like she ignored how she still didn't feel quite right, all of that aside, how she was thinking slower than normal, how she was making bad decisions in retrospect, how she had turned on her friends and family and everyone and acted like Claw-

It all rose up, and she whimpered once, quiet enough that none could hear, as she turned away from the little dragon, the two only now rousing lumps, and somewhere in the distance, Beryl.


	75. Dispirited

Lily left the cave of shallow pools, fish, and frustration before either of the big, lumpy dragons could properly wake; it would have been just her luck for them to turn out to be hostile. A stupid, pointless end to her journey, dying in a dead-end far from anywhere she knew, alone except for someone she still hadn't even _seen_ since setting out.

Her thoughts didn't get any lighter as she walked. Everything in her life was conspiring to crush her hope, and the lack of stomach pains only served to draw attention to how _helpless_ she really was. She had only gotten food because someone more capable had wanted stories from her, and even that had been nudged along by Beryl. When she was hungry again, something she was sure would happen far too soon, she would be back in the same predicament.

That didn't seem likely to change even once she made it all the way back and began covering new ground, either. The little dragon had mentioned that this part of the underground was sparsely populated because of a lack of food and water; said lack would undoubtedly be even more pronounced for her, with her disabilities.

Her self-imposed quest probably wasn't possible, not for her. For someone more capable, more _whole_ , maybe. Beryl could probably do it without issue, but then again, he didn't need to find an alternate way back to the pack. Holly's traitorous guards would probably let him in without a single objection. Maybe they would ask him what had happened to their horrible ex-alpha, or maybe they wouldn't even think about her.

She stalked back the way she had come not so long ago, dark, bitter thoughts filling her mind to no avail. Her sense of optimism, of certainty, was suffocating under the magnitude of her misfortune, her mistake.

O-O-O-O-O

She roused herself, now accustomed to having been put to sleep without any prior warning, and kept walking. There was nothing else she _could_ do; every step forward was a retraction of one taken in the opposite direction, a tiny correction. For all the good it would do her, as she would have no way of knowing if the next path she chose to take would turn out any different. It wasn't inconceivable that Holly had unknowingly exiled her to a large cluster of caves and tunnels completely unconnected to the rest of the world except for the now-blocked passage back to the cavern her pack had claimed. That would be a special kind of torture, forever stuck wandering the same places, searching for a hidden way out where none existed.

The cave of stalagmites, holes in the ground, and shadowed spaces turned up in front of her, just as seemingly lifeless and insidiously creepy as the last time she had seen it, and she hesitated. It still stank of rotten… something… and sulfur. She still worried about the things lurking in the dark.

Her mood was dark, and her imagination darker, running wild with what she had seen last time. It would be just like a swarm of tiny predators to let her walk in one way, find a dead end, and only then return, tired and frustrated and off her game. Then they would swarm up and attack, preying on her hopelessness as much as her flesh.

It was a morbid thought, one she dismissed as needlessly dramatic and unlikely, but she still held herself carefully and stepped with light paws as she passed through. There were no squeaks, not a single sign of anything out of the ordinary…

At first.

Little skittering claws on stone echoed behind her, all around, in front of her, nowhere at all. The sparse forest of stalagmites and stalactites was a nightmare for tracking sounds, and she knew she was being toyed with. Or just taunted; for all that she was hearing things, she wasn't _seeing_ anything, nothing was swarming up from the little holes in the ground, or nipping at her flanks, or otherwise threatening her.

Not that a lack of aggression now meant she was safe. She walked quickly, only refraining from running because that might be the sign of weakness they were waiting for. Her teeth were bared, partially from instinct and partially because anything that made her look dangerous might be vital, lest she be forced to _show_ how much damage she could do.

She passed the smoking vent that had deceived her coming the other way, and spotted the odd half-circle depression along the ceiling of the cave that had made up part of the tunnel. Looking at it from this direction, it struck her as strange, even as she strained to hear the first sign of a change, to spot the first moving bit of shadow that would herald the assault. There was a clear sense of sequence, with this cave and the tunnel; the tunnel had come first, and the cave afterward, removing the bottom of a length of said tunnel as it formed, or collapsed, or however any of this came to be.

The clicking slowed as she approached the place where the straight tunnel along the roof met the wall of the cave, the place she had jumped down from. There was a boulder under it, conveniently placed so that the exit could not be missed.

She didn't remember whether that boulder had been there when she had come through the first time; it was entirely possible she had missed it upon jumping down. Her mind had been elsewhere, much like it was now, except with less despair and more determination.

She leaped up, and the clicking stopped in an instant. There was nothing in the tunnel laid out in front of her, so she whirled and stared down into the creepy cave. Into the territory of whatever had been threatening, be they myriads of small creatures, or even just one many-limbed thing scuttling around out of sight, long and spindly, thousands of limbs, like one of the bugs fledglings uprooted and then brought to show their parents-

A duo of tiny bits of stalagmite shifted in unison, silhouetted by a faded crystal in the background. One remained an unremarkable blob, only interesting because it had moved, but from the other, thin limbs unfolded in all directions, more than four, six, eight-

She broke and turned her back on the distant sight, bolting down the tunnel as fast as she could make herself run.

Nothing followed.

O-O-O-O-O

The one good thing about being put to sleep against her will was that it worked even if she was coming down off of a rush of adrenaline, terrified, and otherwise incapable of going to sleep normally even if she didn't have an issue with sleeping to start with.

She didn't know what had been in that cave, and she didn't want to know. Neither did she want to know whether the little dragon and its ponderous companions knew about those _things_ , or how said trio had made it past them to get to their current home. All she wanted to know was that she was putting distance between those things and herself.

And she wanted to know for sure that she wasn't going to run into the territory of something _worse_ the next time she stepped into a new cave, but there was no way she could know that.

Of course, she had stopped where she was for more than one reason, not just because her legs had given out. She had slept not a dozen paces from the beginning of a sheer descent, the top of the vertical tunnel she had proudly ascended not so long ago. It promised to be a strenuous undertaking, at _best_ , and she had known she was in no state to attempt it fresh off her panicked run.

She walked up to the edge of the final sloped ledge, looked down, and did her best to ignore the little things in the corner of her eyes that had her twitching around to make sure she wasn't being snuck up on.

Even without phantom nightmares coloring her assessment, she didn't think she was ready to climb down yet. Her legs still shook from exertion, and there was no rush save for her body's needs. She wouldn't get any stronger if she waited, but she would recover. A little. There would be an optimum time of rest, one that balanced resting her limbs against the steady drain of time.

Until that time came, she could either think about the mostly unseen horrors she had fled from… Or about her situation going forward. Neither was at all appealing.

She gingerly lay on her side, ignoring the way the constant ache in her back changed with the change in orientation. Taking any and all weight off her paws was more than worth the jabbing reminder. At least that hadn't been her fault.

Claw mutilating her had been bad for her health, but not terrible for her reputation. It had given the pack a big push toward not being able to stomach his actions any more, and her slow recovery had only helped.

She couldn't help but see the parallel now, and groaned angrily at her own past folly. She was so _stupid_ ; she had put Holly through something identical in all but the specifics, a debilitating injury inflicted by an alpha mad over a perceived threat to their power. The only real difference was that Holly had gotten sick, not been crippled, so when she recovered she would be back to perfect health. In the meantime, she had _two_ trusted friends to work for her, and they had managed to get the cruel alpha exiled immediately…

She didn't like that line of thought at all. She was nothing like Claw, had been nothing like him even at the height of her delusions. Her violence had been restrained to those she thought directly responsible for usurping her, and none of Claw's _other_ depravities had any sort of mirror in what she had done.

But in tone, in mentality, she had been very much the same. In dealing with the young female rising up and telling her she was wrong, she had been all but identical. And if her departure, her defeat, could be compared to Claw… then any attempt at returning and taking power could be too.

If Claw had risen from the dead a few moon-cycles after Crystal and the others had torn him limb from limb, Lily knew exactly what she would have done. She would have done her utmost to ensure he died the moment one of her people saw him. Never would she have let him talk, or make 'apologies', not even to the most harmless of his mates. He would have been a threat to her power and the wellbeing of her people simply by existing. Even if he rose from the dead and just wandered off into the wild unknown, she probably would have sent a group to hunt him down and kill him. He had been _that_ horrible.

Though, that did not match with her current situation. She huffed quietly, unrelieved by the mismatch. The comparison wasn't perfect, but most of it was close enough as to make no difference. If she returned to her pack, whatever her reason, Holly would have her driven away. At _best_. Killed, at worst, and the difference between those two outcomes might ride on something as small as who was sent to deal with her, or what the exact wording of their orders was, or even how Holly had been feeling that morning, what mood she was in before she heard of her hated rival reappearing from paths unknown and saying…

Nothing. Nothing she said would make a difference if word got back to Holly, and by extension that meant the majority of the pack could not be approached in any way. News of her presence alone would be enough to bring down the wrath of a wronged alpha on her dangerous predecessor; anything else tacked on to said news would be ignored as an afterthought.

They were wary of her, _afraid_ , and she only had herself to blame. Holly was taking advantage of her mistakes, but that still required her to have made said mistakes, and Holly hadn't had more than a slight paw on the events leading up to them. Some minor disagreements, a bit of lingering resentment, and a few vague conversations… Even if she _had_ been plotting to the degree Lily vaguely remembered being sure of, she hadn't done anything openly, so Lily's own actions were still mostly unprovoked. Suspecting a vast conspiracy didn't make hurting some of the ringleaders without any direct provocation any more acceptable when the conspiracy could never be proven.

Unless, of course, she somehow got Holly to admit to manipulating everything… But that would be too _stupid_ , Holly knew how to keep her power. Keeping her mouth shut and working with the already overwhelming circumstances in her favor was the most she needed to do. Being savvy to the ways of manipulation and maneuvering weren't required to hold power from such a strong position, but having both the power and the understanding made her all but unassailable.

Lily realized she had let her eyes drift shut, and quickly opened them. The passage was still empty in the direction she had come from, and she knew there was nothing down the other way. She still shivered, remembering the distant silhouette and the endless tapping.

Holly. She needed to think about Holly… But there was no point in that, either. She had nothing to use against Holly, no opening to exploit. She was a pariah who the pack would not tolerate or listen to. She might get a brief grace period if she went in camouflaged, enough to find certain light wings and maybe get them to somewhere isolated to talk, but even if she could convert some of those who had been closest to her, they would be powerless. Holly had built her own support structure, and it definitely didn't involve anyone Lily could sway.

A few powerless supporters were all Lily had at the start of her last attempt at usurpation, but this was different. There, she was obviously in the right; everyone knew it, once they stopped and thought about what was happening. Here, she was _obviously_ in the wrong, so obviously that the pack hadn't hesitated in getting rid of her. They had cast judgment, or their leaders had and they agreed with the outcome. Unless she came back to find Holly turning into a tyrant…

She shuddered at the very thought. Her pack was all she had, she couldn't bear to think that Holly would turn around and abuse them once she had power. She wouldn't do it; not only was she currently sick and not in the position to abuse anyone or anything, her sisters would stop her. Aven would never let such things happen, for one thing. Lily didn't really think Holly would, either, but knowing that there was someone there to curb her if she tried was reassuring.

Somehow, she had gone from planning to get her people back, to being thankful that the one in charge of them now wasn't incompetent or cruel. That was a bitter truth to swallow, as bitter as the realization that her dream of going back and reconquering the hearts and minds of her people was just that, a dream. With all the feasibility that implied.

She rose to her paws, stretched, winced at the pain in her back, and crept to the beginning of the descent, placing her paws one at a time. She backed down into the tight passage without letting herself think about it. One paw in front of the other, or in this case, behind the other. Wings out.

No thinking about the depressing misery that was her life. She had a task to complete, one of the few things left that she could actually do.

O-O-O-O-O

The climb down was long, far longer than the climb up, and just as exhausting. Lily's neck ached from twisting to look down without moving her body, and the rest of her ached from small cuts and bruises obtained in the process of backing mostly blindly down a near-vertical tunnel.

Once she was back on safe, level ground, she staggered a few dozen paces down the tunnel, just to prove she could, and then collapsed. If climbing down hadn't been such a mammoth undertaking, she would be bothered by her lack of progress. As it was, she settled down and did nothing.

Beryl didn't immediately come to put her to sleep. She found that odd, despite the fact that he'd only been doing it for what had to be a pawful of days, no longer.

Beryl… She wished she could think of him without feeling betrayed. Without thinking of how he had come to her, only to carefully check whether she was _sane_ , and then to deliver the verdict of her enemies… How he had told her he couldn't help her with what she really wanted.

It was a betrayal… But he had come after her anyway, following from out of sight. She didn't know what drove him to chase after her, if he was chasing at all.

She didn't know what he would do if she did achieve the highly improbable and became alpha again. It was possibly his family wouldn't even be there when she made her way back; they had never actually joined her pack, their presence was one of an exploratory nature. They weren't looking to settle down here, they had a home somewhere above the ground, where the sun and moon held sway over an endless sky, instead of nothing presiding in cramped caves…

They would have left, and Beryl would go with them. Of course he would. He would grow tired of following her, or disgusted with her weakness, or something else. Whatever he was doing would come to an end; she couldn't imagine him trailing her for the rest of their lives. He was smart and strong and had so much ahead of him. _His_ life wasn't a smoldering, waterlogged husk of its former self.

She wished she could go with him. It wasn't possible, couldn't happen, but the idea of fleeing all of this and just going with the wind… She would love to feel the wind again. But that would mean giving up.

Her thoughts turned to the past. To the moon-cycles she had spent travelling with him, only him. Those had been a few of the best moon-cycles of her life, looking back. Being with him, in all senses of the word. Knowing that there was nothing else she needed to be doing, knowing that she was where she was supposed to be, with the person she was supposed to be with. Carefree, whenever she could get her mind off what was waiting for her at the journey's end.

She should have figured out a way to make having him as a mate feasible; it had been a thorny problem that threatened her status as alpha, her authority, but that was ash in the wind now anyway. Maybe if she'd had him close, been able to be with him in public… Maybe she wouldn't have gone crazy. Maybe he would have pulled her back, kept her in check when she needed it.

Or maybe not. Even if not, she would still rather have had him with her. It had all come crumbling down anyway, so she should have seized what she wanted, forced the problems to get out of the way, and made it hers. He would have wanted it too; she had promised him that she'd rethink the whole problem once the pack was settled down and safe. As if that day would ever come, now; she was gone and they still weren't safe.

She blinked slowly, heavily. Her mind was lethargic, her body as still and comfortable as was possible, but she couldn't pass over that last hurdle into sleep. Not on her own… but she knew that. Beryl had been doing it for her.

He had been doing it for her… He wasn't now.

Her thoughts immediately leaped to that horror-filled cave with the creatures and the clicking, but she knew he hadn't disappeared then, he had put her to sleep afterward. It made sense that he might not be in a position to put her to sleep now, she was facing the direction he would logically have to come from if he had gone ahead of her.

She shuffled around, casually putting her back to where he had to be. He would have no trouble sneaking up on her now. He should have had a lot of trouble, some of the times he'd done it before now, so it didn't make sense that this would be the time that stumped him, but she didn't really know how he was doing it…

She wasn't too proud to admit that she needed his help. Not now, not when her aspirations had been crushed like a bug under the weight of finding out she had accomplished nothing since setting out. It was comforting to know she wouldn't slip back into a spiral of not sleeping and slowly going crazy…

It would have been comforting, if he came to help her now.

He didn't.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily never slipped into slumber on her own, and Beryl never came. By the time she blearily struggled to her paws and began to walk again, she knew it had happened. Beryl had gotten fed up with her and was gone. It had made little sense that he was following in the first place, and he had a family waiting for him back in the cavern… There were a hundred possible reasons for him disappearing now, and none of them implied he'd be back.

She was alone. Like she had wanted. Her steps dragged, her paws aching fiercely.

She didn't have the heart to convince herself that this was a good turn of events; whenever she thought about it, she thought about how she had slowly become more and more irrational without sleep, how it had been frustrating and frightening in turn, how she had stopped caring and started focusing on other things and lost herself without ever even realizing…

It was a terrifying fate he had left her to, and she couldn't say she didn't deserve it. Maybe he had only come along with her to try and fix her sleep problem, but had left once he saw that she was broken beyond repair.

It wasn't like him to abandon someone who needed help, but for her, maybe he could make an exception. It was what she had wanted, after all. Though she would take it back now, if she could.

She stepped out into the muddy cavern, and a part of her noticed that she was finally back to where she could pick a new path and move on to new places, but her heart wasn't in it. There was no _point_. She couldn't reclaim what had been lost, Holly was too firmly entrenched. She had no pack. No people. No Beryl. She had _nothing_ , and it was her own fault. Her own fault for driving them away, for succumbing to whatever had taken hold of her, for not letting herself have anything other than the burning need to be alpha.

Her own lack of purpose now was the result of putting all of herself into a single, unerring pursuit. Of assuming and trusting that she would always be alpha, that she needed nothing else. Beryl was the only concession made to what she herself wanted, and now she had driven him away too. It was obvious in hindsight, now that she was actually looking at her actions without forcing herself to believe they were fixable… But that just meant she was acutely aware of how she had ruined her life so thoroughly.

Lily whined quietly, acutely aware that there was absolutely nobody around to hear her. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, if she couldn't go back and be alpha. Maybe she could find some miserable, lonely cavern with food and water enough to last her the rest of her life, though that would be a pitiful existence ending in a lonely death of one kind or another. She could find and take over another pack...

Her heart rebelled at both ideas, isolation and conquest alike. Maybe another dragon would not be so bothered by the idea of living alone, but she couldn't do that. She also couldn't imagine trying to take over another pack, because she could not consider herself any more fit to lead than whatever leader that other pack undoubtedly already had. Not after how she had failed so utterly. If she was fit to lead anywhere, it would be with the people she knew best, and she was not fit to lead them, so by extension she was no more worthy to take over somewhere else.

There was nothing for her to do. No cause to fulfill, no reason to exist, from the grandest of scales to a single person wanting her around. Nothing at all.

Lily gave in to the despair flooding her and fell completely to the ground, mud squelching up to coat the entire bottom half of her, from her chin to the bottom of her tailfins.

"I have nothing," she moaned loudly, voicing her feelings, if only to hear them echo back. "I can't go back." She closed her eyes, letting the scattered droplets of water wash over her eyelids. "I did this, I brought myself here. It's all my fault."

There was no reply. She couldn't even hear her own echo, and there were no more unseen ears listening in. The endless patter of rain was all that could be heard.

"I'm no better than Claw," she admitted. No smarter, either, no matter what she might have told herself or believed in the past. "Cruel. Manipulative. Lying." And more, when she lost even the smallest shred of self-control. Beryl's discontent with how she had handled Root's tormentors a while back now took on a very different light. He had told her what she'd done was unnecessarily cruel.

That was just who she was, it seemed. A horrible person. One who hid her worst traits, one who tried to stop them from affecting how she acted, but a horrible person all the same. She was cruel and condescending, and had a scarily tentative grasp on her own mind. Not sleeping removed what made her Lily, and not just an amalgamation of the worst parts of Cressa and Claw. Such a small thing had such big consequences, and it didn't work that way for anyone else. She was broken, somehow, and could never be fixed.

It wasn't a nice thing to think about herself, but she knew it was true. That truth was what had brought her here.

"I'm… sorry," she huffed slowly. Nobody could hear her, but this was not the first time she had apologized to someone when they were not able to comprehend her or even know she was doing so. Pearl came to mind. This was a familiar gesture.

"Where did it start?" she asked nobody, standing awkwardly in the mud and staring out at the damp, mushroom-infested expanse. "When did I start wronging people and not even noticing?" She thought further and further back, but there was always more she had done, more people she had wronged. And if she skipped right back to the very start…

"Pyre?" she whined to herself, feeling the usual sadness at his memory. Guilt, too, partially because of what had happened to him because of her, and partially at the thought of how disappointed he would be. "I lied to you, back then. To keep you safe, but it didn't work in the end anyway, so I hurt you for nothing."

She had lied to him, kept him blissfully unaware of what was going on in the valley below. Unaware of the suffering and dying of others.

"Granite," she whined, reminded of what she had been hiding. His death _was_ her fault, more directly than most. "I let you die. I should have seen and stopped you long before. If I had helped Pearl, you might have been around to see today, or maybe even prevent it. My fault."

A keen rose, unbidden, from her throat. She crumpled down into the mud. "I'm sorry, brother." It had been so long since she thought of Granite except in passing; Pyre, at least, was always popping up in her thoughts, but her own brother was nothing but a distant memory. There was a reason she hid from the memories, locked them away, but here and now she really couldn't see it as anything but an excuse. She had done him wrong once by not saving his life, and then again by forgetting him.

"Crystal," she quietly gasped, forcing herself to continue. She was worthless if she couldn't even do this much. If she couldn't even bear to remember. "You lost your mate because of me. Pearl, nobody helped you. I didn't, except too little and too late. Bone, all the other males Claw killed while I sat around and didn't do anything… All my fault."

If that was all she was guilty of, she would already hate herself. But it was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Pyre, again, I lied to you and then when I stopped lying it was because I had nowhere else to go, not because I thought it was wrong to lie," she whined. She remembered that terrible night and fleeing to Pyre the next day. She remembered how he made her feel safe despite everything, despite his anger, how he gave her such hope for the future for just a few moments…

Hope that involved coming _here_. To the pack she had spurned and the underground realm that had contributed to her losing everything. Maybe it was a fool's hope to begin with… Or maybe Pyre would have made it work. Maybe for him, it would have worked exactly as he thought it would.

But it had all come crashing down so soon, before they could even begin Pyre's plan. "It's my fault you're dead, you would have lived if it weren't for me," she bawled. Mud grit her mouth as she spoke, but she couldn't bring herself to care, engrossed in her own misery. She couldn't have stopped whining if she tried.

After that, it was all a nightmare of abuse from Claw and maneuvering on her part, things she had done for her own benefit… but also the benefit of those around her. It figured that she had done the least harm to others when she was so focused on herself, on alleviating her own suffering. She had wronged Crystal by keeping the secret of the blue-green bush from her, but she had actually tried to make up for that, and apologized at the time. Other than that… She briefly thought of Ivy, but his fate was mostly his own fault, he had approached her and tried to extort her.

"Root," she choked out as she seized on the next person harmed by her litany of errors and thoughtless cruelties. "My plan, my fault." He hadn't been killed by Claw, but he had lost his eyes, and only intervention from someone outside her control had helped him get over that loss.

Her choking sobs died down, mostly because her throat hurt enough that she was forced to curtail them. She was left gasping quietly, still prone in the mud. "Cressa," she whispered reluctantly. "I didn't _have_ to exile you. It was as good as sending you to your death." It wasn't something that would have her bawling again, but it was a horrible thing she had done nonetheless, the first step on a path to ruthlessness that would see others harmed later. Sending her own Dam to die in the wilderness she was in no way prepared to survive.

After that… Those first few season-cycles were a blur of securing her rule, of countless little cruelties as she knocked down potential problems before they reared their heads, but nothing she could point to and feel bad about now.

But then Beryl had come, and with him, a whole slew of mistakes and miserable little snaps in his direction. "I treated you like dirt," she whined, remembering the struggle to see him and his brother as anything other than a threat, through no fault of their own. "And then like dangerous dirt, and then like a subtle version of Claw, and every step of the way it was just me being horrible." He had bit back, often enough, both in response to her issues with him, and to how she treated her own people…

"Shara?" she murmured to herself, trying to remember the name of the female she had terrified to tears, the one Beryl had comforted and then chewed her out over afterward. "No, Shalla. I could have been kinder, less vengeful. Less spiteful." To all of them, but she had taken it the most to heart.

"Then Grimmel came," she whispered, the name like poison on her tongue. "Grass, dead for me. If she wasn't there, she wouldn't have died. Crystal's Sire, dead for no reason, just because Grimmel felt like it. Because I felt like sending him in that group." She was entirely to blame for the first death, and more or less blameless for the second, but they both hit so very, very hard.

And with their loss came a horrible oversight she hadn't even _thought_ about except in passing. "Crystal," she keened. "I lost everything, you were there for me, season-cycle after season-cycle." She remembered her best friend comforting her, over and over again, without even being asked. And what had she done?

"I abandoned you to your misery, sent you away with others to do my job for me," she whined miserably. "You lost your Sire, and I wasn't there. I pushed you away, then and after. I gave you the hardest jobs, I leaned on you without ever doing anything to earn it." Crystal was one of those she most needed to apologize to in person, though it would probably never happen. This wasn't a satisfactory substitute, not by a long shot, but it was still better than saying nothing. "I don't deserve to call you my friend, not after how I abused your friendship."

She couldn't linger on Crystal; her memories leaped forward again, dragging the rest of her to see her next sin, to remember it. "Aven," she sighed, her throat raw and pained from the whining, now. "I traumatized you and thought nothing of it. Holly, I never let you work for my trust. Cara, I lumped you in with your sisters."

"Holly…" She hated the memory that stood out to her amongst the hazy recollections of her recent past. A light wing, coated in waste, falling back into the waste pit, a glint of red at her throat as she narrowly avoided death at the claws of her tormentor. Holding claws to Aven's throat afterward was like an afterthought, even if it was objectively horrific. "I tortured you, tried to kill you and Aven, and for what?"

She choked out a half-sob, half-laugh, and coughed miserably. "Because you jumped on a rock!" That was all, just a stupid token show of defiance! Masterfully planned or not, that was what had warranted the most horrendous thing she had ever done.

"So stupid, so cruel," she whispered. "And then to top it all off, I pushed Beryl away. He was only trying to help, and I already did not deserve it in the slightest." She had almost forgotten trying to convince his little brother to go on a suicidally dangerous mission; that was only not a horrible tragedy because Beryl or someone else in his family had stopped him in time; he had been thinking about it.

"Sorry to you too, Thaw," she whispered to the empty cave around her. "And you Ember, and Pearl, and all the dark wings… Sorry."

"Sorry, _everyone_ ," she said so quietly that someone crouching by her head wouldn't have heard her clearly. She was so _tired_ , so _miserable…_ "I was a horrible alpha. I got people killed… I ruined lives."

"I'm so, so sorry," she whined, just as a general conclusion. "You're better off without me. And I don't know what to do now. I wish I did. I wish someone would help me figure it out. But I don't deserve help."

If someone was going to announce their presence and help her in any way, that would have been the moment. If she was unwittingly playing on some unseen spectator, cynically pulling on their heartstrings, this would have been the time. Right after she finished whining out all the reasons she didn't deserve it, slumped sadly in the mud and rain.

But she knew nobody would come; this wasn't a ploy to gain sympathy. She was alone, like she would be forever. Nobody heard, nobody knew that she was sorry. Nobody cared; they had put her out of their lives and out of their minds.

Maybe it was better that way. If she couldn't lead them, if she couldn't help them, at least her memory might not hurt them so badly, if they forgot her. Even if the idea of being forgotten tore her up inside.

Water splattered on her wings, her back, her head. The mud was chilly, uncomfortable, sticky. She was tired, growing hungry, and would be thirsty for more than the occasional droplet of water soon.

She languished in the mud anyway. There was no point in getting up that very moment. Eventually, her body would drive her to move, to keep moving, because she never stopped, it wasn't in her nature… but for now, her regrets were enough to pin her down and keep her there.

O-O-O-O-O

A short breeze hit her back some time later.

Four squelches of mud being squished underpaw nearby let her know where he had landed.

"You'll get sick if you stay here," he said quietly, standing just out of reach.

The only feeling she could muster was one of cold, sad indignation.

"You weren't supposed to hear," she found herself mumbling.

"I know," he replied.

"I don't know what to do now," she added. She was so cold… She was probably dreaming his presence. She would have said she was not one to fantasize, but just this once, she would clutch this comforting fantasy with both paws. Metaphorically; she didn't feel like moving.

"You didn't want my help," he replied. There was nothing in his voice, no inflection to let her know if he was mad, or relieved, or… anything. She didn't know why he had followed her out here, why he had left her alone, why he was showing himself now.

She didn't have it in her to ask about that. Not yet. Not when he might just disappear again, leaving her alone as she so rightly deserved.

"It's not going to be like before," he warned. "I did not come out here chasing a lover."

"I know." She didn't deserve that, either.

There was a silence between them, one that would have been awkward if Lily cared enough to feel anything except a dull regret.

Rain dripped from her face in tiny intermittent streams.

Somewhere in the distance, a mushroom fell off a stalagmite.

"Come on," Beryl said, "Let's get you somewhere warm."


	76. Apathetic

Lily trudged along behind Beryl with heavy limbs, a heavier heart, and absolutely no desire to ask where he was leading her. She didn't know why he had come back to her, she didn't know whether she deserved it, and she didn't know what was going to happen next. All she knew was that he had something in mind, and she didn't, so following him couldn't hurt. Or if it did hurt, she deserved it anyway.

Such was her attitude when Beryl finally led her to a hole in the wall, a little hollow shielded from the flowing water; dry, but otherwise unremarkable. It was barely big enough for both of them, with just enough extra space that they would not be rubbing against each other every time one of them moved.

It smelled of him, and she suspected he had been there before. Not that she particularly cared; it was dry, but her muddy body was quickly changing that. It was just somewhere to be that wasn't out there.

Her thoughts wandered, bleak and worthless. She would have tried to go to sleep, just to get away from everything, but it wouldn't work, which was depressing in its own right.

Beryl busied himself wiping his paws off one one of the stalagmites nearest his little hole in the wall, out in the rain. The water running over him glinted in the dull light of the few crystals around. His scales all but glowed under the water and reflected light, making him look even more purely black than he actually was, simply by contrast, the suggestion that only the water and the colored light lent any color to his body…

He finished cleaning himself off and looked to her. To her muddy, miserable self slumped in his formerly clean cave.

There was no comment on her state, or attempt to urge her to clean herself. There was also no sigh of disgust, or frustration, or any of the other negative feelings she suspected he harbored for her now. Instead, he joined her in the cave, his side to the opposite wall to avoid touching her, and sat down.

He stared at her; she refused to meet his gaze. He had come back for her at the lowest point in her farce of a journey, for reasons that weren't clear to her at all. In a perfect world, that he had come back at all should have been a ray of hope lighting her otherwise miserable existence, but that wasn't at all how she actually felt. He was here, he wasn't giving up on her… but that wasn't exactly relevant to why she felt so horrible.

Suffice to say, or not say as the case was, she didn't much feel like talking. He seemed to understand that; it was just another thing he was tolerating for his own reasons.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that her mood was coloring her every impression of him, but that didn't mean she was _wrong_ to be pessimistic.

"I know I have not been asking recently," Beryl murmured, "but do you want to sleep right now?"

The offer wasn't unexpected, and she knew what her answer was. She nodded miserably. Maybe there were things that needed to be said, maybe she was postponing more disappointment and heartbreak, but she just couldn't handle anything more right now. Sleep would be a relief.

He leaned over, a paw out, and gently scraped some mud off the side of her neck. She tilted her head to make it easier for him, and his paw found the pressure point, which twinged sorely as he pressed it.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily woke feeling no less miserable, but at least more energetic about it, as contradictory as that would have seemed were she to try and explain it. Beryl was still there in the cave with her, she was still covered in mud, dry and flaking now…

She was still out in the middle of nowhere, unable to fend for herself, with no hope of ever getting back to her pack, to her rightful place. To the only people and place she had ever known. No, she was no less miserable than she had been before sleeping.

Beryl had been staring out at the rainy cavern, his eyes open but glazed over in the way of someone who had been looking at something for far too long without moving, but he noticed her shifting and blinked heavily, turning to look at her.

"I still don't know what to do now," she said quietly, echoing her half-coherent response to him showing up out of nowhere after her breakdown.

"That makes two of us," he replied. "I followed you all this way because you needed help."

She had suspected as much; he certainly hadn't followed her because he wanted an adventure.

"I didn't like how they were talking about you back in the valley," he continued after he realized she didn't have anything else to say. "Some of it was justified, but the understandable reactions were mixed with all of this _fear_ and talk of the last alpha and Cara's ranting and the worry for Holly…" He exhaled loudly. "It wasn't right, but it wasn't something anyone did on purpose. Just… an understandable overreaction. Exiling you when you obviously needed help, not just punishment."

She didn't know if it was all as aimless and blameless as he made it sound, but in the end, it didn't matter. He was talking about his motivations, not about her former pack.

"Honey took me aside and told me about you asking to be put to sleep," he continued in a low voice. "She said she'd told Cara and Aven, but it didn't seem to her that they were doing anything with the knowledge, and that I was your friend…"

He seemed to pause there, as if deciding whether he should finish what he had said.

"And because I would not be so afraid of you, having never seen Claw at his worst," he concluded bitterly. "Because I would not hold it against you. It's why she didn't go to Crystal. Hearing it said like that, more than anything, made me sure something needed to be done."

Lily thought that maybe she deserved to be compared to Claw, and that Honey was very insightful for thinking about that in choosing who she told something said in confidence, but she said nothing about any of it.

"I tried to get them to not exile you, like I said when we spoke after their visit, but it didn't happen the way I wanted," he continued, filling the near-silence with his sonorous voice. "So I decided I would go with you for a while, to help you sleep and make sure the exile wasn't a cruel death sentence given out of fear. I had to promise Ember I was coming back, and that I would not follow you if you turned out to be completely insane with no hope of recovering, but he thought that you not sleeping made it more of an illness than anything, so he was sympathetic."

"Especially," he added in a quieter tone, "since he needed the same sort of intervention at one point in his own life. I probably never told you this, or maybe I did but I'm forgetting, but he has had… issues. Times when he would have died, or gotten himself killed, if someone hadn't been there to help him hold together. They are gone and over with now, but back then…"

She didn't remember hearing anything of the sort, but maybe he had told her. Maybe Pearl had. It would have gone into her assessment of Ember as a threat and not been thought about except within that context. She had a bad habit of doing that with information she didn't consider important, hearing, thinking about it, and then mostly forgetting. More often, as of late, but even back when she had no sleeping problems to hamstring her thought processes.

"So I said I thought you needed someone to help you recover, to help you move on, and he approved of me trying," Beryl continued. "After making sure I had the right motivations, that is. I might have had to tell him about… us… so he understood why I thought I was the best one to do it."

Lily couldn't muster more than a faint annoyance at having their secret divulged to Beryl's Sire; maybe a bit of embarrassment, if it wasn't over and done with anyway.

"But after that long and at times thoroughly uncomfortable talk, he said he supported my decision to come out and help you, so long as I knew when to leave, and didn't spend _too_ long down here." Beryl shrugged his wing shoulders. "After what happened, my family is looking at going back to the surface soon. There are some complications to work out…"

Storm and Root came to mind, as well as Silva, Lightning, Thunder, and Crystal. Lily wondered how the dark wings were going to resolve those issues… And how long it would take, if that was the time limit Beryl was working with.

"They're not too worried about leaving me behind, though," Beryl continued. "If they do, Spark or someone will stick around until I come back, and we all know where home is from here… even if it's a long way away. So I am not going to just randomly disappear one day because I have been out here too long." It seemed he had either noticed or guessed at her discomfort with the idea of him having some hidden deadline.

She made a small noise of relief, to indicate she had indeed been worried about that, without actually speaking and opening herself to more than this one-sided conversation. Listening to Beryl talk was soothing, and he hadn't finished his recounting of events yet… Hearing about his side of things made her feel like everything might be okay in the end. He had plans and intentions and wasn't mired in personal regrets.

"So I said my goodbyes, temporarily at least, and came in to give you the verdict before Cara or Aven could think to send someone else to tell you," he said. "The idea was to help you sleep, put some distance between us and the pack, and just… help you. What form that took would be up to you, and whether sleeping brought you back to a stable state of mind, and how everything played out. It was more of a goal than a plan."

Lily whined sadly, recalling how she had reacted to that. Maybe if he had put it this way back then, she would have listened… but probably not. His plan, at its core, centered around her giving up. She hadn't been capable of that back then.

"Yeah, you weren't happy with it," he rumbled. "After you stalked off on your own… I didn't want to get into more arguments and make you any angrier, so I just followed along and put you to sleep as regularly as I could manage. It was a challenge, keeping ahead of you without losing you, staying behind whenever I couldn't be sure where you would go next, sneaking around…"

She made an inquiring sound, a little churr that would have been accompanied by a tilt of the head if she didn't dislike the feeling of dried mud flaking off whenever she moved.

"You're observant, even when you're mad, and there weren't many places to hide," he elaborated. "When you were in tunnels, I was either far ahead or far behind. There was a lot of waiting and listening to be sure I wouldn't catch up to you or be caught up to. Then there was the actual sneaking up on you… It's a good thing I've spent so much time play-hunting light wing fledglings at home, and here. I don't know how else I would have followed while at least _trying_ to leave you alone, like you wanted."

Like she wanted. Except she hadn't wanted to be left alone, she had wanted him with her in body _and_ mind, working toward her goals… Helping reassure her that her plans were valid, that she would figure it out somehow. She didn't know whether him humoring her plans to retake the valley would have been helpful or damning, in the end; it hadn't taken her long to break down without his assistance, but she might have kept the delusion alive a lot longer. Until something or someone popped her bubble and let her come crashing down to reality.

She shuddered, growling at the unpleasant feeling of mud cracking and moving all over her body. "Not now," she said, her voice raspy.

"Now?" He was still staring at her, and their eyes met as she looked up. "What now, Lily?" he asked.

"I…" She looked at her mud-caked paws as she thought about that deceptively simple question. "I don't know. Just… not this." Not sitting here, feeling miserable, worrying about whether her only remaining friend was going to decide she was a lost cause and disappear.

"Not this," he agreed. "I was thinking we would go exploring. Just wander around, see where these tunnels take us. Find somewhere nicer than this."

"That's not _doing_ anything," she moaned, her voice cracking with muddled frustration and despair, neither of which was directed at him. She wanted… she still wanted to go back to the pack, if she was honest with herself. Even now that she knew it wouldn't turn out well no matter what she did. Barring that, she didn't know what she wanted to do. Where to go.

"It's keeping you occupied until you can think of something else," he said gently. "Putting some distance between you and the past. Travelling together was enjoyable before, wasn't it?"

Memories flew through her mind, walking with him, sleeping with him, mating with him.

"This can be… tolerable." He winced. "Even though it won't be exactly like before..."

"I know," she sighed, guessing that their thoughts had gone to the same place. "I messed up." They weren't _together_ , not now. There hadn't been a specific point in time she could point to and identify as the moment they weren't lovers, or secret mates, or whatever she would have called it. It just… stopped being a thing sometime during her spiral into madness, and recovering some semblance of sanity hadn't automatically fixed it.

Especially as he probably wasn't sure whether she was entirely sane now. _She_ wasn't sure. That didn't mean she liked losing her relationship with him, too.

"For now, let's just… take a step back." He used the claws on one paw to scratch a patch of dirt off the top of his other paw. "We are going exploring. As equals, as friends…"

"As caretaker and cripple," she said bitterly.

"That too," he sighed. "If you must put it like that."

At least he hadn't tried to reassure her with empty words that such wasn't the case. "Okay," she huffed, pushing her anger away. It was easy; compared to the yawning void of despair and purposelessness that came to mind every time she thought about the future, being annoyed that she wasn't self-sufficient was nothing.

"Okay what?" he asked.

"Okay, everything." The alternative was sitting around here, starving to death because while there was plenty of water, she had yet to see anything edible. "We'll go exploring." And she would try her best to not think about the horrible waste her life had become, or the way everyone she loved was either afraid of her or here, waiting to see if she could be salvaged-

"Then you should probably go clean yourself off," he advised. "I'll go scout out a likely tunnel for us to explore."

She recognized that he was trying to make her feel better by distracting her… and knowing what he was doing didn't make it any less effective. Having something to look forward to, even if it was just the promise of the immediate future being more like their time in the forest instead of the last few days, made her feel slightly better.

She stood, ignoring the annoying ache in her back and _more_ annoying itch all over her body, and ventured out into the endless rain. She didn't know where she was going long-term, but for the moment she had a goal. A small, achievable goal that didn't immediately remind her of anything.

It was a small improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.

O-O-O-O-O

After laboriously cleaning herself, Lily drank as much as she could manage and returned to Beryl's little cave to wait for the dark wing himself to return. He had disappeared among the stalagmite-mushroom-trees, and she was fairly certain he had walked just out of sight before flying away to more efficiently check for alternative paths. Going out to find him would be a foolish mistake.

She didn't like being alone, not even with the promise of his return. Sitting around with nothing to do but think gave her time, too much of it. Thankfully, he wasn't gone long; she didn't have time to properly sink into another funk of depressing thoughts.

"I found three ways we could go," he began as he led her out along the wall of the cavern, winding around the more obtrusive stalagmites and stepping over piles of fallen mushroom while avoiding the deeper mud pits. "They all look the same, so do you like high, low, or narrow and tall?"

"Narrow and tall," she chose at random. Low ceilings made her antsy, though there was no real reason for it, as she couldn't fly anyway. Low ceilings were probably safer for her, strictly speaking, as they deprived her enemies of an advantage she couldn't have. Though that didn't apply with Beryl around.

"Sounds good, and it's the closest one," Beryl remarked. His tail swayed energetically as he leaned to the side to avoid a veritable stream of water pouring off a conveniently-shaped mushroom. "Try not to drink that, who knows what these mushrooms produce only to have it washed off."

"Mushrooms can have a wide variety of effects," Lily said in a low voice. She remembered Pyre lecturing her on mushrooms, early on in his demonstrations of edible plants. "Some are good food, others are poisonous. Some are lethal, some drive light wings mad, temporarily or permanently, and others still do nothing at all. Never eat, drink, lick, flame, or breathe near a mushroom you don't already know."

"Smart," Beryl remarked.

Lily hadn't really meant for him to hear her. "Pyre taught me," she said sadly. Pyre… He would be so deeply disappointed in her, if he could see her now. For once, it wasn't _old_ guilt that made his memory so painful, it was new guilt.

She was stupid to think following Beryl around would make her feel better. She was still doing the exact same thing, just with him leading her instead of shadowing her from afar. Still going nowhere, walking toward nothing of any value, away from the only thing that she had ever even _tried_ to change for the better.

Beryl's tail met her face as he stopped and she didn't, walking right into the pointed tip and getting a face of tailfin in the proces. She backed away on instinct, snorting to avoid a startled sneeze.

Beryl looked back at her with narrowed eyes. "I'm making this up as I go, mostly," he said, "but I'm pretty sure I don't want you moping while we walk. That's dangerous." He gestured with his mud-coated front paw at something in front of them, then stomped down–

Lily eyed the innocent-looking stretch of mud that Beryl had just sunk his paw in without any resistance at all.

"If I wasn't in front, you would have walked right into this," he said, carefully testing the ground to either side of the place that had almost been an unexpected mud bath… or, perhaps, an unexpected grave.

She mirrored his movements, keeping well behind him and patting each potential pitfall before putting any weight there. The many mud patches that littered the rainy cavern now seemed much more suspicious, even though she knew from experience that the vast majority weren't deep enough to be dangerous.

"I need to keep in mind that you're walking everywhere," she heard him muttering to himself as they cleared the treacherous span of mud. He was sticking much closer to the bases of the stalagmites now, likely working under the logic that the stone had to be coming up from somewhere, and thus indicated safer places to walk. "Totally missed this by flying over… Then there were those spider-crabs…" He shuddered.

Lily shuddered too, as she thought of what he likely meant by spider-crabs. She had no desire to repeat _that_ experience, but it might happen. Neither of them knew what they would find.

The narrow and tall passage, to use Beryl's description for what was in reality just a jagged hole in the wall, was not far from the mud pit. Lily stopped and took the time to wipe her paws off once they were on solid ground, thankful that wherever they were going, it probably wouldn't have as much mud or never-ending rain. Or so she hoped.

"Now, onward to the unknown and hopefully food," Beryl announced as they ventured into the passage, single-file. "Lily, what do you think we'll find?"

She recognized another attempt at distraction, but decided it was worth biting on, just in case it worked. Talking was better than silence, so long as she was trying to avoid thinking too deeply about anything in particular. "A cave made entirely of crystals," she guessed. "Since that is something we have not seen yet, but seems possible." There had been an entire wall composed of crystals back in the cavern…

"Maybe we'll see something like that," Beryl agreed. "Anything is possible." He said it firmly, leaving no room for doubt, and Lily heard the hidden message. Or maybe she thought she did, but he hadn't meant anything other than the obvious.

Anything was possible. If only it was true. It certainly wasn't true for her.

O-O-O-O-O

It was easy to forget, in her journeys that had been punctuated fairly regularly by new and unexpected sights, just how _large_ the underground world could be.

The tunnel, at first narrow and tall but later evening out to something only just large enough for two light wings if one was riding on the other, went on without end, flat and featureless, studded by the occasional crystal but otherwise shrouded in complete darkness. They walked until they were tired, stopped, rested, and continued walking several times over, each set of three rest breaks punctuated by Beryl putting her to sleep, and then later waking her to watch over his own rest.

All without food or water, because there was none. There was a lot of simple talk in the beginning, the first day, but once thirst and hunger really began setting in, that died off.

Lily found herself spending days on end with no company except her thoughts and the familiar sight of Beryl's hindquarters. Any and all attempts to distract herself eventually wound around to the many, many things she was trying not to think about. Even staring at Beryl's behind made her think about them being together, and then inevitably about how they weren't anymore, and how it was her fault.

She did not get better during those long, depressing days of walking. She didn't get _worse_ , either, which she mostly attributed to getting sleep regularly, regardless of her mental state. Mostly, she existed, unhappy but somewhat content to follow Beryl.

There was no talk of turning around, not yet. Lily didn't bring it up, and neither did Beryl, either because he had faith they would find something, or because he just didn't want to turn back. She thought the former was likely enough; if something or someone had made this tunnel, which would make sense as it was straight and regular past the jagged entrance, the maker needed some way to live through the process of making. That had to put a hard limit on how far out into the endless rock the tunnel could go without leading to some source of sustenance.

Another night – she had decided she was going to call the times she slept nights, regardless of whether they were or not – was spent in the tunnel, the third in total; Lily slept well in the way that being put to sleep always seemed to induce, but when she woke she knew she was dehydrated. Her mouth felt dry and ashy, and her own breath aggravated her throat.

"Nothing for it but to keep going," Beryl coughed, and they were on their way. Already, travel with him was quickly falling into routine. Walk until they needed to stop, rest at every change in the scenery, and then keep going until they both decided it was time to sleep. There really wasn't much else to do, apart from occasionally talking when the boredom outweighed the awkwardness.

By what Lily might have guessed was midday, they reached a change, an interruption in the endless trek. There was a branch in the path. The tunnel abruptly split in two directions, one heading almost straight up, and the other going into what looked like a downward spiral.

Beryl took a few exploratory steps into the downward-spiraling tunnel, but Lily stopped at the intersection, momentarily at a loss. The upward tunnel looked climbable, though it was too wide to brace herself with her wings like the last one. It wasn't as steep, which might make up the difference. The downward tunnel gave her a bad feeling, though there was no logical reason for it.

"Neither of these paths look appealing," Beryl said with a dry rasp, turning back and going a short distance into the other to look around.

"Up is hard to go through, but at least it does lead upward," Lily reasoned. "Down is easy to go through, and looks to not be that hard to return from." The spiral was much less steep than the upward path. "But we were warned against delving too deep…" It was impossible to say how deep was too deep, and they had no way of knowing how far down the tunnel would go before leveling off…

"And both are only somewhat lit," Beryl observed. "I say go down."

"We may as well," she agreed. Then something occurred to her, prompted by the constant tickle at the back of her throat. "At what point do we have to turn back and go for the rainy cavern?" There might be water where they were going, but there might not.

"Can you keep up the pace for another two days without water?" Beryl asked worriedly. "I think we passed that point this morning."

He was not wrong; Lily didn't like her chances of making it all the way back before dehydration took its toll, and once that happened there was no way of knowing how much further they could go. "Then we had better not waste time." She looked to him to be sure he was in agreement about their choice.

"It is silly to fear going deeper, since we are already deep," he declared. "Down it is."

The downward tunnel, to Lily's mind, was most definitely not natural. It was almost a perfect spiral, never changing from the pattern it set. It was just like the last strange, patterned set of tunnels they had found while journeying with the entire pack, so similar the same creatures might have made it. That implied the creators had a purpose in mind...

Though that didn't necessarily mean they were going the right way. For all she knew, the tunnel had been made to go up, not down, and there was nothing of interest the way they were going.

"Hear that?" Beryl remarked some time into their latest descent. "Or am I just hearing what I want to hear?" The faintest whisper of trickling water filled the silence after he spoke, almost inaudible.

Lily tilted her head as she walked, trying to determine where the water was in relation to them. It was possible they were hearing it through the wall, not up ahead. Wherever it was, they were definitely getting closer by moving down the tunnel. "I hear it too," she said.

Down in circles they went, moving faster and faster as the sound grew closer. Then Beryl, who had been in front, abruptly stopped, looking down at his paws. "There it is… but how do we get to it without falling in?"

Lily walked up beside him – she ignored the feeling of his scales on hers, it was a tight tunnel and she needed to get past him to see somehow – and saw that their path ended rather abruptly in an opening to a massive space, one of blunt stalagmites and water far below. The stalagmites were below them, pointing menacingly upward in their general direction, because this particular tunnel terminated in the ceiling of the cavern. The water flowed between each of the huge stalagmites, winding its way among a veritable maze of the tall, spiky stone protrusions.

"So much water, so far away," she sighed, hiding her concern. There was no way for her to get down; depending on her luck, jumping would end with her impaled on a stalagmite, dead from falling, or if the water was deep enough, dead from drowning.

"For you. I can fly down…" Beryl looked over at her. "I will bring water back up." He jumped down into the massive open space and quickly descended, twisting around to land on one of the few normal boulders interspersed among the pointy stalagmites.

Lily watched enviously as he pawed at the water and then drank deeply. She could practically feel the cold water flowing down her throat, but was unable to fly down and make that dream reality.

Then Lily saw him take one final, huge gulp before carefully flying back up to her and the tunnel exit. She hadn't thought about how he would bring her water until that very moment, but it seemed he'd figured it out. She backed up so he would have room to land.

He powered up through the vertical opening, almost smacked his head against the low roof, and landed in front of her, staring expectantly.

After a moment of confusion, she realized that she had to drink from him directly in some fashion; the entire tunnel was a perfect downward slope, so there were no natural depressions for water to pool into. If he spit it all out somewhere, it would just fall back down into the cavern and river below.

This was going to be awkward, but she was too thirsty to care. She considered the practical side of the problem for a moment before simply opening her mouth as wide as it would go.

Beryl got the idea and quickly spit out the large amount of water he had brought up, getting most of it to her. The rest hit her paws and the ground, but it was enough for the moment. She swallowed after wetting her mouth, and purred thankfully. "Good for now. How do we get me down there?"

"I've been thinking about that. I don't think we should go down there." He pointed with his tail to the large open space. "So far, we have always been able to retrace our steps. This is a point of no return for you, because one has to be able to fly to go back up like I just did." His tail traced a path from the water to where they were now, pointing out the complete lack of anything to climb on.

"Not smart," she conceded. If the river led nowhere in both directions, she could end up trapped down there. All of the alternative paths were on _this_ side of the drop.

"I think I'll make as many trips as you need for water and catch some fish if there are any," Beryl offered. "Then we should go back up and try the upward path."

Lily nodded, silently signalling her complete agreement. His plan was the best path for them to take. "I will not need _much_ more water-"

"You'll need far more than what I brought this time," Beryl countered seriously. "We need to drink as much as we can. Really, we should also sleep here and drink our fill again before leaving."

Again, she could not argue. "You are right." She just wished she could fend for herself here. It was too bad she couldn't fly, that would make everything so much simpler. She had given that up long ago, though. A loss, a sacrifice for a pack that no longer needed her. She hadn't chosen to be hurt by Claw, but she had chosen not to try and fix it.

To cut her scar open and spread her wings, come what may… Something nagged at her about that, a half-forgotten thought, but she dismissed it. Flight wasn't an option, it never had been and probably never would be. She had to work with what she had… and what she had was Beryl, at least for now. Nobody else, _nothing_ else. Him, and some hope for the future to be less bleak.

O-O-O-O-O

Lily shuffled her paws around, trying to find a position that would not make her feel like she was on the brink of falling. She couldn't sleep on her own, but her mostly unspoken arrangement with Beryl was that he would only put her to sleep after she had given it a try by settling down and closing her eyes for a while.

"Can't get comfortable?" Beryl asked from further down. He was closer to the hole that led to the river, and thus below her.

"No, not at all," she grumbled. It was definitely the slope bothering her. She could either lie with her tail falling back behind her, or facing the way she knew led to a deadly fall. Sleeping perpendicular to the slope of the tunnel was a terrible idea; the slightest shift in her sleep might send her rolling, a real danger with this particular tunnel. No matter which way she turned, she was either in danger, or uncomfortable… Or both.

It was colder, too, which was an oddity Lily could not explain. She didn't know how temperature worked in these endless caves, except that it was usually tolerably warm. Being cold in this underground realm was a new experience, and not a particularly pleasant one.

It didn't help that she was pretty sure that, if circumstances were different, one of them would suggest they sleep together in some way. They could probably come up with a way to balance on each other if they tried. But things were not different, Beryl would not tolerate that.

Or, he _might_ , but it would be awkward. Lily hated how much of a step back they had taken, but it was her own doing and her own fault. She could hardly blame him for her actions.

"Lily?" Beryl said.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do you miss the sun?" he asked in reply.

She didn't know where _that_ question had come from, but at least it was one she could answer without any potential awkwardness. "Sometimes," she said. "I'm still not used to not having it, if that is what you mean." Eventually, she would have to grow accustomed to the lack; others lived down here their entire lives, as far as she knew. "Do you?"

"This isn't the first time I've lived in a place where the sun couldn't be seen," he admitted. "I suppose I must be used to not having it. But I do miss it."

"Where was this?" she asked, intrigued.

"That is a long story," he huffed. "And not a happy one, even if its ending is."

"Then forget I asked," she conceded. She didn't want to go digging up bad memories for him, that was-

"No, I think I'll tell you," he rumbled. "The short version. I ran afoul of a nest with a massive, mind-controlling dragon in charge, much like the guardian but different in form and without even a pretense at morals. Weaker, maybe, or just lazy, she settled for _just_ controlling all who entered her domain, making them… us… her servants and keeping us there to go out and take food for her."

She wasn't sure how this connected to living in a place without sun, but she was sure he would get to that sooner or later. "Were you stuck there for long?" she asked, assuming the answer was probably no.

"Season-cycles," he said grimly. "Spark was lost, Flint was dead, Ember was dead but not entirely. Nobody came for me, and I could not break free on my own. We raided islands far and wide, attacking the No-scaled-not-prey to steal the prey they cultivated, to feed her."

"I see…" That sounded like a nightmare, especially to her. The guardian had rubbed her the wrong way, and at least she probably had some semblance of good intentions, and restraint. To be trapped under one with neither of those things, forced to fight for her, forced to _die_ for her...

"It was luck that got me out, in the end," Beryl continued. "I was struck out of the sky by a No-scaled-not-prey trick, one like those Grimmel's ships used. The No-scaled-not-prey we raided didn't have any of those back then, so it was a total surprise. Something about the shock, or being shot down, or being all but dead in enemy territory made her give up on me, so I was free. Grounded, trapped in a sinkhole, in constant danger of discovery, but free."

He slapped his tail against the ground, and Lily found her eyes drawn to the strange lack of scars on one fin. She had never gotten an explanation for that, mostly because she had never asked, but now? Hearing that he had been grounded by force and bad luck, knowing about one specific part of his body that seemed less _worn_ than the rest? One that could, if tampered with, probably hinder or entirely stymie any attempts to fly?

"Your tailfin," she guessed.

He let out a short, surprised bark. "What? Who told you?"

"I figured it out," she retorted. "It grew back, didn't it?" Like how skin and scales would usually come back to cover most wounds, unless they were too severe. Like hers. She didn't think _wings_ regrew, if they did then Pyre wouldn't have been grounded, but something smaller seemed reasonable. Especially as Pearl had maimed Claw in the same way and promised that his tailfin would grow back eventually, that dubious claim adding weight to Lily's theory.

"I should know by now not to be surprised when you do this sort of thing," Beryl said wryly. "Yes, both to me losing it, and to it eventually growing back. Though that took a long while, many moon-cycles."

Lily decided that it wouldn't be helpful to mention that she considered many moon-cycles a _quick_ recovery from grounding. That would make her sound bitter… Which she would be, if she dwelled on it for too long.

"You were grounded, stuck in enemy territory, but free for the moment," she reminded him. "Did they come find you, since they shot you down?"

"Yes, but I'm leaving out a part," he admitted. "I was shot down, tangled up. One scrawny No-scaled-not-prey came and found me, postured a bit, then cut me free. I didn't kill him…" He shook his head. "Why does telling this story feel so… flat? Pointless?"

"It's not pointless, _I_ am on the edge of my perch," Lily said reassuringly. "You never told me any of this." And that was quite the feat, given they had spent moon-cycles alone together, swapping stories and talking aimlessly. He had to have been intentionally avoiding this particular part of his life, for her to never have heard of it.

"Well, maybe just because everyone else I know has heard it," he grumbled. "Where was I?"

"You didn't kill the No-scaled-not-prey who came for you and then decided to let you go," Lily said promptly.

"Yes, I just pounced and roared a bit, then tried to fly away and crashed right into an inescapable sinkhole," Beryl muttered. "Which is embarrassing to admit, now. I could have had the run of the island if I had gone in a different direction."

Lily held in a snort; it wasn't _funny_ , imagining Beryl getting free of a trap just to leap headfirst into another one by accident, but it was ironic. She felt she _could_ laugh at it, given he was here now, and thus had obviously made it out.

"The No-scaled-not-prey came back to my domain, alone, bearing food," Beryl recounted nostalgically. "We made up, he was interesting and I was willing to take a chance. We became fast friends, and he used that No-scaled-not-prey trickery of his to make a false tailfin in place of my real one."

Lily stood, walked over to Beryl, and stared in fascination at his unscarred tailfin. "But it looks so _real_ ," she murmured, only holding back from touching it because things between them weren't right, and he might not want her to. Even looking at it now-

"That's not it," Beryl snorted. "I told you, it grew back."

"Oh. Right." She stepped away, her ears burning with embarrassment. She _had_ known that, but given all of the things she had seen No-scaled-not-prey were capable of, she had heard 'made a new tailfin' and immediately assumed that it had played some role in the fin he had now, like new flesh growing over a scab… It was a stupid assumption, and she resolved to never tell him about that particular line of thought.

"The false tailfin wasn't nearly as good, anyway," Beryl continued, taking mercy on her by not dragging out his amusement over her misunderstanding. "But it was enough to get us into the air, and he was a natural at making it work. We spent a few moon-cycles like that, but then things went wrong, and I had to jump into the middle of his nest to save his life from something stupid, and _then_ the other No-scaled-not-prey got the brilliant idea to use me as a guide to find the nest with the mountain-sized dragon, so they could poke her with sticks."

"Is that actually how it happened?" Lily asked.

"Close enough, unless you want to be here all night talking about the specific stupidities of No-scaled-not-prey relying on an enemy to take them into enemy territory to fight enemies they can't beat even on their own territory," Beryl snorted. "They were desperate, but it was still stupid."

"Some other time, but I do want to hear about that," Lily said firmly. Now that they had water, they could afford to talk freely as they walked. Lengthy discussion about No-scaled-not-prey stupidity sounded like a _great_ topic.

"Some other time," Beryl agreed. "Suffice to say, they had me tied up, and used me to find the nest. They knocked on the volcano with a few rocks, _she_ came bursting out because she was so fat she had to break her nest just to leave, and they were utterly doomed. Me too, because I was trapped on a ship with no way off, but they didn't care about that."

"Where was the No-scaled-not-prey you made friends with during all of this?" she asked.

"I was getting to that," Beryl rumbled. "He was left behind, because of course they didn't trust him, so he gathered up a bunch of the others who were left behind, made friends with some of the dragons they kept captive on their island, and flew out to the nest. Once they were there, he came to save me, and the others attacked _her_ to keep her occupied. She was stupid too, so she just fought them instead of doing anything sneaky with her mind, and when my No-scaled-not-prey friend got me back into the air, it was all but over. We tricked her into flying, took her up high, and shot her wings out."

Lily winced. Putting holes in someone's wings sounded eerily close to what was done to Pyre, even if it was infinitely more justified.

"Sorry," Beryl murmured, seeing her reaction. "I hadn't thought about the similarities… It wasn't quite the same thing."

"It's fine," she huffed, waving a paw impatiently. As she spoke, she forced herself to not think about Pyre's injuries. He was right, this wasn't the same. "And then?"

"Then? She crashed and exploded, I crashed because I couldn't get away in time. My friend was hurt, but the other No-scaled-not-prey were grateful, and the No-scaled-not-prey my friend had taught about us made sure there wasn't any more fighting. He recovered, their island is still, as far as I know, a haven for dragons and No-scaled-not-prey to live in harmony… Everything was good. For a while."

"And your friend, the No-scaled-not-prey one?" she asked. "What of him?"

He gave her an expectant look. "I don't think that will be very hard for you to figure out, given all you know."

Again, the answer was right there, waiting for her to grasp it. It was a matter of lack of options, more than any particular cleverness on her part; she only knew of one friendly No-scaled-not-prey outside of the story he had just told. "Ember?"

"Right again," he purred. "That was another thing entirely… I think I told you about it?"

"I know the basics," she confirmed. "That was quite the story. But…"

"But what?" he asked, tilting his head.

"But where in that story did you live somewhere without the sun?" she asked. "You never said." That was the reason he had started telling it, but he'd never actually gotten back around to it.

"Oh, right," he snorted. "The nest was a volcano, and volcanoes produce ash when massive fat-bottomed dragons live in them. It was always cloudy, without end, and we weren't allowed to go above the clouds unless we were going out on her orders, which was always at night. Thus, no sun."

"Right…" She looked up at the low tunnel ceiling above their heads. "Pretty much the same thing," she murmured. She was about as capable of going up to the open air as he had been back then. The only difference was that she was physically incapable of flying through solid stone, whereas he had been mentally incapable of disobeying the one in charge.

"Yes," he agreed. There was a brief silence before he continued to speak. "If you would like to tell me a story you don't usually talk about, you could. Before we go to sleep."

She stared at him, trying to piece together why he had offered that. He had told a story he said made him uncomfortable, and now he was asking her to do the same…

"Was this all a ploy to get me to open up about my feelings?" she asked incredulously.

"How do you feel about that?" he responded neutrally.

They engaged in an unspoken staring match, of sorts. He sat serenely, waiting for her to respond, and she glared into his eyes as she struggled to figure out whether she was offended at being so blatantly manipulated, depressed by the mere thought of diving back into all the things she was trying to ignore, or touched that he had opened up to her to try and help her. It was heavy-pawed and awkward, not at all how she would have done it were she in his place…

But maybe how he did it didn't matter, so long as she cooperated, and she had resolved to listen to him and try his way of doing things, of coping. "Not something recent?" she requested.

"Not tonight," he conceded. "But something?"

"Yes… Ivy." She settled on a short, only mildly bothersome story to tell him, so that she could cooperate without digging too deeply into her own issues. Putting a paw in the shallows, so to speak. "Did you know, he wanted to kill me? The night Claw died, I asked to be alone in the forest, like an idiot. I thought since Claw was dead, I was finally safe. Ivy had disappeared during the fight, nobody knew where he was… I was stupid."

"What did he do?" Beryl asked.

"Knocked me around and pushed my back against a tree," she admitted sourly. "He wanted a secret from me, the one about the egg-preventing bush, and he said he was going to kill me as soon as I told him. He was rubbing my back on the tree, making it hurt until I gave in…"

Beryl snarled at nothing and nobody. "Go on," he said afterward.

"I let him think he had won, and tricked him into eating so much of the bush that it killed him," she whispered. It occurred to her that Beryl might ask how she had known that would work, the answer to which led directly to a _real_ secret, one _nobody_ knew. One she wasn't prepared to share; it was too intimate, too personal.

"And he died," Beryl concluded, mercifully not thinking to ask the obvious question. Or just avoiding it, to avoid pushing her too far.

"I killed him, and I watched until the life left him, and then I left and only told the pack that he had tried to kill me and died for it," she concluded. She didn't feel much of anything about _that_ ; she had chosen this story because unlike so many of her past experiences, it wasn't all that painful to recall.

"I understand," Beryl rumbled comfortingly. "Thank you for telling me. Does it make you feel better, having spoken about it?"

"Should it?" she asked.

"I am flying blind here," he admitted. "but I think it should. Holding everything inside did not work out so well in the end, did it?"

"That wasn't related to what happened," she objected.

"Maybe not, but it did not make you feel good, and those memories are still hurting now," he reasoned. "I think, as part of coping with all of this, you trying something different is necessary."

"Telling you about my worst moments," she huffed. "That's your big idea."

"One of them… I'm not forcing you to speak." He set his head on his paws and closed his eyes. "Just asking that you consider it."

"I'll consider it." If only because now that he had said it outright, she was sure her thoughts would circle back around to it every time she wasn't actively distracting herself. She lay down on the ground – it was still slanted and annoying, but that was just something she was going to have to ignore – and let her eyes drift shut. In a few moments, he would come over and put her to sleep.

Until then, she would think about the past, his and hers. It was better than thinking about the future. And maybe she would decide on another story to tell him next time he asked. Something small, tangential to the things she most wanted to forget, but still something uncomfortable.

He was right about one thing; what she had been doing wasn't working.

_**Author's Note** _ **: While writing this chapter, I was listening to** _**Vor í Vaglaskógi** _ **by KALEO. It's great for ambiance, and probably influenced the tone of these scenes quite a bit. The absolutely miserable weather outside might have played a part too.**


	77. Terrified

_**Author's Note:** _ **In case anyone missed it,** _**No Story Stands Alone** _ **got something completely unrelated to any of this. If you've ever wondered about what's happening back on Berk, go check it out! Now, on with your regularly scheduled story.**

The next morning, Lily was once again forced to awkwardly endure Beryl bringing her water and then spitting it at her. There had to be a better way to do something like this, but apparently neither of them had thought of anything. So, after some water and another meal of fresh-caught cave fish – that, at least, was not a problem – they began the long spiraling trek back up to the split in the tunnel.

"So... " Beryl began after a long bout of companionable silence. "Ivy."

"Yes..?" She had thought them done talking about him.

"It's kind of funny. I always thought Pearl was right about him being a cowardly, irrelevant male waste of space. I am having a hard time believing he could hide the ability to threaten and kill an alpha from his own daughter." Beryl looked back at her. "Not that I am doubting your word, I am just wondering."

"He _was_ cowardly," she replied, "and Diora scared him more than anything. I am not at all surprised Pearl did not know he was just as bad as Diora in his own way." He hadn't had the opportunity to be.

A short while later, Lily followed Beryl out into the place where the tunnel split. She felt like it had taken much longer to go down. Probably because on the way down they were slowly dying of thirst.

Of course, even reenergized, full, and fully watered, Lily did not look forward to the vertical ascent they were about to make. "I could do without the obstacle courses these tunnels all seem to have somewhere." This vertical shaft looked very, very difficult to traverse on paw. Not impossible, not even as difficult as the last vertical ascent she had attempted, but definitely not fun or safe either.

Beryl followed her gaze upward. "This is going to be fun," he groaned.

"You have an odd definition of fun." She jumped up to the obvious first ledge, mentally estimating how long this was going to take. 'Too long' was the only answer she could come up with.

O-O-O-O-O

A very long time later, Lily reached the top of the vertical shaft. She didn't look down; even if she could fly, that drop would seriously injure or kill her. She was just glad to be done with the ascent. The tunnel continued on-

She whined under her breath. "You have to be kidding."

"I didn't say anything," Beryl quipped, leaping up behind her. "Tell me it doesn't go up any further."

"The opposite." She hated backtracking, and this felt very much like that, because the tunnel went for all of ten paces before beginning a steep, if not vertical, descent. They had gone up only to go right back down again.

"Nothing to do but-"

"Keep going, I know." She missed large, open spaces that were nice and hospitable, with a dozen different exits that all led to different places. This stupid tunnel system seemed designed to be annoying enough to tire them while offering just enough hope that they wouldn't turn around and give up.

O-O-O-O-O

It was very, very hard to judge vertical distances under the ground. If Lily had to guess, she would say she and Beryl had descended further than the bottom of the vertical shaft. By now they were going down into the depths the river cavern had been at. Maybe this entire path just led there. Hopefully in a way that meant she could safely descend and come back if necessary.

"How much longer do you want to go before resting?" Beryl called back. He was a few dozen paces ahead, for no particular reason.

Lily sighed, trying to find something to distract herself with. Anything at all. "A while yet."

Beryl shrugged his wings and continued on.

There was something. Lily let herself admire his tail and hindquarters. She had made herself put away all thoughts of intimacy for the time being, given just how much rebuilding of trust she still had to do thanks to her temporary – hopefully temporary, otherwise she was doomed – bout of insanity, but there was no harm in looking. Besides, he was as close to perfect as could be in those areas. It would be a shame not to admire him.

As if sensing her gaze, Beryl stopped and turned around. "Not now?"

"What? Oh, stopping. No, not yet. Unless you think it is time to stop and sleep." She certainly trusted his judgment over her own when it came to that, even if her body seemed to be fully adhering to the schedule he had set for her, at least to the extent of feeling tired at the right times. Even if she couldn't sleep on her own yet.

"Not quite, I just did not want to assume we were both equally tired right now." He turned back to the path ahead of them and unknowingly allowed her to continue distracting herself. She needed the distraction; her back was a constant pain, as always. It was worse now, for no apparent reason. The pain came and went, always in the same four points.

"And you are saying I would tire first?" Lily called out half-heartedly, belatedly realizing what he had implied. "You'd be right, but I resent you saying it."

"I only implied it," Beryl wryly retorted. "You said it."

"Fine, but we were both thinking it anyway." She was arguing against herself now, but that was part of the fun of it. "I am weaker than you by far, so it only makes sense."

"You are not _weaker_ , per se…" Beryl tried, before trailing off.

"Physically, I definitely am." That was an obvious fact. He couldn't refute it.

"What's with the sudden self-depreciation streak?" He sounded genuinely worried.

"I'm tired and saying anything that comes to mind in order to keep myself moving." She decided to go out on a limb. "If I am being honest, watching your backside is more distracting, but every little bit helps."

Beryl didn't even react to that, acting as if he hadn't heard, though Lily knew he had. His pace quickened a little bit, a sign that he was conscious of her watching.

Then he slowed to a stop, looking around. The path in front of him was gloomy and dark, to the point where she couldn't tell if there _was_ a path or if the tunnel just stopped a little bit further on.

Lily felt a rush of pure dread. This had better not actually be a real dead end. They would have to go _all_ the way back if it was, and she didn't want to have to–

"Oh, here we go," Beryl rumbled, slipping through a shadowy opening in the side of the tunnel that Lily hadn't seen. "I feel a breeze from this way," he called out from beyond the opening. "And… now I see why."

Lily followed him in, wrinkling her nose. "What is that foul smell?"

"I don't know, but I can guess," he rumbled. "Come look at this."

Lily ambled up beside him and beheld something ominous and new.

She and Beryl had come out onto a raised plateau set against a stone wall. They were at the beginning of a long, wide chamber with a high ceiling and what looked like a twisted stone maze of tall spires and stalagmites populating the floor. It was akin to the rainy cavern, except without the rain or the mushrooms, and with pillars interspersed among the stalagmites.

All of that was secondary to the true defining features of this cavern. The smell's source was now apparent, slowly swirling through the passages of the natural maze, faintly visible in the light of the few dark yellow crystals dotted around. A sickly green fog clung to the ground, pooling in small depressions and flowing and swirling anywhere from paw to head height. Where they were standing was high enough to avoid it all, but if they wanted to keep going, they would have to pass through it.

That was _not_ an appealing prospect, especially since the plateau they were on was a sheer outcropping, one she would not be able to ascend once she had jumped down. Once again, to go any further would be to lose the ability to backtrack.

"There is absolutely no way either of us is going into that," Beryl asserted worriedly. "It looks dangerous."

"I don't plan on getting any closer," she agreed. She did wonder what the fog might do to her if she inhaled any of it, but she certainly wasn't about to find out. It wasn't worth the risk, even if the alternative _was_ backtracking all the way up and down again, and then all the way through to-

There was a faint scuttling sound in the foggy green depths of the maze. Lily shuddered. "We need to get out of here." All of her senses were screaming 'danger' at her, and she was done ignoring them. She and Beryl had stumbled across something they did not want to find, something like the spider-crabs, and this time it might be more dangerous–

"Why not stay?" a new voice hissed in her ear, an instant before she felt herself being forcefully shoved off the edge of the outcropping by a hard shape. She twisted around a heartbeat too late, the dark opening flashing past too quickly to even catch a glimpse of her attacker as she fell.

She landed on all four paws, but collapsed with a whine as soon as the pain from the impact registered in her back, trying and failing to hold in the little air she had in her body. Green fog passed in and then out of her nostrils right before her eyes, disturbing the slow, steady current of the fog immediately around her.

"Lily!" Beryl called as he ran to her, also breathing it. "Let me boost you up!" He crouched by the plateau's sheer side.

"What hit us?" She was more concerned with the dragon or creature that had knocked them off, as she had already inhaled some of the fog. It was not immediately harming her, while her attacker definitely could. Besides which, even standing on Beryl's back, she wouldn't be able to reach the top of the outcropping, as she had only moments ago determined.

"I have _absolutely_ no idea," Beryl said tensely, his gaze darting around even as he spoke. "It was big, fast, and as black as I am, from what I saw. We will see it coming, but not by much in this fog."

Lily began to feel very, very exposed. "This feels like a trap," she hissed. The fog was swirling faster now, as if sensing there was prey about somewhere. A faint hissing filled the air.

She spun as movement caught her eye, and then something large and dripping blood loomed out of the green fog behind Beryl, a horrifying maw of bone and raw flesh with glowing red eyes. She shrieked and fired at it–

But the bolt passed right through it, and it leered at her before retreating into the depths.

"What?" Beryl yelped, leaping up and spinning around, a shot building in the back of his throat. "I don't see anything. Did you kill it?"

Lily heard a faint grumbling sound off to Beryl's right, followed by a soft whine. "I think I hurt it, but Beryl, that was not – I don't know what it was!"

"Whatever it was, It can still probably be driven off." he gestured for her to go around him. "I come in from the left, you from the right, and…" He trailed off, tilting his head. "What was that?"

"What?" She didn't hear anything.

"That false roar…" Beryl's eyes widened. "Lily, what, _exactly_ , did you see? Was it a large, dark No-scaled-not-prey?"

"No, nothing like that." She was about to explain when she heard a soft whisper too faint to make out individual words. The voice was tauntingly familiar but indistinct at the same time. "There is someone out there."

"We know that." Beryl was looking distinctly unnerved. "Let's go after the one you hurt and get some answers about what's going on."

"I don't think that thing could give any," Lily quavered, not even caring that she was acting like a frightened fledgling, "but okay." She stalked away from his side, only going far enough for Beryl's form to become a silhouette, and no further. They crept forward together.

Then a dark shape darted right in front of Lily. She shrieked and fell back, but nothing happened. She hadn't even seen what the shape might be.

"Lily?!" Beryl's voice was close, but not getting closer. "Lily?" Getting further away, now.

"Beryl?" Lily stood, looking around frantically. She was still in the green fog, but now there were rocks around her, blocking her path in all directions. Had she fallen into a pit? "I'm this way, Beryl!"

An instant later, the ground beneath Lily's paws began to collapse, chunks of perilously thin stone falling into an endless black pit. She clambered across the crumbling rock and leaped up to try and get on top of one of the stones surrounding her, but overshot and landed–

On the ground, with no stones around her at all. She should have hit her target and scrabbled atop, not landed on the clear ground!

"Lily," a pained female voice called out from somewhere in the distance. "Please, let me out."

Lily froze, her heart racing, as she tried to make sense of that. There was no way…

A four-legged shape with a drooping head and a long tail crawled up out of the green fog, leaving a trail of waste and blood behind. "Please," Holly begged, her eyes glassy and dull. There were deep gashes in her neck, oozing a stream of blood, and she was coated in waste, thick and dripping from every part of her. The _smell_...

She couldn't be real. That was over; it had happened long ago. But Lily had never _seen_ Holly get out of the waste pit for good… Everything she knew past that time was from Beryl.

"He lied," the wretched, suffering light wing in front of Lily groaned. "You were out of control. I was in there for days, only for you to slit my throat."

"Then… how are you here?" Lily all but whimpered. It couldn't be, that couldn't be true. It didn't seem right, but the evidence in front of her face said otherwise, literally… Though how she had known to say that...

Instead of answering, Holly began heaving, spewing more waste from her throat, and her body crumpled like an empty skin, leaving nothing behind but a noxious puddle.

"Lily!" Beryl's voice cut through her rising horror like a sharp claw. He was close again. "Lily, none of this-"

"Do not bother," the voice from before hissed, and Beryl yelped.

Something was wrong. Something besides the horrible things happening all around her. Lily walked forward, skirting around the puddle Holly had left behind, toward Beryl's voice.

Rocks loomed all around her, large and jagged. She kept going, heedless of the now faint and irrelevant aching in her back and paws. She felt like she could run for days on end, if only she could find Beryl and get away from this horrible-

"Lily," crooned a dark and cruel voice from the most horrible nightmares of her past. "My _favorite_."

Lily yelped and pushed herself to run even harder, knowing in the back of her mind what was catching up to her and dreading it with every fiber of her being. She knew that voice.

Claw was there, limping along beside her, keeping up despite his slow, irregular gait. One of his eyes was nothing but a black, empty void that seemed to watch her just as easily, and there were bloody gashes all over him, but he was moving, more than keeping pace despite the bones protruding from his legs, coming after her with a leer that spoke more to his intentions than words ever could.

She whimpered and tried to block him out, dodging between looming rock formations as fast as she could. She looked back only once, but Claw was right behind her, and gaining. She strained to move faster, but his labored breathing was audible behind her. He was going to catch her, and then he was going to do whatever he wanted, everything she had suffered for moon-cycles so long ago. This was impossible but it was happening anyway. Claw was dead!

"Lil-" Beryl barked, suddenly looming out of the fog like all of the rocks around them and cut off as she slammed into him. She scrambled to her paws and darted around behind him, hoping he could hold Claw off long enough for her to get a shot out.

"Lily!" Beryl looked around worriedly as he put his tail on her side to reassure her. "What is chasing you?"

"Claw," she whimpered. He hadn't chased her to Beryl, but that just meant he was somewhere around here.

"Claw." Beryl didn't seem all that surprised. "Lily, there are two things that could be going on here." His voice was strained, and it was clear he was nowhere near as calm as he seemed. "I have seen dead No-scaled-not-prey, and dragons too. That's not possible."

"Enough of this," the voice hissed, and four different shadows coalesced into being around Beryl and Lily. A strange black dragon, Claw, Grimmel, and a Deathgripper all emerged and aimed their various methods of death at Beryl.

Lily took a step back, driving away the fear in a split second of anger and courage. Beryl didn't even seem to see them, staring in the direction of the Deathgripper with no sign of recognition.

Grimmel hefted a jagged, red-stained false claw. The Deathgripper reared back, flashing its oversized talons. The odd black dragon with long fangs lurched forward, and Claw leaped for Lily herself, ignoring Beryl.

She fired at Claw and leaped to the side, hoping to get Grimmel before–

Beryl howled in pain as the large black dragon's long fangs sank into his wing shoulder from above. He stilled almost immediately, collapsing where he stood.

Lily watched in horror, everything else forgotten, as the horrific black dragon leered at her, pulled its green-stained fangs out of Beryl, and spoke.

"Always the weak ones that never understand in time. I will come back for you."

Then it began to drag Beryl away. She howled in denial and fired, but the strange black dragon simply shrugged her blast off with its wings, easily ignoring the scorching explosion. It disappeared into the green fog, and Beryl disappeared with it.

Lily didn't know what to do, or what was going on, and as she cast about in the fog, looking for Beryl, she almost despaired. He was gone, everything horrible that could happen was happening, she wanted to find a hidden corner, curl up, and hide until it was all over–

But as much as she wanted to do that, there was something equally terrifying about giving up, about giving _Beryl_ up. He couldn't be dead, she didn't want to believe it. If Claw was not dead after what her pack had done to him, there she didn't want to believe that Beryl was any less alive. Such nonsensical reasoning rang false in her mind even as she came up with it, but it was all she had, and she clung to it. She was in a horrible place where nothing made sense, her hope didn't have to make sense either.

Claw stumbled out from a whirl of fog to her right, startling her once more. "You only ever had one real mate," he hummed maliciously. "Let me show you…" Blood ran from his empty eye socket, dripping into the mist, and he lifted one of his hind legs in anticipation, showing her something she outright refused to look at. "Roll over."

Lily inhaled and hurriedly blasted at Claw, but her shot went right through him, just as it had before. He laughed scornfully.

Something was not right. She shook her head, hating that the green mist obscured everything. She could barely think with how terrified she was, and Claw was now impervious to her fire. This was her…

Worst nightmare. It was a nightmare. But none of this was a dream. It was real. Beryl had been bitten and abducted by a real dragon, one she had never seen the likes of.

She managed to ignore whatever vile taunt Claw was spouting, taking the vital moments he was giving her to think. Of everything she had seen clearly, everyone who seemed to be here despite it being impossible, only one creature was new.

Claw, Holly, Grimmel, a Deathgripper. All horrors from her past, whether enemies or past mistakes. Things she feared. But the black dragon who had taken Beryl was new, she would remember a dark creature with fangs tinted a sickly green…

Green like the fog, and Beryl had dropped immediately. She was no stranger to substances doing things to the body or mind, so she leaped on the obvious conclusion almost immediately. It made sense that this was all an induced hallucination, trickery spread by air that took in anyone who inhaled it.

Believing it was another matter entirely. She stared at the horrid image of Claw in front of her, desperately looking for an obvious imperfection. If this was not real, why did it seem so realistic?

Claw took a threatening step forward, his good eye glinting in-

No light. There was no light, but his eye seemed to be reflecting something. The moment she noticed it the glint disappeared, but there was no taking back the realization. It wasn't real.

Lily snarled angrily at the persistent image of Claw, remembering what the dragon who had taken Beryl had said to her. Always the weak that never understood in time. But she _did_ understand. She understood, and she rejected it. She was not one for fantasy. Not even a horrid, twisted fantasy like this, Claw back from the dead to reclaim her. She only cared for reality, what was and what could realistically be, and Claw counted towards neither of those.

"You are dead," she snarled scornfully, hoping his image would disappear.

"Not too dead to mate you," he growled with an over the top leer. She could see that he was anticipating just that, visibly excited and slinking towards her.

She quivered in fear despite knowing that it was not real. She could smell, see, hear… If he touched her, she might think she felt it, and that would be as torturous as if it _was_ real. There had to be a solution, a way to make it all go away, but she didn't know what it was.

Whatever it was, she would not find it by fleeing, and she needed to save Beryl if he still lived. She had been willing in the past to suffer Claw's attention if it got her closer to her goals, to helping others be free of him. But she didn't know if she could do it again, even in passing…

To stay here and cower was to let Claw win, so she had to try. She took a step forward and defiantly bared her teeth. "I do not fantasize, and if I did you would be the last one that came to mind," she growled, if a little shakily. "Go back to being dead, it suited you better."

Claw stopped just short of touching her; she could feel his hot and fetid breath on her face, or at least she thought she could. "You are mine. I took your flight. I took your freedom. I-"

"Freak." She pushed right _through_ him, intending to shove him aside only to stumble through his body as if walking through the fog and nothing more, which of course she was. _None_ of this was real and she knew for sure now, none of it except Beryl… and whatever had dragged him away.

Beryl's kidnapper was real, and the swirling gaps in the fog that he had left behind were too, a path made of absence, lingering for the time being. An intermittent line, something she could follow.

Three more Claws lurked in the depths of the green fog, all three blocking the path she could see. She could not prevent a deep and heartfelt groan of disgust and fear, but she knew they were not real.

This was not real. Almost all of this was in her head, somehow a product of her memories and this green fog. That was the key, the trick, what the black dragon had stopped Beryl from explaining at least twice, now that Lily knew what was going on and understood why it kept interrupting him.

Maybe she was the weak one; she had figured it out far later than Beryl. But maybe that was just because she had far more to fear than he did, or because he was far more accustomed to the fantastic and unreal.

Lily followed the swirling trail through the fog, moving as swiftly as she could without making noise. After a moment to think as clearly as she could manage with her heart trying to break through her chest and out into the open, she paused and flamed herself, reducing her form to a shimmering gap in the fog topped by a grey patch of scar tissue. She was still very visible in these conditions, but much less so than normal.

Ivy, his chest noticeably not moving, stepped into her way; she shoved right past him, only to see him glaring at her from another thick patch of fog to her right.

"Poisoner," he called out breathlessly.

She didn't respond. The dragon she was trailing would hear her, none of these other horrors were real.

That conviction became much harder to hold once she began walking past corpses. Light wing bodies were piled in head-high heaps to either side of the path through the fog, bodies that had been ravaged and shredded but somehow remained just recognizable enough that she would be able to identify them if she stopped to check.

She forced herself to ignore them. If she kept moving, they would go away. They weren't really there, just a distraction, if one that played on her deepest fears and regrets. She tried to keep her ears open for the sounds of a body being dragged–

Only to be foiled by a familiar voice. "You tortured me, Lily," Holly said in a smug, bragging tone of voice, stepping out from behind a larger than average pile of bodies. This time, the bloody, gaping wound in her neck was joined by a multitude of cuts and scratches all over her body, scales smeared with blood. "Now I am alpha. I led them all to their deaths just to spite you."

Lily almost laughed. Holly was many things, but-

"We are alike in our failings," Holly hissed. "We were both betrayed, and I reacted no better than you, no better than our dear Sire..."

That struck a little closer to home. She tried to shut Holly out of her mind like she had everything else, and in a fit of defiant courage closed her eyes, blocking out the apparition. When she opened them again, Holly was gone.

Then a new voice drifted through the mist, one Lily recognized as her quarry, and she listened warily, knowing to doubt her ears.

"Black scales, black skin. Different taste? Light and dark, different flavors. Black like me. I wonder what I taste like. Maybe this is close."

She had to shudder at that, somewhat convinced that what she was hearing was real as it was not scary so much as disturbing. Very disturbing.

"Living meat is best, living and scared to inaction," the voice narrated to itself, lilting unsteadily at the oddest times. "Limbs first, then body, then head." A low growl growl interrupted the rant, though it sounded like it came from the same dragon, and the voice quickly returned. "Must wait for it to wake, food is best when it screams."

Lily slowed down, aware that she had to be close, and tried not to think about how sure the dragon sounded about that, like it spoke from experience. She crept behind a stone pillar that was close to the voice, after checking with her paw to be sure it was solid and thus real. In the distance two Deathgrippers were flying toward her, but she ignored them with relative ease, leaning around the pillar to finally lay eyes on the new and nightmare-inducing dragon for more than a terrified instant.

It vaguely resembled a light wing in body structure, but was much taller, thinner and spindly where her kind was rounded and filled out. It hunched over on its hind legs, a black skeletal tail balancing it as it used the long talons on its front paws to stroke the two green-stained fangs protruding from a thin and angular muzzle.

What interested Lily, aside from the rapid but steady rise and fall of Beryl's chest as he lay nearby, was the new dragon's wings. They were reflective, looking like the same kind of shiny stone No-scaled-not-prey used for false claws. If she had to guess, she would say that what she saw was merely a mobile covering for this thing's true wings, because there was no way those elongated half-oval domes that shifted every few seconds were capable of providing flight.

The black dragon ran its talons up and down its fangs a little faster as Beryl stirred. "Old, I am. A full strike, so easily recovered from. No matter, my fog does most of the work." A small bead of dark green liquid began to form on the tip of one of the fangs, one the dragon carefully flicked off before vaporizing it in midair with a tiny blast of smoking yellow fire so weak Lily wasn't sure she had seen it. A little green puff spread out from where the fire had been, trailing down Beryl's twitching wing to join the swirling vapours drifting over the ground.

Lily thought to worry about what such potent venom would do to Beryl, coursing through his body instead of spreading in the air, but quickly dismissed the fear as irrelevant. Whatever it did, it couldn't be worse than what this dragon would do if left to his own devices. She did her best to ignore the leering light wing fledglings crowding around Beryl and making as if to claw at him, dripping blood that never seemed to stay where it should. Every time she blinked the pooled blood was gone, only to be replaced, so she was easily able to discern how unreal that weirdly generic fear was.

A far more relevant fear was the creeping dread she felt when she contemplated saving Beryl, and her very limited options for doing so. This dragon had a shield, of sorts, fire, and his own kind of poison, one that was currently distracting and terrifying her even though she _knew_ it was making her see and hear things that did not exist. This was not a fight she could win. There were few physical fights she could win in any case, so that shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it was her only option. He wasn't just going to leave Beryl alone to be revived, if Beryl could even wake up given his current state.

She stiffened as the dark dragon leaned forward and sniffed Beryl's tail. "Maybe a bite now…" he hissed to himself.

Beryl had already lost one tailfin in his life, and she was not about to sit by while he lost another. The dancing black scrap of bloody membrane that fell right in front of her from above only served to spur her on. She rose from her crouch, intent on-

The black dragon tensed, looking over to the right. "No new prey from there in a long time. Light wing will still be fighting off her fears." He caressed his fangs carefully. "Kill her, I think. Not enough venom, not for a while yet. Dead meat is better than no meat, even if live and screaming meat is best."

With that, the strange and horrible black dragon left Beryl's body, stalking off into the fog to his right. Lily held her breath until he was gone, unwilling to risk ruining her stroke of good fortune with a loud, misplaced sigh of relief. He was going after her. It would not be long before he realized she was not fighting her worst fears as gullibly as he believed.

The moment she was sure he was gone she rushed over to Beryl, not so much as flinching as three different black dragons sprung at her from three different directions. She had almost expected that; whenever she thought of something new to fear, it happened, or at least appeared to.

Beryl was more important. She bit down on one of his paws, and when he didn't stir, decided to drag him… somewhere.

The answer came in an instant, given to her by the enemy, who had complained of no new prey and then looked towards what she presumed was the exit.

Then, in a moment of almost embarrassing failure, she realized it didn't matter where she wanted to take Beryl if she couldn't move him. He was heavy, far heavier than she could lift.

But maybe not too heavy to push. She leaped over him and set her shoulder to his hindquarters, ignoring the pain that caused her back–

And ignoring the other light wing pushing alongside her, or at least miming the motions. Cressa's badly broken neck meant she could mirror Lily's movements and face her at the same time. "Need some help?"

"Push harder," Lily growled, done with these stupid hallucinations, though each new one brought another spark of fear into her to eat away at her confidence and will to keep moving. "Or disappear, because I am not afraid of _you_."

"You _are_ afraid of being like me," Cressa crooned condescendingly. "I approve of what you did to this one. You have surpassed me in betraying someone who wanted to trust you." She sounded genuinely impressed, which hurt Lily more than anything else had so far. "I could never have done that to Pyre."

Lily shoved harder, letting the agony in her back distract her from what the hallucinatory light wing was telling her. Beryl _was_ moving, slowly but surely, and by pushing his hindquarters she was succeeding in not rolling him. But this was going to take a lot of time, and she didn't even know where she was going.

Then Beryl stirred, whining at an impressively high pitch. He began to thrash, weakly at first before apparently regaining some of his strength, stumbling to his paws and clawing at the empty air.

She didn't know what he was seeing, but she knew it wasn't real. "Beryl!" she barked. "Follow me!"

"No," Beryl whined, spinning in tight circles. "I have to… to…"

"Follow me or you will never see me again," Lily threatened, seeing that he was fully in the throes of believing all of this to be real. If she couldn't break him out of it, then she could make herself the worst nightmare and convince him to follow that way.

Though she was assuming he feared never seeing her again, enough to take the threat seriously...

Before her doubt could sink to full-on regret, he turned to her with wide, pained eyes. "You do not mean that?"

"You will never know if you do not follow," she snarled, running past him toward where the black dragon had indicated. Beryl was right on her heels, asking questions she intentionally did not let herself hear. Other assorted horrors were following them, but she was so wrapped up in escaping the _real_ horror that she scarcely even noticed them. Maybe the fog she was still breathing at every inhale was not indefinitely effective; it might be wearing off, which would explain why the black dragon had not thought it safe to leave her alive.

Lily ran for what felt like a lifetime, a lifetime of fleeing her nightmares, her fears and regrets, Beryl trailing behind making quiet, plaintive pleas. The real stone pillars, spires, and stalagmites stopped cropping up in her path after a while, and Beryl began to pant, but other than that nothing changed.

A horrible roar echoed out from behind them, one she suspected was real. The enemy had found Beryl to be missing. They were once again being hunted for real.

But now Lily could see a small slope, one leading up out of the green fog, illuminated by a colorless crystal that shone like a pale star above a rocky tunnel littered with small pebbles and chunks of broken crystal, all overshadowed by a huge stone overhang that looked unstable. They were almost–

Lily skidded to a halt, throwing herself down to slow as much as possible, as fast as possible, and Beryl did the same right behind her. He had eyes only for her, but she had eyes for the massive, all too realistic gorge in front of her.

The last time she had seen a bottomless pit, it was just a black void, an easy thing to classify as false once she knew that was a possibility. This was far too realistic, a ravine that ran jaggedly across her path, filled with the same green fog she knew sank down as far as it could. This could very well be real, or it could be false, one final barrier.

An angry cry of denial rang out from behind her; Beryl flinched, proving it real.

Lily looked back to see ten, then a hundred of the black dragon racing towards her and Beryl, visible as an ever-growing horde of dark shapes following the same path through the fog she had used to trail it earlier, and thus visible from far further away than it would otherwise be.

There was no time to carefully test if this was real. Lily braced herself and leaped, throwing her body as far forward as she could.

Time seemed to slow down once she was in the air. She looked down, staring into the green-fogged chasm below her, and then looking at the edge she had leaped for. It was barely within reach…

And then, as she stared, as she fell, it began pulling back, moving to doom her, but she knew that meant the entire chasm was false, so the sight only filled her with horror for a moment-

Lily slammed into a painfully sharp edge and instinctively scrambled up, letting her scales be scratched and ripped off by the jagged stone in her haste to be up the side of the _real_ ravine she had jumped, the one her hallucinations had extended but not created. Beryl flew right past her, seeing the light of the tunnel, and she stumbled up to run after him, running out of the fog and up the slope as fast as her bruised and bleeding midsection would permit.

The black dragon of fear was close now, screeching unintelligible rants of rage and bloodthirst, but Lily almost didn't care. She raced Beryl to the tunnel and leaped through right after him, spinning to target what she had seen earlier, the large overhang jutting out over the tunnel entrance. A single blast to the edge of the interior caused it to fall, totally blocking the tunnel in front of her, and knocking her back with a wave of displaced air.

She stumbled backward, unwilling to be knocked over. She did not believe this to be over; the enemy could break through.

But when the dust cleared and all that could be heard was the frantic hammering of her overworked heart, she began to wonder if that really was it. The slab that had fallen was thick and solid, and seemed to have been carved around the edges at some prior time. Maybe this entire entrance had been designed by the black dragon specifically to be blocked at a moment's notice. If so, it would not be easy to unblock.

A crack showed on the rock, piercing the silence as it grew. Then the stone shattered, two thick talons shoving out through the middle of the break to pull back the rubble and clear a way. Lily almost despaired when the stone was cleared in a moment, revealing the dragon on the other side, raging mad and dripping copious amounts of venom-

Then she heaved a huge sigh of relief. The black dragon would not have venom; that was why he had decided to kill her. This was just another hallucination, nothing more.

"I have killed him," the hallucination cruelly pointed out, tapping a talon on the stone between them. "You just do not believe it yet."

Lily turned her back on the apparition. It was voicing her worst fears, nothing more. She had to believe that.

"I stayed with you. Lily, did you mean it?" Beryl asked desperately. "Lily, please tell me?"

She hated seeing him like this, vulnerable and very much afraid, but that would wear off. It had to wear off. In the meantime…

Lily took a long look at the tunnel past Beryl. It only led one way, and as far as she could see there were no more side-tunnels or other passages. The chances the fear dragon would pursue them here were low, and she didn't actually have too much to worry about if it came upon her in a narrow passage. Its wings were on its back, and she could blast at it without having to worry about missing or having her shot blocked.

They were safe. She ignored the specter of Beryl lying dead in the corridor and focused on the real Beryl. She had to think of some way to calm him down; he was very likely to be under the effects far longer than her, and she still hadn't recovered. That could be dangerous.

The only thing that came to mind was far too personal and touch-based for her comfort, given that he had requested they take a step back, but she couldn't think of anything else. It didn't help her conscience that he wasn't in any state to push her away… But she needed to do something; he was looking like he might bolt at any moment if he wasn't afraid of her disappearing on him.

She decided to try and settle him down, whatever it took. "You want the truth, Beryl?" she asked kindly, approaching him. "I love you, and anything I ever said that does not support that is false. Come here."

Beryl hesitantly leaned in to her embrace, shivering with nerves. "Lily, you said-"

"I know," Lily murmured, pulling him down to the ground. "Beryl, obey me. I see you as an equal, but right now you are sick, so obey me, please. I would try to do the same were our positions reversed." She only had a vague idea of how to combat this, but her idea was not a bad one.

Beryl crouched, not really comforted at all. "I will, but Lily-"

"No objections," she crooned, shifting to the side to covering his head with her wing. She was taking a chance, but a skittish, hallucinating dark wing was too dangerous to go anywhere with. He might shoot at her in the mistaken belief that she was under attack.

"I-"

"No talking," she continued, pressing his head down to the stone with her wing, being sure to rub against him in the hopes that would make this seem less like her pinning him and shutting him up, which was what it really was. "No moving. Stay still. And no throwing me off," she finished, painstakingly pinning his ears to his head and hopefully blocking out all sound.

She was not putting him to sleep; sleep might not help in ridding him of this affliction. The best she could do was depriving his mind of anything to work with in conjuring up fresh horrors. Right now he could not see or hear anything but her, and she was pretty sure his hallucinating could not affect him all that much, not when his eyes only saw the membrane of her wings.

Every few moments Beryl started, flinched, or for a split second tried to throw her off. She never let him, and he would not raise a claw against her, so he had no choice but to lie still and silent. No worried questions, no freaking out, and no accidentally making things worse by lashing out in fear.

"You are treating him like a child," a voice Lily recognized as belonging to Whirl, of all people, called out tauntingly. "He will take this as proof you do not see him as an equal, and never did."

"I am coming, this barrier will not hold me," the dragon of fear called out from the distance.

"How could he love you?" Cloud asked scornfully. His presence, or the illusion of such, was even more of a surprise than Whirl or Cedar. "You are flightless, barren, and cruel. Even I never loved you. just your power."

"We will kill you if you show yourself," Crystal growled. "I hate you for being weak and acting like Claw. I look at you and see Claw."

Lily almost broke with that one. She _would_ make that right; she had to.

"You will never make it up to anyone," Beryl's own voice said decisively, with an air of finality. "We will die down here, lost and alone."

No. She would not let that happen either. The voices were getting fainter and less realistic; she began to hear them in her head instead of right beside her or off in the distance, which was at once harder to ignore but easier to dismiss as false.

"You will never be happy again."

"Beryl would have led a far better life if he never met you."

"He is going to die because of your mistakes and your weakness."

Silence fell, _real_ silence. Lily couldn't be sure her hallucinations were over, but she suspected as much. Beryl, on the other paw, was still very much in the throes of every kind of fear imaginable.

She felt the rapid beat of her heart slowly return to something akin to normal. She continued to shift her wing over Beryl's head and back, small movements and pressure to let him know that she was both still there and still very much paying attention to him. She had no way of knowing whether doing so was helping, but keeping up some sort of movement made her feel a little less like she was holding him prisoner, and more like she was comforting him.

None of this was how she had wanted to return to being close to him, but it was still similar enough that she would have felt bad about ignoring his wishes under different circumstances. As she waited for him to calm down, she resolved once more that no matter how long it took, or how much she had to do, she would regain this level of trust and intimacy for real, not just for while he was vulnerable and unable to think straight.

After that, all she had to do was wait, because she was far too tired and traumatized to think about anything. They had escaped, and that was all that mattered.

_**Author's Note:** _ **Those of you with good memory will remember the most recent time this specific antagonistic species of dragon (an OC species, if anyone was wondering, these are about as canon as the Guardian was) was mentioned in this story. But I wonder if anyone will be able to point out the** _**first** _ **time this species of dragon was referenced? I'll give you a hint; it's probably a lot further back than you might think. The answer will be in the next chapter's author's note, so think and reply fast.**


End file.
